- 
 
 ^ : 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 

 
 
BLUE JAY, (h/anura cristata. Swainson. 
 
ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY 
 
 NEW ENGLAND: 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND, AND ADJOINING 
 
 STATES AND PROVINCES, ARRANGED BY A LONG-APPROVED 
 
 CLASSIFICATION AND NOMENCLATURE; 
 
 TOGETHER WITH 
 
 A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THEIR HABITS, TIMES OF ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE, 
 
 THEIR DISTRIBUTION, FOOD, SONG, TIME OF BREEDING, AND 
 
 A CAREFUL AND ACCURATE DESCRIPTION 
 
 OF THEIR NESTS AND EGGS; 
 
 JHlustrattons of mang Species of tije Biros, ano accurate JFigure* 
 of tfjeir Eggs- 
 
 BY EDWARD A. SAMUELS, 
 
 CURATOR OF ZOOLOGY IN THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE CABINET. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 NICHOLS AND NOTES, 
 
 117, WASHINGTON STREET. 
 1867. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by 
 
 EDWARD A. SAMUELS, 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE: 
 
 STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY 
 JOHN WILSON AND SON. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHARACTERISTICS OF ORDERS 4 
 
 ORDER I. RAPTORES, ROBBERS. 
 
 Family Falconidae, Falcons '. . . 7 
 
 Sub-Family Falconinae, Falcons proper 7 
 
 Accipitrinae, Hawks 22 
 
 Buteoninae, Buzzard-Hawks 34 
 
 Aquilinae, Eagles 49 
 
 Family Strigidse, Owls 60 
 
 Sub-Family Buboninae, Horned Owls 60 
 
 Syrninae, Gray Owls 71 
 
 Nycteininae, Day Owls 77 
 
 ORDER IL SCANSORES, CLIMBERS. 
 
 Family Cuculidae, Cuckoos 83 
 
 Picidae, Woodpeckers 87 
 
 ORDER HI. INSESSORES, PERCHERS. 
 
 Sub-Order Strisores 110 
 
 Family Trochilidae, Humming-Birds 110 
 
 Cypselidae, Swifts 116 
 
 CaprimulgidaB, Goat-Suckers 119 
 
 Sub-Order Clamatores, Screamers 125 
 
 Family Alcedinidae, Kingfishers 125 
 
 Colopteridse, Flycatchers 128 
 
 Sub-Family Tyranninae, Tyrant Flycatchers 128 
 
 Sub-Order Oscines, Singers . . . .' 
 
 Family Turdidse, Thrushes 
 
 Sub-Family Miminae, Mocking-Birds 
 
 Family Saxicolidae, Rock-Inhabiters 175 
 
 M 
 
 fi/051888 
 
Vi CONTENTS. 
 
 PACK 
 
 Family Sylviidse, Wood-Inhabiters 178 
 
 Paridae, Titmice 182 
 
 Sub-Family Sittinae, Nuthatches 186 
 
 Family Certhiadae, Creepers 190 
 
 Troglodytidae, Wrens 192 
 
 Sylvicolidse, Warblers 199 
 
 Sub-Family Motacillinse, Wagtails 199 
 
 Sylvicolinse, Wood- Warblers 201 
 
 Tanagrinae, Tanagers 250 
 
 Family Hirundinidae, Swallows 254 
 
 BombycillidaB, Chatterers 264 
 
 Laniidae, Shrikes 268 
 
 Sub-Family Laniinae, Shrikes proper 268 
 
 Vireoninae, Vireos 270 
 
 Family Alaudidae, Skylarks 280 
 
 Fringillidae, Seed-Eaters 283 
 
 Sub-Family Coccothraustinae, Finches 283 
 
 Spizellinae, Sparrows 301 
 
 Passerellinae, Buntings 325 
 
 Family Icteridae 335 
 
 Sub-Family Agelaeinae, Starlings 335 
 
 Icterinae, Orioles 346 
 
 Quiscalinae, Blackbirds 350 
 
 Family Corvidae, Crows 355 
 
 Sub-Family Corvinae, Crows proper 355 
 
 Garrulinae, Jays 364 
 
 ORDER IV. RASORES, SCRATCHERS. 
 
 Sub-Order Columbae 373 
 
 Family Columbidae, Doves 373 
 
 Sub-Order Gallinae, Game-Birds 378 
 
 Family Tetraonidae, Grouse 378 
 
 Perdicidae, Partridges 393 
 
 ORDER V. GRALLATORES, WADERS. 
 
 Sub-Order Herodiones 395 
 
 Family Ardeidae, Herons 393 
 
 Sub-Order Grallae, Shore-Birds 412 
 
 Family Charadridas, Plovers 413 
 
 Phalaropodidae, Phalaropes 424 
 
 Scolopacidae, Snipes 426 
 
CONTENTS. vii 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Family Haematopodidas, Oyster-Catchers . . . 432 
 
 Recurvirostridse, Avosets . 436 
 
 Tribe Tringeae, Sandpipers 440 
 
 Sub-Family Totaninse, Stilts 451 
 
 Family Paludicolae. Swamp Inhabiters 470 
 
 Sub-Family Rallinas, Rails 470 
 
 ORDER VI. NATATORES, SWIMMERS. 
 
 Sub-Order Anseres 480 
 
 Family Anatidse 480 
 
 Sub-Family Cygninae, Swans 480 
 
 Anserinae, Geese 481 
 
 Anatinae, River-Ducks 487 
 
 Fuligulinae, Sea-Ducks 503 
 
 Merginas, Sheldrakes 525 
 
 Family Sulidae, Gannets 532 
 
 Graculidae, Cormorants 534 
 
 Laridse, Gulls 537 
 
 Sub-Family Lestridinae, Skua-Gulls 537 
 
 Larinas, Gulls proper 539 
 
 Sterninae, Terns 545 
 
 Sub-Order Gavise 552 
 
 Family Procellaridae, Petrels 552 
 
 Colymbidae, Divers 555 
 
 Sub-Family Colymbinae, Loons 555 
 
 Podicipinae, Grebes 558 
 
 Family Alcidae 564 
 
 Sub-Family Alcinae, Auks 56 
 
 Urinse, Guillemots 567 
 
ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 AS I have generally adopted, in the present volume, the 
 system of classification, and the nomenclature, <fcc., 
 presented by Professor Baird in his report on the Birds of 
 North America, I will state here, that I have given, so far 
 as possible, his own remarks in the explanations of the 
 characteristics of the different orders, families, genera, &c., 
 because they are expressed in the most 'concise and com- 
 prehensive language possible. I have also given the same 
 descriptions of the species as those contained in the above- 
 mentioned report, because, being made from a much greater 
 number of specimens than I could possibly have access 
 to, they are certainly better than I could present from 
 my own observations. The descriptions of the character- 
 istics of the Raptores, the Grallce, and the Alcidce, are by 
 John Cassin, of Philadelphia; those of the Longipennes 
 Totipalmes and Colymbidce were written by Mr. George N. 
 Lawrence, of New York; those of the other birds were 
 prepared by Professor Spencer P. Baird, of the Smithsonian 
 Institute. 
 
 In order that the descriptions of the birds in the follow- 
 
 [1] 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ing pages may be perfectly understood, I give the subjoined 
 cuts, illustrating and explaining them : 
 
 H G 
 
 F E D C B 
 
 A represents the primary quills, usually called primaries. 
 
 B represents the secondary quills, usually called secondaries. 
 
 C spurious wing. 
 
 D wing coverts. 
 
 E tertiary quills, usually called tertiaries. 
 
 F represents the throat. 
 
 G is the upper part of the throat, called the jugulum. 
 
 H is the bill or beak : this is divided into two parts, called the upper 
 
 and lower mandibles.' 
 I is the frons, or forehead: feathers at this point are called frontal 
 
 feathers. 
 
 J is the crown : feathers here are called coronal feathers, and occipital. 
 K represents the scapular feathers. 
 
 L is the back : feathers here are sometimes called interscapular. 
 M represents the tarsus : called shank or leg sometimes. 
 N is the abdomen. 
 O is the rump. 
 
 P shows the upper tail coverts. 
 Q indicates the position of the lower tail coverts. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 R shows on the bill the culmen, or crown, of the 
 upper mandible. 
 
 S is the naked skin at the base of the bill, 
 
 called the cere. 
 T shows the position of the lores between the V --' 
 
 eye and bill. 
 U indicates the gape, the angle at the junction of the upper and lower 
 
 mandibles : the feathers in this locality are called rictal. 
 V is the commissure, or the folding edges of the mandibles. 
 
 In addition to these parts, there are the flanks or sides 
 of the bird ; the pectus, or breast ; the flexure, or bend of 
 the wing ; the iris, or irides, the colored circle which sur- 
 rounds the pupil of the eye ; and the toes and tibia : the 
 former are sometimes palmated, as with the swimmers, or 
 natatores ; and the latter is that portion next above the 
 tarsus on the leg. 
 
SYNOPSIS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CHARACTERISTICS OF NORTH-AMERICAN BIRDS. 
 
 THE following synopsis of the orders of birds, taken 
 partly from Keyserling and Blasius, will serve to illus- 
 trate the characteristics of the higher groups in American 
 Ornithology : 
 
 A. HIND TOE ON THE SAME LEVEL WITH THE ANTERIOR 
 
 ONES. 
 
 a. Posterior face or the sides of the tarsus more or less reticu- 
 lated, granulated, or with scales more numerous or smaller than 
 in front ; sometimes naked. Anterior face of the tarsus never in 
 one unbroken plate. Larynx without complex vocal muscles. 
 
 Order I. RAPTORES. Base of the upper mandible with a 
 soft skin or cere. Upper mandible compressed ; its point curving 
 down over that of the lower, forming a strong, sharp hook. Claws 
 generally retractile. Toes, never two behind. Birds usually of 
 large size and of powerful frame, embracing the so-called birds 
 of prey. 
 
 Order II. SCANSORES. Toes in pairs ; two in front and two 
 behind : the outer anterior being usually directed backwards ; the 
 inner, in Trogonida. Tail-feathers eight to twelve. 
 
 Order III. STRISORES. Toes either three anterior and one 
 behind (or lateral), or four anterior : the hinder one is, however, 
 usually versatile, or capable of direction more or less laterally for- 
 ward. Tail-feathers never more than ten. Primaries always ten ; 
 the first, long. 
 
 w 
 
SYNOPSIS OF THE 5 
 
 Order IV. CLAMATORES. Toes, three anterior and one pos- 
 terior (not versatile). Primaries always ten; the first nearly as 
 long as the second. Tail-feathers usually twelve. 
 
 b. Anterior face of the tarsus in one continuous plate, or divided 
 transversely into large quadrate scales. Plates on either the pos- 
 terior surface of the tarsus or the sides, without subdivisions, never 
 both divided together : when divided, the divisions correspond 
 with the anterior ones. Larynx with peculiar complex' singing 
 muscles. 
 
 Order V. OSCINES. Toes, three anterior, one posterior. 
 Primaries, either nine only ; or, if ten, the first usually short or 
 spurious. 
 
 B. HIND TOE RAISED ABOVE THE LEVEL OP THE REST. 
 
 Order VI. RASORES. Nostrils arched over by an incumbent 
 thick, fleshy valve. Bill not longer than the head, obtuse anteri- 
 orly. Nails broad, obtusely rounded. 
 
 Order VII. GRALLATORES. Legs lengthened, adapted for 
 walking, naked above the knee. Nostrils naked. Thighs usually 
 quite free from the body. Toes not connected by a membrane, or 
 for a short distance only ; sometimes with a lobed margin. 
 
 Order VIII. NATATORES. Adapted for swimming. Legs 
 generally short. Toes united by a continuous membrane. Thighs 
 mostly buried in the muscles of the body. 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF NORTH-AMERICAN BIRDS. 
 
 ORDER L RAPTORES. ROBBERS. 
 
 The peculiarities already given of the order Eaptores are 
 sufficient to define it among the others mentioned, although 
 many additional features might be named. The order em- 
 braces three families, which are characterized by Keyserling 
 and Blasius as follows : 
 
 A. DIURNAL BIRDS OP PREY. 
 
 Eyes lateral, with lashes, surrounded by a naked or woolly orbi- 
 tal circle ; the feathers above, below, and behind the eyes directed 
 backwards, as on the rest of the head ; anterior to the eye, the lore 
 imperfectly clothed with a radiating star of bristles, or with scale- 
 like feathers. The inner toe without the nail, shorter, or as long 
 as the outer. Nostrils opening in the cere. 
 
 VULTDRID^E. Bill contracted or indented on the anterior 
 border of the cere, so that the culmen is bow-shaped, or ascending 
 anterior to it. Eyes lying on a level with the sides of the head. 
 Head sparsely covered with downy feathers only, or partially 
 naked. Claws weak, rather slender, and only moderately curved ; 
 the tarsi and bases of the toes reticulated. 
 
 FALCONID^E. The bill not contracted, nor the culmen ascend- 
 ing anterior to the cere. Eyes sunken. The head completely 
 covered with compact, perfect feathers. Claws strong. 
 
 B. NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY. 
 
 STRIGID.E. Eyes directed forwards ; more or less completely 
 surrounded by a crown of radiating bristly feathers. Lores and 
 base of bill densely covered with bristly feathers directed forwards. 
 The nostrils opening on the anterior edge of the cere. The inner 
 toe without its claw longer than the outer, which is versatile. A 
 crown of peculiarly formed feathers on the side of the head and 
 above the throat Head fully feathered. Plumage very soft 
 and downy. 
 
GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 7 
 
 FAMILY FALCONIDJE. ' 
 Sub-Family FALCONING. The Falcons. 
 
 FALCO, LINNJEUS. 
 
 Fako, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. I. 124 (1766). 
 
 General form robust and compact. Bill short, curved strongly from the base to 
 the point, which is very sharp, and near which is a distinct and generally prominent 
 tooth; nostrils circular, with a central tubercle; wings long, pointed, formed for 
 vigorous, rapid, and long-continued flight; tail rather long and wide; tarsi short, 
 robust, covered with circular or hexagonal scales; middle toe long; claws large, 
 strong, curved, and very sharp. 
 
 FALCO ANATUM. Bonaparte. 
 The Duck Hawk ; Great-Footed Hawk. 
 
 Falco anatum, Bonap. Comp. List, p. 4 (1838). 
 
 " Falco peregrinus" Wilson, Audubon, and other authors. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Frontal band white ; entire upper parts bluish-cinereous, with trans- 
 verse bands of brownish-black, lighter on the rump ; under parts yellowish-white, 
 with cordate and circular spots of black on the breast and abdomen, and transverse 
 bands of black on the sides, under tail coverts, and tibiae ; quills and tail brownish- 
 black, the latter with transverse bars of pale cinereous; cheeks with a patch of 
 black; bill light-blue; tarsi and toes yellow Sexes alike. 
 
 Younger. Entire upper parts brownish-black; frontal spot obscure; large 
 space on the cheeks black; under parts dull yellowish -white, darker than in adult, 
 and with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black; tarsi and toes bluish-lead color, 
 iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, eighteen to twenty inches; wing, fourteen to fifteen; tail, seven 
 to eight inches. 1 
 
 I REGRET that I am unable to add, from my own knowl- 
 edge, any facts in relation to the habits of this bird, to 
 what we already possess. It is nowhere a common species, 
 and I have had no opportunities of observing and studying 
 its characteristics. It seems to be a resident of New Eng- 
 land throughout the year, and is oftener found in the neigh- 
 borhood of the sea-coast than in the interior. It is a 
 powerful bird, of rapid flight and great boldness and cour- 
 
 1 See Introduction. 
 
8 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 age, and is the terror of the water-fowl, which constitute the 
 greater portion of its prey. The breeding season of this 
 species is very early. It commences building the nest 
 usually on an inaccessible cliff, by the first of April. This 
 is constructed of twigs, grasses, and sometimes seaweeds. 
 The eggs are from two to four in number : their form is 
 almost spherical, and their color is of a reddish-brown, 
 covered with numerous minute spots and blotches of a 
 darker shade. The dimensions of the only two specimens 
 accessible to me at present are 1.90 inch in length by 1.75 
 in breadth, and 1.85 inch in length by 1.72 inch in breadth. 
 The following extracts from the writings of different 
 authors comprise the most interesting observations made 
 of this species : 
 
 " The flight of this bird is of astonishing rapidity. It is scarcely 
 ever seen sailing, unless after being disappointed in its attempt to 
 secure the prey which it had been pursuing; and even at such 
 times it merely rises, with a broad spiral circuit, to attain a suffi- 
 cient elevation to enable it to reconnoitre a certain space below. It 
 then emits a cry much resembling that of the sparrow-hawk, but 
 greatly louder, like that of the European kestrel, and flies off 
 swiftly in quest of plunder. The search is often performed with a 
 flight resembling that of the tame pigeon, until, perceiving an object, 
 it redoubles its flappings, and pursues the fugitive with a rapidity 
 scarcely to be conceived. Its turnings, windings, and cuttings 
 through the air, are now surprising. It follows and nears the 
 timorous quarry at every turn and back-cutting which the latter 
 attempts. Arrived within a few feet of the prey, the Falcon is 
 seen protruding his powerful legs and talons to their full stretch. 
 His wings are, for a moment, almost closed ; the next instant, he 
 grapples the prize, which, if too weighty to be carried off directly, 
 he forces obliquely toward the ground, sometimes a hundred yards 
 from where it was seized, to kill it, and devour it on the spot. 
 Should this happen over a large extent of water, the Falcon drops 
 his prey, and sets off in quest of another. On the contrary, should 
 it not prove too heavy, the exulting bird carries it off to a seques- 
 tered and secure place. He pursues the smaller ducks, water-hens, 
 
GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 9 
 
 and other swimming birds ; and, if they are not quick in diving, 
 seizes them, and rises with them from the water. I have seen this 
 hawk come at the report of a gun, and carry off a teal, not thirty 
 steps distant from the sportsman who had killed it, with a daring 
 assurance as surprising as unexpected. This conduct has been 
 observed by many individuals, and is a characteristic trait of the 
 species. The largest bird that I have seen this hawk attack and 
 grapple with on the wing is the Mallard. 
 
 "The Great-footed Hawk does not, however* content himself 
 with waterfowl. He is generally seen following the flocks of 
 pigeons, and even blackbirds, causing great terror in their ranks, 
 and forcing them to perform aerial evolutions to escape the grasp 
 of his dreaded talons. For several days, I watched one of them 
 that had taken a particular fancy to some tame pigeons, to secure 
 which it went so far as to enter their house at one of the holes, 
 seize a bird, and issue by another hole in an instant, causing such 
 terror among the rest as to render me fearful that they would 
 abandon the place. However, I fortunately shot the depredator. 
 
 " They occasionally feed on dead fish, that have floated to the 
 shores or sand-bars. I saw several of them thus occupied, while 
 descending the Mississippi on a journey undertaken expressly for 
 the purpose of observing and procuring different specimens of 
 birds, and which lasted four months, as I followed the windings 
 of that great river, floating down it only a few miles daily. During 
 that period, I and my companion counted upwards of fifty of these 
 hawks, and killed several ; one of which was found to contain in its 
 stomach bones of birds, a few downy feathers, the gizzard of a teal, 
 and the eyes and many scales of a fish. 
 
 " Whilst in quest of food, the Great-footed Hawk will frequently 
 alight on the highest dead branch of a tree, in the immediate neigh- 
 borhood of such wet or marshy ground as the common snipe resorts 
 to by preference. His head is seen moving in short starts, as if he 
 were counting every little space below ; and, while so engaged, the 
 moment he espies a snipe, down he darts like an arrow, making a 
 rustling noise with his wings, that may be heard several hundred 
 yards off, seizes the snipe, and flies away to some near wood to 
 devour it. 
 
 " It is a cleanly bird, in respect to feeding. No sooner is the 
 prey dead, than the Falcon turns it belly upwards, and begins to 
 
10 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 pluck it with his bill, which he does very expertly, holding it mean- 
 time quite fast in his talons ; and, as soon as a portion is cleared of 
 feathers, tears the flesh in large pieces, and swallows it with great 
 avidity. 
 
 " If it is a large bird, he leaves the refuse parts ; but, if small, 
 swallows the whole in pieces. Should he be approached by an 
 enemy, he rises with it, and flies off into the interior of the woods ; 
 or, if he happens to be in a meadow, to some considerable distance, 
 he being more wary at such times than when he has alighted on a 
 tree." AUDUBON. 
 
 The following very complete description of the breeding 
 habits of the Great-footed Hawk is from the pen of J. A. 
 Allen, of Springfield, Mass., one of our most enthusiastic 
 students, published in the " Proceedings of the Essex Insti- 
 tute," vol. IV. : - 
 
 " All accounts agree that the nest is placed on almost inaccessible 
 cliffs ; and often it can only be approached by a person being let 
 down by a rope from above. The old birds are represented as bold 
 in the defence of their nest, approaching so near as generally to be 
 easily shot. They arrive early at their nesting-place ; and, though 
 they often bestow no labor in the construction of a nest, beyond the 
 scraping of a slight hollow in the ground, they defend their chosen 
 eyrie for weeks before the eggs are laid, and are known to return 
 for several years to the same site. Incubation commences very 
 early, the young having been found in the nest at Mount Tom, May 
 30, nearly fledged, 1 and on Talcott Mountain, in the same condi- 
 tion, June 1 ; so that the laying of the eggs must occur by the last 
 of March, or very early in April. The number of eggs has been 
 known in several instances to be four. 
 
 " Mountains Tom and Holyoke, in Massachusetts, afford several 
 localities favorable for the nidification of the Duck Hawk; and 
 sometimes several pairs, and probably usually more than one, breed 
 about these mountains. 2 About the last of May, 1863, Mr. Bennett 
 
 1 According to R. B. Hildreth, Esq., of Springfield, who visited this nest May 
 80, 1861, and noted the fact. The nest on Talcott Mountain, Conn., was found the 
 same season, and first visited only a few days later, about June 1, 1861. 
 
 2 Since the above was written, I have been informed by Mr. Bennett, that a 
 pair of these hawks actually raised their young on Mount Tom in the summer of 
 1864, notwithstanding one pair was broken up the same season. 
 
GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. H 
 
 saw five adult birds of this species about Mount Tom. Dr. W. 
 Wood, of East- Windsor Hill, Conn., informs me, that two pairs of 
 Duck Hawks were evidently breeding on Talcott Mountain in the 
 summer of 1863. 
 
 " Discovery of the Eggs on Mount Tom. Although the Duck 
 Hawk has been long known to breed at the localities in Massachu- 
 setts mentioned above, those conversant with the fact were not 
 aware that any special interest was attached to it, or that its eggs 
 and breeding habits were but very little known to ornithologists ; 
 and so, until very recently, no particular efforts have been made to 
 obtain the eggs. Mr. Bennett, becoming aware of this, resolved 
 to procure the eggs. He accordingly visited Mount Tom for this 
 purpose, April 7, of the present year, when he searched the whole 
 ridge of the mountain, discovered the old birds, and the particular 
 part they most frequented, and also the site of a nest where young 
 had been raised. The old birds were continually near this spot, 
 and manifested much solicitude when it was approached, often 
 flying within six or eight rods ; and once the female came within 
 three, screaming and thrusting out her talons with an expression of 
 great rage and fierceness. The birds did not appear at all shy, 
 being easily approached quite near to ; though, in walking, the crack- 
 ing of sticks and the clinking of the splinters of trap-rock made no 
 little noise. One of the birds appeared to keep close to the eyrie ; 
 and both would approach whenever it was visited, screaming at and 
 menacing the intruder,' notwithstanding that at that time there were 
 no eggs, as was afterwards proved. Mr. Bennett, suspecting that 
 incubation had already commenced, visited the locality again on the 
 9th, but only saw the old nest ; the birds behaving as before. On 
 April 19, ten days later, he made another visit; and creeping 
 carefully to the summit of the cliff, at a point near the eyrie 
 already spoken of, he saw the female, on looking over the cliff, 
 sitting on the nest, and but five or six yards distant. She eyed him 
 fiercely for an instant, and then, scrambling from the nest to the 
 edge of the narrow shelf supporting it, launched into the air : in a 
 twinkling, Mr. Bennett's unerring aim sent her tumbling dead at 
 the foot of the precipice, several hundred feet below. The nest 
 contained four eggs, which were soon safely secured, and the body 
 of the female was obtained from the foot of the cliff. The male, 
 soon coming about, was shot at ; but he was too shy to come within 
 
12 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 range, except once, while the gun was being reloaded. The eggs 
 were all laid after Mr. Bennett's visit, April 9 ; and their contents 
 showed, April 19, that they had been incubated but a day or two. 
 Incubation seems, in this case, to have commenced several weeks 
 later than usual, which may be owing to the late snows and unusual 
 coldness of the weather this year, during the first half of April. 
 
 " Location and Description of the Eyrie. The situation of the 
 eyrie was near the highest part of the mountain, about one-third of 
 the length of the mountain from the south end, on a narrow shelf 
 in the rock, eight or ten feet from the top of a nearly perpendicular 
 cliff, one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet in height, and was 
 inaccessible except to a bold climber, and at one particular point. 
 The nest was merely a slight excavation, sufficient to contain the 
 eggs : no accessory material had been added. The site had been 
 previously occupied, and probably for several years ; and, for weeks 
 before the eggs were laid, was carefully guarded by the bold and 
 watchful birds. 
 
 " Description of the Eggs. The eggs, four in number, as already 
 stated, differ greatly both in shape and coloring ; the extremes in 
 either being widely diverse. They are described in detail, and 
 probably in the same order as laid. 
 
 "No. 1. Longer diameter, 2.18 inches; shorter diameter, 1.71 
 inches: the shorter diameter is .885 the longer. The form is 
 somewhat ovoid, one end being slightly larger than the other ; but 
 neither end is very pointed: the point of greatest transverse 
 diameter is .645 the length of the egg from the smallest end. In 
 form, this egg is very nearly like the egg from Greenland, figured 
 by Dr. Brewer in the * North- American Oology ' (pt. I. plate II. 
 fig. 11). The general color is chocolate-brown, darker and more 
 dense and uniform about the ends, the part about the middle being 
 lighter, varied with small irregular blotches and specks of a darker 
 tint than the ground-color. The color of the smaller end is nearly 
 a uniform dull-red ochre. There is also an irregular belt of scat- 
 tered and apparently very superficial blotches of very dark brown, 
 or nearly black. Something similar is often noticed on the eggs 
 of many birds that lay brown or speckled eggs. 
 
 "No. 2. Longer diameter, 2.21 inches; shorter diameter, 1.67 
 inches : shorter diameter, .755 the longer. Form, nearly an ellip- 
 soid, the point of greatest transverse diameter being scarcely to 
 
GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 13 
 
 one side of the middle (.54 the length of the egg from the smaller 
 end) ; ends very nearly equal, and not very pointed. The distri- 
 bution of the color in this is nearest of any of the four eggs 
 before me to that figured by Dr. Brewer, and only differs from it 
 in tint. One end (the smaller ?) is very light reddish, or reddish- 
 white, becoming lighter from the middle towards this end, about 
 which it is the lightest, and thinly marked with irregular mottlings 
 of dark reddish chocolate, which present a very superficial grayish 
 tinge that is very characteristic ; the other end (the larger ?) is of 
 a uniform dark ferruginous-brown or dull-red ochre, varied towards 
 the middle by the appearance of the light ground-color between 
 the there scarcely confluent blotches of dark-brown that give the 
 uniform deep tint towards and about this end. 
 
 " No. 3. Longer diameter, 2.32 inches ; shorter diameter, 1.70 
 inches : shorter diameter, .733 the longer. Form ovoid, the 
 smaller end elongated and much pointed. This egg is the longest, 
 and much larger in proportion to its diameter than either of the 
 others. The point of greatest diameter is .656 the length of 
 the egg from the smaller end. In this specimen, the contrast 
 between the ground-color and the markings becomes very strong : 
 the ground-color, which is seen chiefly in a broad band about the 
 middle of the egg, being white or reddish-white ; and the markings 
 very dark reddish-brown, nearly approaching purple, and are quite 
 uniformly distributed in blotches of various sizes, the largest being 
 near the larger end of the egg : the sub-markings are of a lighter 
 reddish-brown, and are more blended. 
 
 "No. 4. Longer diameter, 2.16 inches; shorter diameter, 1.65 
 inches: shorter diameter, .765 the longer. Form regular ovoid, 
 the smaller end rather more pointed than the same in No. 1 ; point 
 of greatest transverse diameter .60 the length of the egg from the 
 smaller end. In this specimen, the contrast of the ground-color 
 with the markings is very striking, especially when compared with 
 specimens No. 1 and No. 2 ; and the most peculiar part is, that the 
 greater end of the egg, which in the eggs of most birds is the end 
 usually most subject to markings and to the greatest depth of color, 
 is white, sprinkled sparingly with reddish specks, while the smaller 
 end is deep, bright brick-red, here and there relieved by small 
 specks and patches of white ground-color. About the middle of 
 the egg, the colors are in more equal proportions ; the white patches 
 
14 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 becoming larger on the smaller end towards the middle, and the 
 red patches on the larger end increase towards the same point, 
 where the colors meet and become mixed in irregular patches of 
 various sizes, from mere dots to blotches. The smaller end has a 
 few streaks and blotches of dark-purple overlying apparently the 
 other colors, as in specimen No. 1. 
 
 " These specimens are very interesting, as indicating the great 
 amount of variation to which the American Peregrine's eg2;s are 
 subject ; and especially so since they are all the product of one pair 
 of birds, laid in one set, and identified as such beyond question. 
 In coloration, a transition can be traced between the extreme in the 
 order they are numbered, which is undoubtedly the order in which 
 they were laid, as indicated by the thickness of the shell as well as 
 by the depth of color. 
 
 TABLE OF COMPARATIVE MEASUREMENTS. 
 
 Prop, of breadth Point of greatest transverse 
 Length. 
 
 No. 1 2.18 in. 
 
 No. 2 2.21 
 
 No. 3 2.32 
 
 No. 4 2.16 
 
 Average 2.22 
 
 Greater extreme . . . 2.32 
 
 Lesser extreme . . . 2.16 
 
 Amount of variation . 0.16 
 
 Dr. Brewer's specimen . 2.00 
 
 " From the above table, it will be seen that the range of varia- 
 tion in the four specimens in length is .16 of an inch, or nearly 
 seven and a half per cent of the average length; in breadth, .06 
 of an inch, or about three and a half per cent of the average 
 breadth : in the proportion of breadth to length, about fifteen per 
 cent of the length, or nearly twenty per cent of the average pro- 
 portion. The variation in the position of the point of* greatest 
 transverse diameter is about eleven and a half per cent of the 
 whole length of the egg ; the form of the eggs varying from an 
 ellipsoid in No. 2 to an ovoid, which, in No. 3, has the smaller end 
 considerably elongated. It will be observed that the egg meas- 
 ured by Dr. Brewer is considerably smaller than my Smallest 
 ^.rrimen, and that the proportion of breadth to length scarcely 
 differs from the same proportion in No. 1. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 to length. diameter from small end. 
 
 1.71 in. 
 
 0.785 in. 0.640 length of the egg. 
 
 1.67. 
 
 0.756, 0.540 
 
 1.70 
 
 0.732 
 
 , 0.656 
 
 1.65 
 
 0.765 
 
 , 0.600 
 
 1.68 
 
 0.759 
 
 , 0.609 
 
 1.71 
 
 0.785 
 
 - 656 
 
 1.65 
 
 0.732 
 
 0.540 
 
 0.06 
 
 0.053 
 
 . ' 116 
 
 1.66 
 
 0.780 
 
 , 
 
GREATrFOOTED HAWK. 15 
 
 " In comparing the eggs of the American and the European 
 Peregrine Falcons, Dr. Brewer observes: 'It [the American] 
 closely resembles a variety of the eggs of the European species, 
 but seems to present differences sufficiently well marked to be 
 regarded as specific. . . . The ground-colors of both American and 
 European are a reddish-yellow ; and both are thickly covered with 
 fine dottings of chocolate and ferruginous brown, diffused over the 
 whole egg in nearly equal degree, and to such an extent as nearly 
 to conceal the ground. The length of the American egg is slightly 
 less ; but it is of equal or greater capacity, and varies in its mark- 
 ings from all the European specimens that I have ever met with. 
 These variations, though readily traceable by the eye, are not so 
 easily described. The shades of coloring in both are closely alike : 
 the variation consists more in the distribution of these markings. In 
 the European specimens, the fine markings of chocolate are distri- 
 buted with nearly exact uniformity. In the American, the secondary 
 colorings are now more thickly and now more thinly diffused, here 
 leaving the ground-color nearly unchanged ; there becoming con- 
 fluent, and blending into waving lines, blotches, and bold dashes. 
 The egg, in consequence, presents a more varied appearance. These 
 markings are also in greater proportion around the larger end of the 
 egg, and the blotches are of a deeper shade*; so there is a variation 
 in the shading between the smaller and larger extremities not no- 
 ticeable in any European egg that I have met with/ 
 
 " The amount of variation presented by the eggs of the Duck 
 Hawk, described above, shows that but little dependence can be 
 placed on the eggs in deciding specific differences. The eggs men- 
 tioned by Dr. Brewer are not much different from those of the 
 true European Peregrine. One or two of the specimens before 
 me considerably resemble Dr. Brewer's, and likewise eggs of the 
 European species, as figured and described by authors, while 
 the others are very different, one being remarkably so. 
 
 "The eggs of the different species of this group of Falcons 
 seem to resemble each other greatly, and to be subject to consider- 
 able variation in the same species. In the manner of laying the 
 eggs, there is also a similarity, as might be expected among closely 
 allied species ; the same species sometimes laying them on the bare 
 rocks, and again in a bulky nest of sticks and other coarse materi- 
 als. The nest of this species visited on Talcott Mountain, Conn., 
 
16 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 was of the latter kind ; while on Mount Holyoke the eggs were 
 laid on the bare earth. 
 
 " Audubon thus describes the nest and eggs of the Duck Hawk, 
 as observed by him at Labrador : 
 
 '"I have nowhere seen it so abundant as along the high, rocky shores of 
 Labrador and Newfoundland, where I procured several adult individuals 
 of both sexes, as well as some eggs and young. The nests were placed on 
 the shelves of rocks, a few feet from the top, and were flat, and rudely con-, 
 structed of sticks and moss. In some were found four eggs, in others only 
 two, and in one five. In one nest only a single young bird was found. The 
 eggs vary considerably in color and size, which, I think, is owing to a differ- 
 ence of age in the females ; the eggs of young birds being smaller. The 
 average length of four was two inches, their breadth one and five-eighths. 
 They are somewhat rounded, though larger at one end than the other ; their 
 general and most common color is a reddish or rusty yellowish-brown, 
 spotted and confusedly marked with darker tints of the same, here and there 
 intermixed with lighter. The young are at first thickly covered with soft 
 white down. ... In several instances, we found these falcons breeding on 
 the same ledge with cormorants, Phalacrocorax carbo.' " * 
 
 " Audubon adds that he is perfectly convinced that the Great- 
 footed Falcon, or Duck Hawk of the later ornithologists, is not 
 different from the Peregrine Falcon of Europe. * Since my first 
 acquaintance with this species,' he says, * I have observed nothing 
 in its habits, form, or marking on one continent that is different 
 from what is found on the other.' Since the difference in breeding 
 habits supposed to exist when Bonaparte separated them in 1838, 
 and which influenced his judgment in the matter, has been found 
 to be not real, there seems to be nothing whatever in the breeding 
 habits or in the appearance of the eggs to indicate specific differ- 
 ence between the American and European birds." 
 
 HYPOTRIORCHIS COLUMBARIUS. Gray. 
 
 The Pigeon Hawk. 
 
 Falco columbarius, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat , I. 128 (1766). 
 Falco intermixing, Daudin. Traite d'Orn., II. 141 (1800). 
 Falco temerarius, Audubon. Orn. Biog.. I. 381 (1831). 
 Falco Auduboni. Blackwall, Researches, Zool., 1834. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult Male. Entire upper parts bluish-slate color, every feather with a black 
 longitudinal line; forehead and throat white; other under parts pale yellowish or 
 
 1 Orn. Biog., vol. V. p. 366. 
 
THE PIGEON HAWK. 17 
 
 reddish white; every feather with a longitudinal line of brownish-black; tibige light 
 ferruginous, with lines of black ; quills black, tipped with ashy white ; tail light-bluish 
 ashy, tipped with white and with a wide subterminal band of black, and with 
 several other transverse narrower bands of black ; inner webs nearly white ; cere 
 and legs yellow; bill blue. 
 
 Younger. Entire upper plumage dusky-brown, quite light in some specimens, 
 and with a tinge of ashy; head above, with narrow stripes of dark brown and ferru- 
 ginous, and in some specimens many irregular spots and edgings of the latter color 
 on the other upper parts; forehead and entire under parts dull-white, the latter 
 A\ ith longitudinal stripes of light-brown ; sides and flanks light-brown, with pairs of 
 circular spots of white ; tibiae dull white, with dashes of brown ; tail pale-brown, 
 with about six transverse bands of white ; cere and legs greenish-yellow. 
 
 Young Upper plumage brownish-black, white of the forehead and under parts 
 more deeply tinged with reddish-yellow; dark stripes wider than the preceding; 
 sides and flanks with wide transverse bands of brownish-black, and with circular 
 spots of yellowish-white ; quills black ; tail brownish-black, tipped with white, and 
 with about four bands of white; cere and feet greenish-yellow; iris dark-hazel. 
 
 Total length, female twelve to fourteen inches; wing, eight to nine inches; tail, 
 five to five and a half inches. Male, total length, ten to eleven inches; wing, seven 
 and a half to eight inches ; tail, five inches. 
 
 This species is a pretty common spring and fall visitor in 
 all the New-England States, and is sometimes a resident 
 in the southern sections of these. States through the winter; 
 specimens being occasionally taken as late as January, in 
 mild seasons. This bird is one of the most destructive of 
 our rapacia : he kills all the smaller birds, robins, black- 
 birds, sparrows in great numbers, and even attacks the 
 wild pigeon and dove, which he is almost always able to 
 overtake and capture, as he is possessed of very great 
 rapidity of flight. I have seen one of these hawks make a 
 pounce at a sparrow that was singing on a low bush ; and 
 the bird happily eluding his clutch, as quick as a flash of 
 light, he turned, and pursued and captured a robin that had 
 taken flight at his first appearance, and was already quite a 
 considerable distance off: as the robin is well known to 
 have great speed of flight, this circumstance well illustrates 
 the velocity of this hawk. 
 
 The flight of the bird consists of a series of flaps of the 
 wings, with but a very few intervals of soaring : in pursuing 
 the wild pigeon, the strokes of the wings of the two birds 
 are nearly simultaneous. As he strikes his prey, he almost 
 
 2 
 
18 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 always, instead of clutching it as it falls, alights after it has 
 fallen, in the same manner as the Great-footed Hawk. I 
 have noticed the same fact with the Red-tailed Hawk ; the 
 victim seems to fall dead, or, at any rate, perfectly incapable 
 of motion : whether this is the result of a kind of mesmer- 
 ism, as it were, similar to the influence of the cats on their 
 prey, or the hawk transfixes his quarry through the vitals, I 
 am unable to say. 
 
 The Pigeon Hawk, in alighting on a branch or other 
 
 object, always descends below the level of it, and rises up ; 
 
 and usually turns abruptly about, and faces the direction 
 
 . from which it came, as soon as it has struck its perch. 
 
 This habit is observable in many of the other hawks. 
 
 While perching, the tail is often flirted up and down, 
 and the wings are partially opened and shut in a nervous 
 manner, as if the bird were anxious to be off again in the 
 pursuit of game. 
 
 It is not improbable t^at it breeds in New England, 
 although I do not remember of an authenticated instance. 
 I have no egg of this bird in my collection, and have never 
 met with its nest. There seems considerable confusion 
 regarding this species, both as to its nesting-place and its 
 eggs. Mr. Hutchins says (" Fauna Borcali Americana," 
 II. 36) it " makes its nest on rocks and in hollow trees, 
 of sticks and grass, lined with feathers ; laying from two to 
 four white eggs, marked with red spots." Audubon, in 
 describing the eggs, says (" Birds of America ") : " Mr. 
 Hutchins's description of the eggs of this bird is greatly 
 at variance with my own observations. The eggs, in three 
 instances which occurred at Labrador, were five ; they 
 measured an inch and three-quarters in length, an inch and 
 a quarter in breadth, and were rather elongated; their 
 ground-color a dull yellowish-brown, thickly clouded with 
 irregular blotches of dull, dark reddish-brown." Dr. 
 Brewer says (" Synopsis of Birds of North America," as 
 an appendix to Wilson's u Ornithology ") it " nests in low 
 
PLATE I. 
 
 Fig. 1. Pigeon Hawk, Hypotriorchis columbarius. Gray. 
 
 ,, 2. Sparrow Hawk, Tinnunculus sparverius. Vieillot. 
 
 ,, 3. Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiterfuscus. Bonaparte. 
 
 ,, 4. Red-shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus. Jardine. 
 
 ., 5. Broad-winged Hawk, Buteo Pennsylvanicus. Bonaparte. 
 
THE SPARROW HAWK. 19 
 
 fir-trees, twelve feet from the ground; eggs three, dull 
 yellowish-brown, with dark reddish-brown blotches." 
 
 A single egg before me, kindly loaned for descriptions 
 and figure by George A. Boardman of Milltown, Me., is of 
 the above color. It is admirably figured, fig. 1, plate I., 
 in this volume. It is a trifle more pointed than the eggs 
 of rapacious birds usitally are, and measures 1.50 inch in 
 length, and 1.14 inch at its greatest breadth. 
 
 TINNUNCULUS SPARVERIUS. Vieilkt. 
 The Sparrow Hawk. 
 
 Falco sparverius, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. 128 (1766). 
 
 Falco dominicenses, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 285 (1788). 
 
 Falco gracilis, cinnamoninus, and isabellinus. Sw. Cab. Cy., p. 281 (1838). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Frontal band and space, including the eyes and throat, white ; spot on 
 the neck behind, two others on each side of the neck, and line running downwards 
 from before the eye, black ; spot on the top of the head, the neck behind, back, 
 rump and tail, light rufous or cinnamon color; under parts generally a paler shade 
 of the same rufous as the back, frequently nearly white, but sometimes as dark as 
 the upper parts, and always with more or less numerous circular or oblong spots of 
 black ; quills brownish-black, w,ith white bars on their inner webs ; tail tipped with 
 white, frequently tinged with rufous, and with a broad subterminal band of black, 
 outer frequently white, tinged with ashy, and barred with black; bill light-blue; 
 legs yellow ; back generally with transverse stripes of black, but frequently with 
 very few, or entirely without ; rufous spot on the head, variable in size, and some- 
 times wanting. 
 
 Younger Male. Upper parts as above ; wing coverts and tail ferruginous red, 
 with numerous transverse bands of brownish-black; under parts with numerous 
 longitudinal stripes, and on the sides with transverse bands of brownish-black; 
 external feathers of the tail palest ; broad subterminal band on the tail, obscure or 
 wanting. 
 
 Young. All the rufous parts of the plumage with wider transverse bands of 
 brownish-black; wing coverts, dark bluish-cinereous, with large circular spots 
 of black ; under parts with longitudinal stripes, and large circular spots of black ; 
 iris very dark hazel. 
 
 Tofal length, eleven to twelve inches ; wing, seven to seven and a half; tail, five 
 to five and a half inches. 
 
 This beautiful little hawk is a summer inhabitant of all 
 the New-England States, and, in the more southern districts, 
 a resident throughout the year. It is a not very common 
 species, hardly a half-dozen birds being seen in these States 
 
20 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY, 
 
 i 
 
 by a student through the year, no matter how enthusiastic 
 he may be. I can add nothing to Wilson's description that 
 will be of interest : it is as follows : 
 
 " The habits and manners of this bird are well known. It flies 
 rather irregularly, occasionally suspending itself in the air, hover- 
 ing over a particular spot for a minute or two, and then shooting 
 off in another direction. It perches on the top of a dead tree or 
 pole, in the middle of a field or meadow, and, as it alights, shuts its 
 long wings so suddenly that they seem instantly to disappear: it 
 sits here in an almost perpendicular position, sometimes for an hour 
 at a time, frequently jerking its tail, and reconnoitring the ground 
 below, in every direction, for mice, lizards, &c. It approaches the 
 farmhouse, particularly in the morning, skulking about the barn- 
 yard for mice or young chickens. It frequently plunges into 
 a thicket after small birds, as if by random, but always with a 
 particular, and generally a fatal aim. One day I observed a bird 
 of this species perched on the highest top of a large poplar, on 
 the skirts of the wood, and was in the 'act of raising the gun to 
 my eye, when he swept down, with the rapidity of an arrow, into a 
 thicket of briers, about thirty yards off, where I shot him dead, 
 and, on coming up, found a small field-sparrow quivering in his 
 grasp. Both our aims had been taken in the same instant ; and, 
 unfortunately for him, both were fatal. It is particularly fond of 
 watching along hedge-rows and in orchards, where small birds 
 usually resort. When grasshoppers are plenty, they form a con- 
 siderable part of its food. 
 
THE SPARROW HAWK. 21 
 
 " Though small snakes, mice, lizards, &c., are favorite morsels 
 with this active bird, yet we are not to suppose it altogether desti- 
 tute of delicacy in feeding. It will seldom or never eat of any 
 thing that it has not itself killed ; and even that, if not (as epicures 
 would term it) in good eating order, is sometimes rejected. A very 
 respectable friend, through the medium of Mr. Bartram, informs 
 me, that one morning he observed one of these hawks dart down 
 on the ground, and seize a mouse, which he carried to a fence-post, 
 where, after examining it for some time, he left it, and, a little 
 while after, pounced upon another mouse, which he instantly car- 
 ried off to his nest in the hollow of a tree hard by. The gentle- 
 man, anxious to know why the hawk had rejected the first mouse, 
 went up to it, and found it to be almost covered with lice, and 
 greatly emaciated. Here was not only delicacy of taste, but sound 
 and prudent reasoning : " If I carry this to my nest," thought he, 
 " it will fill it with vermin, and hardly be worth eating." 
 
 "The Blue Jays have a particular antipathy to this bird, and 
 frequently insult it by following and imitating its notes so exactly 
 as to deceive even those well acquainted with both. In return for 
 all this abuse, the Hawk contents himself with now and then 
 feasting on the plumpest of his persecutors, who are, therefore, in 
 perpetual dread of him ; and yet, through some strange infatuation, 
 or from fear that, if they lose sight of him, he may attack them 
 unawares, the Sparrow Hawk no sooner appears than the alarm is 
 given, and the whole posse of jays follow." 
 
 Although I have had quite a number of the eggs of this 
 bird, I have been able to meet with but one nest, notwith- 
 standing I have repeatedly searched for it in many localities. 
 This was built in a crow's nest of the previous year, in a 
 hemlock-tree, about thirty feet from the ground. There 
 had been apparently but few alterations of the old nest ; 
 these consisting principally of the addition of a few loose 
 sticks and twigs to the interior of the nest, making it 
 nearly a flat platform. The locality was the valley of the 
 Magalloway River, about twenty-five miles north of Lake 
 Umbagog, Me. The eggs were four in number ; and 
 these, with several other specimens collected in Upton, Me., 
 
22 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Calais, Me., and Williamstown, Mass., are before me. I am 
 inclined to think,- from what I can learn from collectors and 
 others, that four is the usual number laid by this bird, 
 probably seldom more. Their ground-color varies from a 
 deep cream or yellowish-buff to a pale reddish-white : this 
 is covered, more or less thickly in different specimens, with 
 spots and confluent blotches of reddish-brown and Vandyke- 
 brown, or chocolate. Their form is nearly spherical, being 
 but very little pointed at either end. Their dimensions 
 vary from 1.40 inch by 1.15 inch to 1.30 inch by 1.13 inch. 
 This species breeds later than most of the other birds 
 of prey, as the eggs which I found in Maine on the llth of 
 June, 1864, were newly laid. 
 
 Sub-Family ACCIPITRIN^E. The Hawks. 
 
 Form rather long and slender; tail and legs long; wings rather short; bill short, 
 hooked ; upper mandible lobed, but not toothed. Very active and vigilant, and swift 
 of flight; pursuing their prey, which consists of birds and small quadrupeds, into 
 the woods and forests. 
 
 ASTUR, LAC. 
 
 Astur, LACEPEDE, Mem. Inst., Ill: p. 506. 
 
 The largest birds of this sub-family. General form strong, but rather long and 
 slender; wing rather short; tail long and broad; tarsi long, covered in front with 
 rather wide transverse scales; toes and claws moderate, the latter fully curved, 
 sharp; bill short, curved; nostrils large, ovate, inserted in the cere. This genus 
 contains about twelve species of all countries. 
 
 ASTUR ATRICAPILLUS. Bonaparte. 
 
 The Goshawk. 
 
 Falco atricapillus, Wilson. Am. Orn., VI. 80 (1812). 
 Falco regalis, Temm. PI. col. I. (liv. 84, about 1827). 
 Dcedalion pictum, Lesson. Traite d'Orn., I. 67 (1831). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Head above, neck behind, and stripe from behind the eye, black, 
 generally more or less tinged with ashy; other upper parts dark ashy bluish or 
 Blate color, with the shafts of the feathers black, and frequently with the feathers 
 narrowly edged with black, presenting a squamate or scale-like appearance ; a con- 
 spicuous stripe over the eye, and an obscure and partially concealed occipital and 
 
THE GOSHAWK. 23 
 
 nuchal band, white ; entire under parts mottled with white and light ashy-brown ; 
 every feather with a longitudinal line of dark-brown on its shaft, and with numerous 
 irregular and imperfect transverse lines or narrow stripes of light ashy-brown, more 
 distinct and regular on the abdomen and tibice ; quills brown, with bands of a deeper 
 shade of the same color, and of ashy-white on their inner webs; tail same color as 
 other upper parts ; under surface very pale, nearly white, and having about four 
 obscure bands of a deeper shade of ashy-brown, and narrowly tipped with white; 
 under tail coverts white. 
 
 Young. Entire upper parts, including head, dark-brown, with the feathers, 
 especially on the head and neck behind, edged and spotted with light-reddish, or 
 nearly white ; tail light-ashy, with about five wide and conspicuous bands of ashy- 
 brown, and narrowly tipped with ashy-white; quills brown, with wide bars of a 
 darker shade of the same color, and wide bands of reddish-white on their inner 
 webs; under parts white, generally tinged with yellowish, and frequently with red- 
 dish ; every feather with a longitudinal stripe terminating in an ovate spot of brown ; 
 sides and tibiae frequently with circular and lanceolate spots and irregular bands 
 of the same color, the tibiae generally very conspicuously marked in this manner; 
 under tail coverts white, with a few large lanceolate spots of brown. 
 
 " Adult. Bill black, light-blue at the base; cere greenish-yellow; eyebrow 
 greenish-blue ; iris reddish-orange ; feet yellow. 
 
 "Young. Bill as in the adult; iris light-yellow; feet greenish-yellow." 
 
 AUDUBON. 
 
 Total length, female, twenty-two to twenty-four inches ; wing about fourteen ; 
 tail, ten and a half to eleven inches. Male, about twenty inches ; wing, twelve and 
 a half; tail, nine and a half inches. 
 
 This handsome hawk is a not very common winter visitor 
 in the New-England States ; at least, such is my observa- 
 tion, which is corroborated by many others, although Mr. 
 Verrill, in his catalogue of the birds of Maine, 1 says it is 
 common, and that it breeds there. I have never met with 
 a nest of this species, and have no authentic specimen of 
 its egg in my collection. In 1864, a gentleman brought 
 me two eggs that he found in a large hawk's nest in 
 Woburn, Mass. He described the hawk, which he killed, 
 and which corresponded pretty closely with that of this bird. 
 I showed him mounted specimens of the Goshawk, and he 
 thought them identical with his bird. As there was still a 
 doubt concerning the identity of the eggs, I did not label 
 them as of this species, and for the same reason will not 
 figure them in this work. So far as description goes, they 
 are almost exactly like the eggs of the Red-tailed Hawk 
 
 1 Proceedings Essex Institute, vol. III. p. 140. 
 
24 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 (Euteo lorealis), but are a little more of a bluish-white in 
 the ground-color. 
 
 For some reason, this species was quite abundant in 
 the neighborhood of Boston in the winter of 1859-60 : 
 probably a dozen or fifteen specimens were sent to me in 
 the different plumages, and I have heard of many others 
 being shot in the same season. 
 
 I have had but few opportunities for studying the habits 
 of this hawk, and, as my observations have been very 
 meagre, I will give Audubon's description, which, so far as 
 my experience goes, is very accurate ; it is as follows : 
 
 " The flight of the Goshawk is extremely rapid and protracted. 
 He sweeps along the margins of the fields, through the woods, and 
 by the edges of ponds and rivers, with such speed as to enable him 
 to seize his prey by merely deviating a few yards from his course ; 
 assisting himself on such occasions by his long tail, which, like a 
 rudder, he throws to the right or left, upwards or downwards, to 
 check his progress, or enable him suddenly to alter his course. 
 At times he passes like a meteor through the underwood, where 
 he secures squirrels and hares with ease. Should a flock of wild 
 pigeons pass him when on these predatory excursions, he imme- 
 diately gives chase, soon overtakes them, and, forcing his way into 
 the very centre of the flock, scatters them in confusion, when you 
 may see him emerging with a bird in his talons, and diving towards 
 the depth of the forest to feed upon his victim. When travelling, 
 he flies high, with a constant beat of the wings, seldom moving in 
 large circles like other hawks ; and, when he does this, it is only 
 a few times in a hurried manner, after which he continues his 
 journey. 
 
 "Along the Atlantic Coast, this species follows the numerous 
 flocks of ducks that are found there during the autumn and winter ; 
 and greatly aids in the destruction of -mallards, teals, black ducks, 
 and other species, in company with the Peregrine Falcon (Falco 
 anatum). It is a restless bird, apparently more vigilant and indus- 
 trious than many other hawks, and it seldom alights unless to 
 devour its prey ; nor can I recollect ever having seen one alighted 
 for many minutes at a time, without having a bird in its talons. 
 
THE GOSHAWK. 25 
 
 When thus engaged with its prey, it stands nearly upright ; and in 
 general, when perched, it keeps itself more erect than most species 
 of hawks. It is extremely expert at catching snipes on the 
 wing ; and so well do these birds know their insecurity, that, on its 
 approach, they prefer squatting to endeavoring to escape by flight. 
 
 " When the passenger pigeons are abundant in the western 
 country, the Goshawk follows their close masses, and subsists 
 upon them. A single hawk suffices to spread the greatest terror 
 among their ranks ; and the moment he sweeps towards a flock, 
 the whole immediately dive into the deepest woods, where, not- 
 withstanding their great speed, the marauder succeeds in clutching 
 the fattest. While travelling along the Ohio, I observed several 
 hawks of this species in the train of millions of these pigeons. 
 Towards the evening of the same day, I saw one abandoning its 
 course to give chase to a large flock of Crow Blackbirds ( Quis- 
 calus versicolor), then crossing the river. The hawk approached 
 them with the swiftness of an arrow, when the blackbirds rushed 
 together so closely that the flock looked like a dusky ball passing 
 through the air. On reaching the mass, he, with the greatest ease, 
 seized first one, then another and another, giving each a squeeze 
 with his talons, and suffering it to drop upon the water. In this 
 manner he had procured four or five, before the poor birds reached 
 the woods, into which they instantly plunged, when he gave up the 
 chase, swept over the water in graceful curves, and picked the fruits 
 of his industry, carrying each bird singly to the shore. Reader, is 
 this instinct or reason ? 
 
 " The nest of the Goshawk is placed on the branches of a tree, 
 near the trunk or main stem. It is of great size, and resembles 
 that of our crow, or some species of owl ; being constructed of with- 
 ered twigs and coarse grass, with a lining of fibrous strips of plants 
 resembling hemp. It is, however, much flatter than that of the 
 crow. In one I found, in the month of April, three eggs ready to 
 be hatched : they were of a dull bluish-white, sparingly spotted 
 with light reddish-brown. In another, which I found placed on a 
 pine-tree, growing on the eastern rocky bank of the Niagara River, 
 a few miles below the great cataract, the lining was formed of 
 withered herbaceous plants, with a few feathers : the eggs were 
 four in number, of a white color tinged with greenish-blue, large, 
 much rounded, and somewhat granulated. 
 
26 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 " In another nest were four young birds covered with buff-col- 
 ored down, their legs and feet of a pale yellowish flesh-color, the 
 bill light-blue, and the eyes pale-gray. They differed greatly in 
 size, one being quite small compared with the rest. I am of 
 opinion that few breed to the south of the State of Maine." 
 
 I once witnessed an attempt of this bird to capture a 
 common gray squirrel, that was quite interesting to the 
 beholder, but certainly not to the animal. While on a col- 
 lecting excursion, a few miles from Boston, as I was seated 
 beneath a huge oak, observing the movements of some small 
 birds, I heard the barking of a squirrel ; and, while looking- 
 for his whereabouts, I suddenly heard a whistling sound as 
 of a body falling through the air, and, as quick as thought, 
 a Goshawk struck on the limb, on tbe spot where, a second 
 before, the squirrel had been seated : luckily for the squirrel, 
 the hawk missed his aim, the animal giving a sudden dodge 
 beneath the limb the moment the hawk appeared. All 
 who are acquainted with the habits of this quadruped 
 know that it is very successful in dodging behind the limb 
 of a tree, and hugging it closely. The hawk sat a few 
 moments, apparently surprised at his disappointment, when, 
 suddenly launching into the air, he espied it beneath the 
 limb, hugging for dear life. As soon as he had moved, 
 the squirrel turned adroitly on the limb, still keeping it 
 between itself and its enemy. After several trials, the 
 hawk always alighting and remaining perched on the limb a 
 few seconds, he succeeded, by a dexterous feint, in securing 
 his prey, when, on the instant, I fired, bringing the hawk 
 and his victim to the ground. The hawk dropped dead; 
 but the squirrel, after lying on the ground a moment, got 
 up, and staggered off beneath a pile of rocks, and I neither 
 saw nor heard any thing more of it. 
 
 ACCIPITER, BRISSON. 
 
 Accipiter, BRISSON, Orn., I. 310 (1760). 
 
 General form more slender and smaller than Astur, but otherwise similar; wings 
 short, tail long, tarsi long and slender, frequently with the scales in front nearly 
 
THE COOPER'S HAWK. 27 
 
 obsolete. Contains about twenty species of all countries, several of which intimately 
 resemble each other. Colors in North-American species very similar to each other, 
 especially in adult specimens, though they differ materially in size. 
 
 ACCIPITEE COOPERII. Bonaparte. 
 The Cooper's Hawk. 
 
 Falco Cooperii, Bonaparte. Am. Orn., II. 1 (1828). 
 Falco Stankii, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. 186 (1831). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Head above brownish-black, mixed with white on the occiput, other 
 upper parts dark ashy-brown, with the shafts of the feathers brownish-black ; an 
 obscure rufous collar on the neck behind; throat and under tail coverts white, the 
 former with lines of dark-brown ; other under parts transversely barred with light 
 rufous and white; quills ashy-brown, with darker bands, and white irregular 
 markings on their inner webs; tail dark cinereous, tipped with white, and with four 
 wide bands of brownish-black. 
 
 Young. Head and neck behind yellowish-white, tinged with rufous, and with 
 longitudinal stripes and oblong spots of brown; other upper parts light amber- 
 brown, with large partially concealed spots and bars of white; upper tail coverts 
 tipped with white; under parts white, with narrow longitudinal stripes of light- 
 brown; tail as in adult; bill bluish horn-color; tarsi yellow; iris in adult, reddish- 
 orange ; in young, bright yellow. 
 
 Total length, male fifteen to sixteen 'inches ; wing, nine; tail, .eight inches. 
 Female, total length, seventeen to eighteen inches; wing, nine and a half to ten; 
 tail, nine inches. 
 
 It is a noticeable fact in the history of many of our birds, 
 that in different periods, from some cause or other, many 
 species have increased in number to a remarkable extent, 
 while others have diminished in like proportion. Some 
 have moved from sections in which they were for years 
 common residents, to others in which they were, compara- 
 tively, strangers. 
 
 The Cooper's or Stanley Hawk of Audubon has had one 
 of these changes ; and throughout New England, where it 
 was formerly a comparatively rare species, it is now one of 
 the most abundant of our birds of prey. 
 
 The habits of the Cooper's Hawk are generally well 
 known. It is the smallest of those known by the name of 
 " Hen Hawk ; " and the mischief it does among domestic 
 poultry well earns for it this title. 
 
28 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Powerful, active, and gifted with great rapidity of flight, 
 he is able to attack and conquer birds and animals greatly 
 his superior in size and weight. The Common Hare (Lepus 
 Americanus) often falls a victim to his voracity. Ducks, 
 grouse, squirrels, and small birds, are destroyed by him ; 
 and I have known of his capturing and eating snakes and 
 other reptiles, and even grasshoppers and crickets. 
 
 In hunting for prey, he usually flies just above the trees 
 in the forest, and quite near the earth in the open country. 
 His flight consists of a rapid succession of beatings of the 
 wings, with intervals of equal periods of soarings. On 
 discovering a bird or other object that he may wish to 
 capture, he immediately gives chase. If the bird takes to 
 the foliage of the trees, he immediately follows, turning at 
 every turn, doubling and twisting through the trees with 
 wonderful speed and success ; and the chase is usually but 
 a very short one indeed before he alights to feed on the 
 quarry that he has secured. 
 
 He is very destructive to the flocks of young ducks that 
 breed in the wilder districts of the country.- I remember 
 an instance of one of his raids on these birds that is not 
 without interest. 
 
 While on a hunting and collecting excursion in the wilds 
 of Maine, up the Magalloway River, a beautiful stream 
 that empties into the Androscoggin, near Lake Umbagog, 
 I wandered down the river banks, that are, for nearly the 
 entire length of the stream, fringed with a thick growth of 
 trees, away from the camp perhaps a mile. I was watching 
 an old Black Duck (Anas obscura) and her brood of eight 
 " flappers " disporting themselves in the water, and impa- 
 tiently waiting for an opportunity for a shot; for, kind 
 reader, I can assure you that a " broiled flapper," or wild 
 duck about half grown, is a delicacy which, once enjoyed, is 
 eagerly sought for by the frequenters of the wilderness. As 
 I was creeping cautiously within shot of the birds, I sud- 
 denly heard a " quack " and splash, and the whole bevy was 
 
THE COOPER'S HAWK. 29 
 
 gone. At that instant, a Cooper's Hawk, that had evidently 
 just made a swoop at the flock and missed it, alighted on a 
 small tree that hung over the water, and remained perfectly 
 motionless. Now, when man attempts to secure any of 
 these young ducks, the parent almost always flies off, while 
 the young dive and swim under water to the banks of the 
 stream or pond where they may be. When a bird of prey 
 makes his appearance, the whole family dives beneath the 
 surface, and swims off; the mother in one direction, the 
 young in another. I have noticed the same fact several 
 time's, and conclude that the parent, who frequently makes 
 her appearance above the surface, does so because she is 
 capable of enduring submersion better than her young, 
 and shows herself often, a little farther from her offspring 
 every time, until she had led their pursuer away from 
 them ; giving them, in the mean time, a chance to swim off, 
 and conceal themselves. The hawk, in this instance, was 
 not to be deceived. He followed the parent but once, and 
 then immediately returned to his perch. The banks of the 
 river at this place were steep, there was no vegetation 
 growing in the water, and the chances for obtaining a meal 
 from one of the young ducks were decidedly in the hawk's 
 favor. 
 
 The young ducks are very expert divers. They have the 
 faculty of sinking beneath the surface at any alarm, and 
 will remain there perhaps half a minute. Unfortunately 
 for them, they cannot swim beneath the surface a great 
 distance, and generally come up quite near the place where 
 they went down. The hawk sat attentively inspecting the 
 river in different places; and, as one of the young birds 
 made its appearance, he marked it for his victim. The 
 moment it rose to the surface, he made a swoop for it, 
 when, of course, it dove. This was repeated several times, 
 the young duck remaining beneath the water a shorter 
 length of time at each dive. Soon it was manifest that the 
 hawk would obtain his quarry, when, as he flew for 
 
30 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the duck the last time, I pulled trigger on him ; for we are 
 all eminently selfish, and when one of the lower animals, 
 as we regard them, interferes with us in our pleasures or 
 comforts, even if they are fulfilling the dictates of their 
 natures, we brush them from existence, as if we were the 
 only rightful possessors of this beautiful world. Fortu- 
 nately for the hawk, unfortunately for the flapper, and 
 much to my chagrin, the cap failed to explode, and the poor 
 duck was borne off for food for the family of the hawk. 
 
 The Cooper's Hawk breeds in all the New-England States, 
 and is partial to no particular locality. I have found the 
 nest in sections not a mile from the seacoast ; in the deepest 
 woods of Northern Maine; and have had the eggs sent me 
 from different localities in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and 
 New Hampshire. 
 
 The nest of this species is more often found than that of 
 any other. In my collecting trips, my experience has been 
 that I have found certainly two nests of this to one of all 
 others. Audubon says, " The nest is usually placed in the 
 forks of the branch of an oak-tree, towards its extremity. 
 In its general appearance, it resembles that of the common 
 crow, for which I have several times mistaken it. It is com- 
 posed externally of numerous crooked sticks, and has a slight 
 lining of grasses and a few feathers." This does not agree 
 with my observation ; for, in great numbers of nests that I 
 have examined, in which I have found no great variation in 
 character, they were almost invariably in a fork of a tall 
 tree near the top, in three cases out of five in the differ- 
 ent pines. They were large, bulky affairs, constructed of 
 twigs and sticks, some of them nearly half an inch in 
 diameter: they were decidedly hollowed, and often lined 
 with leaves and the loose bark of the cedar. The eggs of 
 this species vary in number from' two to four. I do not 
 remember ever having found more than four, which number 
 is usually laid. Their ground-color is a dirty bluish-white, 
 with often thinly scattered spots of brown, or obscure 
 
THE SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 31 
 
 blotches and markings of a shade darker than the ground- 
 color of the egg. A great number of specimens in my col- 
 lection exhibit a variation in dimensions of from 1.82 inch 
 to 2 inches in length, by from 1.50 inch to 1.62 in breadth. 
 The average dimensions are about 1.78 inch by 1.52 inch. 
 The breeding season varies considerably with this species, 
 even in the same latitude. I have found nests with eggs as 
 early as the first week in May, and as late as the first week 
 in June. Usually the eggs are laid before the 20th of May 
 in Massachusetts. The season for the northern district of 
 New England seems to be from one to two weeks later than 
 this ; that of the southern district, about a week earlier. 
 
 A pair of birds that nested in Newton, Mass., in the 
 summer of 1866, were robbed of their eggs four times in 
 the season. They built different nests in the same grove, 
 and laid in the four litters four, four, five, and three eggs 
 respectively. The eggs of the last litter were very small ; 
 but little larger than the eggs of the Sharp- shinned Hawk. 
 
 ACCIPITER FUSCUS. Gmelin. 
 The Sharp-shinned Hawk. 
 
 Falcofuscus et dubius, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 280, 281 (1788). 
 
 Accipiter strialus, Vieillot. Ois. d'Am. Sept., I. 42 (1807). 
 
 Falco velox et Pennsykanicus, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. 116, and VI. p. 13 (1812). 
 
 Sparvius lineatus, Vieillot. Ency. Meth., III. 1266 (1823). 
 
 Nisus Malfini, Lesson. Traite d'Orn., I. 58 (1831). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Small; tail rather long; legs and toes slender; entire upper parts 
 brownish-black, tinged with ashy; occiput mixed with white; throat and under tail 
 coverts white, the former with lines of black on the shafts of the feathers ; other 
 under parts fine light rufous, deepest on the tibia?, and with transverse bands 
 of white; shafts of the feathers with lines of dark-brown; tail ashy-brown tipped 
 with white, and with about four bands of brownish-black; quills brownish-black, 
 with bands of a darker shade, and of white on their inner webs; secondaries and 
 tertiaries with large partially concealed spots of white. 
 
 Young. Entire upper parts dull umber-brown, tinged with ashy ; neck behind 
 mixed with white ; greater wing coverts and shorter quills with large partially con- 
 cealed spots of white ; under parts white, with longitudinal stripes and circular and 
 ovate spots of reddish-brown, changing into transverse bands on the flanks 
 
32 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 and tibia; under tail coverts white; bill dark bluish horn-color; cere and tarsi 
 yellow ; iris reddish-yellow. 
 
 Total length of female, twelve to fourteen inches; wing, seven and a half to 
 eight; tail, six and a half to seven inches. Male, ten to eleven inches; wing, six 
 to six and a half; tail, five to five and a half inches. 
 
 This well-known little species is a general and common 
 summer inhabitant of all the New-England States: it 
 makes its appearance with the arrival of the earliest flight 
 of the smaller migratory birds in spring, and remains until 
 the latter part of autumn ; and, in the southern portions of 
 these States, even throughout the winter. The habits of the 
 bird are so well described by Audubon, that I cannot do 
 better than include the description here. He says : 
 
 "While in search of prey, the Sharp-shinned Hawk passes 
 over the country, now at a moderate height, now close over the 
 land, in so swift a manner, that, although your eye has marked it, 
 you feel surprised that the very next moment it has dashed off, and 
 is far away. In fact, it is usually seen when least expected, 
 and almost always but for a few moments, unless when it has 
 procured some prey, and is engaged in feeding upon it. The kind 
 of vacillation or wavering with which it moves through the air 
 appears perfectly adapted to its wants ; for it undoubtedly enables 
 this little warrior to watch and to see at a single quick glance of its 
 keen eyes every object, whether to the right or to the left, as it pur- 
 sues its course. It advances by sudden dashes, as if impetuosity 
 of movement were essential to its nature, and pounces upon and 
 strikes such objects as best suit its appetite, but so very suddenly 
 that it appears quite hopeless for any of them to try to escape. 
 Many have been the times, reader, when watching this vigilant, 
 active, and industrious bird, I have seen it plunge headlong among 
 the briery patches of one of our old fields, in defiance of all thorny 
 obstacles ; and, passing through, emerge on the other side, bearing 
 off with exultation in its sharp claws a sparrow or finch, which it 
 had surprised when at rest. At other times, I have seen two or 
 three of these hawks, acting in concert, fly at a Golden-winged 
 Woodpecker while alighted against the bark of a tree, where it 
 thought itself secure, but was suddenly clutched by one of the 
 hawks throwing, as it were, its long legs with the quickness of 
 
HAWK, Acccpiter fuscus. Bonaparte. 
 
THE SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 33 
 
 thought, protruding its sharp talons, and thrusting them into the 
 back of the devoted bird, while it was endeavoring to elude 
 the harassing attacks of another, by hopping and twisting around the 
 tree. Then down to the ground assailants and assailed would 
 fall, the woodpecker still offering great resistance, until a second 
 hawk would also seize upon it, and, with claws deeply thrust into 
 its vitals, put an end to its life, when both the marauders would 
 at once commence their repast." 
 
 Nuttall informs us that " descending furiously and blindly 
 upon its quarry, a young hawk of this species broke through 
 the glass of the greenhouse at the Cambridge Botanic 
 Garden ; and, fearlessly passing through a second glass par- 
 tition, he was only brought up by the third, and caught, 
 though little stunned by the effort. His wing-feathers were 
 much torn by the glass, and his flight in this way so 
 impeded as to allow of his being approached." 
 
 Whilst travelling to some point at a considerable distance, 
 the Sharp-shinned Hawk flies high, though in a desultory 
 manner, with irregular quick flappings of its wings ; and at 
 times, as if to pause for a while and examine the objects 
 below, moves in short and unequal circles, after which it is 
 seen to descend rapidly, and then follow its course at the 
 height of only a few feet from the ground, visiting, as it 
 were, every clump of low bushes or brier patches likely to 
 be inhabited by the smaller birds, on which it principally 
 feeds. Again, after having satisfied its hunger, it at times 
 rises to a great height, and indeed now and then is scarcely 
 discernible from the ground. 
 
 Notwithstanding the comparative abundance of this spe- 
 cies, its nest, until quite recently, has been quite rarely 
 found. Audubon met with but three, and neither Wilson 
 nor Nuttall ever saw one. I have been so fortunate as to 
 find several, two of which had in each four eggs. They 
 were built in the forks of pine-trees, about twenty-five feet 
 from the ground : they were loosely constructed of sticks 
 and twigs, were not much hollowed, and were lined with 
 
 3 
 
34 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 smaller twigs and a few leaves. Fourteen eggs in my col- 
 lection, from different parts of New England, exhibit but 
 slight variations; they are of a bluish-white color, and 
 covered at the larger end with spots and blotches of 
 chocolate-brown : in some specimens these blotches are con- 
 fluent, making a ring near the large end; 1 others are 
 covered nearly over their entire surface with these markings. 
 The form of the egg is nearly spherical ; the length varying 
 from 1.50 inch to 1.23 inch, and the breadth from 1.24 
 inch to 1.06 inch. Average dimensions about 1.40 inch by 
 1.20 inch. I have found the eggs as early as the 10th of 
 May ; but usually they are not laid before the 20th, in the 
 latitude of Massachusetts. The same nest is occupied by 
 the parent birds for several years, and the female is a per- 
 sistent layer. A case came to my knowledge in the spring 
 of 1864, when the nest was robbed three times : fourteen 
 eggs were removed ; and, if the female had not been killed 
 when the last eggs were taken, she would probably have 
 laid another litter, as there were several found in her 
 nearly formed. Both sexes, as with nearly all the other 
 birds of prey, incubate. 
 
 Sub-Family BUTEONIN^E. The Buzzard-Hawks. 
 
 
 
 General form heavy ; flight vigorous and long continued, but not so rapid as in 
 the preceding sub-families. Subsist mainly on small quadrupeds and reptiles. 
 
 BUTEO, CUVIER. 
 
 Bttteo, CUVIER, Regne Animal, I. 323 (1817). 
 
 Bill short, wide at base; edges of upper mandible lobed; nostrils large, ovate, 
 wings long, wide, fourth and fifth quills usually longest; tail moderate, rather wide; 
 tarsi moderate, robust, with transverse scales before and behind, laterally with small 
 circular and hexagonal scales; toes moderate, or rather short; claws strong. Con- 
 tains about thirty species, inhabiting all countries. 
 
 1 The specimen, fig. 3, plate I., is marked with a ring of confluent blotches at the 
 matter end, a peculiarity rarely met with. 
 
THE RED-TAILED HAWK. 35 
 
 BUTEO BOREALIS. VieilloL 
 The Red-tailed Hawk. 
 
 Falco borealis, Leverianus, and Jamaicensis, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 266 (1788). 
 
 Falco aquilinus, Bartram. Trav., p. 290 (1791). 
 
 Buteo ferrugineicaudus, Vieillot. Ois. d'Am. Sept., I. 32 (1807). 
 
 Accipiter ruficaudus, Vieillot! Ois. d'Am. Sept., I. 43 (1807). 
 
 Buleo fulvous and Americanus, Vieillot. Nouv. Diet., IV. 472, 477 (1816). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Tail bright rufous, narrowly tipped with white, and having a subtermi- 
 nal band of black; entire upper parts dark umber-brown, lighter and with fulvous 
 edgings on the head and neck ; upper tail coverts yellowish- white, with rufous and 
 brown spots and bands; throat white, with narrow longitudinal stripes of brown; 
 other under parts pale yellowish-white, with longitudinal lines and spots of reddish- 
 brown, tinged with fulvous ; most numerous on the breast, and forming an irregular 
 band across the abdomen ; under tail coverts and tibiae generally clear yellowish- 
 white, unspotted, but the latter frequently spotted and transversely barred with 
 light rufous ; under surface of tail silvery-white. 
 
 Young. Tail usually ashy-brown, with numerous bands of a darker shade of 
 the same color, and narrowly tipped with white; upper tail coverts white, with 
 bands of dark-brown ; other upper parts dark umber-brown, many feathers edged 
 with dull white and with partially concealed spots of white; entire under parts 
 white, sides of the breast with large ovate spots of brownish-black, and with a wide 
 irregular band on the abdomen, composed of spots of the same color; under tail 
 coverts and tibiae with irregular transverse stripes and sagittate spots of dark-brown ; 
 bill, blue-black; cere and sides of the mouth, yellow tinged with green; legs yellow; 
 iris pale amber. 
 
 Total length of female, about twenty-three inches; wing, fifteen to sixteen 
 inches; tail, eight and a half inches. Male, nineteen to twenty -one inches; wing, 
 fourteen inches ; tail, seven and a half to eight inches. 
 
 The Red-tailed Hawk is a common resident of all the 
 New-England States throughout the year. Its habits are 
 so well known that a description here is hardly needed. 
 Every one has noticed this hawk up in the air, at a consider- 
 able height, soaring in extended circles, and uttering the 
 oft-repeated cry, kae, Jcae, kae, as he examines the earth 
 beneath him for prey. Audubon was of the opinion, that 
 the bird emitted this shriek for the purpose of attracting the 
 notice of birds and animals beneath, and causing them to 
 fly to a place of concealment, thus giving him a knowledge 
 of their whereabouts. This supposition is not improbable ; 
 for he is often observed descending with great rapidity 
 towards a bird that has taken flight at his outcries. 
 
36 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 This Hawk is very destructive among domestic poultry, 
 and is generally regarded with dislike. I have known of 
 instances when he has almost completely depopulated a 
 poultry-yard before he could be captured. 
 
 It is the custom of the Hawk, wl^en he has once had a 
 taste of a flock of fowls, to visit it regularly every day at 
 about the same time ; sometimes in the afternoon, oftener 
 in the morning. 
 
 The moment his cry is heard, the shrill alarm of the cock 
 is given, when the hens run hither and thither, cackling, 
 and adding to their own affright; the guinea-fowls rattle 
 their discordant notes ; the mother with her chickens becomes 
 almost frantic in her efforts to protect her young from 
 the inevitable destroyer. In the midst of this clatter, the 
 pirate who has been its sole cause comes on eager wing, 
 and, selecting the fattest of the flock, pounces upon it, and, 
 with scarcely an effort, bears it off to feast his mate and 
 young. The Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and Com- 
 mon Hare (Lepus Americanus) both fall victims; and the 
 number he destroys is very great. 
 
 The Red-Tailed Hawk builds its nest in a lofty fork of a 
 large tree. The nest is one of the largest of our rapacious 
 birds, in one case, to my knowledge, exceeding two feet 
 in width and twenty inches in depth. It is constructed of 
 large sticks and twigs; is but slightly hollowed; and is 
 lined with smaller twigs, leaves, and moss. The eggs are 
 generally three in number, seldom more : their ground- 
 color is a dirty yellowish-white, with blotches of a yellow- 
 ish-brown, and sometimes distinct blotches of a darker 
 brown. Their form varies from nearly spherical to ovoidal ; 
 but they are, in general, nearly as large at one end as at the 
 other. Dimensions of specimens vary from 2.12 to 2.25 
 inches in length, by from 1.68 to 2 inches in breadth. 
 
 Three eggs that I took from a nest in the southern part 
 of Ohio, early in the month of April, measure 2.18 by 1.62 ; 
 2.14 by 1.70; and 2.20 by 2 inches, - averaging a little 
 
THE RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. 37 
 
 smaller than specimens collected in New England. These 
 eggs must have been laid by the 25th of March. In New 
 England, they are seldom laid before the last week in April 
 to the first week in May. 
 
 BUTEO LINEATUS. Jardine. 
 
 The Red-shouldered Hawk. 
 
 Falco lineatus and hyemalis, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 268, 274 (1788). 
 Fdco buteoides, Nuttall. Man., I. 100 (1st edition, 1832). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Wing coverts, from its flexure to the body, fine bright rufous ; breast 
 and other lower parts of the body paler orange rufous, many feathers with transverse 
 bars and spots of white, which predominate on the abdomen and under tail coverts; 
 entire upper parts brown; on the head mixed with rufous, and with white spots on 
 the wing coverts and shorter quills and rump ; quills brownish-black, with white spots 
 on their outer webs, and with bars of a lighter shade of brown and of white on 
 their inner webs ; tail brownish-black, with about five transverse bands of white, 
 and tipped with white. 
 
 Young. Entire upper, parts yellowish-white, with longitudinal stripes and 
 oblong spots of dark-brown; throat dark brown; upper parts lighter ashy-brown, 
 with many partially concealed spots and bars of white; quills dark-brown, with 
 wide transverse bars of rufous and white on both webs; tail ashy-brown, wijth 
 numerous bands of pale-brownish and rufous white; tail beneath silvery-white; 
 bill light-blue at the base, bluish-black at the tip; cere, basal margin of the bill, 
 edges of the eyelids and the feet, bright-yellow; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, female, twenty-one to twenty-three inches; wing, fourteen; tail, 
 nine inches. Male, eighteen to twenty inches ; wing, twelve ; tail, eight inches. 
 
 This bird is a rather common resident of all New Eng- 
 land throughout the year. Its habits are so nearly like 
 those of the preceding, that I can add nothing to that I 
 have already written. 
 
 The best account of the bird's habits in the breeding 
 season, that I remember, is given by Audubon. It is as 
 follows : 
 
 " This bird is one of the most noisy of its genus, during spring 
 especially, when it would be difficult to approach the skirts of woods 
 bordering a large plantation without hearing its discordant shrill 
 notes, ka-hee, ka-hee, as it is seen sailing in rapid circles at a 
 very great elevation. Its ordinary flight is even and protracted, 
 
38 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 excepting when it is describing the circles just mentioned, when it 
 often dives and gambols. It is a more general inhabitant of the 
 woods than most of our other species, particularly during the sum- 
 mer, and in autumn and winter ; now and then only, in early spring, 
 showing itself in the open grounds, and about the vicinity of small 
 lakes, for the purpose of securing red- winged starlings and wounded 
 ducks. 
 
 u The interior of woods seems, as I have said, the fittest haunts 
 for the Red-shouldered Hawk. He sails through them a few yards 
 above the ground, and suddenly alights on the low branch of a 
 tree or the top of a dead stump, from which he silently watches, 
 in an erect posture, for the appearance of squirrels, upon which 
 he pounces directly, and kills in an instant, afterwards devour- 
 ing them on the ground. If accidentally discovered, he essays to 
 remove the squirrel ; but, finding this difficult, he drags it, partly 
 through the air and partly along the ground, to some short distance, 
 until he conceives himself out of sight of the intruder, when he 
 again commences feeding. The eating of a whole squirrel, which 
 this bird often devours at one meal, so gorges it, that I have seen 
 it in this state almost unable to fly, and with such an extraordinary 
 protuberance on its breast as seemed very unnatural, and very 
 injurious to the beauty of form which the bird usually displays. 
 On all occasions such as I have described, when the bird is so 
 gorged, it is approached with the greatest ease. On the contrary, 
 when it is in want of food, it requires the greatest caution to get 
 within shooting distance of it. 
 
 " At the approach of spring, this species begins to pair ; and its 
 flight is accompanied with many circlings and zigzag motions, 
 during which it emits its shrill cries. The male is particularly 
 noisy at this time. He gives chase to all other hawks, returns to 
 the branch on which his mate has chanced to perch, and caresses 
 her. This happens about the beginning of March. 1 The spot 
 adapted for a nest is already fixed upon, and the fabric is half 
 finished. The top of a tall tree appears to be preferred by this 
 hawk, as I have found its nest more commonly placed there, not 
 far from the edges of woods bordering plantations. 
 
 "When one ascends to the nest (which, by the way, is not 
 
 1 May in New England. 
 
THE RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. 39 
 
 always an easy matter, as our beech-trees are not only very 
 smooth, but frequently without any boughs to a considerable dis- 
 tance from the ground, as well as of rather large size), the female 
 bird, if she happens to be sitting, flies off silently, and alights on a 
 neighboring tree to wait the result; but should the male, who 
 supplies her with food, and assists in incubation, be there, or make 
 his appearance, he .immediately sets up a hue and cry, and plunges 
 toward the assailant with such violence as to astonish him. 
 
 " When, on several occasions, I have had the tree, on which the 
 nest was placed, cut down, I have observed the same pair, a few 
 days after, build another nest on a tree not far distant from the 
 spot in which the first one had been. 
 
 " The mutual attachment of the male and the female continues 
 during life. They usually hunt in pairs during the whole year; 
 and, although they build a new nest every spring, they are fond of 
 resorting to the same parts of the woods for that purpose. 1 
 
 " The young remain in the nest until fully fledged, and are fed 
 by the parents for several weeks after they have begun to fly ; but 
 leave them, and begin to shift for themselves, in about a month, 
 when they disperse, and hunt separately, until the approach of the 
 succeeding spring, at which time they pair. 
 
 " This Hawk seldom attacks any kind of poultry, and yet fre- 
 quently pounces on partridges, doves, or wild pigeons, as well as 
 red-winged blackbirds, and now and then young rabbits. On one 
 or two occasions, I have seen them make their appearance at the 
 report of my gun, and try to rob me of some blue-winged teals, 
 shot in small ponds. I have never seen them chase any other 
 small birds than those mentioned, or quadrupeds of smaller size 
 than the Cotton Rat." 
 
 My experience has been different from the above para- 
 graph ; for I have known of this Hawk attacking poultry, 
 and, even several times in the same flock, killing a fowl each 
 time. The breeding habits of this and the Red-tailed Hawk 
 are so exactly similar, that the above description well 
 answers for both. 
 
 1 T have known of the same nest being occupied by a pair of these birds for 
 several seasons. E. A. S. 
 
40 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 I have found several nests of this species in different 
 localities, all of which were placed in high forks of trees. 
 They were built of twigs and sticks of different sizes, and 
 usually were'of large size. A nest that I found in Milton, 
 Mass., was built in a fork of a large oak, against the trunk, 
 about forty feet from the ground. It was of a bulk nearly 
 sufficient to fill a basket : it was considerably hollowed, and 
 lined with dry grass and leaves. The eggs, two in number, 
 are in the cabinet of Dr. Brewer, who describes them as 
 follows : 
 
 " Two others belonging to this species, obtained in Milton, Mass., 
 by Mr. E. A. Samuels, and identified by securing the parent birds, 
 may be thus described: One measures 2^ by l|g inch. The 
 ground-color is a dirty-white, and is marked with large blotches, 
 lines, and dottings of umber-brown of various shades, from quite 
 dark to light. The other is 2 inches by l|g, has a bluish-white 
 ground, and is only marked by a number of very faint blotches of 
 yellowish-brown and a slate-drab. Except in their shape, which is 
 an oval spheroid, slightly pointed at one end, these bear but very 
 slight resemblance to each other, though taken at the same time 
 from one nest." 
 
 A number of specimens in my collection exhibit as great 
 a variety as the above instances ; and one specimen, obtained 
 in Connecticut, which measures 2.12 by 1.65 inches, has a 
 dirty yellowish-white ground-color, which is nearly covered 
 with blotches of faint-purple ; the appearance being as if 
 the purple spots were laid on, and then a coating of white- 
 wash laid over them. 
 
 BUTEO PENNSYLVANICUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Broad-winged Hawk. 
 
 Fako Pennsyhanicus, Wilson. Am. Orn., VI. 92 (1812). Aud. Orn. Biog., T. 161. 
 Falco Wilwnii, Bonaparte. Jour. Phila. Acad., III. 348 (1824).' 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Entire upper parts umber-brown; featbers on the occiput and back of 
 the neck white at their bases; throat white, with longitudinal lines of brown, and 
 
THE BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 41 
 
 with a patch of brown on each side running from the base of the lower mandible ; 
 breast with a wide band composed of large cordate and sagittate spots and trans- 
 verse bands of reddish-ferruginous tinged with ashy ; other under parts white, with 
 numerous sagittate spots of reddish on the flanks, abdomen, and tibiae In some 
 specimens, the ferruginous color predominates on all the under parts, except the 
 under tail coverts, and all the feathers have large circular or ovate spots of white 
 on both edges; under tail coverts white; quills brownish-black, widely bordered 
 with white on their inner webs ; tail dark-brown, narrowly tipped with white, and 
 with one wide band of white and several narrower bands near the base. 
 
 Young. Upper parts dull umber-brown, many feathers edged with fulvous and 
 ashy-white; upper tail coverts spotted with white; under parts white, generally 
 tinged with yellowish, and having longitudinal stripes and oblong and lanceolate 
 spots of brownish-black ; a stripe of dark-brown on each side of the neck from the 
 base of the under mandible ; tail brown, with several bands of a darker shade of 
 the same color, and of white on the inner webs, and narrowly tipped with white. 
 Bill bluish-black at the tip, blue towards the base; cere and margin yellow; iris 
 hazel; feet gamboge-yellow; claws brownish-black. 
 
 Total length, female, seventeen to eighteen inches; wing, eleven; tail, six and a 
 half to seven inches. Male, total length, sixteen to sixteen and a half inches; wing, 
 ten inches ; tail, six to six and a half inches. 
 
 This bird, until quite recently, has been regarded as rare 
 in all the New-England States; and even now it is by no 
 means common, although it is much oftener found here than 
 formerly. It occurs in these States only as a summer 
 visitor, arriving in the spring about the middle of April, and 
 departing for the South in October. The flight of this 
 Hawk is quite rapid, consisting of long intervals of soaring, 
 with shorter periods of flappings of the wings. It seems to 
 prefer the wilder districts to the more thickly settled ones, 
 and is most often met with in the interior of the country. 
 I noticed several individuals, in the course of a day's march 
 in Northern Maine, soaring above the hemlock and pine 
 forests, and uttering their shrill key, ky-ah, ky-ah-ke-ee, 
 ke-ee, as they were searching for prey beneath them. Small 
 birds, reptiles, squirrels, and insects constitute the principal 
 portion of their food ; and they seldom attack a bird larger 
 than a pigeon or quail. 
 
 Once, while listening to the beautiful song of the White- 
 throated Sparrow, I was startled by the sudden appearance 
 of one of these hawks, which, flying within a yard of my 
 head, as I sat in some bushes on the shores of Lake Umba- 
 
42 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 gog, pounced at a Red Squirrel (S. Hudsonius), that was 
 chattering at me from the top of a hollow stump: the 
 squirrel barely escaped by diving into the hollow, when 
 the hawk, turning suddenly, rushed at my little songster, 
 and, clutching him through the vitals, bore him off in 
 exultation. So sudden was the attack, that I had no time 
 to cock my gun before he was half a dozen rods off, when I 
 fired, and brought him to the ground : the sparrow was, of 
 course, dead. The hawk was only wing-tipped ; and, throw- 
 ing himself on his back, his feet extended, he awaited my 
 approach. As I drew near him, he emitted a sort of hiss ; 
 and, as he glared at me with rage-enkindled eye, he appeared 
 the very incarnation of wrath. On killing him, I found that 
 he had had one of his tarsi broken before, apparently by a 
 shot : it had healed, but had lost none of its strength ; for, as 
 I touched him with a stick, he grasped it with both feet so 
 powerfully that all his claws were thrust deep into the wood. 
 The nest is rarely found. One that I visited in West Rox- 
 bury, Mass., on the 20th of May, 1864, had four eggs ; it 
 was built in a tall pine-tree, in a fork near the top ; it was 
 composed of coarse sticks and twigs, and was lined with 
 the bark of the red cedar and a few leaves and feathers. 
 The eggs, which are now before me, vary from 2 by 1.70 
 inches, to 2.15 by 1.72 inches ; their color is a dirty yellow- 
 ish-white, covered more or less thickly in the different 
 specimens with spots and blotches of reddish-brown : an- 
 other egg, obtained in Newton, Mass., in the previous 
 season, is somewhat smaller, and the markings are fainter, 
 and of a lighter color. Two other specimens in my collec- 
 tion, collected in New Hampshire, correspond to this 
 description ; but the spots are much finer and of a darker 
 color. 
 
 ARCHIBUTEO, BUEHM. 
 
 Archibuteo, Brehm, Isis, 1828, p. 1269. 
 
 Tarsi densely feathered to the toes, but more or less naked behind, and then cov- 
 ered with scales. Wings long and wide; toes short; claws moderate; tail rather 
 short, wide. Other characters very similar to those of Buteo. 
 
THE ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. 43 
 
 This genus contains six or seven species, inhabiting Europe, Asia, and North 
 America, all birds of heavy though robust organization, subsisting mainly on small 
 quadrupeds and reptiles. The species of this genus are easily recognized by their 
 having the tarsi feathered. 
 
 ARCHIBUTEO LAGOPUS. Gray. 
 The Rough-legged Hawk. 
 
 Falco lagopus, Gm. Syst. Nat., 260 (1788). Aud. Orn. Biog , II. 377, and 
 Wilson. 
 
 Falco plumipes, Daudin. Traite d'Orn., II. 163. 
 Falco pennatus, Cuvier. Reg. An., I. 323 (1817). 
 Archibuteo alticeps, Brehm. Vog. Deutsch, I. 40. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tarsus densely feathered in front to the toes, naked behind; wing long; tail 
 rather short. 
 
 Adult. Head above yellowish-white, with longitudinal stripes of brown tinged 
 with reddish, especially on the occiput; back scapular, and shorter quills pale cine- 
 reous, with partially concealed transverse bands of white and dark -brown, the latter 
 frequently predominating, and giving the color on the back ; rump dark umber-brown ; 
 longer quills and wing coverts umber-brown ; primaries edged externally with ashy, 
 and with a large space on their inner webs at their base, white with a silky lustre ; 
 under parts white; throat with longitudinal stripes of dark-brown; breast with large 
 spots and concealed stripes of reddish-brown ; abdomen-with numerous transverse 
 narrow bands of brownish-black, most conspicuous on the flanks, and tinged with 
 ashy; tibiae and tarsi barred transversely with white and dark-brown, and tinged 
 with reddish; under tail coverts white; upper tail coverts white at base and 
 tipped with brownish-black; tail white at base, with a wide subterminal band of 
 black, and about two other bands of black alternating with others of light-cinere- 
 ous; cere and toes yellow; iris hazel; under wing coverts white, with spots of 
 brownish-black, and on the longer coverts with a large space of ashy-brown. 
 
 Young. Upper parts light umber-brown, many feathers, especially on the head 
 and neck behind, edged with yellowish-white and pale-reddish ; a wide transverse 
 band or belt on the abdomen brownish-black; other under parts yellowish-white, 
 with a few longitudinal lines and spots of brownish-black; quills ashy-brown, with 
 a large basal portion of their inner webs white ; tail at its base white, with a sub- 
 terminal band of light umber-brown, tip white ; tibiae and tarsi pale reddish-yellow, 
 with longitudinal stripes and spots of dark-brown; cere and toes yellow; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, female, twenty-one to twenty -three inches; wing, sixteen to seven- 
 teen inches; tail, nine inches. Male, total length, nineteen to twenty-one inches; 
 wing, fifteen to sixteen inches; tail, eight to eight and a half inches. 
 
 This Hawk is rarely seen in New England, appearing only 
 in the late fall and winter months. I have had no opportu- 
 nities of studying its habits and characteristics, and will 
 give the short description by Audubon. He says, 
 
44 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 " The Rough-legged Hawk seldom goes further south along our 
 Atlantic Coast than the eastern portions of North Carolina; nor 
 have I ever seen it west of the Alleghanies. It is a sluggish bird, 
 and confines itself to the meadows and low grounds bordering the 
 rivers and salt marshes along our bays and inlets. In such places, 
 you may see it perched on a stake, where it remains for hours at a 
 time, unless some wounded bird comes in sight, when it sails after 
 it, and secures it without manifesting much swiftness of flight. It 
 feeds principally on moles, mice, and other small quadrupeds, and 
 never attacks a duck on the wing, although now and then it pursues 
 a wounded one. When not alarmed, it usually flies low and 
 sedately, and does not exhibit any of the courage and vigor so con- 
 spicuous in most other hawks, suffering thousands of birds to pass 
 without pursuing them. The greatest feat I have seen it perform 
 was scrambling at the edge of the water to secure a lethargic 
 frog. 
 
 " They alight on trees to roost, but appear so hungry or indolent 
 at all times, that they seldom retire to rest until after dusk. 
 Their large eyes, indeed, seem to indicate their possession of the 
 faculty of seeing at that late hour. I have frequently put up one 
 that seemed watching for food at the edge of a ditch, long after 
 sunset. Whenever an opportunity offer, they eat to excess, 
 and, like the Turkey Buzzards and Carrion Crows, disgorge 
 their food, to enable themselves to fly off. The species is more 
 nocturnal in its habits than any other hawk found in the United 
 States." 
 
 I have never met with the nest of this bird, and know 
 but little of its breeding habits. It does not breed in New 
 England, or, if it does, only very rarely, preferring the more 
 northern sections of the continent. Two eggs in my collec- 
 tion, from Canada, are of the following description. Their 
 ground-color is a dirty bluish-white, which is covered more 
 or less thickly on different parts of their surface with 
 obscure spots and blotches of different shades of brown- 
 ish-ochre and faint-umber. They are broadly ovate in 
 form, and are 2.87 by 1.75 inch and 2.87 by 1.63 inch in 
 dimensions. 
 
THE BLACK HAWK. 45 
 
 AECHIBUTEO SANCTI-JOHANNIS. Gray. 
 The Black Hawk. 
 
 Falco sancti-johannis, Gm. Syst. Nat., 273 (1788). 
 Falco novce-terrce, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 274 (1788). 
 Falco niger, Wilson. Am. Orn., VI. 82 (1812). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Entire plumage glossy black, in many specimens with a brown tinge; 
 forehead, throat^ and large partially concealed spot on occiput, white; tail with 
 one transverse well-defined band of white, and irregularly marked towards the base 
 with the same color; quills with their inner webs white, readily seen from below; 
 cere and toes yellow ; iris hazel ; tarsi densely feathered in front, naked behind. 
 Other specimens are entirely dark chocolate-brown, with the head more or less 
 striped with yellowish-white and reddish-yellow; tail with several transverse 
 bands of white, more or less imperfect and irregular. 
 
 Young. Upper parts light umber-brown, with the feathers more or less edged 
 with dull-white and reddish-yellow; abdomen with a broad transverse band of 
 brownish-black; other under parts pale yellowish-white, with longitudinal stripes 
 of brownish-black, frequently giving the predominating color on the breast and 
 sides; wings and tail brown, tinged with cinereous, the former marked with white 
 on their inner webs, the latter white at their base ; tarsi and tibiae pale reddish- 
 yellow, spotted with brown; cere, feet, and iris the same as in adult. 
 
 Total length, female, twenty-two to twenty-four inches; wing, seventeen to seven- 
 teen and a half; tail, nine inches. Male, twenty to twenty-two inches ; wing, sixteen 
 to sixteen and a half; tail, eight to eight and a half inches. 
 
 This species, so often confounded in the immature plu- 
 mage with the preceding, but which may be separated 
 from it by its greater size and more numerous dark spots 
 beneath, is a rare winter visitor in New England. Like 
 the Rough-legged Hawk, it prefers the marshes and low, 
 swampy woods to the higher localities, and preys upon 
 mice, wounded ducks, and small birds. I have known of it 
 being killed while pursuing a flock of Snow Buntings 
 (Plectrophanes nivalis), and have heard of its attacking a 
 flock of domestic poultry. Its habits, therefore, are differ- 
 ent from those of the A. lagopus, as given by Audubon ; 
 but it lacks the courage and vigor of most of our other 
 rapacious birds, and is hardly worthy of the immortality it 
 has received from the pens of some of our writers. 
 
 The distribution of this species is limited to the north- 
 ern regions of the continent in summer, and is very rarely 
 
48 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 found south of Massachusetts in winter. I do not remem- 
 ber of an instance of its being captured far inland, although 
 J. A. Allen, before quoted, includes it in the catalogue of 
 the birds of Springfield, Mass. 
 
 A single egg in my collection, from Northern America, is 
 of the following dimensions : 2.1? by 1.70 inch. Its form 
 is a perfect ovoidal. Its primary color is a dirty white ; 
 and it is marked with obscure blotches of lilac, and some 
 obscure blotches of brown and brownish-yellow. None of 
 the markings are decided ; and, at a little distance, the egg 
 has the appearance of being of a dirty-white color. 
 
 Sub-Family MILVIN^. The Kites. 
 
 Size various, usually medium or small; general form usually rather slender, and 
 not strong ; wings and tail usually long ; bill short, weak, hooked, and acute ; tarsi 
 and toes usually slender, and not strong, sometimes short. The birds of this group 
 habitually feed on reptiles and other small animals, and are deficient in the strength 
 and courage of the other groups of the falcons. 
 
 CIRCUS, LACEPEDE. 
 
 Circus, LACEPEDE, Mem. d'Inst. Paris, III. CXI. 506 (1803). 
 
 Face partially encircled by a ring or ruff of short projecting feathers, as in the 
 owls; head rather large; bill short, compressed, curved from the base; nostrils 
 large; wings long, pointed; tail rather long, wide; tarsi long and slender; toes 
 moderate; claws rather slender and weak. 
 
 CIRCUS HUDSONIUS. Vieillot. 
 The Marsh-hawk; Harrier; Mouse-hawk. 
 
 FaJco Hudsonius, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. 128 (1766). 
 Falco uliginosus, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 278 (1788). 
 Fnlco uliginosus, Wilson. Am. Orn., VI. 67. 
 Falco cyaneus, Aububon. Orn. Biog., IV. 396. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Form rather long and slender; tarsi long; ruff quite distinct on the 
 neck in front: entire upper parts, head, and breast, pale bluish-cinereous, on 
 the back of the head mixed with dark-fulvous; upper tail coverts white; under 
 parts white, with small cordate or hastate spots of light-ferruginous; quills brownish- 
 black, with their outer webs tinged with ashy, and a large portion of their inner 
 
THE MARSH-HAWK ;. HARRIER ; MOUSE-HAWK. 47 
 
 webs white ; tail light-cinereous, nearly white on the inner webs of the feathers, and 
 with obscure transverse bands of brown; under surface silky-white; under wing' 
 coverts white; bill blue-black at the extremity; cere and legs yellow, the former 
 with a tinge of green ; iris hazel. 
 
 Younger. Entire upper parts dull umber-brown, many feathers edged with dull 
 rufous, especially on the neck ; under parts dull reddish-white, with longitudinal 
 stripes of brown, most numerous on the throat and neck before ; tibiae tinged with 
 reddish; upper tail coverts white. 
 
 Y(wng. Entire upper parts d:\rk umber-brown ; upper tail coverts white ; 
 under parts rufous, with longitudinal stripes of brown on the breast and sides; 
 tail reddish-brown, with about three wide bands of dark-fulvous, paler on the inner 
 webs; tarsi, cere, and iris as in the adult. 
 
 Total length, female, nineteen to twenty-one inches; wing, fifteen and a half; 
 tail, ten inches. Male, totsil length, sixteen to eighteen inches; wing, fourteen and a 
 half; tail, eight and a half to nine inches. 
 
 This species is pretty generally diffused throughout New 
 England as a summer visitor. It is one of the least mis- 
 chievous of all the hawks, as it destroys but few of the 
 smaller birds. It is more common in districts that are low 
 and marshy than in others ; and this fact gives it the name, 
 in many localities, of the " Bogtrotter." 
 
 Its flight is low and rapid, consisting of long intervals 
 of flappings, with shorter periods of soaring. I do not 
 remember of ever hearing it cry out in the manner that 
 other hawks do, and think that it hunts silently. It arrives 
 from the South from about the middle of April to the first 
 of May. I am inclined to think that the birds are generally 
 mated before their arrival ; for they are almost always seen 
 in pairs from their first appearance. In choosing a situation 
 for a nest, both birds are remarkably nervous and restless : 
 they are almost constantly on the wing, prying into, and 
 apparently taking into account, every thing with reference to 
 future comfort. The following circumstances came to my 
 observation, and, as I improved every opportunity to watch 
 the proceedings, will serve to illustrate the breeding habits 
 of this bird : A pair made their appearance about the 
 middle of April, a few years since, in a large meadow in 
 Dedham, Mass. They were apparently mated from the 
 first ; and, as the neighborhood gave promise of an abun- 
 
48 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 dance of food (field-mice), I concluded that this would bo 
 selected as a breeding- place, and watched accordingly. 
 The male was very attentive to his mate, often talking to 
 and caressing her. If she should alight on the ground or 
 on a fence-rail, he would alight with her, and often fly and 
 walk around her, bowing and chattering in a ludicrous 
 manner. After a situation (luckily where I could watch 
 them unobserved) was fixed upon for a nest, both birds 
 were very active in its construction. It was built on a 
 hummock, perhaps eighteen inches above the level of the 
 meadow. The materials used in its construction were 
 dried grasses, which were woven together rather neatly. It 
 was considerably hollowed, perhaps an inch and a half, 
 and lined with very soft grass. The external diameter of 
 the nest was about eighteen inches ; internal diameter, 
 about eight inches. The female laid four eggs of a dirty- 
 white color, with a faint tinge of blue. In one specimen 
 there were a few faint spots of brown ; but I think that 
 generally the eggs of this species are without spots. 1 I 
 have seen a great many, and but a very few had spots, and 
 these not at all distinct. A great number of specimens 
 exhibit a variation of from 1.62 to 1.90 inch in length, and 
 from 1.32 to 1.25 inch in breadth. The habits of this bird 
 entitle it to the protection of the farmer. It subsists almost 
 entirely upon the injurious field-mice, and the numbers of 
 these animals which it destroys in the breeding season are 
 incredible : from early dawn to dim twilight it may be seen 
 busily searching for these pests, seldom molesting the small 
 beneficial birds or poultry. 
 
 i Dr. Brewer, in describing the eggs of this species, says : " With but a single 
 exception, all these eggs (six) are very distinctly blotched and spotted. Their 
 ground-color is a dirty bluish-white, which in one is nearly unspotted; the markings 
 so faint as to be hardly perceptible, and only upon close inspection. In all the 
 others, spots and blotches of a light shade of purplish-brown occur, in a greater or 
 less degree, over their entire surface. In two, the blotches are large and well 
 marked ; in the others, less strongly tra'ced, but quite distinct. This has led to a 
 closer examination of eggs from other parts of the country, and nearlv all are per- 
 ceptibly spotted." 
 
THE GOLDEN EAGLE; THE RING-TAILED EAGLE. 49 
 
 Sub-Family AQUILINE. The Eagles. 
 
 Size large, and all parts very strongly organized; bill large, compressed, straight 
 at base, curved and acute at tip; wings long, pointed; tail ample, generally rounded; 
 tarsi moderate, very strong ; claws curved, very sharp and strong. There are about 
 seventy species of eagles of all countries. 
 
 AQUILA, MOEHRING. 
 
 Aquila, MOEHRING, Av. Gen., 49 (1752). 
 
 General form large and very strong, and adapted to long-continued and swift 
 flight; bill large, strong, compressed, and hooked at the tip; wings long, pointed; 
 tarsi rather short, very strong, feathered to the toes ; claws sharp, strong, curved. 
 This genus includes about twenty species, which are regarded as the true eagles. 
 
 AQUILA CANADENSIS. Cassin. 
 The Golden Eagle ; the Ring-tailed Eagle. 
 
 Fako Canadends, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. 125 (1766). 
 Falco niger, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 259 (1788). 
 Aquila nobilis, Pallas. Zoog. Ross. As., I. 338 (1811). 
 Falco chryscetos, Wilson. Aud., II. 464. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Large; tarsi densely feathered to the toes; head and neck behind light 
 brownish-fulvous, varying in shade in different specimens, frequently light orange- 
 fulvous, generally darker; tail at base white, which color frequently occupies the 
 greater part of the tail; other terminal portion glossy black; all other parts rich 
 purplish-brown, frequently very dark, and nearly clear black on the under parts of 
 the body; primaries shining black; secondaries purplish-brown; tibiae and tarsi 
 brownish-fulvous, generally mixed with dark-ashy; cere and toes yellow: iris 
 reddish-hazel. 
 
 Younger. Entire plumage lighter, and mixed with dull-fulvous; under parts of 
 the body nearly uniform with the upper parts; cere, toes, and iris like adult. 
 
 Total length, female, thirty-three to forty inches; wing, about twenty-five; tail, 
 about fifteen inches. Male, total length, thirty to thirty-five inches ; wing, twenty 
 to twenty-three: tail, twelve to fourteen inches. 
 
 The above description is incomplete, so far as the markings of the tail are men- 
 tioned ; for in the adult bird the tail is entirely black, and the young have more or 
 less white in proportion to their age, the youngest birds having the widest white 
 band at the base. 
 
 This bird is so extremely rare in New England, that I 
 have had no opportunities for studying its habits. It is 
 occasionally found here in different seasons of the year, 
 
 4 
 
,50 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 and it undoubtedly breeds in the wildest districts of these 
 States. The following are the most interesting facts, given 
 by Audubon, in relation to this species : 
 
 "The Golden Eagle, although a permanent resident in the 
 United States, is of rare occurrence there ; it being seldom that 
 one sees more than a pair or two in the course of a year, unless he 
 be an inhabitant of the mountains, or of the large plains spread out 
 at their base. I have seen a few of them on the wing along the 
 shores of the Hudson, others on the upper parts of the Mississippi, 
 some among the Alleghanies, and a pair in the State of Maine. 
 At Labrador, we saw an individual sailing, at the height of a few 
 yards, over the moss-covered surface of the dreary rocks. 
 
 "Although powerful in flight, it has not the speed of many 
 hawks, nor even of the White-headed Eagle. It cannot, like the 
 latter, pursue and seize, on the wing, the prey it longs for ; but is 
 obliged to glide down through the air for a certain height to insure 
 the success of its enterprise. The keenness of its eye, however, 
 makes up for this defect, and enables it to spy, at a great distance, 
 the objects on which it preys ; and it seldom misses its aim, as it 
 falls with the swiftness of a meteor towards the spot on which they 
 are concealed. When at a great height in the air, its gyrations are 
 uncommonly beautiful, being slow and of wide circuit, and becom- 
 ing the majesty of the king of birds. It often continues them for 
 hours at a time, with apparently the greatest ease. 
 
 " The notes of this species are sharp and harsh ; resembling, at 
 times, the barking of a dog ; especially about the breeding season, 
 when the birds become extremely noisy and turbulent, flying more 
 swiftly than at other times, alighting more frequently, and evincing 
 a fretfulness which is not so observable after their eggs are laid. 
 
 " They are capable of remaining without food for several days at 
 a time, and eat voraciously whenever they find an opportunity. 
 
 "Young fawns, raccoons, hares, wild turkeys, and other large 
 birds, are their usual food ; and they devour putrid flesh only when 
 hard pressed by hunger, none alighting on carrion at any other 
 time. 
 
 I regret that I am unable to add any thing to our knowl- 
 edge of its habits and breeding peculiarities. Dr. Brewer 
 
THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE, ETC. 51 
 
 says, "It breeds in the mountainous portions of Maine, 
 New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York." The Golden 
 Eagle usually constructs its nest on the sides of steep rocky 
 crags, where its materials are coarsely heaped together on 
 a projecting shelf of rock. These consist of large sticks 
 loosely arranged. In rare instances, they are said to 
 have been built on trees in the Western States, where 
 rocky cliffs are not to be met with. The eggs are usually 
 three in number ; sometimes two, or only one. Mr. Audu- 
 bon describes them as measuring three and a half inches in 
 length by two and a half in breadth ; the shell thick and 
 smooth, dull-white, brushed over with undefined patches 
 of brown, which are most numerous at the larger end. 
 
 HALLETUS, SAVIGNY. 
 
 Size large; tarsi short, naked, or feathered for a short distance below the joint 
 of the tibia and tarsus, and with the toes covered with scales; toes rather long; 
 claws very strong, curved, very sharp; bill large, very strong, compressed; margin 
 of upper mandible slightly lobed ; wings long, pointed ; tail moderate. 
 
 HALI2ETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS. 
 The White-headed Eagle ; the Bald Eagle ; the Gray Eagle. 
 
 Falco leucocephalus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. 124 (1766). 
 Falco pygaryus, Daudin. Traite d'Orn., II. 62 (1800). 
 Falco ossifragus, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. 16 (1813). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill large, strong, straight at the base, rather abruptly hooked; wings long; 
 tarsi rather short. 
 
 Adult. Head, tail, and its upper and under coverts, white; entire other plumage 
 brownish-black, generally with the edges of the feathers paler; bill, feet, and irides, 
 or iris, yellow. 
 
 Younger. Entire plumage, including head and tail, dark-brown; paler on the 
 throat; edges of the feathers paler or fulvous, especially on the under parts; tail 
 more or less mottled with white, which color, in more advanced age, extends over a 
 large portion of the tail, especially on the inner webs ; bill brownish-black ; irides 
 brown. 
 
 Total length, female, about thirty-five to forty inches; wing, twenty-three to 
 twenty-five inches ; tail, fourteen to fifteen inches. Male, thirty to thirty-four inches: 
 wing, twenty to twenty-two inches ; tail, thirteen to fourteen inches. 
 
52 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 This beautiful and well-known bird is occasionally seen in 
 different parts of New England throughout the year, most 
 commonly near the seacoast or in the neighborhood of large 
 
 tracts of water. I have had several opportunities of observ- 
 ing and studying its habits, but have discovered nothing that 
 has not been already presented to the public. Its flight is 
 
THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 53 
 
 rapid and graceful, and is often prolonged for hours with 
 apparent ease. It feeds upon wild-fowl, wild geese, and 
 small animals, and is very partial to fish, which it robs from 
 the Fish Hawk (P. Carolinensis), and finds cast upon the 
 shore, dead. 
 
 Wilson, in describing its attacks on the Fish Hawk, 
 says : 
 
 " Formed by nature for braving the severest cold ; feeding 
 equally on the produce of the sea and of the land; possessing 
 powers of flight capable of outstripping even the tempests them- 
 selves ; unawed by any thing but man ; and, from the ethereal 
 heights to which he soars, looking abroad, at one glance, on an im- 
 measurable expanse of forests, fields, lakes, and ocean, deep below 
 him, he appears indifferent to the little change of localities or 
 seasons ; as, in a few minutes, he can pass from summer to winter, 
 from the lower to the higher regions of the atmosphere, the abode 
 of eternal cold, and thence descend, at will, to the torrid or 
 the arctic regions of the earth. He is therefore found at all 
 seasons in the countries he inhabits, but prefers such places as 
 have been mentioned above, from the great partiality he has for 
 fish. 
 
 " In procuring these, he displays, in a very singular manner, 
 the genius and energy of his character, which is fierce, contempla- 
 tive, daring, and tyrannical, attributes not exerted but on par- 
 ticular occasions, but, when put forth, overpowering all opposition. 
 Elevated on the high dead limb of some gigantic tree that com- 
 mands a wide view of the neighboring shores and ocean, he seems 
 calmly to contemplate the motions of the various feathered tribes 
 that pursue their busy avocations below, the snow-white gulls 
 slowly winnowing the air ; the busy tringce coursing along the 
 sands ; trains of ducks streaming over the surface ; silent and 
 watchful cranes, intent and wading ; clamorous crows ; and all the 
 winged multitudes that subsist by the bounty of this vast liquid 
 magazine of nature. High over all these hovers one whose action 
 instantly arrests his whole attention. By his wide curvature of 
 wing and sudden suspension in air, he knows him to be the Fish 
 Hawk, settling over some devoted victim of the deep. His eye 
 kindles at the sight ; and, balancing himself, with half-opened wings, 
 
54 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 on the branch, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an arrow 
 from heaven, descends the distant object of his attention ; the roar 
 of its wings reaching the ear as it disappears in the deep, making 
 the surges foam around. At this moment, the eager looks of the 
 Eagle are all ardor; and, levelling his neck for flight, he sees 
 the Fish-hawk once more emerge, struggling with his prey, and 
 mounting in the air with screams of exultation. These are the 
 signal for our hero, who, launching into the air, instantly gives. 
 chase, and soon gains on the Fish-hawk : each exerts his utmost to 
 mount above the other, displaying in these rencontres the most 
 elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. The unencumbered Eagle 
 rapidly advances, and is just on the point of reaching his opponent, 
 when, with a sudden scream, probably of despair and honest 
 execration, the latter drops his fish : the Eagle, poising himself for 
 a moment, as if to take a more certain aim, descends like a whirl- 
 wind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and bears 
 his ill-gotten booty silently away to the woods. 
 
 "These predatory attacks and defensive manoeuvres of the 
 Eagle and the Fish-hawk are matters of daily observation along 
 the whole of our seaboard, from Georgia to New England, and 
 frequently excite great interest in the spectators. Sympathy, 
 however, on this as on most other occasions, generally sides with 
 the honest and laborious sufferer, in opposition to the attacks 
 of power, injustice, and rapacity ; qualities for which our hero is 
 so generally notorious, and which, in his superior, man, are cer- 
 tainly detestable. As for the feelings of the poor fish, they seem 
 altogether out of the question. 
 
 " When driven, as he sometimes is, by the combined courage 
 and perseverance of the fish-hawks, from their neighborhood, and 
 forced to hunt for himself, he retires more inland, in search of 
 young pigs, of which he destroys great numbers. In the lower 
 parts of Virginia and North Carolina, where the inhabitants raise 
 vast herds of those animals, complaints of this kind are very 
 general against him. He also destroys young lambs in the early 
 part of spring ; and will sometimes attack old sickly sheep, aiming 
 furiously at their eyes." 
 
 i 
 
 It generally chooses for a breeding-place a retired spot 
 in the neighborhood of a tract of water. The nest is 
 
THE FISH-HAWK. 55 
 
 usually placed in the fork of a large dead tree, and is 
 occupied by the same pair of birds for successive years. I 
 am informed, that a pair of these birds have, for a number 
 of years past, made their eyrie on a shelf of an inaccessible 
 cliff on the side of what is called " Diamond Mountain," a 
 few miles south of the Umbagog lakes. Mr. J. A. Allen 
 (Catalogue of Birds of Springfield, Mass., in "Proceedings 
 of Essex Institute," vol. IV., No. 2) says that this species 
 " sometimes breeds on Mount Tom, about twenty miles 
 north of Springfield, Mass." These are probably, how- 
 ever, exceptional cases. The nest is constructed of large 
 sticks, twigs, branches of seaweeds, turf, and moss : some 
 of these sticks are nearly or quite an inch in thickness. It 
 is a bulky affair ; its diameter often being five feet, and its 
 thickness from two to three feet. It is not much hollowed, 
 and is nearly level across the top. Of numbers of eggs of 
 this bird, that I have examined, I could see no material 
 difference as to shape or color ; the form being nearly 
 spherical, and the color a dirty yellowish-white. Length 
 of specimens varies from 2.93 to 3.07 inches ; breadth, 
 from 2.31 to 2.47 inches. 
 
 PANDION, SAVIGNY. 
 
 Pandion, SAVIGNY, Hist. Nat. d'Egypt, I. 96 (1809). 
 
 Wings very long; general form heavy, and not adapted to vigorous or swift 
 flight Rke the preceding eagles ; bill short, curved from the base, compressed ; tarsi 
 thick and strong, and covered with small circular scales ; claws large, curved, very 
 sharp ; toes beneath rough ; tail moderate or rather short. 
 
 This genus contains three or four species only, nearly allied to each other, and 
 inhabiting all temperate regions of the world. 
 
 PANDION CAROLINENSIS. Bonaparte. 
 The Fish-hawk. Osprey. 
 
 Falco Carolinerms, Gm. Syst Nat., I. 263 (1788). 
 Aquila piscatrix, Vieillot. Ois. d'Am. Sept., I. 29 (1807). 
 Pandion Americanus, Vieillot. Gal. Ois., I. 33 (1825). 
 Falco halicetus, Linnaeus. Wilson, Am. Orn., V. 14. 
 Falco halicetus, Linnaeus. Aud Orn. Biog., I. 415. 
 
56 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Wings long; legs, toes, and claws very robust and strong. 
 
 Adult. Head and entire under parts white ; stripe through the eye, top of the 
 head, and upper parts of the body, wings and tail deep umber-brown, tail having 
 about eight bands of blackish -brown ; breast with numerous cordate and circular 
 spots of pale yellowish-brown ; bill and claws bluish-black ; tarsi and toes green- 
 ish-yellow ; iris reddish-yellow. 
 
 Young. Similar to the adult, but with the upper plumage edged and tipped 
 with pale-brownish, nearly white ; spots on the breast more numerous and darker 
 colored. 
 
 Total length, female, about twenty-five inches ; wing, twenty-one inches ; tail, 
 ten and a half inches. Male, rather smaller. 
 
 " Soon as the sun, great ruler of the year, 
 Bends to our northern climes his bright career, 
 And from the caves of Ocean calls from sleep 
 The finny shoals and myriads of the deep ; 
 When freezing tempests back to Greenland ride, 
 And day and night the equal hours divide, 
 True to the season, o'er our sea-beat shore, 
 The sailing Osprey high is seen to soar 
 With broad, unmoving wing ; and, circling slow, 
 Marks each loose straggler in the deep below, 
 Sweeps down like lightning, plunges with a roar, 
 And bears his struggling victim to the shore. 
 
 The long-housed fisherman beholds with joy 
 The well-known signals of his rough employ ; 
 And, as he bears his nets and oars along, 
 Thus hails the welcome season with a song : 
 
 THE FISHERMAN'S HYMN. 
 
 The Osprey sails above the sound ; 
 
 The geese are gone, the gulls are flying; 
 The herring-shoals swarm thick around ; 
 The nets are launched, the boats are plying. 
 Yo, ho, my hearts ! let's seek the deep, 
 
 Raise high the song, and cheerly wish her, 
 Still, as the bending net we sweep, 
 ' God bless the Fish-hawk and the fisher ! ' 
 
 She brings us fish : she brings us spring, 
 
 Good times, fair weather, warmth, and plenty ; 
 
 Fine store of shad, trout, herring, ling, 
 Sheep's-head and drum, and old-wives dainty. 
 
THE FISH-HAWK. 57 
 
 Yo, ho, my hearts ! let's seek the deep, 
 Ply every oar, and cheerly wish her, 
 
 Still as the bending net we sweep, 
 ' God bless the Fish-hawk and the fisher ! ' 
 
 She rears her young on yonder tree ; 
 
 She leaves her faithful mate to mind 'em ; 
 Like us, for fish, she sails to sea, 
 And, plunging, shows us where to find 'em. 
 Yo, ho, my hearts ! let's seek the deep, 
 Ply every oar, and cheerly wish her, 
 While the slow-bending net we sweep, 
 ' God bless the Fish-hawk and the fisher ! ' " 
 
 ALEXANDER WILSON. 
 
 The common and well-known bird which furnishes the 
 theme of the above beautiful verses is a summer inhabitant 
 of New England along the whole coast, and in the neighbor- 
 hood of large sheets of water. The males arrive from the 
 south about the middle of April, and the females about a 
 week later. I believe that the same pair are constant to 
 each other for several years : those that commence their 
 matrimonial career in the spring usually mate about the 
 first week in May, in our latitude. The movements of 
 the male, while paying court to the female, are interesting; 
 and, as Audubon has described them better than I can 
 myself, I will give his description : 
 
 " As soon as the females make their appearance, which happens 
 eight or ten days after the arrival of the males, the love-season 
 commences, and, soon after, incubation takes place. The loves of 
 these birds are conducted in a different way from those of the 
 other falcons. The males are seen playing through the air amongst 
 themselves, chasing each other in sport, or sailing by the side or 
 after the female which they have selected, uttering cries of joy 
 and exultation, alighting on the branches of the tree on which 
 their last year's nest is yet seen remaining, and doubtless congratu- 
 lating each other on finding their home again. Their caresses are 
 mutual. They begin to augment their habitation, or to repair the 
 injuries which it may have sustained during the winter, and are 
 
58 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 seen sailing together towards the shores, to collect the drifted 
 seaweeds, with which they line the nest anew. They alight on the 
 beach, search for the dryest and largest weeds, collect a mass of 
 them, clench them in their talons, and fly towards their nest, with 
 the materials dangling beneath. They both alight and labor 
 together. In a fortnight, the nest is complete, and the female 
 deposits her eggs." 
 
 The nest is generally placed in a large tree in the imme- 
 diate vicinity of the water, either along the seashore, on the 
 margins of the inland lakes, or by some large river. It is, 
 however, sometimes to be seen in the interior of a wood, a 
 mile or more from the water. I have concluded, that, in 
 the latter case, it was on account of frequent disturbance, 
 or attempts at destruction, that the birds had removed from 
 their usual haunts. The nest is very large, sometimes meas- 
 uring fully four feet across, and is composed of a quantity 
 of materials sufficient to render its depth equal to its diam- 
 eter. Large sticks, mixed with seaweeds, tufts of strong 
 grass, and other materials, form its exterior, while the in- 
 terior is composed of seaweeds and finer grasses. I have 
 not observed that any particular species of tree is preferred 
 by the Fish-hawk. It places its nest in the fork of an oak 
 or a pine with equal pleasure. But I have observed that 
 the tree chosen is usually of considerable size, and not un- 
 frequently a decayed one. 
 
 The Fish-hawk is gregarious, and often breeds in colonies 
 of three or four nests in an area of a few acres. The males 
 assist in incubation. 
 
 I have heard of instances of as many as a dozen nests 
 being found in the distance of half a mile on the coast of 
 New Jersey. 
 
 In New England, the species is not so plentiful, and sel- 
 dom more than one nest can be found in one locality. The 
 flight of the bird is strong, vigorous, and well sustained. 
 As he flies over the ocean, at a height of perhaps fifty 
 
THE FISH-HAWK. 59 
 
 feet, his long wings, as they beat the air in quick, sharp 
 strokes, give the bird the appearance of being much larger 
 than he really is. When he plunges into the water, he 
 invariably seizes the fish, his prey, in his talons, and is 
 sometimes immersed to the depth of a foot or eighteen 
 inches in his efforts to capture it. He is of a peaceable 
 disposition, and never molests any of his feathered neigh- 
 bors. If the nest is plundered, the parent attacks the in- 
 truder, and often inflicts ugly wounds in its defence. 
 
 The eggs are usually laid before the 10th of May : they 
 are generally three in number. They vary considerably, 
 both in shape, size, and markings. In a majority of speci- 
 mens in my collection, the ground-color is a rich reddish- 
 cream, and covered with numerous blotches of different 
 shades of brown. In a number of specimens, these blotches 
 are confluent, and the primary color is nearly hidden. Their 
 form varies from nearly spherical to ovoidal, and the dimen- 
 sions from 2.28 to 2.44 inches in length, and from 1.65 to 
 1.83 in breadth. 
 
60 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY STRIGID^E. THE OWLS. 
 
 Form usually short and heavy, with the head disproportionately large, and fre- 
 quently furnished with erectile tufts of feathers, resembling the ears of quadrupeds. 
 General organization adapted to vigorous and noiseless, but not rapid, flight, and to 
 the capture of animals in the morning and evening twilight. 
 
 Eyes usually very large, directed forwards, and, in the greater number of species, 
 formed for seeing by twilight or in the night ; bill rather strong, curved, nearly 
 concealed by projecting, bristle-like feathers; wings generally long, outer edges of 
 primary quills fringed ; legs generally rather short, and in all species, except in one 
 Asiatic genus (Ketupa), more or less feathered, generally densely; cavity of the ear 
 very large ; face encircled by a more or less perfect disc of short, rigid feathers, 
 which, with the large eyes, gives to those birds an entirely peculiar and frequently 
 catlike expression. Female larger than the male. 
 
 Sub-Family BUBONIN^E. The Horned Owls. 
 
 Head large, with erectile and prominent ear-tufts ; eyes large ; facial disc not 
 complete above the eyes and bill; legs, feet, and claws usually very strong. 
 
 BUBO, CUVIER. 
 
 Bubo, CUVIER, Regne Animal, I. 331 (1817). 
 
 Size large; general form very robust and powerful; head large, with conspicuous 
 ear-tufts ; eyes very large ; wings long ; tail short ; legs and toes very strong, densely 
 feathered; claws very strong; bill rather short, strong, curved, covered at base by 
 projecting feathers. 
 
 This genus includes the large Horned Owls, or Cat Owls, as they are sometimes 
 called. These birds are most numerous in Asia and Africa, and there are in all 
 countries about fifteen species. 
 
 BUBO VIEGINIANUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Great Horned Owl. 
 
 Strix Virginiana, Gm. Syst. Nat, I. 287 (1788). Bohap. Syn., p. 37. Nutt, I. 
 124. Wilson, Audubon, and others. 
 
 Bubo articus, Swains. Faun. Bor. Am. Birds, p. 86 (1831). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Large and strongly organized; ear-tufts large, erectile; bill strong, 
 fully curved; wing rather long; third quill usually longest ; tail short; legs and 
 toes robust, and densely covered with short, downy feathers ; claws very strong, 
 sharp, curved; variable in plumage, from nearly white to dark-brown, usually 
 with the upper parts dark-brown, every feather mottled, and with irregular trans- 
 verse lines of pale-ashy and reddish-fulvous, the latter being the color of all the 
 plumage at the bases of the feathers; ear-tufts dark-brown, nearly black, edged on 
 
THE GREAT HORNED OWL. 61 
 
 their inner webs with dark-fulvous; a black spot above the eye; radiating feathers 
 behind the eye, varying in color from nearly white to dark reddish-fulvous, usually 
 the latter; feathers of the facial disc tipped with black; throat and neck before, white; 
 breast with wide longitudinal stripes of black; other under parts variegated with 
 white and fulvous, and every feather having transverse, narrow lines of dark-brown ; 
 middle of the abdomen frequently, but not always, white; legs and toes varying 
 from white to dark-fulvous, usually pale-fulvous ; in most specimens unspotted, but 
 frequently, and probably always in fully mature specimens, with transverse, narrow 
 bars of dark-brown; quills brown, with wide transverse .bands of cinereous, and 
 usually tinged on the inner webs with pale fulvous; tail the same, with the fulvous 
 predominating on the outer feathers; iris yellow; bill and claws bluish-black. 
 
 Dimensions. Female, length, twenty-one to twenty-five inches ; wing, fourteen 
 and a half to sixteen ; tail, ten inches. Male, eighteen to twenty-one inches ; wing, 
 fourteen to fifteen ; tail, nine inches. 
 
 THIS well-known bird is a resident in all the New-England 
 States throughout the year. It is not so common in Mas- 
 sachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island as in the other 
 States, where, in the vast tracts of forest, it is quite abun- 
 dant ; so much so, that I have heard several of them at the 
 same time making " night hideous with their discordant, 
 mournful cries." Never shall I forget a serenade I once had 
 the pleasure of hearing in the State of Maine, in which this 
 bird maintained the basso. We were encamped on the 
 shores of Lake Umbagog : our tent was pitched on a bluff 
 overlooking the lake, and behind us was the deep, dark 
 forest of pines and hemlocks. We had just got fairly into 
 our first nap, the sweet follower of our day's toils, when we 
 were awakened by the hootings of one of these owls, " Waugh, 
 hoo, hoo, hoo!" or "Who cooks for you?" as the Western 
 traveller understood it, which seemed to fye addressed to us 
 from a tree almost over our tent. We listened : presently 
 another took up the theme, and then both together. They 
 had scarcely finished their duet, when, from away up the 
 lake, came the shrill, mournful cry or scream of the Loon : 
 this was continued and answered by others, until, with owls 
 and loons, the night was vocal with melodious sounds. 
 After this had died away, and all was still, there came from 
 a bush near our tent the almost heavenly song of the White- 
 throated Sparrow, the " Nightingale of the North." One 
 
62 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 cannot imagine the effect produced by the contrast : he must 
 be on the spot in the dark night, and, through the sighing of 
 the winds amid the grand old trees, hear the owls and loons ; 
 then, silence, broken by the beautiful song of the Nightin- 
 gale. 
 
 The flight of the Great Horned Owl is rapid, noiseless, 
 and vigorous : he passes through the mazes of the forest 
 with great dexterity and ease ; and, when flying above the 
 trees, frequently soars in the manner of the Hawks. He is 
 very destructive among domestic poultry, frequently pouncing 
 on fowls that are roosting on trees in the night, and bearing 
 them off in his powerful grasp. This habit has rendered 
 him obnoxious to the farmers, who lose no opportunity for 
 destroying him. Rabbits, grouse, and other birds, fall vic- 
 tims to his rapacity ; and I have often shot individuals of 
 this species, whose feathers were so impregnated with the 
 peculiar odor of the skunk as to be unbearable at a near 
 approach. 
 
 When a flock of crows discover the presence of one of 
 these birds, they immediately collect from all quarters, and 
 attack him on every side, uttering their harsh, discordant 
 cries : the owl is kept dancing and dodging on the limb, his 
 perch, in a ludicrous manner ; if he takes to flight, he is 
 pursued by his enemies, and soon forced to alight. I have 
 often been enabled to procure a specimen, by following 
 a noisy mob of this description ; just as we often are able 
 to secure one of the smaller owls by proceeding to the copse 
 where numbers of small birds cat-birds, chewinks, and 
 thrushes are scolding at their enemy. 
 
 I have had several specimens of the Great Horned Owl 
 in captivity : they make amusing pets. When fed with raw 
 meat, they seldom take it freely from the hand or tongs ; 
 and often can be made to swallow it, only by our opening 
 their bills, and putting in the meat. They seem to have 
 the power of seeing by daylight ; for, if a living animal is 
 introduced into their cage, they instantly seize it. I have 
 
GREAT HORNED OWL, Bubo Virginianus. Bonaparte. 
 
THE GREAT HORNED OWL. 63 
 
 often put iii a dead mouse, with a string attached to it, 
 by which I dragged it across the cage: an owl instantly 
 seized it, as if it were alive, and ate it. A living bat ( Ves- 
 pertilio Carolimnsis) , on being introduced, was instantly 
 seized, but, after being killed, was rejected. The strong 
 musky scent peculiar to these animals may have been the 
 reason for the owl's not eating it : if not, I cannot account 
 for it. 
 
 In eating its prey, the Owl stands on it with both feet, and 
 tears it with its bill : if the piece torn off is large, the head 
 is thrown back, and the repeated contraction of the muscles 
 of the throat forces it down. In holding a mouse or other 
 small object, all the talons of one foot are clenched in it, 
 while the other foot is left free. On being approached, this 
 Owl, as indeed do almost all the others, faces the intruder, 
 and follows his motions by turning his head, at the same 
 time snapping his bill. 
 
 In drinking, the bill is immersed, and repeated swallows 
 are taken, after the manner of the pigeons. 
 
 The Great Horned Owl chooses for its breeding-places the 
 most retired and inaccessible places in the deep forests ; and 
 the student might search for weeks for its nest, and not find 
 it unless by accident. It is usually built in a fork of a tall 
 tree, but is sometimes made in a hollow of a tree or in the 
 top of a stub or stump. Audubon found it twice in fissures 
 of rocks. It is constructed of sticks and twigs, and is lined 
 with leaves, grasses, and moss. The eggs are usually three 
 in number ; sometimes four, rarely more : they are of a 
 white color, with a very faint yellowish tint ; their shape is 
 nearly spherical, and they average in size 2.25 inches by 
 2 inches. 
 
 A nest that I found a few miles from Marietta, Ohio, 
 about the middle of March, 1865, was built in e tall, hollow 
 stub of a beech, which was cut down for the purpose of 
 being examined. It was built of twigs and sticks, in num- 
 bers sufficient to fill the cavity : in the middle of these were 
 
64 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 arranged a few leaves and pieces of moss, and a few feath- 
 ers from the body of the parent ; on this nest were found 
 three young birds, apparently but a few days old, as they 
 were covered with gray down, and a few grayish feath- 
 ers. On being taken in the hand, they clutched it tight 
 with their claws, and squatted perfectly still. The iris 
 of their eyes was a light-grayish color : the inside of their 
 mouths, eyelids, and ears, were yellowish. At the foot of 
 the stump were found small pellets of feathers, small bones, 
 and hairs. I have heard of the deserted nest of a crow or 
 hawk being occupied by this Owl ; but usually it builds its 
 own nest. 
 
 SCOPS, SAVIGNY. 
 
 SAVIGNY, Nat. Hist. Egypt, I. 105 (1809). 
 
 Size small; ear-tufts conspicuous; head large; facial disc imperfect in front and 
 about the eyes; bill short, nearly covered by projecting feathers; wings long; tail 
 rather short, and frequently curved inwards; tarsi rather long, more or less fully 
 covered with short feathers; toes long, generally partially covered with hair-like 
 feathers; head large. 
 
 General form short and compact. This genus contains twenty-five to thirty 
 species of small owls, inhabiting all parts of the world except Australia. 
 
 SCOPS ASIO. Bonaparte. 
 The Mottled Owl ; Screech Owl ; Red Owl. 
 
 Strix Asio, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. 132 (1766). Audubon, Wilson, and others. 
 
 Strix ncevia, Gm. Syst. Nat, I. 289 (1788). 
 
 Bubo striatus, Vieillot. Ois. d'Am. Sept., I. 54 (1808). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 "Short and compact; ear-tufts prominent; tail short; tarsi rather long. 
 
 "Adult. Upper parts pale ashy-brown, with longitudinal lines of brownish-black, 
 and mottled irregularly with the same and with cinereous ; under parts ashy-white, 
 with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black, and with transverse lines of the same 
 color; face, throat, and tarsi ashy-white, irregularly lined and mottled with pale- 
 brownish; quills brown, with transverse bands, nearly white on the outer webs; 
 tail pale ashy-brown, with about ten transverse narrow bands of pale-cinereous; 
 under wing coverts white, the larger tipped with black ; bill and claws light horn- 
 color; irides yellow. 
 
 " Younger. Entire upper parts pale brownish-red, with longitudinal lines of 
 brownish-black, especially on the head and scapulars; face, throat, under wing 
 coverts, and tarsi reddish-white ; quills reddish-brown ; tail rufous, with bands of 
 brown, darker on the inner webs. 
 
THE MOTTLED OWL. 65 
 
 " Young. Entire plumage transversely striped with ashy-white and pale-brown; 
 wings and tail pale-rufous. 
 
 " Total length, nine and a half to ten inches; wing, seven; tail, three and a half 
 inches. Sexes nearly alike in size and color. 
 
 " The stages of plumage described above have been regarded as characterizing 
 distinct species ; and they do present a problem scarcely to be considered as fullv 
 solved. This bird pairs and rears young while in the red plumage; and it is not 
 unusual to find a mottled male and red female associated, or the reverse." JOHN 
 CASSIN. 
 
 As with many of the other birds of prey, the different 
 plumages in which this owl is taken have caused great con- 
 fusion ; and, as Mr. Cassin truly remarks, the matter is not 
 yet settled beyond doubt. The 
 observation has generally been, 
 that the young birds are in the TV 
 red plumage ; but I have cer- ^ 
 tainly known of one instance 
 when the young bird was in 
 the gray. A nest was found 
 in a hollow tree in Milton, 
 Mass., in which there were 
 three young birds. They were 
 permitted to remain ; and I vis- 
 ited the nest as often as every 
 two days until they flew off. 
 The last time that I saw them, 
 the day before they left the 
 nest, they were fully fledged, and they had very few marks 
 of brownish-red in their plumage. Whether this was an 
 exceptional case, I know not ; but I will present the obser- 
 vations of different ornithologists which conflict with my 
 own. I will also quote Audubon's description of the habits 
 of the bird, as it is better than I can give from my own 
 experience, though it corresponds to my observations so far 
 as they go. He says, 
 
 " The flight of the Mottled Owl is smooth, rapid, protracted, and 
 noiseless. It rises at times afrove the top branches of the highest 
 of our forest trees whilst in pursuit of large beetles ; and at other 
 
 5 
 
66 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 times sails low and swiftly over the fields, or through the woods, 
 in search of small birds, field-mice, moles, or wood-rats, from which 
 it chiefly derives its subsistence. On alighting, which it does 
 plumply, the Mottled Owl immediately bends its body, turns its 
 head to look behind it, performs a curious nod, utters its notes, 
 then shakes and plumes itself, and resumes its flight in search of 
 prey. It now and then, while on the wing, produces a clicking 
 sound with its mandibles, but more frequently when perched near 
 its mate or young. This I have thought was done by the bird to 
 manifest its courage, and let the hearer know that it is not to be 
 meddled with ; although few birds of prey are more gentle when 
 seized, as it will suffer a person to touch its feathers and caress it 
 without attempting to bite or strike with its talons, unless at rare 
 intervals. 
 
 " The notes of this Owl are uttered in a tremulous, doleful 
 manner, and somewhat resemble the chattering of the teeth of a 
 person under the influence of extreme cold, although much louder. 
 They are heard at a distance of several hundred yards, and by 
 some people are thought to be of ominous import." 
 
 These notes almost exactly resemble the whimpering 
 whine of a small dog, for which I have mistaken them on 
 different occasions. 
 
 "The little fellow is generally found about farm-houses, or- 
 chards, and gardens. It alights on the roof, the fence, or the 
 garden-gate, and utters its mournful ditty, at intervals, for hours at 
 a time, as if it were in a state of great suffering ; although this is 
 far from being the case, the song of all birds being an indication 
 of content and happiness. In a state of confinement, it utters its 
 notes with as much satisfaction as if at liberty. They are chiefly . 
 heard during the latter part of winter, that being the season of 
 love, when the male bird is particularly attentive to the fair one 
 which excites his tender emotions, and around which he flies and 
 struts much in the manner of the common Pigeon, adding numer- 
 ous nods and bows, the sight of which is very amusing. 
 
 " The young remain in the nest until they are able to fly. At 
 first, they are covered with a downy substance of a dull yellowish- 
 white. By the middle of August, they are fully feathered, and 
 
THE MOTTLED OWL. 67 
 
 are then generally of a reddish-brown, although considerable differ- 
 ences exist between individuals, as I have seen some of a deep- 
 chocolate color, and others nearly black. The feathers change 
 their colors as the pairing season advances, and in the first spring 
 the bird is in the perfect dress." 
 
 J. P. Norris, writing in the " Country Gentleman," 
 Jan. 11, 1866, says that he secured two young birds of this 
 species when covered with down, and kept them until they 
 had become feathered, when their plumage was decidedly 
 red in color. 
 
 J. P. Giraud, in his " Birds of Long Island," gives a 
 letter from J. G. Bell, of New York, in which that gentle- 
 man says, that he has taken the young birds from the nest, 
 covered with grayish-brown, and kept them through their 
 first plumage, which was red in color. 
 
 These and other writers seem to agree that the red plum- 
 age is that of the bird in the first year. I leave it to 
 future experimenters to determine the matter beyond a 
 doubt. 
 
 This bird feeds largely on the injurious night-flying 
 moths and beetles. Numbers of specimens that I have 
 examined, contained in their stomachs parts of these in- 
 sects and small mammals : very seldom indeed did they 
 have feathers or other parts of birds. 
 
 The Mottled Owl selects for a nesting-place a hollow 
 tree, often in the orchard, and commences laying at about 
 the first of May, in the latitude of the middle of Massachu- 
 setts. The nest is made at the bottom of the hollow, and 
 is constructed of grass, leaves, moss, and sometimes a few 
 feathers. It is not elaborately made,' being nothing more 
 than a heap of soft materials. The eggs are usually four 
 in number : they are pure-white, smooth, and nearly spher- 
 ical in form. Their length varies from 1.30 to 1.37 inch; 
 breadth from 1.18 to 1.25 inch. Both parents assist in 
 incubation, and the same pair occupy the nest for succeed- 
 ing years. 
 
68 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 OTUS, CUVIER. 
 
 Otus, CUVIER, Regne Animal, I. 327 (1817). 
 
 General form longer and more slender than in the preceding genera ; head mod- 
 erate; ear-tufts long, erectile; bill rather short, curved from the base; facial disc 
 more perfect than in the preceding; wings long; tail moderate; tarsi and toes cov- 
 ered with short feathers ; claws long, curved ; eyes rather small, and surrounded by 
 radiating feathers. 
 
 This genus contains ten or twelve species of various countries, all of which are 
 more handsome birds than are usually met with in this family. 
 
 OTUS WILSONIANUS. Lesson. 
 The Long-eared Owl. 
 
 Otus Wilsonianus, Lesson. Traite d'Orn., I. 110 (1831). 
 
 Otus Americanus, Bonaparte. Comp. List, 7 (1838). Syn., 37. 
 
 Strix otus, Wilson. Bonaparte's edition, 449. 
 
 Strix otus, Linnaeus. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. 572. Nuttall, I. 130. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Ear-tufts long and conspicuous; eyes rather small; wings long; tarsi and toes 
 densely feathered; upper parts mottled with brownish-black, fulvous, and ashy- 
 white, the former predominating; breast pale-fulvous, with longitudinal stripes of 
 brownish-black; abdomen white; every feather with a wide longitudinal stripe, and 
 with transverse stripes of brownish-black; legs and toes pale-fulvous, usually 
 unspotted, but frequently with irregular narrow transverse stripes of dark-brown ; 
 eye nearly encircled with black; other feathers of the face ashy-white, with minute 
 lines of black ; ear-tufts brownish-black edged with fulvous and ashy- white; quills 
 pale-fulvous at their bases, with irregular transverse bands of brown; inferior 
 coverts of the wing pale-fulvous, frequently nearly white ; the larger widely tipped 
 with black; tail brown, with several irregular transverse bands of ashy-fulvous, 
 which are mottled, as on the quills; bill and claws dark horn-color; irides yellow. 
 
 Total length, female, about fifteen inches ; wing, eleven to eleven and a half; tail, 
 six inches. Male rather smaller. 
 
 This species is rather common in New England, rather 
 preferring the less settled districts to the others. It is 
 eminently nocturnal in its habits, and has the power of see- 
 ing in the daytime to a less degree than any of the other 
 species with which I am acquainted. 
 
 A specimen that I once had, as a pet, could not see my 
 hand as it approached him, and would permit my finger to 
 touch his eye before he drew over it the thin nictitating 
 membrane given to all birds to protect this delicate organ. 
 
 I do not remember of ever hearing this owl utter a cry 
 
THE LONG-EARED OWL. 69 
 
 in its nocturnal rambles ; and I think that it hunts in 
 silence, except, perhaps, in the mating season. 
 
 The specimen in my possession would not eat in the day- 
 time ; and, if I fed it then, was obliged to push the food down 
 its throat with my finger : at night, it fed readily on raw 
 meat, but was rather loath to eat when I was by, or when a 
 lamp was near its cage. I had water always accessible to 
 it, but never saw it drink, and think, that, in the space of 
 two months, it drank not more than two or three times ; or, 
 if it did, the quantity it took was so small as not to be 
 appreciable. 
 
 Notwithstanding the comparative abundance of this spe- 
 cies, its breeding habits are not well known. I have been 
 so fortunate as to find several nests, all of which were built 
 in forks of tall pines, and constructed of twigs and leaves. 
 Audubon says : 
 
 " The Long-eared Owl is careless as to the situation in which 
 its young are to be reared, and generally accommodates itself with 
 the abandoned nest of some other bird that proves of sufficient 
 size, whether it be high or low, in the fissure of a rock or on the 
 ground. Sometimes, however, it makes a nest itself; and this I 
 found to be the case in one instance near the Juniata River, in 
 Pennsylvania, where it was composed of green twigs, with the 
 leaflets adhering, and lined with fresh grass and wool, but without 
 any feathers." 
 
 Wilson describes its breeding habits as follows : 
 
 " About six or seven miles below Philadelphia, and not far from 
 the Delaware, is a low swamp, thickly covered with trees, and 
 inundated during a great part of the year. This place is the resort 
 of great numbers of the qua bird (Night Heron), where they build 
 in large companies. On the 25th of April, while wading through 
 the dark recesses of this place, observing the habits of these birds, 
 I discovered a Long-eared Owl, which had taken possession of one 
 of their nests, and was setting. On mounting to the nest, I found 
 it contained four eggs ; and, breaking one of them, the young 
 appeared almost ready to leave the shell. There were numbers of 
 
70 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the qua birds' nests on the adjoining trees all around, and one 
 of them actually on the same tree." 
 
 The reader will perceive from the above account of the 
 breeding habits of this bird, that it is variable in its choice 
 of a nesting-place, although every nest that I have found, 
 or known of, was built in tall pines, and constructed as 
 above ; and I have known instances where the same nest 
 was used for successive breeding seasons. 
 
 The eggs are generally four in number, seldom more. 
 They are nearly spherical in form, and of a pure-white 
 color. Dimensions of specimens in my collection vary from 
 1.40 to 1.60 inch in length, by from 1.30 to 1.40 inch in 
 breadth. 
 
 BRACHYOTUS, GOULD. 
 
 Bracliyotus, GOULD, Proc. Zool. Soc., London, 1837, 10. 
 
 Ear-tufts very short and inconspicuous ; general form rather strong ; wings long ; 
 tail moderate ; legs rather long, which, with the toes, are fully covered with short 
 feathers ; claws long, very sharp, and rather slender ; head moderate ; eyes rather 
 small, surrounded by radiating feathers; facial disc imperfect on the forehead and 
 above the eyes ; tail moderate. 
 
 This genus contains four or five species only, the two best known of which are 
 the European. 
 
 BRACHYOTUS CASSINII. Brewer. 
 The Short-eared Owl. 
 
 BracJiyotus Cassinii, Brewer. Proc. Boston Soc. of Nat. Hist. 
 Strix brachyotus, Forster. Phil. Trans., London, LXII. 384 (1772). 
 Strix brachyotus, Linnaeus. Wilson and others. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Ear-tufts very short; entire plumage buff or pale- fulvous; ever}' feather on the 
 upper parts with a wide longitudinal stripe of dark-brown, which color predominates 
 on the back; under parts paler, frequently nearly white on the abdomen, with 
 longitudinal stripes of brownish-black, most numerous on the breast, very narrow 
 and less numerous on the abdomen and flanks ; legs and toes usually of a deeper 
 shade of the same color as the abdomen ; quills pale reddish-fulvous at their bases, 
 brown at their ends, with wide irregular bands and large spots of reddish-fulvous ; 
 tail pale reddish-fulvous, with about five irregular transverse bands of dark-brown, 
 which color predominates on the two central feathers ; under tail coverts usually 
 nearly white; throat white; eyes enclosed by large spots of brownish-black; ear- 
 tufts brown, edged with fulvous ; bill and claws dark ; irides yellow. 
 
 Total length, female, about fifteen inches; wing, twelve; tail, six inches. Male 
 rather smaller. 
 
THE GRAY OWLS. 71 
 
 I regret being unable to add any thing to our knowledge 
 of the history of this bird. I have had no opportunities 
 for observing its habits, and know of nothing that has been 
 noted recently which will add to our information. It is 
 not common in any part of New England, and is, I believe, 
 more often met with in the neighborhood of the seacoast 
 than elsewhere. I have never met with its nest, but have 
 no doubt that it breeds in these States, as specimens are 
 occasionally taken here in summer. 
 
 Richardson says that its nest is formed of withered grass 
 and moss, and is built on the ground. Dr. Bryant (" Pro- 
 ceedings of Boston Society of Natural History," January, 
 1857) describes a nest found on an island in the Bay of 
 Fundy as follows : 
 
 " A nest of this bird was found by Mr. Cabot in the midst of a 
 dry peaty bog. It was built on the ground, in a very slovenly 
 manner, of small sticks and a few feathers, and presented hardly 
 any excavation. It contained four eggs on the point of being 
 hatched." 
 
 The eggs of this species are of a pure-white^ color, and 
 vary in dimensions from 1.65 inch by 1.25 inch to 1.50 inch 
 by 1.23 inch. 
 
 Sub-Family SYRNINJE. The Gray Owls. 
 
 Head large, with very small and concealed ear-tufts, or entirely without. Facial 
 disc nearly perfect; eyes small for the family of owls: wings rather short, or not so 
 long as in the preceding ; tarsi and toes generally fully feathered. This group con- 
 tains some of the largest of owls; generally, however, the size is medium, and fre- 
 quently small. 
 
 SYRNIUM, SAVIGNY. 
 
 Syrnium, SAVIGNY, Nat. Hist. Egypt, I. 112 (1809). 
 
 Size usually large ; head large, without ear-tufts ; eyes rather small ; facial disc 
 somewhat imperfect in front; bill strong, curved from its base; wings moderate, 
 somewhat rounded; fourth and fifth quills longest; tail rather long, wide, and usu- 
 ally rounded at the end ; legs moderate, or rather long, which, with the toes, are 
 densely covered with short feathers; claws long, strong, very sharp. 
 
72 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Species of this genus inhabit principally the northern parts of the world, and are 
 generally characterized by the prevalence of gray or cinereous, of various shades, in 
 their plumage. 
 
 SYRNIUM CINEEEUM. Auduban. 
 The Great Gray Owl. 
 
 Strix cinerea, Gm. Syst. Nat, I. 291 (1788). Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. 364. 
 Strix acclimator, Bartram. Travels, 289 (1790). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The largest Owl of North America. Head very large ; eyes small ; tail rather 
 long; upper parts smoky or ashy brown, mottled and transversely barred with 
 ashy-white; under parts ashy-white, with numerous longitudinal stripes of dark 
 ashy-brown predominating on the breast, and with transverse stripes of the same on 
 the abdomen, legs, and under tail coverts ; quills brown, with about five wide, irregu- 
 lar bands of ashy-white ; tail brown, with five or six wide, irregular bands of ashy- 
 white, mottled with dark-brown; feathers of the disc on the neck tipped with white; 
 eye nearly encircled by a black spot ; radiating feathers around the eye, with regular 
 transverse narrow bars of dark-brown and ashy-white ; bill pale-yellow ; claws pale 
 yellowish-white, darker at their tips ; iris bright-yellow. 
 
 Total length, twenty-five to thirty inches ; wing, eighteen ; tail, twelve to fifteen 
 inches. 
 
 This bird is an extremely rare winter visitor in New Eng- 
 land ; appearing only in the southern districts of these 
 States, in Massachusetts even, in very severe seasons. I 
 never saw one alive ; have, of course, never seen its nest, 
 and can add nothing at all to our knowledge of its habits. 
 It breeds in the most northern regions ; and, according to 
 Dr. Brewer, " nests in high trees." Its eggs I have never 
 seen. Audubon gives the following account of this spe- 
 cies : 
 
 "The comparatively small size of this bird's eyes renders it 
 probable that it hunts by day ; and the remarkable smallness of its 
 feet and claws induces me to think that it does not prey on large 
 animals. Dr. Richardson says, that ' it is by no means a rare bird 
 in the fur countries ; being an inhabitant of all the woody districts 
 lying between the Lake Superior and latitudes 67 or 68, and 
 between Hudson's Bay and the Pacific. It is common on the 
 borders of Great Bear Lake ; and there, and in the higher parallels 
 of latitude, it must pursue its prey, during the summer months, by 
 daylight. It keeps, however, within the woods, and does not fre- 
 quent the barren grounds, like the Snowy Owl ; nor is it so often met 
 
BARRED OWL, Syrnium nebulosum. Gray. 
 
THE BARRED OWL. 73 
 
 with in broad daylight as the Hawk Owl, but hunts principally when 
 the sun is low : indeed, it is only at such times, when the recesses 
 of the woods are deeply shadowed, that the American Hare, and the 
 murine animals on which the Cinereous Owl chiefly preys, come 
 forth to feed.' " 
 
 Audubon speaks of a gentleman in Salem, Mass., who 
 kept one of these birds alive for several months : it was fed 
 on fish and small birds, of which it was very fond. It uttered 
 at times a tremulous cry, not unlike that of the little Screech- 
 owl (Scops asio), and showed a great antipathy to cats and 
 dogs. 
 
 SYENIUM NEBULOSUM. Gray. 
 The Barred Owl. 
 
 Stnx nebulosa, Forster. Trans. Philosoph. Soc., London, LXII. 386, 424 (1772). 
 
 Strix nebulosa, Linnaeus. Wilson, 304. Bonap. Syn., 38. Nutt., I. 133. Aud., 
 I. 242. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head large, without ear-tufts; tail rather long; upper parts light ashy-brown, 
 frequently tinged with dull-yellow, with transverse narrow bands of white, most 
 numerous on the head and neck behind, broader on the back ; breast with transverse 
 bands of brown and white ; abdomen ashy-white, with longitudinal stripes of brown ; 
 tarsi and toes ashy-white, tinged with fulvous, generally without spots, but frequently 
 mottled and banded with dark-brown; quills brown, with six or seven transverse 
 bars, nearly pure-white on the outer webs, and ashy-fulvous on the inner webs ; tail 
 light-brown, with about five bands of white, generally tinged with reddish-yellow; 
 discal feathers tipped with white; face ashy-white, with lines of brown, and a spot 
 of black in front of the eye; throat dark-brown; claws horn-color; bill pale-yellow; 
 irides bluish-black. Sexes alike. 
 
 Total length, about twenty inches; wing, thirteen to fourteen; tail, nine inches. 
 Sexes nearly of the same size. 
 
 This Owl is rather common in most sections of New Eng- 
 land ; is more often seen in the more southern localities, 
 and less frequently met with in sections where the Great 
 Horned Owl is most abundant, and vice versd. Its flight is 
 soft and rapid, the great breadth of the wings and compara- 
 tive lightness of the body giving it remarkable speed. Its 
 vision is almost as good in the daylight as in the night, and 
 surpasses that of most of our other owls. A specimen that 
 I kept alive for a few weeks, often, in the daytime, flew about 
 the room in which his cage was placed : he alighted with 
 
74 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ease on the backs of chairs, or on other pieces of furniture ; 
 seldom miscalculating the distance or missing a footing, as 
 many of the other owls would in the same circumstances. 
 This bird soon became tame, and would accept food at almost 
 any time in the day or night : on receiving a piece of meat, 
 he sometimes attempted to clutch it with his foot, and my 
 fingers often had narrow escapes x from his sharp, crooked 
 talons. Usually, he would seize it with his mouth, and, if 
 not too large, swallow it without tearing : if the piece was 
 more bulky than he could manage, he stood on it, and tore 
 it with his beak. Fish he invariably rejected, but greedily 
 ate mice and small birds : a dead pigeon, that I put in his 
 cage, was untouched for several days. He died in conse- 
 quence of a hurt he received in flying against a window. 
 
 The Barred Owl subsists principally upon small birds, 
 field-mice, and reptiles. He is frequently seen, in early 
 twilight, flying over the low meadow-lands, searching for the 
 mice that dwell there : he usually takes a direct course, and 
 sometimes flies so low that the tips of his wings seem to 
 touch the grass. When he discovers his prey, he drops on 
 it instantly, folding his wings and protruding his feet, in 
 which his quarry is always secured : he often captures frogs 
 that are sitting on the shores of ponds and rivers ; but I am 
 inclined to think that the statement, quoted by Audubon, 
 that he often catches fish, is incorrect. The Barred Owl 
 usually nests in high trees, placing the structure of sticks 
 and leaves in a crotch near the trunk. The eggs are usually 
 three in number. I have one only in my collection : this is 
 pure-white, almost globular, and, except in shape, hardly 
 distinguishable from the egg of the domestic hen. It is 
 2 inches in length by 1.68 in breadth. 
 
 NYCTALE, BREHM. 
 
 Nyctale, BREHM, Isis (1828), 1271. 
 
 Size small ; head with very small ear-tufts, only observable when erected ; eyes 
 small; bill moderate, or not very strong; facial disc nearly perfect; wings rather 
 long; tail short; legs and toes densely feathered. 
 
THE SAW-WHET OWL. 75 
 
 Contains five species of small and quite peculiar owls, four of which are Ameri- 
 can, and one European. 
 
 NYCTALE EICHARDSONII. Bonaparte. 
 The Sparrow Owl. 
 
 Nyctale Richardsonii, Bonaparte. Comp. List, 7 (1838). 
 
 " Strix Tengmalmi, Gm." Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. 659, and other American authors. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The largest of this genus ; wings long ; upper parts pale reddish-brown, tinged 
 with olive, and with partially concealed spots of white, most numerous on the head 
 and neck behind, scapulars, and rump ; head in front with numerous spots of white ; 
 face white, with a spot of black in front of the eye ; throat with brown stripes ; 
 under parts ashy-white, with longitudinal stripes of pale reddish-brown ; legs and 
 toes pale-yellowish, nearly white, sometimes barred and spotted with brown ; quills 
 brown, with small spots of white on their outer edges, and large spots of the same 
 on their inner webs; tail brown, every feather with about ten pairs of white spots; 
 bill light-yellowish horn-color; irides yellow. 
 
 Total length, about ten and a half inches ; wing, seven and a half inches ; tail, 
 four and a half inches. 
 
 This species is an exceedingly rare winter visitor in New 
 England. I have never met with it alive, and can give 
 from my own observation no account of its habits. Dr. 
 Richardson, in the " Fauna Boreali-Americana," says : 
 
 " When it accidentally wanders abroad in the day, it is so much 
 dazzled by the light of the sun as to become stupid ; and it may 
 then be easily caught by the hand. Its cry hi the night is a 
 single melancholy note, repeated at intervals of a minute or two. 
 Mr. Hutchins says that it builds a nest of grass half-way up a 
 pine-tree, and lays two white eggs in the month of May." 
 
 NYCTALE ACADICA. Bonaparte. 
 The Saw-Whet Owl; Acadican Owl. 
 
 Strix Acadica, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 296 (1788). Bonap. Syn., 38. Nuttall and 
 other authors. 
 
 " Strix passerina, Linnaeus." Wilson, Am. Orn., IV. 66. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Small; wings long; tail short; upper parts reddish-brown, tinged with olive; 
 head in front with fine lines of white, and on the neck behind, rump, and scapulars, 
 with large, partially concealed spots of white ; face ashy-white ; throat white ; under 
 parts ashy-white, with longitudinal stripes of pale reddish-brown ; under coverts 
 
76 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 of wings and tail white; quills brown, with small spots of white on their outer 
 edges, and large spots of the same on their inner webs ; tail brown, every feather 
 with about three pairs of spots of white ; bill and claws dark ; irides yellow. 
 
 Total length, about seven and a half to eight inches; wing, five and a half 
 inches ; tail, two and three quarters to three inches. Sexes nearly the same size, 
 and alike in colors. 
 
 This species is also quite rare in New England ; but, as 
 it is occasionally found in the summer months, is probably 
 a resident here through -the year. Says Audubon, in his 
 description of this bird, which is very full and perfect : 
 
 " The Little Owl is known in Massachusetts by the name of the 
 ( Saw-whet,' the sound of its love-notes bearing a great resemblance 
 to the noise produced by filing the teeth of a large saw. These 
 notes, when coming, as they frequently do, from the interior of a 
 deep forest, produce a very peculiar effect on the traveller, who, 
 not being aware of their real nature, expects, as he advances on his 
 route, to meet with shelter under a saw-mill at no great distance. 
 Until I shot the bird in the act, I had myself been more than once 
 deceived in this manner. 
 
 " A nest of our Little Owl, which I found near the city of Natchez, 
 was placed in the broken stump of a small decayed tree, not more 
 than four feet from the ground. I was attracted to it by the snor- 
 ing notes of the young, which sounded as if at a considerable 
 elevation; and I was so misled by them, that, had not my dog 
 raised himself to smell at the hole where the brood lay concealed, 
 I might not have discovered them. In this instance, the number 
 was five. It was in the beginning of June ; and the little things, 
 which were almost ready to fly, looked exceedingly neat and beauti- 
 ful. Their parents I never saw, although I frequently visited the 
 nest before they left it. The Little Owl breeds more abundantly 
 near the shores of the Atlantic than in the interior of the country, 
 and is frequent in the swamps of the States of Maryland and New 
 Jersey during the whole year. Wherever I have found the young 
 or the eggs placed in a hollow tree, they were merely deposited on 
 the rotten particles of wood ; and, when in an old crow's nest, the 
 latter did not appear to have undergone any repair. Being quite 
 nocturnal, it shows great uneasiness when disturbed by day, and 
 flies off in a hurried, uncertain manner, throwing itself into the 
 
THE SNOWY OWL. 77 
 
 first covert that it meets with, where it is not difficult to catch it, 
 provided the necessary caution and silence be used. Towards 
 dusk, it becomes full of animation, flies swiftly gliding, as it 
 were over the low grounds like a little spectre, and pounces on 
 small quadrupeds and birds with the quickness of thought." 
 
 The Saw-whet Owl nests in hollow trees, in cavities of 
 rocks, and in deserted crows' and woodpeckers' nests. The 
 eggs are from three to five or six in number ; and, according 
 to Dr. Brewer, are of a bright, clear white, and more like a 
 woodpecker's than an owl's in their crystalline clearness. 
 Dimensions, ! T 2 g- by \% inch. 
 
 Sub-Family NYCTEININJE. The Day Owls. 
 
 General form compact and robust; head moderate, withouf ear-tufts; wings and 
 tail rather long ; tarsi strong, which, with the toes, are more densely covered than 
 in any other division of this family. 
 
 This division embraces two species only, which inhabit the arctic regions of both 
 continents ; migrating southward in the winter. 
 
 NYCTEA, STEPHENS. 
 
 Nyctea, STEPHENS, Cont. of Shaw's Zool., XIII. 62 (1826). 
 
 Large ; head rather large, without ear-tufts ; no facial disc ; legs rather short, and 
 with the toes covered densely with long hair-like feathers, nearly concealing the 
 claws; bill short, nearly concealed by projecting feathers, very strong; wings long; 
 tail moderate, or rather long, wide ; claws strong, fully curved. Contains one spe- 
 cies only. 
 
 NYCTEA NIVEA. Gray. 
 The Snowy Owl. 
 
 Strix nivea, Daudin. Traite d'Orn., 190 (1800). 
 
 Strix nyctea, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. I. 132 (1766). 
 
 " Strix nyctea, Linnams." " Bonap. Syn., 36. Nutt. I. 116. Aud. II. 135. Wil- 
 son and others. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill nearly concealed by projecting plumes; eyes large; entire plumage white, fre- 
 quently with a few spots or imperfect bands, only on the upper parts dark-brown, and 
 on the under parts with a few irregular and imperfect bars of the same; quills and 
 tail with a few spots or traces of bands of the same dark-brown ; the prevalence of 
 
78 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the dark-brown color varies much in different specimens ; frequently both upper and 
 under parts are very distinctly banded transversely, and sometimes this color pre- 
 dominates on the back ; plumage of the legs and toes pure snowy-white ; bill and 
 claws horn-color ; irides yellow. 
 
 Total length, female, about twenty-six inches; wing, seventeen to nineteen; 
 tail, ten inches. Male, about twenty-two inches; wing, seventeen; tail, nine inches. 
 
 As a winter visitor, principally on the seacoast, this bird 
 is a rather common species. It is often taken on the islands 
 in Massachusetts Bay, where it feeds on fish that have been 
 thrown up on the shore by the tide, birds, wounded sea- 
 fowl, and even dead animals, as I am informed by a reliable 
 person who once shot one while perched on and eating 
 a dead horse on the beach. The flight of this Owl is rapid 
 and protracted. I have seen an individual chase and cap- 
 ture a Snow Bunting (J 5 . nivalis) from a flock; and once 
 saw one make a swoop at a flock of poultry which had come 
 out from their house on a fine day, but which immediately 
 retreated on the appearance of their enemy. The Snowy 
 Owl hunts both in the daylight and twilight: he seems to 
 prefer cloudy, gloomy days to bright ones, and is most 
 active just before a storm. Audubon says that this Owl 
 captures living fish in the water by standing quietly by the 
 margin, and seizing its prey with its claws, as it appears 
 near the surface : whether this is a regular habit or not, I 
 cannot say. I never saw one do so ; and I have conversed 
 with several hunters who have shot numbers of specimens, 
 and they all were ignorant of such a fact. 
 
 Of the breeding habits of this Owl, we are ignorant. 
 The Hudson's Bay. and other northern countries, are its 
 summer homes. Wheelwright, in his " Spring and Sum- 
 mer in Lapland," gives the only description of its nest and 
 eggs accessible to me at present. He says : 
 
 " The egg of the Snowy Owl measures 2 inches in length, and 
 If inches in breadth: its color is pure-white. The nest is nothing 
 more than a large boll of reindeer moss, placed on the ledge of a 
 bare fell. The old birds guard it most jealously ; in fact, the Lap- 
 landers often kill them with a stick when they are robbing the 
 
OWL, Nyeiea nivea. Gray 
 
THE HAWK OWL. 79 
 
 nest, which they do upon every occasion that presents itself. The 
 Snowy Owl will occasionally make its nest on the large turf-hillocks 
 in some of the mosses. 
 
 STJRNIA, DUMERIL 
 
 Surnia, DUMERIL, Zoologie Analytique, 34 (1806). 
 
 General form rather long, but robust; size medium; head moderate, without ear- 
 tufts ; facial disc obsolete ; bill moderate, curved from the base, covered with pro- 
 jecting plumes; wings long; tail long, wide, graduated; legs rather short, and with 
 the toes densely feathered; contains one species only, which inhabits the arctic 
 regions of both continents. 
 
 SURNIA ULULA. Bonaparte. 
 The Hawk Owl; Day Owl. 
 
 Strix ulula, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. 133 (1766). 
 
 " Strix funerea," Gm. Boiiap. Syn. 25. Nutt., I. 115. Aud. Orn. Biog., 
 IV. 550. 
 
 " Strix Hudsonica." Wilson, VI. 64. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Wings rather long; first three quills incised on their inner webs; tail long, with 
 its central feathers about two inches longer than the outer; tarsi and toes densely 
 feathered ; upper parts fuliginous-brown, with numerous partially concealed circular 
 spots of white on the neck behind, scapulars and wing coverts ; face grayish-white ; 
 throat white, with longitudinal stripes of dark-brown ; a large brown spot on each 
 side of the breast ; other under parts with transverse lines or stripes of pale ashy- 
 brown ; quills and tail brown, with transverse bands of white ; bill pale-yellowish ; 
 irides yellow ; color of upper parts darker on the head, and the white markings 
 more or less numerous in different specimens. 
 
 Total length, female, sixteen to seventeen inches; wing, nine; tail, seven inches. 
 Male rather smaller. 
 
 This bird is occasionally met with in different localities in 
 New England ; rarely in the summer, most often in the 
 winter. As its name implies, it is diurnal in its habits, 
 and hunts its prey in the hours when most of the other 
 owls are hidden in their retreats. Its food consists of small 
 birds and mice, which it seizes in the manner of the hawks. 
 A specimen was obtained in Yermont on a wood-pile in a 
 door-yard, where it was eating a woodpecker that it had 
 just captured. Dr. Richardson, in his "Fauna Boreali- 
 Americana," says that, " when the hunters are shooting 
 grouse, this bird is occasionally attracted by the report of 
 
80 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the gun, and is often bold enough, on a bird being killed, 
 to pounce down upon it, though unable, from its size, to 
 carry it off. 
 
 The Hawk Owl occasionally breeds in New England. 
 My friend, George A. Boardman 
 of Milltown, Me., has been so for- 
 tunate as to find its nest, with 
 eggs, in that neighborhood. It 
 usually builds in a hollow tree, 
 but sometimes constructs a habi- 
 tation in the crotch of a tall tree, 
 of sticks, grass, and feathers. 
 According to Richardson, it lays 
 two white globular eggs. 
 
 Two beautiful specimens in my 
 collection, from William Couper, 
 Esq., Quebec, collected at North- 
 ern Labrador by the Moutanaz 
 Indians, are a trifle more elongated and pointed than the 
 eggs of the Red Owl (Scops asio). They are of a pure- 
 white color, and measure 1.50 by 1.25 inch and 1.47 by 
 1.22 inch. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 I append the following notes, that have been kindly fur- 
 nished me by William Couper, of Quebec, Lower Canada, 
 for the purpose of showing the northern distribution of the 
 birds of prey described in the preceding pages : 
 
 HYPOTRIORCHIS COLUMBARIUS. Only young specimens occur, and 
 those rarely, in the latitude of Quebec : they are more common toward the 
 western portions of Lower and Upper Canada. It has not, to my knowledge, 
 been found breeding in Canada. 
 
 TINNUNCULUS SPARVERIUS. This species is more abundant than the 
 preceding ; but the majority of the specimens shot in the neighborhood of 
 Quebec are young. I am informed that it breeds in the vicinity of the river 
 St. Maurice, which falls into the river St. Lawrence, west of Quebec. 
 
NOTES. 81 
 
 ASTUE ATRICAPILLUS. The adult of this species is very rare in this 
 latitude, and it occurs in this plumage about midwinter. The young, how- 
 ever, are sometimes common during the autumn. 
 
 ACCIPITER FUSCUS. This is one of the most common of our Hawks. 
 It occurs in young plumage in the fall also. I am told that it breeds in 
 Canada ; but I have not had the good fortune to find its nest. Sportsmen 
 have told me incidents of the audacity of this little species. They say it is 
 always on the alert for woodcock and snipe, and knows the moment that one 
 of these birds is wounded. It is sometimes so bold, that, as soon as the shot 
 strikes the intended game, the Hawk pounces upon it to carry it away. 
 
 BUTEO PENNSYLVANICUS. This species is very common here during 
 the months of September and October. It is generally found preying upon 
 frogs and a species of common field locust. I have not learned that it breeds 
 in Upper or Lower Canada. 
 
 ARCHIBUTEO LAGOPUS. Sometimes this species is very abundant in 
 the northern mountains, especially where there is a plenty of hares and 
 grouse. It breeds in Labrador. 
 
 CIRCUS HUDSONIUS. Occurs only in the fall, and then in young plum- 
 age. Breeds in Western Canada. It has not been detected breeding in the 
 northern swamps of Lower Canada. 
 
 AQUILA CANADENS1S. The adult and young of this species are occa- 
 sionally shot here during autumn and winter. I think it breeds on some of 
 our high northern mountains. The specimens that I have examined had 
 their bodies and legs stuck full of porcupine quills. 
 
 PANDION CAROLINENSIS. This is a very rare visitor in the northern 
 regions. I understand that a pair arrive annually, and breed at Lake St. 
 Joseph, north of this city. I never saw an adult specimen in Quebec. 
 
 BUBO VIRGINIANUS. This Owl occurs here during summer and win- 
 ter. I am almost certain it breeds in the mountains behind the city. I have 
 had the young in the down from Bay St. Paul, on the north side of the 
 river St. Lawrence, below Quebec. 
 
 OTUS WILSONIANUS and BRACHTOTU3 CASSINII are extremely rare 
 here, and I cannot give any facts in relation to them. 
 
 SYRNIUM NEBULOSUM. This is the common Owl of our forests. 
 
 STRNIUM CINEREUM. Is an accidental winter visitor. 
 
 SURNIA ULULA. This bird is also very common during some winters. 
 It breeds in the northern portions of Hudson's Bay and Labrador. 
 
 NYCTEA NIVEA. This Owl is more abundant this winter (1867) than it 
 has been for years. 
 
 NYCTALE RICHARDSONII and N. ACADICA also occur here. The former 
 is occasional; but the latter, extremely rare. 
 
 6 
 
82 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ORDER II. SCANSORES. CLIMBERS. 
 
 The characteristics of this order are given on page 4 of this 
 volume. It is represented in the New-England States by two 
 families, the Cuculidce or Cuckoos, and the Picidce or Wood- 
 peckers. 
 
 These families have the arrangement of two pairs of toes 
 opposed to each other in common ; otherwise, they are much dif- 
 ferent in their characteristics. 
 
 The Cuculidce have " bill thin, usually slender, and rather long, 
 the tip more or less decurved, the base usually without rictal 
 bristles ; tarsi usually rather long, clothed with broad plates ante- 
 riorly ; the tail feathers usually ten, sometimes eight or twelve, 
 all long." 
 
 The Picidce have " bill straight, rigid, and chisel-shaped at the 
 tip, the base without rictal bristles ; the feet are stout, and clothed 
 anteriorly with broad plates ; tail feathers twelve, the exterior very 
 small and concealed." x 
 
 1 See Introduction. 
 
THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 83 
 
 FAMILY CUCULID^E. THE CUCKOOS. 
 COCCYGUS, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Coccyzus, Vieillot. Analyse (1816). 
 
 Erythrophrys, Swainson. Class. Birds, II. (1837), 322. 
 
 Head without crest ; feathers about base of bill soft ; bill nearly as long as the 
 head, decurved, slender, and attenuated towards the end; nostrils linear; wings 
 lengthened, reaching the middle of the tail ; the tertials short ; tail of ten graduated 
 feathers ; feet weak ; tarsi shorter than the middle toe. 
 
 The species of Coccygus are readily distinguished from those of Geococcyx by 
 their arborial habits, confining themselves mainly to trees, instead of living habitu- 
 ally on the ground. The plumage is soft, fine, and compact. 
 
 The American cuckoos differ from the European cuckoos ( Cuculus) by having 
 lengthened naked tarsi, instead of very short feathered ones ; the nostrils are 
 elongated, too, instead of rounded. 
 
 COCCYGUS AMEEICANUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 
 
 Cuculus Americanus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766). 
 
 Coccyzus Americanus, Audubon. Orn. Biog , I. (1832). Bonap. Syn., 42. 
 
 Cuculus Carolinensis. Wilson, 267. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper mandible, and tip of lower black ; rest of lower mandible, and cutting 
 edges of the upper yellow; upper parts of a metallic greenish-olive, slightly tinged 
 with ash towards the bill; beneath white; tail feathers (except the median, which 
 are like the back) black, tipped with white for about an inch on the outer feathers, 
 the external one with the outer edge almost entirely white ; quills orange-cinnamon; 
 the terminal portion and a gloss on the outer webs olive ; iris brown. 
 
 Length, twelve inches; wing, five and ninety-five one-hundredths; tail, six and 
 thirty-five one-hundredths. 
 
 THIS bird is very irregularly distributed through New 
 England as a summer visitor. A. E. Verrill, in his 
 catalogue of birds found at Norway, Me., says that "it 
 is not common as a summer visitor." George A. Board- 
 man writes me, that, near Calais, Me., it is " extremely 
 rare." J. A. Allen, in his paper on Springfield birds 
 (before referred to), calls it " extremely rare." Dr. Wood 
 says it is " very rare " at East-Windsor Hill, Conn., where 
 
84 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 he has found it breeding. While I have noticed, that, 
 though in former years it was equally abundant with the 
 Black-billed Cuckoo, this bird is now growing scarce in the 
 neighborhood of Boston. 
 
 This species arrives from the South from about the 25th 
 of April to the 1st of May. We are first notified of his 
 arrival by hearing his harsh notes in the opening foliage ; 
 and presently we see him moving about the twigs, busily 
 picking off and swallowing the caterpillars and other larvae 
 which are so destructive to our fruit and shade trees. Soon 
 he passes to another tree, still pursuing his profitable 
 search ; and, when he has . gleaned to his heart's or 
 rather stomach's content, he launches himself into the 
 air, and takes flight for another grove or orchard, perhaps 
 a half-mile off, or even farther. His flight is rapid, con- 
 sisting of repeated strokes of his wings, but it is not 
 always direct ; for he frequently turns from a straight course 
 and flies off at an angle, then back again in a wavering 
 manner. Occasionally, he pauses in his flight, and sud- 
 denly descends and alights on a shrub or low bush, as if he 
 perceived an enemy in the air or a friend in the bush. 
 After repeating his song, " Krow-krow-krow-krow-krow ; kru- 
 kra, kru-kra, kru-kru" he is off again, and is soon out 
 of sight. 
 
 The male arrives about ten days before the female. As 
 soon as the latter makes her appearance, the male com- 
 mences his courtship. He is very attentive to her, watch- 
 ing her every movement, and following her every flight. 
 Although usually very cowardly, he is at this period toler- 
 ably brave, and will even attempt to molest any other bird 
 that happens to be near, but usually with poor success ; for, 
 as his cowardice is traditional among the birds, they will 
 turn upon him, and drive him off discomfited. When the 
 couple have mated, they soon commence building. The 
 nest is placed in a low bough of a tree, or in a shrub or 
 barberry bush. It is a loose, straggling affair, composed of 
 
THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 85 
 
 sticks and twigs, and sometimes a few pieces of moss. The 
 eggs are usually four in number ; they are of a light 
 greenish-blue color, and almost invariably larger than those 
 of the Black-billed Cuckoo. A number of specimens before 
 me vary from 1.07 to 1.25 of an inch in length, by from .84 
 to .96 inch in breadth. But one brood is reared in the 
 season. 
 
 COCCYGUS ERYTHROPHTHALMUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Black-billed Cuckoo. 
 
 Cuculus erythrophthalmus, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811), 16. 
 
 Coccyzus erythrophthalmus, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1832), 170. Bonap. 
 
 Syn., 42. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill entirely black ; upper parts generally of a metallic greenish-olive, ashy to- 
 wards the base of the bill; beneath pure-white, with a brownish-yellow tinge on the 
 throat; inner webs of the quills tinged with cinnamon; under surface of all the tail 
 feathers hoary ash-gray; all beneath the central, on either side, suffused with darker 
 to the short, bluish-white, and not well-defined tip; a naked red skin round the eye; 
 iris, hazel. 1 
 
 Length about twelve inches ; wing, five ; tail, six and a half. 
 
 This species is quite abundantly distributed throughout 
 New England as a summer visitor, reaching to more north- 
 ern latitudes than the other. It arrives from the South 
 about the first week in May ; 
 and, like the Yellow-billed 
 Cuckoo, the males precede 
 the females. I have exam- 
 ined numbers of the first 
 birds that arrived in differ- 
 ent seasons, and they were 
 invariably males ; the females 
 making their appearance 
 about ten days or a fortnight 
 later. The habits of the two 
 species are very similar, although the present bird prefers 
 the more cultivated and open districts, while the other 
 
 1 In succeeding species, when the color of the iris is not given, it is understood to 
 be dark-hazel or black. 
 
86 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 seems to delight in the more retired and wooded locali- 
 ties. 
 
 In flight, the Black-billed Cuckoo is more swift than the 
 other ; in breeding habits, the same ; and its food is similar, 
 consisting principally of insects and their larvae, small fruits, 
 and the eggs and young of small birds. Like the other, the 
 Black-billed Cuckoo is very cowardly, and is quickly driven 
 from the neighborhood of the nest of almost any of the 
 other birds. If a robin, or other bird of equal size, discover 
 one of these, to him pirates, in the vicinity of his nest, he 
 immediately assaults the intruder, with loud outcries, poun- 
 cing upon him, and pecking with great ferocity. Others of 
 his neighbors, who are near, join in the attack : the Cuckoo, 
 in retreating, dives into the recesses of a stone wall, or the 
 first secure retreat available ; very seldom taking to his 
 wings, as another bird would do. I have known of a cuckoo 
 being driven into a barn by a Blue-bird ($. sialis), who sat 
 perching on a fence outside for several minutes, keeping his 
 enemy prisoner ; and the latter, when pursued and captured 
 by myself, preferred being my prisoner to facing his enemy 
 outside. 
 
 The nest of the Black-billed Cuckoo is usually placed in 
 a low tree or barber ry4msh. It is constructed of twigs, 
 roots, and sometimes a few leaves and moss. I have exam- 
 ined a great number of these, from different sections ; and I 
 have noticed that those from northern localities were inva- 
 riably lined with gray moss, called Spanish moss, and leaves, 
 while others, from more southern districts, were without 
 such linings. 
 
 The eggs are usually four in number : they are of a darker 
 greenish-blue than those of the other bird, and average a 
 little smaller ; their length varying from 1 to 1.12 inch, by 
 from .84 to .92 inch in breadth. 
 
 The shell of these eggs is always quite thin and fragile, 
 much more so than that of the others. 
 
THE HAIRY WOODPECKER. 87 
 
 
 
 FAMILY PICID^E. THE WOODPECKERS. 
 Sub-Family PICIN^E. 
 
 Although all the woodpeckers have a certain resemblance to each other, and 
 agree more or less in habits, there are distinctions among them which serve readily 
 for division into sub-genera, genera, or even higher groups. Thus, the difference 
 between the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the common Flicker, which may be taken 
 as representing the extremes of the scale in North-American species, will be palpable 
 to any observer. 
 
 In the woodpeckers inhabiting the United States, there are three distinct groups, 
 which may be taken, with some authors, as so many sub-families ; or if, with Bona- 
 parte, we unite all the Piddle with stiffened, acuminate, and pointed tails into a sub- 
 family Picirue, they will constitute so many separate sections. They may be severally 
 characterized as follows: 
 
 PICIN.E or Picece. Bill more or less long ; the outlines above and below nearly 
 straight; the ends truncated; a prominent ridge on the side of the mandible, spring- 
 ing from the middle of the base or a little below, and running out either on the 
 commissure, or extending parallel to and a little above it, to the end ; sometimes 
 obliterated or confluent with the lateral bevel of the bill ; nostrils considerably over- 
 hung by the lateral ridge, more or less linear, and concealed by thick bushy tufts of 
 feathers at the base of the bill ; outer posterior toe generally longer than the anterior. 
 
 MELANERPIN/E or Centurece. Bill rather long; the outlines, that of the culmen 
 especially, decidedly curved. The lateral ridge much nearest the culmen, and, 
 though quite distinct at the base, disappearing before coming to the lower edge of 
 the mandible ; not overhanging the nostrils, which are broadly oval, rounded an- 
 teriorly, and not concealed by the bristly feathers at the base ; outer pair of toes 
 nearly equal, the anterior rather longer. 
 
 COLAPTIN.E or Colaptece. Bill much depressed, and the upper outline much 
 curved to the acutely pointed (not truncate) tip; the commissure considerably 
 curved; bill without any ridges; the nostrils broadly oval, and much exposed; 
 anterior outer toe longest. 
 
 PICUS VILLOSUS. Linnceus. 1 
 
 The Hairy Woodpecker. 
 Plcus villosus, Linnaeus. Syst., I. 175. Bonap. Syn., 46, and others. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 "The Hairy Woodpecker is nine inches long and fifteen in extent; crown 
 black ; line over and under the eye white ; the eye is placed in a black line, 
 that widens as it descends to the back; hind head scarlet, sometimes intermixed 
 with black; nostrils hid under remarkably thick, bushy, recumbent hairs, or 
 bristles; under the bill are certain long hairs thrown forward and upward; bill 
 
 1 See p. 84, vol. IX., Pacific R.R. Reports. 
 
88 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 a bluish horn-color, grooved, wedged at the end, straight, and about an inch and a 
 quarter long; touches of black, proceeding from the lower mandible, end in a broad 
 black strip that joins the black on the shoulder; back black, divided by a broad, 
 lateral strip of white, the feathers composing which are loose and unwebbed, resem- 
 bling hairs, whence its name ; rump and shoulders of the wing black ; wings black, 
 tipped and spotted with white, three rows of spots being visible on the secondaries 
 and five on the primaries ; greater wing coverts also spotted with white ; tail, as in 
 the others, cuneiform, consisting of ten strong-shafted and pointed feathers, the four 
 middle ones black, the next partially white, the two exterior ones white, tinged at 
 the tip with a brownish burnt-color; tail coverts black; whole lower side pure-white; 
 legs, feet, and claws light-blue, the latter remarkably large and strong; inside of the 
 mouth flesh-colored; tongue pointed, beset with barbs, and capable of being pro- 
 truded more than an inch and a half; the os hyoides, in this species, passes on each 
 side of the neck, ascends the skull, passes down towards the nostril, and is wound 
 round the bone of the right eye, which projects considerably more than the left for 
 its accommodation. The great mass of hairs that cover the nostril appears to be 
 designed as a protection to the front of the head, when the bird is engaged in digging 
 holes into the wood. The membrane which encloses the brain in this, as in all the 
 other species of woodpeckers, is also of extraordinary strength ; no doubt, to prevent 
 any bad effects from violent concussion while the bird is employed in digging for 
 food. The female wants the red on the hind head, and the white below is tinged 
 with brownish." WILSON. 
 
 THE above description, as given by Wilson, is very full 
 and complete. This Woodpecker is a rather common 
 visitor in New England, in the spring, fall, and winter 
 
 months, and is, to 
 some extent, a resi- 
 dent through the year. 
 Probably the greater 
 number retire to the 
 North in the breeding 
 season ; and those that 
 remain in the south- 
 
 Skull and tongue of woodpecker. 
 
 ern districts of these 
 
 States most usually seek the woods for their summer 
 homes, and are, as a general thing, seldom met with 
 in the thickly settled districts. The flight is a waver- 
 ing, undulating one, like that of all the woodpeckers ; 
 consisting of a series of short vibrations of the wings, 
 followed by a downward, soaring movement, which is suc- 
 ceeded by another similar series. On alighting, the bird 
 
HAIRY WOODPECKER, Picus villosus. Linnaeus. 
 
THE DOWNY WOODPECKER. 89 
 
 strikes its object with both feet, and makes no discrimina- 
 tion between a horizontal branch or limb and a perpendicular 
 one. It commences its building operations quite early, often 
 by the 20th of April. The nest is made by excavating in 
 old trees in the woods, rarely in orchards : the hole made is 
 often as much as eighteen inches in depth, in some cases 
 hardly five inches. A post in a fence is sometimes taken 
 for a breeding-place, the hole in which the rail is inserted 
 furnishing a starting-place for the excavation of the nest. 
 
 The eggs are usually five in number ; seldom more, often 
 less : ' they are of a beautiful clear-white color, and the shell 
 is very smooth and rather thin ; and, before the contents of 
 the egg are removed, they impart a rosy tint to it. Speci- 
 mens vary in size from .77 to .84 inch in length, by from 
 .62 to .68 inch in breadth. 
 
 The nest is never lined with leaves or other soft materials, 
 so far as my observation has been ; but the eggs are depos- 
 ited on a small pile of chips of the rotten wood, which seem 
 to be left by the bird designedly for this purpose. 
 
 The food of this species consists principally of the eggs 
 and larvas of injurious insects that are burrowing in the 
 wood of our fruit and forest trees : these he is enabled to 
 obtain by chiselling out a small hole with his powerful bill, 
 and drawing them from their lurking-places with his long 
 barbed tongue. He also eats some small fruits and berries, 
 but never, so far as I am aware, the buds or blossoms of 
 trees, as some persons assert. 
 
 PIOUS PUBESCENS. Linnaws. 
 The Downy Woodpecker. 
 
 Picus pubescens, Linnams. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 15. Vieill. Ois. Am t (1807) 65. 
 
 "Picus pubescens," Linnaeus, Wilson. Am. Orn. I. (1808) 153. Aud. Orn. 
 Biog. II. (1834). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 A miniature of P. villosus. Above black, with a white band down the back ; two 
 white stripes on the side of the head ; the lower of opposite sides always separated ; 
 the upper sometimes confluent on the nape ; two stripes of black on the side of the 
 
90 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 head, the lower not running into the forehead; beneath white; wing much spotted 
 with white; the larger coverts with two series each; tertiaries or inner secondaries 
 all banded with white ; two outer tail feathers white, with two bands of black at the 
 end, third white at tip and externally. Male, with red terminating the white feathers 
 on the nape ; legs and feet bluish-green ; claws light-blue tipped with black ; iris 
 dark-hazel. 
 
 Length, about six and a quarter inches; wing, three and three-quarters. 
 
 This little Woodpecker the smallest we have is abun- 
 dantly distributed throughout New England, and is a resi- 
 dent throughout the year. The exceedingly interesting 
 description of its habits, by Wilson, is so full that I will give 
 it entire. He says : 
 
 " About the middle of May, the male and female look out for a 
 suitable place for the reception of their eggs and young. An apple, 
 pear, or cherry tree often in the near neighborhood of the farm- 
 houseis generally fixed upon for this purpose. The tree is mi- 
 nutely reconnoitred for several days previous to the operation ; and 
 the work is first begun by the male, who cuts out a hole in the solid 
 wood as circular as if described with a pair of compasses. He is 
 occasionally relieved by the female, both parties working with the 
 most indefatigable diligence. The direction of the hole, if made in 
 the body of the tree, is generally downwards, by an angle of thirty 
 or forty degrees, for the distance of six or eight inches, and then 
 straight down for ten or twelve more : within, roomy, capacious, 
 and as smooth as if polished by the cabinet-maker ; but the entrance 
 is judiciously left just so large as to admit the bodies of the owners. 
 During this labor, they regularly carry out the chips, often strewing 
 them at a distance, to prevent suspicion. This operation sometimes 
 occupies the chief part of a week. Before she begins to lay, the 
 female often visits the place, passes out and in, examines every 
 part both of the exterior and interior with great attention 
 (as every prudent tenant of a new house ought to do), and at 
 length takes complete possession. The eggs are generally six, 
 pure-white, and laid on the smooth bottom of the cavity. The 
 male occasionally supplies the female with food while she is sitting ; 
 and, about the last week in June, the young are perceived making 
 their way up the tree, climbing with considerable dexterity. All 
 this goes on with great regularity where no interruption is met 
 
THE DOWNY WOODPECKER. 91 
 
 with ; but the House Wren, who also builds in the hollow of a 
 tree, but who is neither furnished with the necessary tools nor 
 strength for excavating such an apartment for himself, allows the 
 woodpeckers to go on till he thinks it will answer his purpose, 
 then attacks them with violence, and generally succeeds in driving 
 them off. I saw, some weeks ago, a striking example of this, 
 where the Woodpeckers we are now describing, after commencing 
 in a cherry-tree, within a few yards of the house, and having made 
 considerable progress, were turned out by the Wren. The former 
 began again on a pear-tree in the garden, fifteen or twenty yards 
 off, whence, after digging out a most complete apartment, and one 
 egg being laid, they were once more assaulted by the same imper- 
 tinent intruder, and finally forced to abandon the place. 
 
 " The principal characteristics of this little bird are diligence, 
 familiarity, perseverance, and a strength and energy in the head 
 and muscles of the neck which are truly astonishing. Mounted on 
 the infected branch of an old apple-tree, where insects have lodged 
 their corroding and destructive brood in crevices between the bark 
 and wood, he labors sometimes for half an hour incessantly at the 
 same spot, before he has succeeded in dislodging and destroying 
 them. At these times, you may walk up pretty close to the tree, 
 and even stand immediately below it, within five or six feet of the 
 bird, without in the least embarrassing him. The strokes of his 
 bill are distinctly heard several hundred yards off; and I have 
 known him to be at work for two hours together on the same tree. 
 Buffon calls this ' incessant toil and slavery ; ' their attitude, * a 
 painful posture.;' and their life, 'a dull and insipid existence,' 
 expressions improper because untrue, and absurd because con- 
 tradictory. The posture is that for which the whole organization 
 is particularly adapted; and though to a Wren or a Humming- 
 bird the labor would be both toil and slavery, yet to him it is, I 
 am convinced, as pleasant and as amusing as the sports of the 
 chase to the hunter, or the sucking of flowers to the Humming- 
 bird. The eagerness with which he traverses the upper and lower 
 sides of the branches, the cheerfulness of his cry, and the liveli- 
 ness of his motions while digging into the tree and dislodging the 
 vermin, justify this belief. He has a single note, or chink, which, 
 like the former species, he frequently repeats ; and when he flies 
 
92 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 off, or alights on another tree, he utters a rather shriller cry, com- 
 posed of nearly the same kind of note, quickly reiterated. In fall 
 and winter, he associates with the Titmouse, Creeper, &c., both in 
 their wood and orchard excursions, and usually leads the van. Of 
 all our Woodpeckers, none rid the apple-trees of so many vermin 
 as this, digging off the moss which the negligence of the proprie- 
 tor had suffered to accumulate, and probing every crevice. In 
 fact, the orchard is his favorite resort in all seasons ; and his indus- 
 try is unequalled and almost incessant, which is more than can be 
 . paid of any other species we have. In fall, he is particularly fond 
 of boring the apple-trees for insects, digging a circular hole through 
 the bark, just sufficient to admit his bill ; after that, a second, 
 third, &c., in pretty regular horizontal circles round the body of 
 the tree : these parallel circles of holes are often not more than an 
 inch or an inch and a half apart, and sometimes so close together 
 that I have covered eight or ten of them at once with a dollar. 
 From nearly the surface of the ground up to the first fork, and 
 sometimes far beyond it, the whole bark of many apple-trees is 
 perforated in this manner, so as to appear as if made by successive 
 discharges of buck-shot ; and our little Woodpecker the subject 
 of the present account is the principal perpetrator of this sup- 
 posed mischief: I say supposed, for, so far from these perforations 
 of the bark being ruinous, they are not only harmless, but, I have 
 good reason to believe, really beneficial to the health and fertility 
 of the tree. I leave it to the philosophical botanist to account for 
 this ; but the fact I am confident of. In more than fifty orchards 
 which I have myself carefully examined, those trees which were 
 marked by the Woodpecker (for some trees they never touch, per- 
 haps because not penetrated by insects) were uniformly the most 
 thriving, and seemingly the most productive. Many of these were 
 upwards of sixty years old, their trunks completely covered with 
 holes, while the branches were broad, luxuriant, and loaded with 
 fruit. Of decayed trees, more than three-fourths were untouched 
 by the Woodpecker. Several intelligent farmers, with whom I 
 have conversed, candidly acknowledge the truth of these observa- 
 tions, and with justice look upon these birds as beneficial : but the 
 most common opinion is, that they bore the tree to suck the sap, 
 and so destroy its vegetation : though pine and other resinous trees, 
 
THE DOWNY WOODPECKER. 93 
 
 on the juices of which it is not pretended they feed, are often 
 found equally perforated. Were the sap of the tree their object, 
 the saccharine juice of the birch, the sugar-maple, and several 
 others, would be much more inviting (because more sweet and 
 nourishing) than that of either the pear or apple tree ; but I have 
 not observed one mark on the former for ten thousand that may be 
 seen on the latter. Besides, the early part of spring is the season 
 when the sap flows most abundantly; whereas, it is only during 
 the months of September, October, and November, that Wood- 
 peckers are seen so indefatigably engaged in orchards, probing 
 every crack and crevice, boring through the bark and, what is 
 worth remarking, chiefly on the south and south-west sides of the 
 tree for the eggs and larvae deposited there by the countless 
 swarms of summer insects. These, if suffered to remain, would 
 prey upon the very vitals if I may so express it of the tree, 
 and in the succeeding summer give birth to myriads more of their 
 race, equally destructive. 
 
 " Here, then, is a whole species, I may say genus, of birds, 
 which Providence seems to have formed for the protection of our 
 fruit and forest trees from the ravages of vermin, which every day 
 destroy millions of those noxious insects that would otherwise blast 
 the hopes of the husbandman; they even promote the fertility 
 of the tree, and, in return, are proscribed by those who ought to 
 have been their protectors, and incitements and rewards held out 
 for their destruction ! Let us examine better into the operations 
 of nature, and many of our mistaken opinions and groundless 
 prejudices will be abandoned for more just, enlarged, and humane 
 modes of thinking." 
 
 The nest and eggs are of the same description as the 
 Hairy Woodpecker's, except with regard to size ; the eggs 
 of the present species being considerably smaller on the 
 average, measuring from .73 to .77 inch in length, by 
 from .60 to .53 inch in breadth. I think that the nests of 
 this species, as of some others, are used for successive 
 seasons, as I have found apparently old nests occupied by 
 breeding birds. I am not aware that the Hairy Wood- 
 pecker uses the same nest several seasons. The Downy 
 
94 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Woodpecker sometimes rears two broods in the southern 
 portion of New England ; usually, but one. 
 
 PICOIDES, LACEPEDE. 
 
 Picoides, LACEPEDE, Mem. Inst. (1799). 
 
 Bill about as long as the head, very much depressed at the base ; the outlines 
 nearly straight ; the lateral ridge at its base much nearer the commissure than the 
 culmen, so as to bring the large rather linear nostrils close to the edge of the com- 
 missure; the gonys very long, equal to the distance from the nostrils to the tip of the 
 bill ; feet with only three toes ; the outer lateral a little longer than the inner, but 
 slightly exceeded by the hind toe, which is about equal to the tarsus ; wings very 
 long, reaching beyond the middle of the tail ; fourth and fifth quills longest ; color 
 black, with a broad patch of yellow on the crown ; transversely banded on the sides ; 
 quills with round spots. 
 
 PICOIDES AECTICUS. Gray. 
 The Black-backed, Three-toed Woodpecker. 
 
 Picus (Apternus) arcticus. Sw. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 313. 
 Picas arcticus. Aud. Syn. (1839) 182. lb., Birds Amer., IV. (1842) 266. Nut- 
 tall, Man., I. (20 ed. 1840) 691. 
 
 Picus tridactylus, Bonaparte. Am. Orn., II. (1828) 14. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. 
 
 (1834). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above entirely uniform glossy bluish-black ; a square patch on the middle of the 
 crown saffron-yellow, and a few spots on the outer edges of both webs of the primary 
 and secondary quills ; beneath white, on the sides of the breast longitudinally striped, 
 and on the sides of the belly and on the flanks and tibial region banded transversely 
 with black ; a narrow concealed white line from the eye a short distance backwards, 
 and a white stripe from the extreme forehead (meeting anteriorly) under the eye, 
 and down the sides of the neck; bristly feathers of the base of the bill brown; ex- 
 posed portion of the two outer tail feathers (first and second) white; bill bluish-black, 
 the lower mandible grayish-blue; iris bluish-black. Female, without yellow on the 
 head. 
 
 Length, about nine and a half inches; wing, five; tail, three eighty-five one- 
 hundredths. 
 
 This species 'is rare in the three southern New-England 
 States, where it is found only as a winter visitor. In the 
 others, it is not very abundant, and is only resident, in 
 the most northern sections, in the neighborhood of, or in, the 
 deep forests and uninhabited districts, through the year. 
 
 Its habits are similar to those of the other woodpeckers. 
 I have had abundant opportunities of noticing them, and 
 have discovered nothing peculiar in them, or worthy of re- 
 
THE BANDED THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 95 
 
 mark. Its breeding habits are not well known ; but it 
 probably breeds in all the large forests of Northern Maine, 
 New Hampshire, and Vermont. 
 
 I was so fortunate as to find two nests in the month of 
 June, 1864, in the valley of the Magalloway River, about 
 forty miles north of Lake Umbagog, Me. The holes were 
 both excavated in hemlock stumps, about ten feet from the 
 ground ; they were not over an inch and a half in diameter, 
 and were about ten inches in depth: the bottom of the 
 hole formed the nest, which, as with the other species, was 
 nothing but a few chips and bits of wood. The first nest, 
 found on the 15th of June, had three young birds, appar- 
 ently about a week old. The second nest had three eggs : 
 these were of a beautiful clear-white color, and the shells 
 remarkably smooth to the touch. Their dimensions varied 
 only from .83 to .85 inch in length, by .75 to .77 inch in 
 breadth. 
 
 PICOIDES HIRSUTUS. Gray. 
 The Banded Three-toed Woodpecker.' 
 
 Picus hirsutus, Vieillot. Ois. Am. Sept., II. (1807) 68. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. 18, 
 39, 184. /., Birds Am., IV. (1842), pi. 269. Nutt. Man., I. (2d ed. 1840) 692. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Black above ; the back with transverse bands of white to the rump ; a white line 
 from behind the eye, widening on the nape, and a broader one under the eye from 
 the loral region, but not extending on the forehead ; occiput and sides of the head 
 uniform black ; quills spotted on both webs with white ; under parts white ; the sides 
 banded transversely with black ; top of the head spotted with white ; the crown of 
 the male with a yellow patch ; bill bluish-black ; iris dark-hazel. 
 
 Length, about nine inches; wing, four forty-five one-hundredths ; tail, three 
 thirty-five one-hundredths. 
 
 This bird is rarely found in New England, except in the 
 midst of severe winters, and then it seldom penetrates so 
 far south as Massachusetts. I have known of but two or 
 three specimens being obtained in this State, and never 
 heard of any being shot in the others south of it. Having 
 had no opportunities for observing its habits, I can add 
 nothing to our knowledge of this species. 
 
96 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 SPHYRAPICUS, BAIRD. 
 
 Pilumnus, Bonaparte. Consp. Zygod. Ateneo Italiano, May, 1854. (P. thy- 
 roideus.) 
 
 Bill as in Picus, but the lateral ridge, which is very prominent, running out dis- 
 tinctly to the commissure at about its middle, beyond which the bill is rounded 
 without any angles at all; the culmen and gonys are very nearly straight, but 
 slightly convex, the bill tapering rapidly to a point; the lateral outline concave to 
 very near the slightly bevelled tip ; outer pair of toes longest ; the hinder exterior 
 rather longest ; the inner posterior toe very short, less than the inner anterior with- 
 out its claw; wings long and pointed, the fourth longest; tail feathers very broad, 
 abruptly acuminate, with a very long linear point. 
 
 SPHYRAPICUS VAEIUS. Baird. 
 The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. 
 
 Picus varius, Linnseus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 176. Wilson, Am. On., I. (1808) 
 147. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 519. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Fourth quill longest; third a little shorter; fourth considerably shorter; general 
 color above black, much variegated with white; feathers of the back and rump 
 brownish-white, spotted with black ; crown scarlet, bordered by black on the sides 
 of the head and nape ; a streak from above the eye, and another from the bristles of 
 the bill, passing below the eye and into the yellowish of the belly, and a stripe along 
 the edges of the wing coverts white; a triangular broad patch of scarlet on the chin, 
 bordered on each side by black stripes from the lower mandible, which meet behind, 
 and extend into a large quadrate spot on the breast ; rest of under parts yellowish- 
 white, streaked on the sides with black ; inner web of inner tail-feather white, spotted 
 with black ; outer feathers black, edged and spotted with white. Female, with the 
 red of the throat replaced by white. Young male, without black on the breast, 
 or red on the top of the head; iris dark-hazel. 
 
 Length, eight and a quarter inches; wing, about four and three-quarters; tail, 
 three thirty one-hundredths. 
 
 This bird is very irregularly distributed in New England 
 as a summer visitor. Verrill, in his Catalogue, before re- 
 ferred to, says that it is a common summer visitor, and 
 breeds at Norway, Me. J. A. Allen says, that near Spring- 
 field "it is not common, and is only seen in fall and spring, 
 when migrating. I have never seen this species here in 
 summer, and do not think it breeds here ; though I am 
 informed by W. H. Niles that ' they breed plentifully on the 
 hills in Western Massachusetts, twenty or thirty miles west 
 of Springfield/ " 
 
THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 97 
 
 So far as my own observation has been, it is not found at 
 all abundant in any part of these States ; and I think, that, 
 on the seaboard, it is rare. 
 
 It arrives from the South, from about the 10th to the 20th 
 of April, and soon commences pairing. I have never noticed 
 any great peculiarity in its habits. It seems to prefer the 
 woods to the more open districts, and very seldom indeed 
 makes its appearance, in the breeding season, in the orchards 
 and nurseries, where, as it is often said by persons wjio are 
 prejudiced, it does considerable damage in boring into apple- 
 trees and sucking the sap ; hence it is called the " Sap- 
 sucker." I am not sufficiently acquainted with its habits, in 
 the Western States, to say positively that it does not eat 
 some of the inner bark of trees, when in pursuit of its 
 favorite insect-food ; but I cannot help thinking that the 
 denunciations of it, so often seen in the Western papers, 
 are exaggerated. 
 
 Dr. Bryant, who has paid some attention to the examina- 
 tion of the food of this bird, gives, in the " Proceedings of 
 the Boston Society of Natural History," vol. X. 91, the fol- 
 lowing remarks : 
 
 " It has long been known that some of our smaller woodpeckers 
 pick out portions of the sound bark of trees, particularly of apple- 
 trees, where there are no larvas, and apparently no inducement for 
 them to do so. What their object is has never been satisfactorily 
 established. In Massachusetts, I am not aware that these holes 
 are ever sufficiently large or numerous to cause any material injury 
 to the apple-trees : they are generally seen in circles round the 
 limbs or trunks of small irregularly rounded holes, and in this 
 vicinity are made almost exclusively by the Downy Woodpecker 
 (P. pubescens), aided occasionally by the Hairy Woodpecker (P. 
 villosus). In certain parts of the West, however, it is said that 
 great damage is done to orchards by the Yellow-bellied Wood- 
 pecker (S. varius) ; and Dr. Hoy, of Racine, Wis., has advanced 
 the theory that the object of the bird in so doing is to obtain the 
 inner bark for food. A number of specimens of this bird, for- 
 warded by Dr. Hoy to the Smithsonian Institution, have been 
 
 7 
 
98 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 placed in my hands by Professor Baird for examination : as the 
 specimens are alcoholic, the soft parts are, as is always the case, 
 too much distorted to be available for correct comparisons ; the 
 gizzard, however, seems smaller, and the proventriculus larger, than 
 in other species of this family with which I have compared them. 
 The contents of the stomach are berries, small coleoptera, Iarva3 of 
 boring beetles, ants, and fragments of the inner bark of the apple- 
 tree/' 
 
 After giving minute analyses of the characteristics of the 
 tongues and portions of the skulls of the different small 
 woodpeckers, and comparing them with the Yellow-bellied 
 Woodpecker's, showing how the latter differ from the others, 
 he says : 
 
 " The general shape of the whole tongue is not much unlike that 
 of the Robin ; the ciliated edges show an analogy to the Melipha- 
 gidce, and indicate that the sap of the trees pecked by them may 
 form a portion of their food. In the stomachs of the six individuals 
 examined by me, fragments of the inner bark were found in all, so 
 that it can hardly be presumed to have been accidentally introduced. 
 It is evident, from the shape of the tongue, that it is not used as a 
 dart, in the manner of the true Woodpecker, to draw out insects 
 from their lurking-places, but that these are seized by the bill, as in 
 other insectivorous birds. Insects, however, probably form their 
 chief diet, as all the stomachs examined also contained insects, the 
 quantity of which was greater than that of the fragments of bark : 
 in one bird, there were two Iarva3 of a boring beetle, so large that 
 there was not room for both in the stomach at once, and one re- 
 mained in the lower part of the resophagus. If these were, as is 
 probable, the larvae of the Saperda, they would do more damage 
 than twenty woodpeckers ; and I sincerely hope that these birds are 
 not to be exterminated, unless it is clearly demonstrated that the 
 injury caused by the destruction of the bark is not more than com- 
 pensated by their destruction of noxious insects." 
 
 About the 1st of May, the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker 
 commences excavating its hole, which is usually in a de- 
 cayed tree in the woods, but occasionally in a sound tree. 
 
THE PILEATED WOODPECKER. 99 
 
 This excavation is often eighteen or twenty inches deep. It 
 is not lined with any soft material, and the eggs are depos- 
 ited on chips of the wood left in the bottom. These are 
 usually five in number ; they are of a pure-white color, and 
 small for the size of the bird, measuring from .82 to .86 inch 
 in length, by from .74 to .77 inch in breadth. 
 
 HYLATOMUS, BAIRD. * 
 
 Dryotomus, MALHERBE, Mem. Ac. Metz. (1849) 322. (Not of Swainson, 1831.) 
 Dryopicus, BONAP. Consp. Zygod. in Aten. Ital. (May, 1854). (Not of Malherbe.) 
 
 Bill a little longer than the head ; considerably depressed, or broader than high 
 at the base; shaped much as in Campephilus, except shorter, and without the bristly 
 feathers directed forwards at the base of the lower jaw; gonys about half the length 
 of the commissure; tarsus shorter than any toe except the inner posterior; outer 
 posterior toe shorter than the outer anterior, and a little longer than the inner 
 anterior; inner posterior very short, not half the outer anterior, about half the inner 
 anterior one. 
 
 Tail long, graduated, the longer feathers much incurved at the tip ; wing longer 
 than the tail, reaching to the middle of the exposed surface of tail, considerably 
 graduated, though pointed, the fourth and fifth quills longest. 
 
 Color uniform black, with white patches on the side of the head; head with 
 pointed crest. 
 
 HYLATOMUS PILEATUS- Baird. 
 The Pileated Woodpecker; Log Cock. 
 
 Picus pileatus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 173. Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept., II. 
 (1807) 58. Wilson, Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 27. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 74. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Fourth and fifth quills equal and longest, third intermediate between the sixth 
 and seventh; bill blue-black; general color of body, wings, and tail, dull greenish- 
 black; a narrow white streak from just above the eye to the occiput, a wider one 
 from the nostril feathers (inclusive) under the eye and along the side of the head and 
 neck; side of the breast (concealed by the wing), axillaries, and under wing coverts, 
 and concealed bases of all the quills, with chin and beneath the head, white, tinged 
 with sulphur-yellow ; entire crown, from the base of the bill to a well-developed 
 occipital crest, as also a patch on the ramus of the lower jaw, scarlet-red; a few 
 white crescents on the sides of the body and on the abdomen ; iris very dark hazel. 
 
 Female without the red on the cheek, and the anterior half of that on the top 
 of the head replaced by black. 
 
 Length, about eighteen inches ; wing, nine and a half inches. 
 
 This species is a resident in the northern districts of 
 New England throughout the year. It has been known 
 
100 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 to breed in Massachusetts ; but, as a general thing, it is not 
 found south of the northern border of this State. Verrill, 
 in his Catalogue of Maine birds, before referred to, says 
 " it is a common resident, and breeds : " he also says it is 
 " most common in winter." 
 
 The great size and strength of this bird enable it to 
 pierce into and tear apart the decaying trees in which its 
 food is burrowing, with wonderful facility and ease. I have 
 at times, in passing through the forest, found huge trees 
 that had died and fallen to the ground, with their bark 
 stripped off, and large chips torn out, as if some animal had 
 been at work on them ; and I always supposed that a bear 
 had been amusing himself, as those animals sometimes do, 
 in this employment. One day I discovered the author of 
 the demolition, and it proved to be the Pileated Woodpecker. 
 While seated in the woods near the settlement known as 
 Wilson's Mills in Maine, I heard a large animal, as I sup- 
 posed, rooting and tearing into a dead tree a few rods off. I 
 crept up near the sound, hoping to get a shot at a bear, when 
 I discovered this bird, which looked very much like a black 
 hen, busily at work. He was searching for the borers and 
 large black ants that hide beneath the bark ; and so earnestly 
 was he employed, that he permitted me to approach very 
 near him. He would force his powerful bill, by repeated 
 strokes, into the bark, in holes in a direct line with the 
 grain, until he had marked out a patch, perhaps six or eight 
 inches square, and then, striking into it diagonally, tear it 
 off, thus exposing the living vermin 'beneath, which he lost 
 no time in securing. After clearing that spot, he moved to 
 another, and repeated the same operation, until, by a sud- 
 den movement, I startled him, when he flew off, uttering 
 a rattling cackle similar to that of a garrulous hen. His 
 flight was similar to that of the other woodpeckers de- 
 scribed in another place in this volume. In addition to 
 insects, this Woodpecker eats acorns, beech-nuts, berries, 
 and Indian corn, but is not at all troublesome to farmers ; 
 
THE PILEATED WOODPECKER. 101 
 
 and the little that it pilfers is much more than repaid by 
 the immense numbers of injurious larvae that it destroys. 
 
 Wilson, in a very interesting account of the general 
 habits of this bird, says: 
 
 " Almost every trunk in the forest where he resides bears the 
 marks of his chisel. Wherever he perceives a tree beginning to 
 decay, he examines it round and round with great skill and dex- 
 terity, strips off the bark in sheets of five or six feet in length, to 
 get at the hidden cause of the disease, and labors with a gayety and 
 activity really surprising. He is sometimes observed among the 
 hills of Indian corn, and it is said by some that he frequently feeds 
 on it. Complaints of this kind are, however, not general ; many 
 farmers doubting the fact, and conceiving that at these times he is 
 in search of insects which lie concealed in the husk. I will not be 
 positive that they never occasionally taste maize, yet I have opened 
 and examined great numbers of these birds, killed in various parts 
 of the United States, from Lake Ontario to the Alatamaha River, 
 but never found a grain of Indian corn in their stomachs." 
 
 Of its breeding habits I know nothing, and will give 
 the description given by Rev. John Bachman, in a letter 
 to Mr. Audubon. He says, in describing a nest that he 
 found, 
 
 " The hole was about eighteen inches deep, and I could touch 
 the bottom with my hand. The eggs, which were laid on frag- 
 ments of chips expressly left by the birds, were six, large, white, 
 and translucent. Before the woodpeckers began to set, I robbed 
 them of their eggs, to see if they would lay a second time. They 
 waited a few days, as if undecided, when, on a sudden, I heard the 
 female at work again in the tree. She once more deepened 
 the hole, made it broader at the bottom, and recommenced laying. 
 This time she laid five eggs. I suffered her to bring out her young, 
 both sexes alternately incubating, each visiting the other at inter- 
 vals, peeping into the hole to see that all was right and well there, 
 and flying off afterwards in search of food." 
 
102 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 MELANERPES, SWAINSON. 
 
 Melanerpes, SWAINSON, F. B. A., II. (1831) (type M. erylhrocephalus). 
 
 Bill about equal to the head, broader than high at the base, but becoming com- 
 pressed immediately anterior to the commencement of the gonys; culmen and gonys 
 with a moderately decided angular ridge; both decidedly curved from the very 
 base ; a rather prominent acute ridge commences at the base of the mandible, a little 
 below the ridge of the culmen, and proceeds but a short distance anterior to the nos- 
 trils (about one-third of the way), when it sinks down, and the bill is then smooth ; 
 the lateral outlines are gently concave from the basal two-thirds, then gently convex 
 to the tip, which does not exhibit any abrupt bevelling; nostrils open, broadly oval, 
 not concealed by the feathers, nor entirely basal ; the outer pair of toes equal ; wings 
 long, broad; third and fourth quills longest; tail feathers broad. 
 
 The species all have the back black, without any spots or streaks anywhere. 
 
 MELANERPES ERYTHROCEPHALUS. Swainson. 
 The Red-headed Woodpecker. 
 
 Picas erythrocephalus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 174. Wilson, Am. Orn., 
 I. (1810) 142. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head and neck all round crimson-red, margined by a narrow crescent of black 
 on the upper part of the breast; back, primary quills, and tail, bluish-black; under 
 parts generally, a broad band across the middle of the wing, and the rump white ; 
 iris hazel; bill and feet bluish-black. The female is not different. 
 
 Length about nine and three-quarters inches; wing, five and a half. 
 
 This handsome Woodpecker is a not very common summer 
 inhabitant of New England. It makes its appearance from 
 the South about the 10th of May. Its habits are similar to 
 those of the other species ; and I recollect nothing of any 
 importance that is peculiar to them except, perhaps, that 
 these birds seem to be much fonder of the small fruits than 
 either of the others. Wilson says of this fact : 
 
 " Wherever there is a tree, or trees, of the wild cherry, covered 
 with ripe fruit, there you see them busy among the branches ; and, 
 in passing orchards, you may easily know where to find the earliest, 
 sweetest apples, by observing those trees on or near which the 
 Red-headed Woodpecker is skulking : for he is so excellent a con- 
 noisseur in fruit, that, wherever an apple or pear is found broached 
 by him, it is sure to be among the ripest and best flavored. When 
 
RKD-HEADED WOODPECKER, Melanerpes erythrocep/utlus. Swainson. 
 
THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 103 
 
 alarmed, he seizes a capital one by striking his open bill deep into 
 it, and bears it off to the woods. When the Indian corn is in its 
 rich, succulent, milky state, he attacks it with great eagerness, 
 opening a passage through the numerous folds of the husk, and 
 feeding on it with voracity. The girdled or deadened timber, so 
 common among corn-fields in the back settlements, are his favorite 
 retreats, whence he sallies out to make his depredations. He is 
 fond of the ripe berries of the sour gum, and pays pretty regular 
 visits to the cherry-trees, when loaded with fruit. Towards fall, he 
 often approaches the barn or farm-house, and raps on the shingles 
 and weather-boards : he is of a gay and frolicsome disposition ; and 
 half a dozen of the fraternity are frequently seen diving and vocif- 
 erating around the high, dead limbs of some large tree, pursuing 
 and playing with each other, and amusing the passenger with their 
 gambols. Their note, or cry, is shrill and lively ; and so much 
 resembles that of a species of tree-frog, which frequents the same 
 tree, that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the one from the 
 other. 
 
 " Such are the vicious traits, if I may so speak, in the character 
 of the Red-headed Woodpecker ; and I doubt not but, from what 
 has been said on this subject, that some readers would consider it 
 meritorious to exterminate the whole tribe as a nuisance ; and, in 
 fact, the legislatures of some of our provinces, in former times, 
 offered premiums to the amount of twopence per head for their 
 destruction. 1 But let us not condemn the species unheard: they 
 exist, they must therefore be necessary. If their merits and 
 usefulness be found, on examination, to preponderate against their 
 vices, let us avail ourselves of the former, while we guard as well 
 as we can against the latter. 
 
 " Though this bird occasionally regales himself on fruit, yet his 
 natural and most useful food is insects, particularly those numerous 
 and destructive species that penetrate the bark and body of the 
 tree to deposit their eggs and larvse, the latter of which are well 
 known to make immense havoc. That insects are his natural food 
 is evident from the construction of his wedge-formed bill, the 
 length, elasticity, and figure of his tongue, and the strength and 
 position of his claws, as well as from his usual habits. In fact, 
 
 i KALM. 
 
104 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 insects form at least two-thirds of his subsistence ; and his stomach 
 is scarcely ever found without them. He searches for them with a 
 dexterity and intelligence, I may safely say, more than human : he 
 perceives, by the exterior appearance of the bark, where they lurk 
 below; when he is dubious, he rattles vehemently on the outside 
 with his bill, and his acute ear distinguishes the terrified vermin 
 shrinking within to their inmost retreats, where his pointed and 
 barbed tongue soon reaches them. The masses of bugs, cater- 
 pillars, and other larva?, which I have taken from the stomachs 
 of these birds, have often surprised me. These larvae, it should be 
 remembered, feed not only on the buds, leaves, and blossoms, but 
 on the very vegetable life of the tree, the alburnum, or newly 
 forming bark and wood. The consequence is, that the whole 
 branches and whole trees decay under the silent ravages of these 
 destructive vermin ; witness the late destruction of many hundred 
 acres of pine-trees in the north-eastern parts of South Carolina, 
 and the thousands of peach-trees that yearly decay from the same 
 cause. Will any one say, that, taking half a dozen, or half a 
 hundred, apples from a tree, is equally ruinous with cutting it 
 down ? or that the services of a useful animal should not be 
 rewarded with a small portion of that which it has contributed to 
 preserve ? We are told, in the benevolent language of the Scrip- 
 tures, not to muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the 
 corn ; and why should not the same generous liberality be ex- 
 tended to this useful family of birds, which forms so powerful a 
 phalanx against the inroads of many millions of destructive ver- 
 min?" 
 
 About the middle of May, this species pairs, and soon 
 commences excavating a hole in a tree, either in the woods 
 or orchard, as he is not particular in his choice. This work 
 is done by both the birds, who labor with industry and 
 cheerfulness until the excavation is finished ; this is from 
 fourteen to eighteen inches deep, and, like those of other 
 woodpeckers, is roomy at the bottom, and tapering gradually 
 to the entrance, which is only large enough for the comfort- 
 able passage of the bird : it is not lined, but the bottom is 
 partly covered with chips from the sides of the hole. The 
 
THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 105 
 
 eggs are generally five or six in number, and of a beautiful 
 clear-white. Dr. Thompson says, in his " Birds of Ver- 
 mont," that " they are marked with reddish spots at the 
 large end." This was a mistake ; for the eggs of wood- 
 peckers are always immaculate. The shell is smoother 
 than that of any other woodpecker's egg of my acquaint- 
 ance. Length of specimens vary from 1.07 to 1.12 inch, 
 breadth from .77 to .84 inch. 
 
 COLAPTES, SWAINSON. 
 
 Colaptes, SWAINSON, Zool. Jour., III. (Dec. 1827) 353 (type C. auratus). 
 
 Bill slender, depressed at the base, then compressed; culmen much curved; gonys 
 straight, both with acute ridges, and coming to quite a sharp point with the com- 
 missure at the end ; the bill consequently not truncate at the end ; no ridges on the 
 bill; nostrils basal, median, oval, and exposed; gonys very short, about half the 
 culmen ; feet large, the anterior outer toe considerably longer than the posterior; tail 
 long, exceeding the secondaries, the feathers suddenly acuminate, with elongated 
 points. 
 
 COLAPTES AUEATUS. Swainson. 
 The Golden-winged Woodpecker; Flicker; Pigeon Woodpecker. 
 
 Picus auratus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. (1766) 174. Wilson, Am. On., I. (1810) 45. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 191. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Shafts and under surfaces of wing and tail feathers gamboge-yellow ; a black 
 patch on each side of the cheek; a red crescent on the nape; throat and stripe 
 beneath the eye pale lilac-brown ; back glossed with olivaceous-green ; female with- 
 out the black cheek patch ; a crescentic patch on the breast, and rounded spots on 
 the belly, black ; back and wing coverts with interrupted transverse bands of black ; 
 neck above and sides ashy. 
 
 Length, about twelve and a half inches ; wing, six. 
 
 This is a very common summer inhabitant of New Eng- 
 land. It is probably the most abundant of all the wood- 
 peckers, and is very generally known. It is in the southern 
 districts of these States a resident throughout the year; 
 and in Massachusetts I have often met with it in midwinter, 
 when the season was not of the mildest either. They begin 
 to arrive from the south at about the second week in 
 March. 
 
106 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The habits of this bird are so well known, that any 
 description here seems to be a work of supererogation. 
 About the first week in May, the males begin to pay court 
 to the females ; at this period their movements are amusing. 
 
 44 Their note is merriment itself, as it imitates a prolonged and 
 jovial laugh, heard at a considerable distance. Several males pur- 
 sue a female, reach her, and, to prove the force and truth of their 
 love, bow their heads, spread their tails, and move sidewise, back- 
 wards, and forwards, performing such antics as might induce any one 
 witnessing them, if not of a most morose temper, to join his laugh 
 to theirs. The female flies to another tree, where she is closely fol- 
 lowed by one, two, or even half a dozen of these gay suitors, and 
 where again the same ceremonies are gone through. No fightings 
 occur, no jealousies seem to exist among these beaux, until a marked 
 preference is shown to some individual, when the rejected proceed 
 in search of another female. In this manner, all the Golden- 
 winged Woodpeckers are soon happily mated. Each pair imme- 
 diately proceed to excavate the trunk of a tree, and finish a hole in 
 it sufficient to contain themselves and their young. They both 
 work with great industry and apparent pleasure. Should the male, 
 for instance, be employed, the female is close to him, and congratu- 
 lates him on the removal of every chip which his bill sends 
 through the air. "While he rests, he appears to be speaking to her 
 on the most tender subjects, and when fatigued is at once assisted 
 by her. In this manner, by the alternate exertions of each, the 
 hole is dug and finished." AUDUBON. 
 
 This is often as much as twenty inches in depth, and in 
 a solid tree very often at that. On the bottom of this hole, 
 the female lays six pure-white eggs : these are generally of 
 uniform ovoidal shape, and vary in size from 1 to 1.16 inch 
 in length, by from .82 to .92 in breadth. 
 
 When the eggs are removed, the female, after a couple 
 of days' deliberation, lays another litter ; and I have known 
 of this being repeated several times by a bird that was 
 unwilling to leave the nest which she and her mate had 
 been at so much labor to prepare. Instances have occurred 
 
GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER, Colaptes aurutas. Swainson. 
 
THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 107 
 
 of this bird's laying eighteen or twenty eggs in a few 
 days, they being removed as soon as laid, and only two or 
 three being left in the nest at a time. The food of this spe- 
 cies consists of insects, berries, and grains. Ants are 
 greedily eaten by it, and constitute no inconsiderable por- 
 tion of its diet. On visiting the nest at night, I have very 
 seldom been able to catch the old bird in it; she almost 
 always heard my approach, and took flight : once I caught 
 her on the nest ; but, as I put my hand in to secure her, she 
 attacked it with fierce pecks of her bill, and made such an 
 onslaught that I was glad to permit her to escape. But 
 one brood is reared in the season. 
 
108 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ORDER III. INSESSORES. PERCHERS. 
 
 In accordance with the views of many systematic writers, 
 it may perhaps be as well to retain an order Insessores, and to 
 place in it the Strisores, Clamatores, and Oscines as sub-orders. 
 The characters of the order will then consist chiefly in the posses- 
 sion of three toes in front and one behind (or, at least, never with 
 two toes directed backwards), as in Scansores. The claws are not 
 retractile, nor the bill with a cere, as in the Raptores ; nor is the 
 hind toe situated appreciably above the plane of the others, as in 
 Rasores, Grallatores, and Natatores. 
 
 The hind toe of the Insessores corresponds to the thumb or 
 inner toe of the mammals, and is usually quite short. The joints 
 of the anterior toes generally follow the law of number character- 
 istic of birds ; namely, two to the hinder, three to the inner, four 
 to the middle, and five to the outer toes : but a deviation is seen in 
 some Strisores, where there are sometimes but three joints each to 
 the anterior toes, and sometimes only four in the outer. The tarsi 
 are generally covered anteriorly with plates, and furnished behind 
 with granulations or small scales, or else with two long plates 
 covering the sides, the latter feature especially characteristic of the 
 Oscines, or singing-birds : in the latter alone is the tarsus some- 
 times covered anteriorly with a single plate. Sometimes the tarsus 
 is entirely or partly naked, or destitute of plates altogether. 
 
 The carpal joint or the hand part of the wing is in most 
 Insessores furnished with ten quills (primaries), although the first 
 quill is sometimes very short, or even entirely wanting, as in many 
 Oscines. The fore-arm has from six (in the Humming-birds) to 
 thirteen quills, the average being eight or nine. 
 
 There are certain peculiarities in the arrangement of he 
 wing coverts of the different sub-orders of Insessores, constituting 
 important distinctive features. Some of these will be hereafter 
 referred to. 
 
ORDER III. INSESSORES. 109 
 
 The tail of the Insessores exhibits considerable differences. 
 The number of feathers is usually twelve ; sometimes ten only, as 
 in the Strisores. 
 
 The different groups of the order Insessores are subject to con- 
 siderable variations in respect to the structure of the lower larynx 
 attached to the trachea or windpipe just anterior to its division 
 into the two bronchial tubes. Cuvier long since showed, that the 
 true singing-birds had the larynx provided with a peculiar appa- 
 ratus for the purpose of effecting a modulation of the voice, 
 composed of five pairs of muscles, of which other birds were 
 destitute in greater part, or entirely. The characteristic of the 
 groups Strisores, Clamatores, and Oscines, and of their subdivisions, 
 as will be shown hereafter, depend very much on these peculiarities 
 of the larynx. 
 
 The tongue of the Insessores varies to a considerable degree. 
 In the Humming-birds, it is thread-like and bifurcated. In most 
 other insessorial or perching birds, it is long or short, flat, and 
 triangular, the posterior extremity bilobed, the anterior usually 
 with the tip horny, serrated, or with fibres, more rarely smooth. 
 These furnish important characteristics for the division into families, 
 and even genera ; the variations being quite considerable. 
 
 See Introduction, and vol. IX., Pacific R.R. Reports, 128. 
 
110 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 SUB-ORDER STRISORES. 
 
 FAMILY TROCHILIDJE. THE HUMMING-BIRDS. 
 
 There is no group of birds so interesting to the ornithologist or to the casual 
 observer as the Humming-birds ; at once the smallest in size, the most gorgeously 
 beautiful in color, and almost the most abundant in species of any single family of 
 birds. They are strictly confined to the continent and islands of America, and are 
 most abundant in the Central-American States ; though single species range almost 
 to the Arctic regions on the north and to Patagonia on the south, as well as from 
 the seacoast to the frozen summits of the Andes. The number of known species 
 considerably exceeds three hundred, and new ones are being constantly brought to 
 light; so that an estimate of four hundred species is, perhaps, not too large. Many 
 are very limited in their range ; some confined to particular islands, even though of 
 small dimensions. 
 
 The bill of the Humming-bird is awl-shaped or subulate, thin, and sharp- 
 pointed, straight or curved; sometimes as long as the head, sometimes much 
 longer. The mandibles are excavated to the tip for the lodgement of the tongue, 
 and form a tube by the close apposition of their cutting edges. There is no indica- 
 tion of stiff bristly feathers at the base of the mouth. The tongue has some resem- 
 blance to that of the Woodpeckers in the elongation of the cornua backwards, 
 so as to pass round the back of the skull, and then anteriorly to the base of the 
 bill. The tongue itself is of very peculiar structure, consisting anteriorly of two 
 hollow threads closed at the ends and united behind. The food of the Humming- 
 bird consists almost entirely of insects, which are captured by protruding the tongue 
 into flowers of various shapes, without opening the bill very wide. 
 
 The wings of the Humming-birds are long and falcate ; the shafts very strong ; 
 the primaries usually ten in number, the first always longest ; there are six seconda- 
 ries. The tail has but ten feathers. The feet are small ; the claws very sharp and 
 strong. 1 
 
 The species known to inhabit the United States, though few, are yet nearly twice 
 as many as given by Mr. Audubon. It is probable that additional ones will here- 
 after be detected, particularly on our southern borders. 
 
 The different authors who have made a specialty of the Humming-birds have 
 named a great many sub-families and genera ; but there has as yet been no published 
 systematic description of the higher groups. It is probable that the North-Ameri- 
 
 1 Most of the above general remarks are borrowed from Burmeister (Thiere Bra- 
 siliens, Vogel, 311), to which I would refer for an excellent article on the structure 
 and habits of Humming-birds. 
 
THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. HI 
 
 can species belong to two different sub-families, the Lampornithince and the Tro- 
 chilince, and to at least four genera; but the precise character and limits' of these I 
 am unable to give. The following remarks, however, may serve to sketch out the 
 characters of the North- American species : 
 
 A. Edges of mandible serrated near the end ; throat without metallic, scale-like 
 feathers. 
 
 Lampornis. Bill depressed, slightly curved ; tail broad, slightly emarginate, the 
 outer feather as broad as the rest; wings reaching the tip of tail; no metallic 
 feathers on the throat. 
 
 B. Edges of mandible nearly even towards the tip, without distinct serrations; 
 throat with metallic, scale-like feathers. 
 
 Trochilus. Feathers of throat but little elongated laterally; lateral tail feathers 
 but little narrower than the others, and lanceolate-acute ; tail forked. 
 
 Selasphorus. Feathers of the throat much elongated laterally into a ruff; lateral 
 tail feathers much narrower than the middle ones, and linear in shape, or with the 
 sides parallel to the end, which is rounded ; tail graduated or cuneate ; outer primary 
 attenuated at the tip ; crown without metallic scales. 
 
 Atthis. Similar to the last, but the top of the head with metallic scales like the 
 throat ; the outer primary not attenuated ; tail emarginated, or deeply forked. 
 
 TROCHILUS, LINN^US. 
 
 TROCHILUS COLUBEIS. Linnceus. 
 The Ruby-throated Humming-bird. 
 
 TrocMus colubris, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 191. Wilson, Am. Orn., II. 
 (1810) 26. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 248. 76., Birds Amer., IV. (1842) 190. 
 Ornismya colubris, Deville. Rev. et. Mag. Zool. (May, 1852) (habits). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail in the male deeply forked, the feathers all narrow lanceolate-acute ; in the 
 females lightly rounded and emarginate; the feathers broader, though pointed; male, 
 uniform metallic-green above ; a ruby-red gorget with no conspicuous ruff; a white 
 collar on the throat; sides of body greenish; tail feathers uniformly brownish-violet; 
 female, without the red on the throat ; the tail is rounded and emarginate, the 
 inner feathers shorter than the outer; the tail feathers banded with black, and 
 the outer tipped with white; no rufous or cinnamon on the tail in either sex. 
 
 Length, three and twenty-five one-hundredths inch; wing, one and sixty one- 
 hundredths; tail, one and twenty-five one-hundredths inch; bill, sixty-five one- 
 hundredths. 
 
 THIS beautiful little winged gem is distributed through- 
 out New England as a summer visitor. It arrives 
 from the south from about the 15th to the 25th of May, 
 according to latitude, and usually in pairs. The first notice 
 that we have of his arrival is a humming sound, and now 
 
112 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 and then a sharp chirp, like that of a large beetle, among 
 the earliest flowers in the garden. We look in the direction 
 of the sound, and perceive our little stranger darting about, 
 
 and thrusting his bill and little head into the flowers, 
 busily searching for the small insects that inhabit them, 
 and which constitute the principal part of his food. While 
 we are looking at him, he suddenly alights on a twig, 
 turns his gorgeous throat towards us, and scans us with 
 his bright little black eyes. While he is perched, he busies 
 himself in arranging his plumage, and cleaning from his 
 feathers the drops of dew that have perhaps fallen upon 
 him, uttering occasionally his merry chirp ; presently his 
 .mate appears, and alights by his side. The little lovers (for 
 they are still such) then indulge in mutual caresses, and 
 apparently talk over with much earnestness their plans for 
 future housekeeping. Woe to another humming-bird, if he 
 comes in sight! for our little friend is not only jealous 
 of his mate, but is very quarrelsome also, and protects his 
 honor with great courage. As he darts off like a bullet at 
 the intruder, his mate watches with no little interest for the 
 results of the battle that is inevitable. The two males meet 
 in the air, and fierce is the contest ; their little wings beat 
 the air with such force that their humming is heard at the 
 
THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. 113 
 
 distance of several rods ; up they mount, rushing against 
 and striking each other with their sharp little bills, until 
 they are both lost to the sight : presently our acquaintance 
 descends to the twig where his mate is seated, and struts 
 before her with a pride much larger than his body, ap- 
 parently anxious for her approval of his courage. She 
 caresses him; and, after he has adjusted his plumage, off 
 they shoot for other scenes and pleasures. 1 
 
 About the first week in June, the Humming-bird com- 
 mences building its nest : this is composed of a soft down, 
 that is taken from the stems of some of the ferns ; it is 
 covered entirely with lichens, which are glued on with the 
 saliva of the bird, giving it the appearance of a mossy knot. 
 It is usually built on the upper side of a limb ; but I have 
 known of cases of its being built in a forked twig. The 
 whole fabric is about an inch and a half in diameter, and 
 about that in depth externally ; it is hollowed about half an 
 inch, and is three-fourths of an inch in diameter internally; 
 it is lined with soft, downy substances detached from flying 
 seeds. The eggs are two in number, white, and nearly 
 elliptical in shape, being of about equal size at both ends. 
 Length of eggs, about .45 inch ; breadth, about .31 inch. I 
 am inclined to think, that, in the latitude of New England, 
 this bird raises only one brood in the season ; but further 
 south it undoubtedly rears two. The period of incubation 
 is ten days. 
 
 On approaching the nest, the parent bird immediately 
 flies at the intruder ; and it was by this means that I have 
 been enabled to find specimens of the nests, when I could 
 not possibly have done so if their locality had not been 
 betrayed by the bird herself. I have heard of young birds 
 being taken from the nest when nearly fledged, kept for 
 several weeks, and fed with nothing but sweetened water ; 
 
 1 I had written this incident before I noticed the similar one given by Wilson. I 
 will let it remain, however, because it is an instance of scenes common in the life 
 of this bird. 
 
 8 
 
114 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 but they always died after a short confinement, and I believe 
 that it is impossible to keep this bird as a pet, from the 
 fact that its actual food is insects, and it cannot live on any 
 other. 
 
 Wilson gives the following facts in relation to this. He 
 says : 
 
 " The singularity of this little bird has induced many persons to 
 attempt to raise them from the nest, and accustom them to the 
 cage. Mr. Coffer, of Fairfax County, Va., a gentleman who, has 
 paid great attention to the manners and peculiarities of our native 
 birds, told me that he raised and kept two, for some months, in a 
 cage, supplying them with honey dissolved in water, on which they 
 readily fed. As the sweetness of the liquid frequently brought 
 small flies and gnats about the cage and cup, the birds amused 
 themselves by snapping at them on wing, and swallowing them 
 with eagerness, so that these insects formed no inconsiderable part 
 of their food. Mr. Charles Wilson Peale, proprietor of the 
 Museum, tells me that he had two young Humming-birds, which 
 he raised from the nest. They used to fly about the room, and 
 would frequently perch on Mrs. Peale's shoulder to be fed. When 
 the sun shone strongly in the chamber $ he has observed them dart- 
 ing after the motes that floated in the light, as Flycatchers would 
 after flies. In the summer of 1803, a nest of young Humming- 
 birds was brought me, that were nearly fit to fly. One of them 
 actually flew out by the window the same evening, and, falling 
 against a wall, was killed. The other refused food, and the next 
 morning I could but just perceive that it had life. A lady in the 
 house undertook to be its nurse, placed it in her bosom, and, as it 
 began to revive, dissolved a little sugar in her mouth, into which 
 she thrust its bill, and it sucked with great avidity. In this man- 
 ner, it was brought up until fit for the cage. I kept it upwards 
 of three months, supplied it with loaf sugar dissolved in water, 
 which it preferred to honey and water, gave it fresh flowers every 
 morning sprinkled with the liquid, and surrounded the space in 
 which I kept it with gauze, that it might not injure itself. It 
 appeared gay, active, and full of spirit, hovering from flower to 
 flower as if in its native wilds ; and always expressed, by its 
 motions and chirping, great pleasure at seeing fresh flowers intro- 
 
THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. 115 
 
 duced to its cage. Numbers of people visited it from motives of 
 curiosity ; and I took every precaution to preserve it, if possible, 
 through the winter. Unfortunately, however, by some means it 
 got at large; and, flying about the room, so injured itself that it 
 soon after died. 
 
 " This little bird is extremely susceptible of cold ; and, if long 
 deprived of the animating influence of the sunbeams, droops, and 
 soon dies. A very beautiful male was brought me this season 
 (1809), which I put into a wire cage, and placed in a retired, 
 shaded part of the room. After fluttering about for some time, the 
 weather being uncommonly cool, it clung by the wires, and hung in 
 a seemingly torpid state for a whole forenoon. No motion what- 
 ever of the lungs could be perceived, on the closest inspection, 
 though, at other times, this is remarkably observable ; the eyes 
 were shut ; and, when touched by the finger, it gave no signs 
 of life or motion. I carried it out to the open air, and placed it 
 directly in the rays of the sun, in a sheltered situation. In a few 
 seconds, respiration became very apparent ; the bird breathed 
 faster and faster, opened its eyes, and began to look about, with as 
 much seeming vivacity as ever. After it had completely recov- 
 ered, I restored it to liberty ; and it flew off to the withered top 
 of a pear-tree, where it sat for some time dressing its disordered 
 plumage, and then shot off like a meteor." 
 
 About the latter part of August, or perhaps by the 8th or 
 10th of September, the Humming-bird takes his departure 
 for the south. The young birds travel with their parents, 
 or, at any rate, leave this section with them; for I have 
 invariably noticed that these little groups were together up 
 to the time when they left. The parents return to the same 
 breeding-place in the succeeding year; and I have known of 
 a pair breeding on the same apple-tree for three successive 
 seasons. 
 
116 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY CYPSELIDJE. THE SWIFTS. 
 
 Bill very small, without notch, triangular, much broader than high, the culmen 
 not one-sixth the gape; anterior toes cleft to the base, each with three joints (in the 
 typical species), and covered with skin, the middle claw without any serrations, 
 the lateral toes nearly equal to the middle; bill without bristles, but with minute 
 feathers extending along the under margin of the nostrils ; nostrils elongated, supe- 
 rior, and very close together; plumage compact; primaries ten, elongated, falcate. 
 
 CHJETURA, STEPHENS. 
 
 Chcetura, STEPHENS. Shaw's Gen. Zool. Birds, XIII. (1825) 76 (type C. 
 pelasgia). 
 
 Tail very short, scarcely more than two-fifths the wings, slightly rounded, the 
 shafts stiffened and extending some distance beyond the feathers in a rigid spine ; 
 first primary longest; legs covered by a naked skin, without scutellse or feathers; 
 tarsus longer than middle toe ; lateral toes equal, nearly as long as the middle ; hind 
 toe scarcely versatile, or quite posterior, with the claw, less than the middle anterior 
 without it ; toes slender, claws moderate ; feathers of the base of the bill not extend- 
 ing beyond the beginning of the nostrils. 
 
 CHJETURA PELASGIA. Stephens. 
 The Chimney Swallow. 
 
 Hirundo pelasgia, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. I. (1766) 345. Wils. Am. Orn. V. 
 (1812) 48. 
 
 Cypselus pelasgia, Audubon. Orn. Biog. II. (1834) 329; V. 419. 
 
 Chcetura pelasgia, Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool. Birds, XIII. (1825) 76. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail slightly rounded ; of a sooty-brown all over, except on the throat, which, 
 becomes considerably lighter from the breast to the bill; above with a greenish 
 tinge; the rump a little paler. 
 
 Length, five and a quarter inches ; wing, five ten one-hundredths ; tail, two fifteen 
 one-hundredths. 
 
 THIS well-known bird is a common summer inhabitant 
 of New England. It arrives in great numbers from 
 the South, about the 1st to the 10th of May. Immediately 
 on arriving, the birds pair, and commence building. The 
 nest is usually constructed in an unused flue of a chimney ; 
 but, before the country was settled, they bred, and I have no 
 
THE CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 117 
 
 doubt that great numbers of them in thinly settled districts 
 still breed in hollow trees. The nest is composed of twigs, 
 which are glued* together and to the side of the chimney 
 with the saliva of the bird. It is lined with a few feathers 
 and straws. The strength of these structures is wonderful ; 
 and they are so durable that I have known of instances 
 of their remaining in the chimney during three seasons. 
 'Usually, the bird displays great sagacity in the choice of a 
 location for a nest, in securing protection from storms and 
 from the attacks of animals ; but occasionally the nest is 
 built in a chimney, open at the top sufficiently wide to 
 permit the rain to trickle down the sides : the result is, that 
 the moisture softens the glue by which the nest is attached 
 to the chimney, and it is, with its living contents, precipi- 
 tated to the bottom. Again, if the nest is built too low in 
 the chimney, the young or eggs furnish agreeable food for 
 rats, which, unfortunately, are sometimes found in dwelling- 
 houses in the country in uncomfortable numbers. The eggs 
 are generally four or five in number, pure-white in color, 
 rather long in shape. Dimensions of five eggs, in a nest 
 collected in Upton, Me. : .84 by .44 inch, .81 by .46 inch, 
 .80 by .46 inch, .78 by .48 inch, .76 by .51 inch. 
 
 This species is almost nocturnal in its habits. From earli- 
 est dawn until seven or eight in the morning, it is busy in 
 the pursuit of insects : it then retires to its roosting-places 
 in the chimneys, and is seldom seen until late in the after- 
 noon. From early twilight until late in the night, it is again 
 actively employed ; and, having heard its notes, as it sped 
 through the air, often as late as midnight, I have no doubt 
 that, in pleasant weather, it is busy through the whole 
 night. 
 
 In descending the chimneys where their young are, the 
 birds fly rapidly until they are immediately over them, when, 
 partially closing their wings, they drop suddenly, and with 
 apparent ease, down the flue. 
 
 In ascending, the noise of their wings in the chimney is 
 
118 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 like that of distant thunder. The flight of these birds is 
 very rapid, surpassing, I think, that of any other species : 
 it is so peculiar, the long wings vibrating in short, quick, 
 energetic strokes, that it furnishes a ready means of dis- 
 tinguishing it, from all other species, at a great height. 
 
 About sunset, the great multitudes of these birds are out, 
 and the numbers of insects they destroy must be immense. 
 Everywhere they may be seen : away up in the blue sky, as 
 far as the eye can reach, they are coursing in wide-extended 
 circles, chasing each other in sport, and even caressing and 
 feeding their mates while on the wing ; a little lower, they 
 are speeding over the tops of the trees, gleaning the insects 
 that have just left the foliage ; over the surface of the lake 
 or river they fly so low, in the pursuit of aquatic insects, 
 that their wings often touch the water ; everywhere they 
 are busy. Truly, they are deserving of much better treat- 
 ment than they too often receive at the hands of the farmer, 
 to whom they are his best friends ; yet it is a fact, that, in 
 a great many sections, they are driven from the chimneys 
 of the farm-houses, and even destroyed, at every oppor- 
 tunity. 
 
 About the last of August, the Chimney Swallow, in large 
 scattered flocks, leaves for the South, and spends the winter 
 in Honduras and the West Indies. On returning in the 
 spring, the same pair occupies the chimney used in the pre- 
 vious season, as has been proved by actual observation. 
 
THE WHIPPOORWILL. 119 
 
 FAMILY CAPRIMULGIDJE. THE GOAT-SUCKERS. 
 Sub-Family CAPRIMULGIN^E. 
 
 Bill very short, triangular, the culmen less than one-sixth the gape ; the anterior 
 toes united at the base by a membrane; the inner anterior toe with three joints, the 
 others with four, all with distinct scutellae above; the toe much elongated, its middle 
 claw pectinated on the inner edge ; hind toe directed a little more than half for- 
 wards ; tarsi partly feathered superiorly ; the bill more or less bristled, the nostrils 
 separated, rather nearer the commissure than the culmen ; plumage soft, lax, and 
 owl-like ; primary quills, ten ; secondaries, eleven or twelve. 
 
 ANTROSTOMUS, GOULD. 
 
 Antrostomus, GOULD. Icones Avium (1838), Agassiz. 
 
 Bill remarkably small, with tubular nostrils, and the gape with long, stiff, some- 
 times pectinated, bristles ; wings long, somewhat rounded, second quill longest, the 
 primaries emarginated ; tail rounded ; plumage loose and soft. 
 
 ANTROSTOMUS VOCIFERUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Whippoorwill. 
 
 Caprimulgus vodferus, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 71; Aud. Orn. Biog., I. 
 (1832)443; V. 405. 
 
 Antrostomus vociferus, Bonaparte. List, 1838. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bristles without lateral filaments; wing about six and a half inches long; top of 
 the head ashy-brown, longitudinally streaked with black; terminal half of the tail 
 feathers (except the four central) dirty-white on both outer and inner webs; iris dark- 
 hazel. Female, without, white on the tail. 
 
 Length, ten inches; wing, six and a half. 
 
 THIS familiar species is a summer inhabitant of New 
 England : it arrives from the South about the second 
 week in May. Its habits are not well known, as it is not a 
 very common species, and it inhabits the most secluded spots 
 in the deep woods ; but its song is well known to all, as are 
 its nocturnal wanderings in search for insect food. This 
 bird, as also the Night-hawk, is, to the farmer, one of the 
 most valuable among the feathered tribes : its food consists 
 almost entirely of night-flying Lepidoptera, and the number 
 of these insects destroyed is immense. 
 
120 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The peculiar song of this bird is heard at early eve, and 
 until late into the night, during the mating and part of the 
 breeding seasons. It is not uttered in the depths of the wil- 
 derness alone ; but the bird, perching on the well-sweep, on 
 the eaves of a low shed, or even on the door-sill of the farm- 
 er's house, pours out its melancholy strain. The descrip- 
 tion, by Alexander Wilson, of the habits of this bird, is so 
 accurate and comprehensive, that I will not presume to 
 attempt another. He says: 
 
 " The notes seem pretty plainly to articulate the words which 
 have been generally applied to them, whip-poor-will, the first and 
 last syllables being uttered with great emphasis, and the whole in 
 about a second to each repetition ; but, when two or more males 
 meet, their whip-poor-will altercations become much more rapid 
 and incessant, as if each were straining to overpower or silence the 
 other. When near, you often hear an introductory cluck between 
 the notes. At these times, as well as at almost all others, they fly 
 low, not more than a few feet from the surface, skimming about the 
 house and before the door, alighting on the wood-pile, or settling on 
 the roof. Towards midnight, they generally become silent, unless 
 in clear moonlight, when they are heard, with little intermission, 
 till morning. If there be a creek near, with high, precipitous, 
 bushy banks, they are sure to be found in such situations. During 
 the day, they sit in the most retired, solitary, and deep-shaded parts 
 of the woods, generally on high ground, where they repose in 
 silence. When disturbed, they rise within a few feet, sail low and 
 slowly through the woods for thirty or forty yards, and generally 
 settle on a low branch or on the ground. Their sight appears 
 deficient during the day, as, like owls, they seem then to want that 
 vivacity for which they are distinguished in the morning and even- 
 ing twilight. They are rarely shot at or molested ; and, from being 
 thus transiently seen in the obscurity of dusk, or in the deep um- 
 brage of the woods, no wonder their particular markings of plumage 
 should be so little known, or that they should be confounded with 
 the Night-hawk, whom, in general appearance, they so much re- 
 semble. The female begins to lay about the second week in May, 
 selecting, for this purpose, the most unfrequented part of the wood, 
 
THE WHIPPOORWILL. 121 
 
 often where some brush, old logs,, heaps of leaves, &c., had been 
 lying, and always on a dry situation." 
 
 The Whippoorwill constructs no nest, bat lays its eggs, 
 which are two in number, in a slight hollow which it 
 scratches in the earth, usually near a rock, or fallen trunk 
 of a tree. These eggs are of an elliptical form, being as 
 large at one end as at the other; their ground-color is a 
 delicate creamy-white, with blotches, lines, and spots of 
 different shades of light-brown and lavender : taken alto- 
 gether, it is one of the handsomest eggs found in New Eng- 
 land. The length of several specimens before me varies 
 from 1.21 to 2.27 inches, breadth from .75 to .79 inch. The 
 bird commences laying about the last week in May, and the 
 period of incubation is fourteen days. 
 
 The young are soon able to walk, and in a very few days 
 can run with considerable speed ; and they hide with such 
 adroitness that it is a work of no little difficulty to capture 
 them. The female, when her young are discovered, imme- 
 diately throws herself before the intruder, counterfeiting 
 lameness so well, that, unless he is well acquainted with 
 the habits of birds, he will quickly be misled into following 
 her. As soon as the young birds are able to shift for them- 
 selves, they are turned adrift by their parents, and are seen 
 only singly, or at most in pairs, during the remainder of 
 their stay. By the latter part of August, or seldom later 
 than the 10th of September, all of them depart for the 
 South, the old males remaining a few days later ; uttering, 
 occasionally, their song, but always in the woods, or in 
 localities far removed from human habitation. 
 
 CHORDEILES, SWAINSON. 
 
 SWAINSON. Fauna Bor. Amer. (1831) 496. 
 
 Bill very small, the gape with very short, feeble bristles; wings very long and 
 pointed, with the first quill nearly or quite equal to the second, and the primaries not 
 emarginated on the inner edge; tail long, slightly forked in the North-American 
 species; plumage rather compact. 
 
122 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 CHORDEILES POPETUE. Baird. 
 The Night-hawk; Bull Bat. 
 
 Caprimulffus popetue, Vieillot. Ois. Am. Sept., I. (1807) 56. 
 Caprimulgus Americanus, Wilson, V. (1812) 65. 
 Caprimulyus Virginianus. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 273. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male, above greenish-black, with but little mottling on the head and back ; wing 
 coverts varied with grayish; scapulars with yellowish-rufous; a nuchal band of fine 
 gray mottling, behind which is another coarser one of rufous spots; a white 
 V-shaped mark on the throat; behind this a collar of pale-rufous blotches, and 
 another on the breast of grayish mottling ; under parts banded transversely with 
 dull-yellowish or reddish-white and brown ; wing quills quite uniformly brown ; the 
 five outer primaries with a white blotch midway between the tip and carpal 
 joint, not extending on the outer web of the outer quill; tail with a terminal white 
 patch. 
 
 Female, without the caudal white patch, the white of the throat mixed with 
 reddish. 
 
 Length of male, nine and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eight and twenty 
 one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is much more abundantly distributed through- 
 out New England than the preceding; and its habits are, 
 consequently, better known. It arrives from the south 
 about the 10th of May. At this time, great numbers may 
 be observed, at early twilight, coursing through the air in 
 different directions, sometimes at a great height, sometimes 
 just above the trees in the country, or houses in the city ; 
 occasionally, very near the earth or water, or, when near 
 the seacoast, but just above the marshes, where they destroy 
 great numbers of insects. Their flight is very rapid, their 
 long wings giving quick, powerful sweeps ; and, as they dart 
 about in many eccentric movements, busily gleaning their 
 food, they utter, at oft-repeated intervals, their short note 
 or squeak, which almost exactly resembles that of the Com- 
 mon Snipe. 
 
 About the middle of May, or by the 20th of that month, 
 in Maine, the male commences his attentions to the female. 
 His movements at this time are interesting, and, from their 
 common occurrence, familiar to all who live in the country. 
 
THE NIGHT-HAWK. 123 
 
 At early evening, and in cloudy weather throughout the 
 greater part of the day, he ascends into the air ; and when 
 he has attained a considerable height, partially closing his 
 wings, he drops with great velocity through the distance of 
 seventy-five or one hundred feet, sometimes nearly to the 
 earth. The sound made by the air passing through the wing 
 quills is so loud that I have often heard it at certainly the 
 distance of half a mile : it resembles, as Nuttall truly says, 
 the sound produced by blowing into the bung-hole of an 
 empty hogshead. This act is often repeated, the bird darting 
 about at the same time in every direction, and uttering his 
 sharp squeak. Wilson was of the opinion, that this habit of 
 the Night-hawk was confined to the period of incubation; 
 the male acting in this manner, as he thought, to intimidate 
 any person from approaching the nest. I have had abun- 
 dant opportunities for observing the bird in all times of the 
 summer, and during its stay with us ; and I should unhesi- 
 tatingly affirm, that, from the time of early courtship, until 
 the young are hatched, if not after, the male acts in this 
 manner. 
 
 This species constructs no nest, but lays its eggs on the 
 bare ground in a slight hollow scratched by the female, or 
 often on a bare rock. I have found numbers of these eggs, 
 particularly in the northern parts of Maine, where, in walk- 
 ing over a pasture or rocky field, I have flushed sometimes 
 a bird in every ten rods. I remember a ledge of rocks 
 back of the settlement known as Wilson's Mills, which 
 seemed a favorite breeding-place for these birds ; and, in the 
 space of every four or five rods, a female was sitting on her 
 eggs. The eggs are two in number, elliptical in shape, of 
 a dirty- white color, which is covered with fine dottings 
 of different shades of brown, with obscure markings of 
 slate-color, and some spots of lavender. Length from 1.23 
 to 1.25 inch ; breadth, from .82 to .85 inch. A great num- 
 ber of specimens from different sections do not exhibit an 
 appreciable variation from these dimensions. In the south- 
 
124 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ern districts, it lays about the 20th of May ; in the northern, 
 about the 10th of June. 
 
 The male assists the female in incubating, as I have wit- 
 nessed many times. When perched by her on a tree or 
 fence-rail, during thelight of mid-day, he always sits along 
 the limb or rail, instead of across it a peculiarity which is 
 also noticeable in the Whippoorwill. Some authors, in speak- 
 ing of this fact, explain it by noticing the comparatively 
 small size of the feet, and apparent weakness of the legs. 
 I think this can hardly be a sufficient cause ; for both these 
 birds, while on the ground, can run with considerable speed, 
 and, if captured, can not only perch across the finger of a 
 hand or the back of a chair, as I have often proved, but can 
 rest on one foot, drawing the other up into the feathers 
 of the belly, like other birds. 
 
 About the 20th of August, after the young have become 
 able to provide for themselves, all the families in a neigh- 
 borhood assemble in a large, scattered flock; and, after 
 having become completely recruited from the labors of incu- 
 bation, they all leave for the south. 
 
THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 125 
 
 SUB-ORDER CLAMATORES. SCREAMERS. 
 
 FAMILY ALCEDINIDJE. THE KINGFISHERS. 
 
 Head large ; bill long, strong, straight, and sub-pyramidal, usually longer than 
 the head; tongue very small; wings short; legs small, the outer and middle toes 
 united to their middle; toes with the usual number of joints (2, 3, 4, 5). 
 
 The gape of the bill in the Kingfishers is large, reaching to beneath the eyes; 
 the third primary is generally longest, the first decidedly shorter; the secondaries 
 vary from twelve to fifteen in number, all nearly equal; the secondaries cover at 
 least three-quarters of the wing ; the tail is short, the feathers twelve in number, 
 they are rather narrow, the outer usually shorter; the lower part of the tibia is bare, 
 leaving the joint and the tarsus uncovered; the tarsus is covered anteriorly with 
 plates, behind, it is shagreen-like or granulated; the hind toe is connected with the 
 inner, so as to form with it and the others a regular sole, which extends unbroken 
 beneath the middle and outer as far as the latter are united; the inner toe is much 
 shorter than the outer; the claws are sharp, the middle expanded on its inner edge, 
 but not pectinated. 
 
 CERYLE, BOIE. 
 
 Ceryle, BOIE, Isis (1828) 316 (type C. rudis). 
 
 Bill long, straight, and strong, the culmen slightly advancing on the forehead, 
 and sloping to the acute tip; the sides much compressed; the lateral margins rather 
 dilated at the base, and straight to the tip; the gonys long and ascending; tail 
 rather long and broad ; tarsi short and stout. 
 
 CERYLE ALCYON. Bow. 
 The Belted Kingfisher. 
 
 Alcedo alcyon, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 180. Wilson, Am. Orn., III. 
 (1811) 59. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 394. 
 Ceryle alcyon, Boie. Isis, (1828) 316. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head with a long crest; above blue, without metallic lustre; beneath, with a con- 
 cealed band across the occiput, and a spot anterior to the eye, pure-white; a band 
 across the breast, and the sides of the body under the wings, like the back ; prima- 
 ries white on the basal half, the terminal unspotted; tail with transverse bands and 
 spots of white. 
 
 Young, with the sides of body and a transverse band across the belly below the 
 pectoral one, light-chestnut; the pectoral band more or less tinged with the same. 
 
 Length of adult, about twelve and three-quarters inches ; wing, six or more. 
 
 Hob. The entire continent of North America. 
 
126 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 THIS species is a very common summer inhabitant of all 
 the New-England States. It arrives from the south 
 about the 1st of April, often earlier, particularly in early 
 springs : indeed, Mr. Verrill says they are sometimes seen 
 in Maine in winter, and they are often found in the southern 
 districts of these States in this season. The birds, on arriv- 
 ing, commence pairing ; and they soon begin excavating in a 
 sand-bank a long, winding hole of about three inches and 
 a half in diameter at the entrance, and gradually larger to 
 the end, at which the nest, composed of grasses, leaves, and 
 feathers, is built, or laid, which would perhaps be the better 
 term. This hole is sometimes as much as six or eight feet, 
 usually, from four to six, in length. The female deposits in 
 this nest six eggs usually : these are of a clear-white color, 
 and of a nearly spherical shape, being from 1.35 to 1.42 
 inch in length, by from 1.05 to 1.08 inch in breadth. I am 
 aware that these measurements exceed any heretofore given ; 
 but they are accurately taken from a large number of speci- 
 mens in my collection. Dr. Brewer gives the dimensions 
 as averaging l T 5 g- in length by l T a g- in breadth. The period 
 of incubation is stated by Audubon and other ornithologists 
 to be sixteen days. 
 
 The habits of this bird are so well known that any 
 description here is almost superfluous. Its food, as its 
 name implies, consists almost entirely of fish, which he 
 obtains by diving into the water, and seizing with his bill. 
 When passing over a sheet of water, he attentively scans 
 the surface beneath him: if he observes a small fish, he 
 pauses in his flight, and remains over it a few seconds, 
 maintaining his position by short, quick vibrations of his 
 wings. If the fish is sufficiently near the surface, he sud- 
 denly dives at it, and, plunging into the water, seizes it, and 
 bears it off to some rock or post, where he can eat it at his 
 leisure. The note of the Kingfisher is a loud, harsh cry, 
 similar to the sound of a watchman's rattle : it is easily 
 heard above the rushing of the waters at a dam or other 
 
THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 127 
 
 waterfall, and, when heard in such a locality, is not disagree- 
 able. When perched on a limb overhanging the water, he 
 frequently jets his tail in the manner of the Pewee, and 
 often descends from such a perch and seizes a frog or a fish ; 
 and I once shot one that had just seized a meadow mouse 
 (arvicola) in this manner. The young usually remain in 
 the hole in the bank until they are about fledged. I am 
 inclined to think, that usually they return to these holes at 
 night and in stormy weather, as I have frequently seen 
 them about their nests long after they were fledged, and 
 have even seen them passing into them at the close of the 
 day. In migrating, the young leave their parents, and 
 these even separate, and pursue their journey alone ; and it 
 is a case of rare occurrence that two are seen together 
 after the latter part of August. 
 
128 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY COLOPTERIDJE. THE FLYCATCHERS. 
 Sub-Family TYRANNIN^:. Tyrant Flycatchers. 
 
 Bill broader than high at the base, much depressed, more or less triangular; cul- 
 men nearly as long as the head, or shorter, straight to near the tip, then suddenly 
 bent down into a conspicuous hook, with a notch behind it; tip of lower jaw also 
 notched ; commissure straight to near the notch ; gonys slightly convex ; nostrils 
 oval or rounded in the anterior extremity of the nasal groove, and more or less 
 concealed by long bristles which extend from the posterior angle of the jaws along 
 the base of the bill, becoming smaller, but reaching nearly to the median line of the 
 forehead; these bristles with lateral branches at the base; similar bristles mixed in 
 the loral feathers and margining the chin ; tarsi short, generally less than the middle 
 toe, completely enveloped by a series of large scales which meet near the posterior 
 edge of the inner side, and are separated either by naked skin or by a row of small 
 scales. Sometimes a second series of rather large plates is seen on the posterior 
 face of the tarsus; these, however, usually on .the upper extremity only; basal joint 
 of middle toe united almost throughout to that of the outer toe, but more than half 
 free on the inner side; outer lateral toe rather the longer; wings and tail variable, 
 first quill always more than three-fourths the second ; the outer primaries sometimes 
 attenuated near the tip. 
 
 TYRANNUS, CUVIER. 
 
 Tyrannus, CUVIER, Lecons Anat. Comp., 1799-1800 (Agassiz). 
 
 Tail nearly even, or moderately forked, rather shorter than the wings; the 
 feathers broad, and widening somewhat at the ends; wings long and pointed; 
 the outer primaries rather abruptly attenuated near the end, the attenuated portion 
 not linear, however; head with a concealed patch of red on the crown. 
 
 TYRANNUS CAROLINENSIS. Baird. 
 King-bird; Bee Martin. 
 
 Lanius tyrannus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 136. This belongs to the Cuban 
 T. matutinus, according to Bonaparte. 
 
 Muscicnpa tyrannus (Brisson?), Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 66. Aud. Orn. 
 Biog., I. (1832) 403; V. (1839) 420. lb., Birds Amer., I. (1840) 204. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Two, sometimes three, outer primaries abruptly attenuated at the end ; second 
 quill longest, third little shorter, first rather longer than fourth, or nearly equal; 
 tail slightly rounded, above dark bluish-ash; the top and sides of the head to 
 beneath the eyes bluish-black; a concealed crest on the crown, vermilion in the 
 
THE KING-BIRD. 129 
 
 centre, white behind, and before partially mixed with orange; lower parts pure- 
 white, tinged with pale bluish-ash on the sides of the throat and across the breast; 
 sides of the breast and under the wings similar to, but rather lighter than, the back; 
 axillaries pale grayish-brown tipped with lighter; the wings dark-brown, darkest 
 towards the ends of the quills ; the greater coverts and quills edged with white, 
 most so on the tertials; the lesser coverts edged with paler; upper tail coverts 
 and upper surface of the tail glossy -black, the latter very dark brown beneath; 
 all the feathers tipped, and the exterior margined externally with white, form- 
 ing a conspicuous terminal band about twenty-five one-hundredths of an inch 
 broad. 
 
 The young of the year is similar, the colors duller, the concealed colored patch 
 on the crown wanting ; the tail more rounded, the primaries not attenuated. 
 
 Specimens vary in the amount of white margining the wing feathers ; the upper 
 tail coverts are also margined sometimes with white. 
 
 Length, eight and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, four and sixty-five one- 
 hundredths inches; tail, three and seventy one-hundredths inches ; tarsus, seventy- 
 five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 THIS common species is abundantly distributed through- 
 out New England as a summer resident. It arrives 
 from the South about the 1st to the 10th of May : the males 
 precede the females in small parties of three or four, the 
 latter arriving about a week or ten days later. 
 
 Soon after the arrival of the females, the males begin 
 their attentions to them ; and, as the season of courtship is 
 comparatively short, the new-made couple soon begin their 
 selection of a locality for their nest. This seems to be with 
 them a rather difficult matter to settle ; for I have known of 
 a pair remaining in an orchard a fortnight, examining every 
 tree and its peculiar advantages, before they made a selec- 
 tion. 
 
 At last, when the location is decided, both birds com- 
 mence work, and the nest is soon completed. It is usually 
 placed on the branch of an apple or pear tree, in a small 
 cluster of twigs or a crotch of a limb : it is constructed 
 outwardly of coarse grasses, mosses, twigs, roots, and 
 weeds; and is deeply hollowed, and lined with fine roots, 
 horse-hairs, and grasses. About the 1st of June, the eggs 
 are laid : these are usually five in number ; their ground- 
 color is a very delicate creamy- white, with irregular spatters 
 and spots of different shades of brown, and some obscure 
 
 9 
 
130 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 spots of lavender. Dimensions of a nest complement of 
 five eggs: 1.06 by .71 inch ; 1.04 by .70 inch ; 1.02 by .72 
 inch ; 1 by .74 inch ; and .94 by .75 inch. 
 
 During the mating and breeding season, the pugnacity 
 and courage of the King-bird are proverbial: if any bird 
 approach the neighborhood of his nest, he immediately 
 attacks it; and, whether crow (his particular dislike), 
 hawk, or eagle, the intruder is obliged to flee, so fierce an 
 onslaught does this little warrior make on him. As soon 
 as the cry of a crow is heard, he is all activity : he flies 
 from the tree where he is perching to reconnoitre, uttering 
 his shrill twitter, and vibrating his wings in short, quick, 
 nervous strokes ; as soon as the crow appears, the King- 
 bird pursues it, his flight now being very swift and powerful. 
 As soon as he nears his foe, he flies above him, and, dart- 
 ing down on his back and head, attacks him with such 
 vigor that the crow dives and dodges to avoid him. He 
 repeats his attack, and follows his enemy, sometimes to the 
 distance of a mile and more : then, returning to his mate, 
 he perches on the tree by her nest, and twitters a volley of 
 courageous songs. 
 
 The food of the King-bird consists principally of insects, 
 which he captures usually while on the wing. It seems a 
 provision of nature, that all the Flycatchers shall only take 
 those insects that have taken flight from the foliage of trees 
 and shrubs, at the same time making the warblers and 
 other birds capture those which remain concealed in such 
 places. The King-bird, in seizing a flying insect, flies in a 
 sort of half-flitting hover, and seizes it with a sharp snap 
 of the bill. Sometimes he descends from his perch, and 
 captures a grasshopper that has just taken a short flight, 
 and occasionally seizes one that is crawling up some tall 
 stalk of grass. Those farmers who keep bees dislike 
 this bird because of his bad habit of eating as many 
 of those insects as show themselves in the neighborhood 
 of his nest; but they should remember that the general 
 
, Tyranuus Carolincmis. Baird. 
 
THE GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER. 
 
 interests of agriculture are greater than those of a hive of 
 bees. 
 
 About the middle of September, this bird with his family 
 and neighbors gather into a scattered flock, and depart for 
 the south, spending the winter in Central America and 
 Southern Mexico. 
 
 MYIARCHUS, CABANIS. 
 
 Myiarchus, CABANIS, Fauna Peruana (1844-46) 152. Burmeister, Thiere Bra- 
 siliens, II. Vogel (1856) 469. 
 
 Tarsus equal to, or not longer than, the middle toe, which is decidedly longer 
 than the hinder one ; bill wider at base than half the culmen ; tail broad, long, even, 
 or slightly rounded, about equal to the wings, which scarcely reach the middle of 
 the tail, the first primary shorter than the sixth; head with elongated lanceolate 
 distinct feathers; above brownish-olive; throat ash; belly yellow; tail and wing 
 feathers varied with rufous. 
 
 MYIARCHUS CRINITUS. Cabanis. 
 The Great-crested Flycatcher. 
 
 Muscicapa crinita, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 325. Wilson, Am. Orn., II. 
 (1810) 75. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 176; V. 423. 
 Tyrannus crinitus. Nutt. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 302. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head with a depressed crest ; third quill longest, fourth and second successively 
 but little shorter, first a little longer than seventh, much shorter than sixth; tail 
 decidedly rounded or even graduated, the lateral feather about twenty-five one- 
 hundredths of an inch shorter ; upper parts dull greenish-olive, with the feathers of 
 the crown, and to some extent of the back, showing their brown centres; upper tail 
 coverts turning to pale rusty-brown; small feathers at the base of the bill, ceres, 
 sides of the head as high as the upper eyelid, sides of the neck, throat, and forepart, 
 of the breast, bluish-ashy ; the rest of the lower parts, including axillaries and lower 
 wing coverts, bright sulphur-yellow; a pale ring round the eye; sides of the breast 
 and body tinged with olivaceous; the wings brown, the first and second rows of 
 coverts, with the secondary and tertial quills, margined externally with dull-white, 
 or on the latter slightly tinged with olivaceous-yellow; primaries margined exter- 
 nally for more than half their length from the base with ferruginous, great portion 
 of the inner webs of all the quills very pale-ferruginous; the two middle tail 
 feathers light brown, shafts paler, the rest have the outer web and a narrow line on 
 the inner sides of the shaft brown, pale olivaceous on the outer edge, the remainder 
 ferruginous to the very tip; outer web of exterior feather dull brownish-yellow; feet 
 black; bill dark-brown above and at the tip below, paler towards the base. 
 
 The female appears to have no brown on the inner web of the quills along the 
 shaft, or else it is confined chiefly to the outer feathers. 
 
 Length, eight and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, four and twenty- 
 
132 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 five one-hundredths; tail, four and ten one-hundredths ; tarsus, eighty-five one- 
 hundredths. 
 
 Hab. Eastern North America to the Missouri, and south to Eastern Texas (not 
 yet observed further west). 
 
 This species is a rare summer inhabitant of New England. 
 It arrives from the South about the 10th of May in the lati- 
 tude of Massachusetts, that is, so far as so irregular a 
 visitor may be said to arrive, and spreads throughout 
 these States. It is less rare in the southern districts than 
 in the middle, and hardly penetrates as far north as the 
 latitude of the middle of Maine. It has been ascertained 
 to breed in all these States ; and two nests, with their con- 
 tents, are before me. One of these was found in a hollow 
 tree in Plymouth, Mass., on the 10th of June ; the other 
 was found in Middleton, Mass., on the 4th of June. These 
 nests are composed of straws, leaves, feathers, and the cast- 
 off skins of snakes ; and it seems a distinguishing character- 
 istic of the nests of this species to have the skins of one or 
 more snakes woven into the other materials. The first 
 of these nests had five eggs ; the other, three. These are of 
 a beautiful creamy-buff, and covered with irregular scratches 
 and lines of different shades of purple. Wilson says of these 
 eggs, " The female lays four eggs of a dull cream-color, 
 thickly scratched with purple lines of various tints, as if 
 done with a pen." Dimensions of eggs vary from .95 by .78 
 Cinches to 1 by .80 inch. 
 
 As this species is quite rare in these States, I have had 
 but very few chances for observing its habits. It appears 
 to be equally courageous and quarrelsome with the King- 
 bird, and has many of the peculiarities of that bird. Its 
 food consists of insects, which it captures while on the wing, 
 after the manner of the other species. When the young 
 leave the nest, they feed on berries and caterpillars, and are 
 fond of crickets and grasshoppers. By the middle of Sep- 
 tember, the whole family leave for the South. 
 
THE PEWEE. 133 
 
 SAYORNIS, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Sayornis, BONAPARTE? Ateneo Italiano (1854). /&., Comptes Rendus (1854) 
 Notes Orn. Delattre. 
 
 Head with a blended depressed moderate crest; tarsus decidedly longer than 
 middle toe, which is scarcely longer than the hind toe ; bill rather narrow, width at 
 base about half the culmen; tail broad, long, slightly forked, equal to the wings, 
 which are moderately pointed, and reach to the middle of the tail, first primary- 
 shorter than the sixth. 
 
 SAYORNIS FUSCUS. Baird. 
 The Pewee; Phebe-bird. 
 
 Muscicapafusca, Gmelin. Syst. Nat, I. (1788) 931. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 
 122; V. (1839) 424. 76., Birds Amer., I. (1840) 223. 
 Tyrannm fuscus, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 312. 
 Muscicapa nitnciola, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 78; pi. xiii. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Sides of breast and upper parts dull olive-brown, fading slightly toward the tail; 
 top and sides of head dark-brown ; a few dull-white feathers on the eyelids ; lower 
 parts dull yellowish-white, mixed with brown on the chin, and in some individuals 
 across the breast; quills brown, the outer primary, secondaries, and tertials edged 
 with dull-white; in some individuals the greater coverts faintly edged with dull- 
 white ; tail brown, outer edge of lateral feather dull-white, outer edges of the rest 
 like the back; tibiae brown; bill and feet black; bill slender, edges nearly straight; 
 tail rather broad, and slightly forked, third quill longest, second and fourth nearly 
 equal, the first shorter than sixth. 
 
 Length, seven inches; wing, three and forty-two one-hundredths; tail, three and 
 thirty one-hundredths. 
 
 Hob. Eastern North America. 
 
 In autumn, and occasionally in early spring, the colors are much clearer and 
 brighter. Whole lower parts sometimes bright sulphur-yellow, above greenish-olive, 
 top and sides of the head tinged with sooty ; in the young of the year, the colors are 
 much duller; all the wing coverts broadly tipped with light-ferruginous, as also the 
 extreme ends of the wings and tail feathers; the brown is prevalent on the whole 
 throat and breast; the hind part of the back, rump, and tail, strongly ferruginous. 
 
 The tail of this species is quite deeply forked, the external feather being from 
 thirty-five one-hundredths to forty one-hundredths of an inch longer than the 
 middle one. 
 
 This well-known bird is a very common summer inhabi- 
 tant of all New England. It arrives from the South often 
 as early as the middle of March, sometimes before the last 
 snowstorm of the season. As soon as the birds have 
 paired, usually by the last of April, they commence build- 
 
134 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ing. The nest is usually placed under a bridge, sometimes 
 under an eave, or ledge of rock, sometimes in a barn 
 or other building. It is constructed of fine roots, grasses, 
 fine moss, and hairs, which are plastered together, and 
 to the object the nest is built on, by pellets of mud: it is 
 hollowed about an inch and a half, and lined with soft 
 grasses, wool, and feathers. The eggs are usually five in 
 number : their color is white, with a very delicate cream tint. 
 There are usually in each litter one or two eggs with a few 
 spots thinly scattered over the larger end : these spots are 
 of a reddish-brown. The period of incubation is thirteen 
 days, and two broods are often reared in the season in this 
 latitude. The length of eggs varies from .72 to .78 inch ; 
 breadth, from .54 to .56 inch. 
 
 The familiar cheerful habits of this species, and the fact 
 that it is one of the first birds to remind us of the return 
 of spring, have made it a universal favorite ; and many 
 residents in the country are so attached to it, that they 
 protect it, and encourage its visits, and even provide 
 quarters for the establishment of its nest. It seems to pre- 
 fer the neighborhood of a pond or stream of water for its 
 home, where, perching on the branch of an overhanging 
 tree, or on the railing of a bridge, or darting about in dif- 
 ferent directions, it busies itself through the day in catching 
 the insects that swarm in myriads in such localities. When 
 perching, it frequently flirts its tail, and erects the feathers 
 of its head, uttering the notes phebe-phelee in a soft 
 plaintive key. Sometimes, this note is more lively, resem- 
 bling the word peweet, peweet, uttered in a quick, cheerful 
 manner. The beautiful description of the habits of this 
 bird, given by Audubon, is certainly one of the best efforts 
 of that naturalist ; and I would advise all who are interested 
 in the history of the bird to read it. 
 
 After the young have left the nest, the parents remain 
 together in the neighborhood of their home until their 
 departure, about the middle of October. At this time, they 
 
THE OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. 135 
 
 are a little more shy than they were during the season 
 of incubation, and their note is seldom heard ; and, when it 
 is, it consists of a melancholy strain, quite different from 
 that uttered in the spring and early summer. 
 
 CONTOPUS, CABANIS. 
 
 Contopus, CABANIS, Journal fur Ornithologie, III. (Nov., 1855) 479. (Type 
 Muscicapa virens, L.) 
 
 Tarsus very short, but stout, less than the middle toe, and scarcely longer than 
 the hinder; bill quite broad at the base, wider than half the culmen; tail mod- 
 erately forked, much shorter than the wings (rather more than three-fourths); wings 
 very long and much pointed, reaching beyond the middle of the tail, the first 
 primary about equal to the fourth ; all the primaries slender and rather acute, but 
 not attenuated; head moderately crested ; color, olive above, pale-yellowish beneath, 
 \vith a darker patch on the sides of the breast; under tail coverts streaked. 
 
 CONTOPUS BOEEALIS. Baird. 
 The Olive-sided Flycatcher. 
 
 Tyrannus borealis, Sw. and Rich. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 141; plate. 
 Muscicapa Cooperi, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 282. Aud. Orn. Biog , II. (1834) 
 422; V. (1839) 422. 
 
 Tyrannus Co.yeri, Bonaparte. List (1838). Nutt. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 298. 
 Muscicapa inornata, Nuttall. Man. I. (1832) 282. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Wings long, much pointed, the second quill longest, the first longer than the 
 third; tail deeply forked ; tarsi short; the upper parts ashy-brown, showing darker 
 brown centres of the feathers, this is eminently the case on the top of the head; 
 the sides of the head and neck, of the breast and body resembling the back, but 
 with the edges of the feathers tinged with gray, leaving a darker central streak; the 
 chin, throat, narrow line down the middle of the breast and body, abdomen, and 
 lower tail coverts white, or sometimes with a faint tinge of yellow; the lower 
 tail coverts somewhat streaked with brown in the centre; on each side of the rump, 
 generally concealed by the wings, is an elongated bunch of white silk}'- feathers ; 
 the wings and tail very dark brown, the former with the edges of the secondaries 
 and tertials edged with dull-white; the lower wing coverts and axillaries grayish- 
 brown; the tips of the primaries and tail feathers rather paler; feet and upper 
 mandible black, lower mandible brown; the young of the year similar, but the 
 color duller; feet light-brown. 
 
 Length, seven and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, four and thirty-three one- 
 hundredths; tail, three and thirty one-hundredths; tarsus, sixty one-hundredths. 
 
 Hob. Rare on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States. Not 
 observed in the interior, except to the north. Found in Greenland. (Reinhardt.) 
 
 This bird is a not very common summer inhabitant of 
 New England. It arrives from the South about the 20th 
 
136 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 of May, and is most frequently observed in low growths of 
 oak and chestnut: it seems always busily employed in 
 catching winged insects, of which its food almost entirely 
 consists; these it seizes in the manner of the King-bird, 
 which bird it resembles in both its habits and disposition. 
 I have sometimes seen two birds of this species engaged in 
 a fight, which, for fierceness, I have hardly seen surpassed. 
 They would rush together in mid-air, snapping their bills, 
 beating with their wings, and pecking each other, until they 
 both descended to the trees beneath, actually exhausted with 
 their exertions. 
 
 Mr. Verrill says that it breeds quite common near the 
 Umbagog Lakes, Me. ; but I have never been able to find its 
 nest there or elsewhere, although I have looked for it with 
 great care. 
 
 It has been found breeding in Vermont ; and Dr. Thomp- 
 son, in his work on the birds of that State, gives a descrip- 
 tion of the nest and eggs. Three nests have been found in 
 Massachusetts within two years ; two in West Roxbury, and 
 one in Dorchester. These were all built in forked twigs 
 of apple-trees, in old neglected orchards, facing to the 
 southward, and were constructed of the same material that 
 the King-bird uses in its nest. In fact, they were almost 
 exactly like the King-bird's nest, but were a little smaller. 
 
 Two of the nests had three eggs each, and the other had 
 but two. They were all found in the first week in June, 
 and the eggs were freshly laid : probably, if they had been 
 unmolested, more eggs would have been deposited. Three 
 of these eggs are in my cabinet. To compare them with 
 the eggs of any other bird, I should say they seem like 
 exceedingly large Wood Pe wee's : for they are almost exactly 
 like them in shape, color, and markings ; being of a creamy- 
 white, with large blotches and spatters of lilac, lavender, 
 and brownish-red. Their dimensions are .88 by .68 ; .88 
 by .66 ; .86 by .68 inch. 
 
 Mr. Nuttall, who found a nest in Cambridge, Mass., 
 
THE WOOD PEWEE. 137 
 
 describes it as follows : "It was built in the horizontal 
 branch of a tall red cedar, forty or fifty feet from the 
 ground. It was formed much in the manner of the King- 
 bird's, externally made of interlaced dead twigs of the 
 cedar ; internally, of the wire stolons of the common Lichen 
 or Usnea. It contained three young, and had had probably 
 four eggs. The eggs had been hatched about the 20th of 
 June, so that the pair had arrived in this vicinity about the 
 close of May." He also describes the bird's note as 
 follows : " The female had a whistling, oft-repeated, whin- 
 ing call of 'pit 'pit, then varied to 'pu 'pip, and 'pip 'pu, also 
 at times 'pip 'pip 'pu, 'pip 'pip 'pip, 'pii 'pu 'pip, or 'tu 'tu, 
 'tu, and 'tu, 'tu. The male, besides this note, had, at long 
 intervals, a call of seh' phebee or 'h' pheb^d, almost exactly 
 in the tone of the circular tin whistle or bird-call." 
 
 By the second week in September, none of these birds 
 are to be seen ; and, probably before that time, they have 
 all departed on their migrations. 
 
 CONTOPUS VIRENS. Cabanis. 
 
 The Wood Pewee. 
 
 Muscicapa virens, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 327. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 
 285. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 93; V. (1839) 425. 
 Muscicapa rapax, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 81. 
 Tyrannus virens, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 316. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The second quill longest, the third a little shorter, the first shorter than the 
 fourth, the latter nearly forty one-hundredths longer than the fifth ; the primaries 
 more than an inch longer than the secondaries ; the upper parts, sides of the head, 
 neck, and breast, dark olivaceous-brown, the latter rather paler, the head darker; a 
 narrow white ring round the eye ; the lower parts pale-yellowish, deepest on the 
 abdomen; across the breast tinged with ash; this pale ash sometimes occupies 
 the whole of the breast, and even occasionally extends up to the chin; it is also 
 sometimes glossed with olivaceous; the wings and tail dark-brown, generally deeper 
 than in S. fuscus; two narrow bands across the wing, the outer edge of first 
 primary and of the secondaries and tertials dull-white ; the edges of the tail feathers 
 like the back, the outer one scarcely lighter; upper mandible black, the lower yel- 
 low, but brown at the tip. 
 
 Length, six and fifteen one-hundredths inches; wing, three and fifty one-hun- 
 dredths; tail, three and five one-hundredths. 
 
 Hob. Eastern North America to the borders of the high central plains, south to 
 New Granada. 
 
138 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 This bird is a common summer inhabitant of New Eng- 
 land, making its appearance from the South from about the 
 10th to the 20th of May. It prefers the solitudes of 
 
 the deep forests to the more open districts, and is a more 
 retiring species than any of its cousins in these States. 
 About the last of May, the birds, having chosen their mates, 
 commence building. The nest is placed usually on the 
 horizontal limb of a tree, generally at a height of about 
 twenty feet from the ground : it is composed of pine leaves 
 and cottony substances, and covered with lichens and 
 mosses, which are fixed on after the manner of the Hum- 
 ming-bird. I think Nuttall's description of the nest the 
 best that I have seen : it is as follows : 
 
 " The nest is extremely neat and curious, almost universally 
 saddled upon an old moss-grown and decayed limb in a horizontal 
 position, and is so remarkably shallow, and incorporated upon the 
 branch, as to be easily overlooked. The body of the fabric con- 
 sists of wiry grass and root fibres, often blended with small branch- 
 ing lichens, held together with cobwebs and caterpillars' silk, 
 moistened with saliva ; externally, it is so coated over with bluish, 
 crustaceous lichens as to be hardly discernible from the moss 
 upon the tree. It is lined with finer root-fibres, or slender grass- 
 stalks." 
 
THE WOOD PEWEE. 139 
 
 The eggs are generally four in number. They are very 
 beautiful, being of a delicate cream-color, with blotches 
 and spots of lilac and brown around the larger end : there 
 are two shades of lilac, one obscure, and the other 
 decided, even a lavender. The eggs are generally oval in 
 shape, and but little larger at one end than at the other. 
 Length from .72 to .78 inch ; breadth from .54 to .56 inch. 
 But one brood is reared in the season in New England. 
 The period of incubation is fourteen days. 
 
 The habits of this species are not generally so well known 
 as those of the Phebe, which bird it resembles in many 
 respects. Although it is usually found in the wildest and 
 most thickly wooded localities, it sometimes frequents the 
 orchards and open pastures ; and I have occasionally seen 
 individuals on the trees on Boston Common, busily engaged 
 in hunting insects, and apparently having families in the 
 neighborhood. The note is different from that of the Phebe, 
 being more plaintive and drawling, sounding like the syl- 
 lables "pe-weeee" " pe-weeee" When the nest is ap- 
 proached, both the parents fly to meet the intruder, 
 hovering over his head, snapping their bills, and uttering 
 short notes of complaint like chip-pee, pe-peu : they often 
 alight on a twig near him, and flirt their tails and quiver 
 their wings in a nervous, irritable manner. After the 
 young have left the nest, the old birds separate ; and, though 
 still frequenting the same localities they inhabited during 
 the season of incubation, they are seldom seen together, 
 each seeming to avoid the other. They are now generally 
 silent, and, when approached, are quite shy. They leave 
 the New-England States by the 10th of September, and 
 probably winter in South America. 
 
 EMPIDONAX, CABANIS. 
 
 Empidonax, CABANIS, Journal fur Ornithologie, III. (Nov., 1855) 480 (type 
 Tyrannula pusilla. 
 
 Tyrannula of most authors. 
 
140 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Tarsus lengthened, considerably longer than the middle toe, which is decidedly 
 longer than the hind toe ; bill variable ; tail very slightly forked, even, or rounded, 
 a little shorter only than the wings, which are considerably rounded, the first pri- 
 mary much shorter than the fourth; head moderately crested; color olivaceous 
 above, yellowish beneath ; throat generally gray. 
 
 EMPIDONAX TEAILLII. Baird. 
 The Traill's Flycatcher. 
 
 Muscicapa traittii, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 236; V. (1839) 426. 
 Tyrannus traillii, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 323. 
 
 DESCBIPTION. 
 
 Third quill longest, second scarcely shorter than fourth, first shorter than fifth, 
 about thirty-five one-hundredths shorter than the longest ; primaries about seventy- 
 five one-hundredths of an inch longer than secondaries ; tail even ; upper parts dark 
 olive-green, lighter under the wings, and duller and more tinged with ash on nape 
 and sides of the neck; centre of the crown feathers brown; a pale yellowish-white 
 ring (in some specimens altogether white) round the eye; loral feathers mixed 
 with white; chin and throat white; the breast and sides of throat light-ash tinged 
 with olive, its intensity varying in individuals, the former sometimes faintly 
 tinged with olive; sides of the breast much like the back; middle of the belly nearly 
 white; sides of the belly, abdomen, and the lower tail coverts sulphur-yellow; the 
 quills and tail feathers dark-brown, as dark (if not more so) as these parts in 
 C. virens; two olivaceous yellow-white bands on the wing, formed by the tips of the 
 first and second coverts, succeeded by a brown one, the edge of the first primary 
 and of secondaries and tertials a little lighter shade of the same ; the outer edge of 
 the tail feathers like the back, that of the lateral one rather lighter; bill above dark- 
 brown, dull-brownish beneath. 
 
 Length, nearly six inches; wing, two and ninety one-hundredths; tail, two and 
 sixty one-hundredths. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States, and south to Mexico. 
 
 This bird is occasionally found as a spring and autumn 
 visitor in New England, arriving about the 15th or 20th of 
 May. In its habits, it resembles the Least Flycatcher (E. 
 minimus), as it does also in its plumage: in fact, these. two 
 birds and the Green-crested Flycatcher have been so much 
 mistaken for each other by different naturalists, the confu- 
 sion in whose descriptions is so great, that it requires a very 
 careful examination to identify either of these birds per- 
 fectly and accurately. I have had no opportunities for 
 observing the habits of the bird now before us, and can add 
 nothing to its history. Thompson, in his " Vermont Birds," 
 
THE LEAST FLYCATCHER. 
 
 gives it as breeding in that State ; and I have no doubt it 
 occasionally passes the summer in each of the New-England 
 States. I had a nest and four eggs brought me in June, 
 1864, found in Eastern Massachusetts, that were almost 
 exactly like those of E. minimus; but the bird brought 
 with the nest was unquestionably of this species : whether 
 or not the two belonged together I cannot say, but think 
 that they probably did. The person who collected them 
 informed me that the nest was found in an apple-tree in an 
 old orchard : it was built in a small fork about twenty feet 
 from the ground. The bird attacked the person who found 
 it, courageously flying in his face, and snapping its bill 
 with anger, and uttering a querulous twitter like that of the 
 Phebe. The eggs were nearly hatched ; and, as they were 
 found on the 20th of June, they must have been laid by 
 the 10th of that month. 
 
 Two eggs in my cabinet, from near Quebec, Lower Can- 
 ada, collected by William Couper, Esq., who informs me 
 this species is occasionally met with there, are of a creamy- 
 white color, like that of the eggs of E. minimus ; each egg 
 having a very few pale reddish-brown dots. The form of 
 the eggs is more elongated than that of the eggs of minimus, 
 the dimensions being .77 by .53 inch, and .76 by .55 inch. 
 
 EMPIDONAX MINIMUS. Baird. 
 The Least Flycatcher; Chebec. 
 
 Tyrannula minima, William M. and S. F. Baird. Pr. A. N. Sc. I. (July, 1843) 
 284. /&., Sillim. Am. Jour. Sc. (July, 1844). And., Birds Amer. VII. (1844) 343, 
 pi. 491. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Second quill longest, third and fourth but little shorter, fifth a little less, first 
 intermediate between fifth and sixth; tail even; above olive-brown, darker on the 
 head, becoming paler on the rump and upper tail coverts; the middle of the back 
 most strongly olivaceous; the nape (in some individuals) and sides of the head 
 tinged with ash; a ring round the eye, and some of the loral feathers white, the chin 
 and throat white; the sides of the throat and across the breast dull-ash, the color on 
 the latter sometimes nearly obsolete; sides of the breast similar to the back, but of a 
 lighter tint ; middle of the belly very pale yellowish-white, turning to pale sulphur- 
 yellow on the sides ,of the belly, abdomen, and lower tail coverts; wings brown, 
 
142 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 two narrow white bands on wing, formed by the tips of the first and second cov- 
 erts, succeeded by one of brown ; the edge of the first primary, and of the second- 
 aries and tertials, white; tail rather lighter brown, edged externally like the back; 
 feathers narrow, not acuminate, with the ends rather blunt. In autumn, the white 
 parts are strongly tinged with yellow. 
 
 Length, about five inches; wing, two and sixty-five one-hundredths ; tail, two 
 and fifty one-hundredths. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States to Missouri plains. 
 
 This species arrives from the South usually about the 
 last week in April. The birds commence building about 
 the 20th or 25th of May. The nest is placed usually in 
 a small fork of a limb of an apple-tree, in the orchard, and 
 often quite near the house : it is composed of soft, fine grass, 
 cobwebs, twine, cotton, in fact, almost any thing that will 
 help to make a smooth, compact fabric : the interior is lined 
 with soft grass, bristles, fine roots, feathers, and wool. The 
 eggs are usually four in number, sometimes three, some- 
 times five : they are of a beautiful creamy-white color ; and 
 their form is nearly pyriform, being abruptly tapered to the 
 small end. Dimensions of a nest complement of four eggs, 
 taken at random from a large number, collected in different 
 parts of New England : .63 by .50 inch, .64 by .51 inch, 
 .61 by .53 inch, .60 by .53 inch. This species often breeds 
 twice in the season in New England. The period of incuba- 
 tion is thirteen days. 
 
 This bird, being very abundantly distributed as a summer 
 resident throughout New England, is well known, and its 
 habits are familiar to all. It prefers the neighborhood of 
 civilization, and is most frequently found in orchards and 
 gardens. A pair once built in an apple-tree, immediately 
 beneath my chamber window, so near that I could touch 
 the nest with a rod four feet in length. The nest was com- 
 menced on the 5th of June, and was finished by the 10th ; 
 both birds working in its construction. The female laid 
 four eggs in three days' time, and commenced sitting when 
 the fourth was laid. Both birds incubated, and the male 
 remained on the nest nearly as long as his mate. When he 
 
THE SMALL GREEN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER. 143 
 
 was off the nest, he was very pugnacious ; attacking every 
 bird that came near, and even forcing a robin to retreat, so 
 fierce was the onslaught he made on it. He always, in 
 attacking other birds, uttered his shrill cry, chebec, chebec, 
 and snapped his bill loudly and fiercely. When perching, 
 lie often flirted his tail in the manner of the Phebe ; and, 
 every few seconds, he emitted his note, chebec, chebec, 
 chebec; varied sometimes into chebec-trree-treo, chebe c-treee- 
 clieu. 
 
 The young were all hatched by the fourteenth day, and 
 left the nest within a month from their birth. They were fed 
 abundantly, while on the nest, by the parents, with insects, 
 which they caught and crushed between their bills: they 
 were fed a few days after they left the nest, and then turned 
 adrift ; the parents having begun another nest on the same 
 tree. 
 
 The Least Flycatcher has often been called the Small 
 Green-crested or Acadican Flycatcher. I would caution 
 those who are interested in the history of these birds to 
 observe great care, and be certain of their identity before 
 naming them. 
 
 By the second week in September, it leaves on its south- 
 ern migration. 
 
 EMPIDONAX ACADICUS. Baird. 
 The Small Green-crested Flycatcher. 
 
 f Muscicapa acadica, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 947. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. 
 (1834) 256; V. (1839) 429. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 208. 
 Muscicapa querula, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 77. 
 Tyrannus acadica, Nuttall. Man. I. (2d ed., 1840) 320. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The second and third quills are longest, and about equal; the fourth a little 
 shorter, the first about equal to the fifth, and about thirty-five one-hundredths less 
 than the longest; tail even; the upper parts, with sides of the head and neck, olive- 
 green, the crown very little if any darker; a yellowish-white ring round the eye; 
 the sides of the body under the wings like the back, but fainter olive, a tinge of the 
 same across the breast; the chin, throat, and middle of the belly white; the abdo- 
 men, lower tail and wing coverts, and sides of the body not covered by the wings, 
 pale greenish-yellow ; edges of the first primary, secondaries, and tertials margined 
 
144 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 with dull yellowish- white, most broadly on the latter; two transverse bands of pale- 
 yellowish across the wings, formed by the tips of the secondary and primary covertsf 
 succeeded by a brown one; tail light-brown, margined externally like the back; 
 upper mandible light-brown above, pale-yellow beneath. In autumn, the lower 
 parts are more yellow. 
 
 Length, five and sixty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, three ; tail, two and 
 seventy-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States to the Mississippi. 
 
 This bird is a rare summer inhabitant of any of the New- 
 England States, seldom coming so far north. I have had 
 no opportunities of observing its habits, and can give no 
 description from my own observation. Mr. Allen says that 
 it breeds in swamps and low moist thickets, which are its 
 exclusive haunts. 
 
 Giraud, in his " Birds of Long Island," says, " In habits, 
 it is solitary ; generally seen on the lower branches of the 
 largest trees ; utters a quick, sharp note ; arrives among us 
 in the latter part of May, and retires southward early in 
 September." 
 
 I have no nest, but understand that it resembles that of 
 the Least Flycatcher. Five eggs before me, furnished by 
 J. P. Norris, Esq., of Philadelphia, are of a pale creamy- 
 white color, with a few thin spots of reddish-brown scattered 
 over their larger end. They vary in size from .78 inch in 
 length by about .56 inch in breadth, to .72 inch in length 
 by .55 inch in breadth. The form is like that of E. traillii ; 
 but ( the spots are larger and more numerous. 
 
OSCINES. SINGING BIRDS. 145 
 
 SUB-ORDER OSCINES. SINGING BIRDS. 
 
 Toes, three anterior, one behind, all at the same level, and none versatile, the 
 outer anterior never entirely free to the base ; tail feathers twelve; primaries, either 
 nine only, or else the first is spurious or much shorter than the second, making the 
 tenth; tail feathers usually twelve; tarsi feathered to the knee, the plates on the 
 anterior face either fused into one or with distinct divisions, the posterior portion of 
 the sides covered by one continuous plate on either side, meeting in a sharp edge 
 behind, or with only a few divisions inferiorly. Occasionally, the hinder side has 
 transverse plates, corresponding in number to the anterior; but there are then usually 
 none on the sides. Larynx provided with a peculiar muscular apparatus for singing, 
 composed of five pairs of muscles. 
 
 FAMILY TURDID^E. THE THRUSHES. 
 
 The following characteristics of this family and its genera, represented in New 
 England, are given by Professor Spencer F. Baird, in his recent " Review of the 
 Birds of Noith America," published in the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collec- 
 tions : 
 
 "Primaries ten, the first of which is either spurious or much shorter than the 
 second. The bill is elongated and subulate, moderately slender, and usually notched 
 at tip; nostrils uncovered; the culmen moderately curved from the base, and the 
 mouth well provided with bristles, except in a few cases. Usually, the scutellae 
 covering the front and sides of the. tarsus are fused into one continuous plate, or else 
 scarcely appreciable, except on the inner edge only ; in the Mocking Thrushes, they 
 are, however, distinctly marked. The lateral toes are nearly equal, the outer rather 
 the longer." These general characteristics apply also to the Saxicolidce, more fully 
 spoken of in a succeeding page. 
 
 The peculiar characteristics of the family Turdidce are: "Wings moderate, more 
 rounded, not reaching beyond middle of the often rounded tail, and not more than 
 one and a third the latter, usually more nearly equal. Spurious primary sometimes 
 half the length of second quill, the second quill shorter than the fourth. In the 
 closed wing, the outer secondary reaches three-fourths or more the length of longest 
 primary." 
 
 Professor Baird divides this family into the* sub-families Turdince, which have 
 "tarsi covered anteriorly with a continuous plate;" and the Mimince, whose tarsi 
 are scutellate anteriorly ; scutellae seven. 
 
 Sub-Family TURDINJE. 
 
 Nostrils oval; bristles along the base of the bill from gape to nostrils, those of 
 rictus not reaching beyond nostrils ; the loral feathers with bristly points ; second 
 quill longer than sixth; outer lateral toes longer; wings long. 
 
 10 
 
146 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 TURDUS, LINNAEUS. 
 
 Turdus, LINN^US, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type T. viscivorus, fide G. R. Gray.) 
 Bill rather stout; commissure straight to near the tip, which is quite abruptly 
 decurved, and usually distinctly notched; culmen gently convex from base; bill 
 shorter than the head, both outlines curved; tarsi longer than the middle toe; lateral 
 toes nearly equal, outer longer; wings much longer than the tail, pointed; the first 
 quill spurious and very small, not one-fourth the length of longest ; tail short, nearly 
 even, or slightly emarginate. 
 
 TURDUS MUSTELINUS. Gmelin. 
 The Song Thrush ; Wood Thrush. 
 
 Turdus mustelinus, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 817. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 343. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 372; V. (1839) 446. 
 
 Turdus melodus, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 35, pi ii. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above, clear cinnamon-brown, on the top of the head becoming more rufous, on 
 the rump and tail olivaceous ; the under parts are clear-white, sometimes tinged with 
 buff on the breast or anteriorly, and thickly marked beneath, except on the chin 
 and throat, and about the vent and tail coverts, with sub-triangular, sharply defined 
 spots of blackish; the sides of the head are dark -brown, streaked with white, and 
 there is also a maxillary series of streaks on each side of the throat, the central por- 
 tion of which sometimes has indications of small spots. 
 
 Length, eight and ten-hundredths inches : wing, four and twenty-five one-hun- 
 dredths; tail, three and five one-hundredths ; tarsus, one and twenty-six one- 
 hundredths. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States to Missouri River, south to Guatemala. 
 
 beautiful songster is a pretty common summer 
 JL inhabitant of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode 
 Island. In the other New-England States, it is rarely seen ; 
 and, when we hear of a Song Thrush occurring there, refer- 
 ence is probably made either to the Hermit or Olive-backed 
 Thrush. It arrives from the South about the 10th of May, 
 both sexes making their appearance at about the same time. 
 They soon commence pairing, and frequent the moist thick- 
 ets and thickly wooded glens, where their amours are con- 
 ducted in privacy and peace. 
 
 At this season, the beautiful song of the male is heard at 
 early dawn and early twilight : it seldom sings in the middle 
 of the day, unless the weather is dark and cloudy. This 
 song is a beautiful, melancholy strain, similar to the tone 
 
THE SONG THRUSH. 147 
 
 produced on a flute : the notes are difficult of description. 
 Mr. Nuttall, who was particularly happy in his descriptions 
 of bird-songs, speaks of this as follows : 
 
 " The prelude to this song resembles almost the double-tonguing 
 of the flute, blended with a tinkling, shrill, and solemn warble, 
 which re-echoes from his solitary retreat like the dirge of some sad 
 recluse, who shuns the busy haunts of life. The whole air consists 
 usually of four parts, or bars, which succeed, in deliberate time, 
 and finally blend together in impressive and soothing harmony, 
 becoming more mellow arid sweet at every repetition. Rival per- 
 formers seem to challenge each other from various parts of the 
 wood, vying for the favor of their mates with sympathetic respon- 
 ses and softer tones. And some, waging a jealous strife, terminate 
 the warm dispute by an appeal to combat and violence. Like the 
 Robin and the Thrasher, in dark and gloomy weather, when other 
 birds are sheltered and silent, the clear notes of the Wood Thrush 
 are heard through the dropping woods, from dawn to dusk ; so that, 
 the sadder the day, the sweeter and more constant is his song. His 
 clear and interrupted whistle is likewise often nearly the only voice 
 of melody heard by the traveller, to mid-day, in the heat of sum- 
 mer, as he traverses the silent, dark, and wooded wilderness, remote 
 from the haunts of men. It is nearly impossible by words to con- 
 vey any idea of the peculiar warble of this vocal hermit; but, 
 amongst his phrases, the sound of 'airoee, peculiarly liquid, and 
 followed by a trill, repeated in two separate bars, is readily recog* 
 nizable. At times, their notes bear a considerable resemblance to 
 those of Wilson's Thrush : such as eh rhehu 'vrhehu, then varied 
 to 'eh villia villia, 'eh villia vrhehu, then 'eh vein villu, high and 
 shrill." 
 
 About the 20th of May, the Song Thrush builds its nest. 
 This is placed usually in a low alder or birch shrub, in a 
 retired locality, almost always in the deep woods. It is 
 composed outwardly of grass, leaves, and weeds, bent and 
 twined together. In this is built a nest composed of mud 
 and grass, and the whole is lined with fibrous roots and soft 
 grass and moss. It is placed on a low branch of a tree, or 
 in the branches of a shrub. I give Wilson's description of 
 
148 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the nest, not because it is essentially different from my own, 
 but to confirm my own observation, and to help clear up 
 the confusion that exists in many districts concerning the 
 identity of the thrushes. It is as follows : 
 
 " The favorite haunts of the Wood Thrush are low, thick-shaded 
 hollows, through which a small brook or rill meanders, overhung 
 with cedar-bushes that are mantled with wild vines. Near such a 
 scene, he generally builds his nest in a laurel or alder bush. Out- 
 wardly, it is composed of withered beech-leaves of the preceding 
 year, laid at bottom in considerable quantities, no doubt to prevent 
 damp and moisture from ascending through, being generally built 
 in low, wet situations : above these are layers of knotty stalks or 
 withered grass, mixed with mud, and smoothly plastered, above 
 which is laid a slight lining of fine black fibrous roots of plants." 
 
 The eggs are usually four in number ; they are of a uni- 
 form light-blue color, without spots, and with a very slight 
 tint of green ; their form is rather long and pointed. The 
 following are the dimensions of a nest complement of four 
 eggs, found in Milton, Mass. : 1.12 by .68 inch, 1.12 by .69 
 inch, 1.07 by TO inch, 1 by .73 inch. But one brood is 
 usually reared in the season in New England. 
 
 * TUEDUS PALL ASH. Cabanis. 
 
 The Hermit Thrush. 
 
 Turdus pallasii, Cabanis. Wieggman's Archiv. (1847), I. 205. 
 
 Turdtu solitarius, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 95 (not of Linnaeus. The figure 
 quoted pi. xliii. fig. 2, belongs to T. Swainsonii). Aud. Syn. (1839). 7., Birds 
 Am., III. (1841) 29, pi. 146. 
 
 Turdus minor, Bonaparte. Obs. Wilson (1825), No. 72. 75., Syn. (1828), 75. 
 Nutt. Man., I. (1830) 346. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 303; V. 445, pi. 58. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Fourth quill longest; third and fourth a little shorter; second about equal to the 
 sixth (about a thirtieth of an inch shorter than the longest); tail slightly emargi- 
 nate; above light olive-brown, with a scarcely perceptible shade of reddish, passing, 
 however, into decided rufous on the rump, upper tail coverts, and tail, and to a less 
 degree on the outer surface of the wings; beneath white, with a scarcely appreciable 
 shade of pale-buff across the fore part of the breast, and sometimes on the throat; 
 the sides of the throat and the fore part of the breast with rather sharply defined 
 
THE HERMIT THRUSH. 149 
 
 eubtriangul-ir spots of dark olive-brown ; the sides of the breast with paler and less 
 distinct spots of the same ; sides of the body under the wings of a paler shade than 
 the back; a whitish ring round the eye; ear coverts very obscurely streaked with 
 paler. 
 
 Length, seven and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, three and eighty-four one- 
 hundredths; tail, three and twenty-five one-hundredths; tarsus, one and sixteen 
 one-hundredths. 
 
 Hub. Eastern North America to the Mississippi River. 
 
 This bird, although not so well known in Massachusetts, 
 Connecticut, and Rhode Island, is quite familiar to the 
 people of the other States in New England. It arrives from 
 the South about the middle of April, and passes leisurely 
 to the North, where it arrives about the middle of May. 
 It very seldom breeds in any districts south of the latitude 
 of the middle of Maine ; and from thence north it is quite 
 abundant, where it is known by the name of the Swamp 
 Robin. I have been so fortunate as to find several nests 
 of this species ; and they were all built in very low scrubby 
 trees or bushes, quite near the ground. They were com- 
 posed of twigs, grasses, mosses, and leaves ; they were 
 deeply hollowed, and no mud was used in their composition, 
 as with several other species ; they were lined with soft 
 grasses, mosses, and fine fibrous roots. The eggs were, in 
 one nest, three in number ; and, in the others, four. This was 
 about the 10th of June. The localities were in the neigh- 
 borhood of Lake Umbagog and in the valley of the Magal- 
 loway River, in Maine. The eggs of this species are of a 
 somewhat elongated oval form, a*nd their color is a light- 
 blue with a very faint tint of green : " about one in every 
 four has very thinly scattered spots of reddish-brown, and 
 occasionally one is met with having an abundance of 
 coarser spots of two shades of brown." Dimensions 
 of specimens from various localities vary from .92 by .65 
 to .88 by .60 inch. 
 
 Mr. C. L. Paine, of Randolph, Vt., writes me that he has 
 found numbers of the nests of this bird, and that they were 
 invariably built on the ground. He also says that the eggs 
 
150 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 are always blue in color, and he has never met with one 
 that was spotted in any manner. I have quite a number 
 of specimens in my collection, and not one is spotted. I 
 have also seen many others, and they were not marked ; and 
 I think that the above quotation must be received with cau- 
 tion. A nest sent me from Upton, Me., is composed almost 
 entirely of mosses. It contains five eggs, all unspotted. 
 
 Mr. Paine writes me that the Olive-backed Thrush breeds 
 in his neighborhood, which, with the other, are the only 
 thrushes breeding there. In answer to his remark that 
 the Hermit Thrush always builds on the ground, I can only 
 say that I found the nests as above. I have noticed that 
 the Tawny or Wilson's Thrush builds on the ground in 
 some localities and in bushes in others, and conclude that 
 the Hermit is also variable in its choice of a nesting-place. 
 
 The habits, song, and general characteristics of this bird 
 are almost exactly similar to those of the Song Thrush. 
 Its song resembles it so much, that I always supposed the 
 bird was the same, until I examined some of them that I 
 heard singing, when I found my mistake. About the 
 middle of October, the last individuals that are seen in 
 Massachusetts leave for the South. At this time, as in the 
 spring, they are silent and shy : their note is a faint chirp, 
 uttered in a listless, melancholy tone ; and their whole 
 appearance is in keeping with the great change which has 
 come over the face of Nature. In fact, the Hermit Thrush 
 is always associated in my mind with the falling of leaves, 
 the rattling of acorns, and the whirring of the Ruffed 
 Grouse through the birches and alders of the swampy 
 glens. 
 
 TURDUS FUSCESCENS. Stephens. 
 The Tawny Thrush; Wilson's Thrush. 
 
 Turdus fuscescens, Stephens. Shaw's Zool. Birds, X. (1817) 182. Gray, Genera 
 (1849). 
 
 Turdm mwtdinus, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 98 (not of Gm.). 
 
 Turdus Wilsonii, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 349. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 362; 
 V. 446. /&., Birds Am., III. (1841) 27, pi. 145. 
 
THE TAWNY THRUSH. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Third quill longest, fourth a little shorter, second nearly a quarter of an inch 
 longer than the fifth; above, and on sides of head and neck, nearly uniform light 
 reddish-brown, with a faint tendency to orange on the crown and tail; beneath 
 white, the fore part of the breast and throat (paler on the chin) tinged with pale 
 brownish-yellow, in decided contrast to the white of the belly; the sides of the 
 throat and the fore part of the breast, as colored, are marked with small triangular 
 spots of light-brownish, nearly like the back, but not well defined; there are a few 
 obsolete blotches on the sides of the breast (in the white) of pale-olivaceous, the 
 sides of the body tinged with the same; tibiae white; the lower mandible is brown- 
 ish only at the tip; the lores are ash-colored. 
 
 Length, seven and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, four and twenty-five one- 
 hundredths; tail, three and twenty one-hundredths inches ; tarsus, one and twenty 
 one-hundredths. 
 
 Hab. Eastern North America to the Missouri, north to fur countries. 
 
 This species is well distinguished among the American thrushes by the indis- 
 tinctness of the spots beneath, and their being confined mainly to the fore part of 
 the breast. In some specimens, there is a faint tendency to a more vivid color on 
 the rump ; but this is usually like the back, which is very nearly the color of the 
 rump in T. pallasii. 
 
 This quite common species is a summer inhabitant of 
 southern New England. It is quite abundant until we reach 
 the southern portions of Maine, New Hampshire, and Ver- 
 mont, when it begins to grow less common until we reach the 
 latitude of the middle of these States, where it begins to be 
 replaced by the Hermit Thrush, and soon ceases to occur to 
 the north of this latitude. It makes its appearance from 
 the South about the first week in May, often earlier, and 
 commences building about the 20th of May. The nest is 
 placed occasionally in a low shrub, or tangled clump of 
 briers, usually on the ground. The situation is retired, 
 often in the depths of the woods. The nest is constructed 
 of grass, leaves, and weeds ; in some cases, the outer bark 
 of the grape-vine is the principal material used : it is quite 
 thoroughly made, and is deeply hollowed, and lined with 
 fine roots and horsehair. The eggs are usually four in 
 number, sometimes five ; their color is bluish-green, deeper 
 than that of the eggs of the Hermit Thrush, but not so dark 
 as in those of the Cat Bird ; their form is generally an oval, 
 sometimes lengthened and sharpened ; their average size is 
 
152 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 about .90 by .66 inch. As in many other eggs, the longest 
 specimens are not always the broadest. The following are 
 the dimensions of four eggs, taken at random from a large 
 number of this species : .92 by .64 inch, .88 by .64 inch, 
 .86 by .66 inch, .87 by .67 inch. 
 
 From the first arrival of this bird, during its whole stay 
 here, it seems to prefer the neighborhood of a swampy wood 
 for its home. There, during the mating and incubating 
 seasons, the notes of the male may be heard at the earliest 
 hours of the morning and evening ; and, in cloudy weather, 
 through the day, and sometimes in the night. The song is 
 a peculiar one, with a singular metallic ring, exceedingly 
 difficult to describe : it begins quite loud, the syllables 
 chefiry, chetiry, dreary, cheury, decreasing in tone to a quito 
 faint lisp ; then, after a short pause, the notes, cheou 'twit, 
 tritter, 'tritter, are uttered ; and the whole is finished usually 
 with the ejaculation, chickwheu. This song is often re- 
 peated ; and sometimes two or three males, perching on a 
 low shrub or tree, emulate each other in a musical contest 
 that is very pleasing to hear. This thrush, as are all the 
 others, is eminently insectivorous ; and through the whole 
 day he may be heard busily searching among the fallen 
 leaves for his favorite food. 
 
 About the 10th of September, it leaves for the South : at 
 this time, like most of the others, it is silent and retiring, 
 and is found only in localities that are thickly wooded with 
 a growth of small birches and oaks. 
 
 TURDUS SWAINSONII. Cabanis. 
 The Olive-backed Thrush; Swainson's Thrush. 
 
 Turdus SwainsoniL Cab. in Tschudi F. Peruana (1844-46) 188. 
 Turdus solitarius, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Third quill longest, second and fourth but little shorter, and much longer than 
 the fifth (by thirty-five one-hundredth s of an inch); upper parts uniform olivaceous, 
 with a decided shade of green; the fore part of breast, the throat, and chin, pale 
 brownish-yellow ; rest of lower parts white, the sides washed with brownish-olive ; 
 
THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. 153 
 
 sides of the throat and fore part of the breast with sub-rounded spots of well-defined 
 brown, darker than the back; the rest of the breast (except medially) with rather 
 less distinct spots that are more olivaceous ; tibiae yellowish-brown ; broad ring round 
 the eye; loral region, and a general tinge on the side of the head, clear reddish-buff. 
 
 Length, seven inches; wing, four and fifteen one-hundredths ; tail, three and 
 ten one-hundredths inches; tarsus, one and ten one-hundredths. 
 
 Hob. Eastern North America to the Black Hills, south to Mexico and Peru, 
 north to Greenland. Accidental in Europe and Siberia. 
 
 This species is at once distinguished from the others by the perfectly uniform and 
 pure dull-olivaceous shade of its upper parts, most strongly marked and appreciable 
 on the rump and tail. The throat and breast are perhaps more reddish than in any 
 of our species, and the tinge in the marking on the side of the head is very much 
 more decided than in any other. The spots on the breast larger than in T. ustulatus, 
 and rather more numerous than in pallasii. 
 
 This species is the least common of all the New-England 
 thrushes. It is rarely observed in its passage through tlu 
 southern portions of these States, and only begins to choose 
 a home for the summer on arriving at the northern districts. 
 I have looked for it repeatedly, but have not been able to 
 find it south of the latitude of Lake Umbagog, in the breed- 
 ing season ; and even there it is not often met with. It 
 arrives in the localities where it breeds about the first week 
 in June. In common with the Hermit Thrush, it is called 
 the " Swamp Robin," and can hardly be distinguished from 
 that bird, either by its song, which is beautiful, or by its 
 breeding habits or nests. The eggs are different, being of a 
 deeper green color : they are always (so far as my experi- 
 ence goes) thinly spotted with dots and blotches of reddish 
 and brown. The following are the dimensions of four eggs 
 that I found in a nest near Wilson's Mills, Me., on the 16th 
 of June, 1864 : .93 by .64 inch, .93 by .63 inch, .92 by .60 
 inch, .90 by .61 inch. 
 
 The only difference in the habits of this species from those 
 of the Hermit Thrush is, that, while the latter is most usually 
 found in swampy localities, the other is most often seen in 
 dry, scrubby woods, where it is almost always busily engaged 
 in the pursuit of its favorite insect food. 
 
 J. A. Allen, in his paper on the birds of Springfield, 
 Mass., before referred to, is of the opinion that this species 
 
154 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 and the Turdus alicice are the same. In a conversation with 
 Professor Baird, since the issue of Allen's paper, I was in- 
 formed, that, in a large suite of specimens of both species, 
 to which he had access, he coiild identify each by character- 
 istics so fixed that any confusion was impossible : he was 
 of the opinion that Mr. Allen had not seen the bird he calls 
 alicice. I have therefore not given that species as a bird of 
 New England, and think that it yet remains to be proved as 
 such. 
 
 Dr. Bryant, in describing the habits of the Olive-backed 
 Thrush, says : 
 
 " Its note differs entirely from that of T. pallasii, and the birds 
 also differ very much in their habits ; the latter species being gen- 
 erally seen on the ground, while the Olive-backed Thrush prefers 
 to procure its food among the branches. The one seen at Big Mud 
 Lake, Grand Manan, was perched on the top of a small dwarf-fir, 
 and was hunting the passing insects with all the dexterity of a 
 typical Flycatcher." 
 
 TURDUS MIGRATORIUS. Linnceus. 
 The Robin. 
 
 Turdus migratorius, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 292. Wilson, Am. Orn , I. 
 (1808) 35. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 190. 
 
 Merula migratoria, Sw. and Rich. Fauna Bor. Amer., II. (1831) 176. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Third and fourth quills about equal, fifth a little shorter, second longer than 
 sixth; tail slightly rounded; above olive-gray, top and sides of the head black; 
 chin and throat white, streaked with black; eyelids, and a spot above the eye an- 
 teriorly, white; under parts and inside of the wings chestnut-brown; the under tail 
 coverts and anal region with tibiae white, showing the plumbeous inner portions of 
 the feathers ; wings dark-brown, the feathers all edged more or less with pale-ash ; 
 tail still darker, the extreme feathers tipped with white; bill yellow, dusky along the 
 ridge and at the tip. 
 
 Length, nine and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wing, five and forty-three 
 one-hundredths ; tail, four and seventy -five one-hundredths inches ; tarsus, one and 
 twenty-five one-hundredths. 
 
 Hob. Continent of North America to Mexico. 
 
 It is very seldom that specimens exhibit the colors exactly as described. Nearly 
 always in winter, and in most cases at other times, the rufous feathers are margined 
 with whitish, sometimes quite obscuring the color. The black feathers of the head, 
 
THE ROBIN. 155 
 
 too, have brownish edgings. The white spot above the eye sometimes extends for- 
 wards towards the nostrils, but is usually quite restricted. The white patches on 
 the two eyelids are separated from each other, anteriorly and posteriorly. 
 
 Tliis very common and well-known bird is a summer in- 
 habitant of all New England, and, in mild winters, remains 
 in the southern districts of these States through the year. 
 The great body of the 
 birds, however, arrive 
 from the South about 
 the middle of March. 
 They commence build- 
 ing from the middle of 
 April to the first week 
 in May, according to lati- 
 tude. The nest is built 
 more often in the trees of 
 the orchards and gardens, near houses, than in the deep 
 woods. It is a large, elaborately built affair, constructed first 
 of a thick layer of straws, weeds, roots, and mosses : on this 
 is built the nest proper, which is made of straws and weeds, 
 woven together in a circular form, and plastered together 
 with mud ; this is lined with soft grasses and moss, the 
 whole making a durable structure, often holding together 
 through the entire year. The eggs are usually four in num- 
 ber : their color is a beautiful greenish-blue, almost the same 
 as that of the Wood Thrush's egg, which they resemble in 
 shape, except they are a trifle broader. Dimensions of a 
 nest-complement of four eggs : 1.16 by .82 inch, 1.16 by .82 
 inch, 1.10 by .75 inch, 1.10 by .80 inch. Many cases occur, 
 in the southern districts of New England, of two broods 
 being reared in the season, and I have known of three 
 broods being reared in Massachusetts ; but, in the northern 
 districts, I think that the second brood is the exception, 
 instead of the rule. 
 
 Perhaps none of our birds are more unpopular with horti- 
 culturists than this ; and I will here give the observations 
 
156 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 of different scientific men, and my own, to show that the 
 prejudice against the bird is unjust and unfounded. Mr. 
 Trouvelot, of Medford, Mass., who is engaged in rearing 
 silkworms, for the production of silk, is troubled by the 
 Robin to a degree surpassing most other birds. He has a 
 tract of about seven or eight acres enclosed, and mostly 
 covered with netting. He is obliged, in self-defence, to kill 
 the birds which penetrate into the enclosure and destroy the 
 worms. Through the season, probably ten robins, for one 
 of all others, thus molest him ; and, of scores of these birds 
 which he has opened and examined, none had any fruit or 
 berries in their stomachs, nothing but insects. It is to 
 be understood that this was not in a part of the summer 
 when berries were unripe : on the contrary, it was all 
 through the season. His land is surrounded with scrub- 
 oaks and huckleberry-bushes. These latter were loaded 
 with fruit, which was easier of access to the birds than the 
 worms ; but none were found in them. He says they came 
 from all quarters to destroy his silkworms, and gave him 
 more trouble than all the other birds together. He said 
 that, in his opinion, if the birds were all killed off, vegeta- 
 tion would be entirely destroyed. To test the destructive- 
 ness of these marauders, as he regarded them, he placed on 
 a small scrub-oak near his door two thousand of his silk- 
 worms. (These, let me say, resemble, when small, the 
 young caterpillar of the apple-tree moth.) In a very few 
 days they were all eaten by Cat-birds and Robins, birds 
 closely allied, and of the same habits. This was in the 
 berry season, when an abundance of this kind of food was 
 easily accessible ; but they preferred his worms. Why ? 
 Because the young of these, as well as those of most other 
 birds, must be fed on animal food. Earthworms assist in 
 the regimen ; but how often can birds like the Robin, Cat- 
 bird, Thrush, &c., get these ? Any farmer knows, that, when 
 the surface of the ground is dry, they go to the subsoil, out 
 of the reach of birds ; and it is not necessary here to say 
 
THE ROBIN. 157 
 
 what proportion of the time the ground is very dry through 
 the summer. Caterpillars, grubs of various kinds, and 
 insects, therefore constitute the chief food of these birds; 
 and of these, caterpillars and grubs being the most abun- 
 dant, and most easily caught, furnish, of course, the larger 
 proportion. 
 
 In fact, the Thrushes seem designed by nature to rid the 
 surface of the soil of noxious insects not often pursued by 
 most other birds. The warblers capture the insects that 
 prey on the foliage of the trees ; the flycatchers seize these 
 insects as they fly from the trees ; the swallows capture 
 those which have escaped all these ; the woodpeckers destroy 
 them when in the larva state in the wood ; the wrens, nut- 
 hatches, titmice, and creepers eat the eggs and young that 
 live on and beneath the bark ; but the thrushes subsist on 
 those that destroy the vegetation on the surface of the earth. 
 They destroy nearly all kinds of grubs, caterpillars, and 
 worms that live upon the greensward and cultivated soil, 
 and large quantities of crickets and grasshoppers before 
 they have become perfect insects. The grubs of locusts, 
 of harvest-flies, and of beetles, which are turned up by the 
 plough or the hoe, and their pupaB when emerging from the 
 soil ; apple-worms, when they leave the fruit and crawl about 
 in quest of new shelter ; and those subterranean caterpillars, 
 the cutworms, that come out of the earth to take their food, 
 all these, and many others, are eagerly devoured by the 
 Robin and other Thrushes. The cutworms emerge from 
 the soil during the night to seek for food ; and the Robin, 
 which is one of the earliest birds to go abroad in the morn- 
 ing, is very diligent at the dawn of day in hunting for these 
 vermin before they have gone back into their retreat. The 
 number of these destructive grubs is immense. " Whole 
 cornfields," says Dr. Harris, " are sometimes laid waste by 
 them. Cabbage-plants, till they are grown to a considerable 
 size, are very apt to be cut off and destroyed by them. Po- 
 tato-vines, beans, beets, and various other culinary plants, 
 
158 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 suffer iii the same way." The services of the robins, in 
 destroying these alone, would more than pay for all the fruit 
 they devour. Indeed, during the breeding season, a robin is 
 seldom seen without having in his mouth one of these cater- 
 pillars, or some similar grub, which he designs for his young; 
 and as the Robin often raises three broods of young during 
 the season, his species must destroy more of this class of 
 noxious insects than almost all other birds together. In 
 my own gardening experiences, I have had my full share of 
 cutworms ; and 1 have always noticed the Robin, Brown 
 Thrush, and Cat-bird busy early in the morning, almost 
 before other birds are out of their feather-beds, figuratively 
 speaking, catching these vermin and eating them, or 
 carrying them for food to their young. 
 
 To show further the food of this bird, I present the follow- 
 ing experiment. At a meeting of the Boston Society of 
 Natural History, a communication was read from Professor 
 Treadwell, of Cambridge, giving a detailed account of the 
 feeding and growth of this bird during a period of thirty- 
 two days, commencing with the 5th of June. The following 
 is the substance of this report : 
 
 When caught, the two were quite young, their tail feathers 
 being less than an inch in length, and the weight of each 
 about twenty-five pennyweights, less than half the weight 
 of the full-grown birds : both were plump and vigorous, and 
 had evidently been very recently turned out of the nest. 
 He began feeding them with earthworms, giving three to 
 each bird that night. The second day, he gave them ten 
 worms each, which they ate ravenously. Thinking this 
 beyond what their parents could naturally supply them with, 
 he limited them to this allowance. On the third day, he gave 
 them eight worms each in the forenoon ; but in the afternoon 
 he found one becoming feeble, and it soon lost its strength, 
 refused food, and died. On opening it, he found the pro- 
 ventriculus, gizzard, and intestines entirely empty, and con- 
 cluded therefore that it died from want of sufficient food ; 
 
THE ROBIN. 159 
 
 the effect of hunger being increased perhaps by the cold, 
 as the thermometer was about sixty degrees. 
 
 The other ^bird, still vigorous, he put in a warmer place, 
 and increased its food, giving it the third day fifteen worms, 
 on the fourth day twenty-four, on the fifth twenty-five, on 
 the sixtli thirty, and on the seventh thirty-one worms. They 
 seemed insufficient, and the bird appeared to be losing 
 plumpness and weight. He began to weigh both the bird 
 and its food, and the results were given in a tabular form. 
 On the fifteenth day, he tried a small quantity of raw meat, 
 and, finding it readily eaten, increased it gradually, to the 
 exclusion of worms. With it the bird ate a large quantity 
 of earth and gravel, and drank freely after eating. By the 
 table, it appears that though the food was increased to forty 
 worms, weighing twenty pennyweights, on the eleventh day 
 the weight of the bird rather fell off; and it was not until 
 the fourteenth day, when he ate sixty-eight worms, or thirty- 
 four pennyweights, that he began to increase. On this day, 
 the weight of the bird was twenty-four pennyweights : he 
 therefore ate forty-one per cent more than his own weight 
 in twelve hours, weighing after it twenty-nine pennyweights, 
 or fifteen per cent less than the food he had eaten in that 
 time. The length of these worms, if laid end to end, would 
 be about fourteen feet, or ten times the length of the intes- 
 tines. 
 
 To meet the objection, that the earthworm contains but a 
 small quantity of nutritious matter, on the twenty-seventh 
 day he was fed exclusively on clear beef, in quantity twenty- 
 seven pennyweights. At night, the bird weighed fifty-two 
 pennyweights, but little more than twice the amount of flesh 
 consumed during the day, not taking into account the water 
 and earth swallowed. This presents a wonderful contrast 
 with the amount of food required by the cold-blooded ver- 
 tebrates, fishes, and reptiles, many of which can live for 
 months without food, and also with that required by 
 mammalia. Man, at this rate, would eat about seventy 
 
160 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 pounds of flesh a day, and drink five or six gallons of 
 water. 
 
 The question immediately presents itself, How can this 
 immense amount of food, required by the young birds, be 
 supplied by the parents? Suppose a pair of old robins, with 
 the usual number of four young ones. These would require, 
 according to the consumption of this bird, two hundred and 
 fifty worms, or their equivalent in insect or other food, daily. 
 Suppose the parents to work ten hours, or six hundred min- 
 utes, to procure this supply : this would be a worm to every 
 two and two-fifths minutes ; or each parent must procure a 
 worm or its equivalent in less than five minutes during ten 
 hours, in addition to the food required for its own support. 
 
 After the thirty-second day, the bird had attained its full 
 size, and was intrusted to the care of another person during 
 his absence of eighteen days. At the end of that period, 
 the bird was strong and healthy, with no increase of weight, 
 though its feathers had grown longer and smoother. Its 
 food had been weighed daily, and averaged fifteen penny- 
 weights of weight, two or three earthworms, and a small 
 quantity of bread each day, the whole being equal to eigh- 
 teen pennyweights of meat, or thirty-six pennyweights of 
 earthworms ; and it continued up to the time of the pres- 
 entation of the report. The bird having continued in con- 
 finement, with certainly much less exercise than in the wild 
 state, to eat one-third of its weight in clear flesh daily, the 
 Professor concludes that the food it consiimed when young 
 was not much more than must always be provided by the 
 parents of wild birds. The food was never passed undi- 
 gested ; the excretions were made up of gravel and dirt, 
 and a small quantity of semi-solid urine. 
 
 He thought that every admirer of trees may derive from 
 these facts a lesson, showing the immense power of birds 
 to destroy the insects by which our trees, especially our 
 apple-trees, elms, and lindens, are every few years stripped 
 of their foliage, and often many of them killed. 
 
THE ROBIN. 
 
 " The food of the Robin," the Professor says, " while with us, 
 consists principally of worms, various insects, their larv and eggs, 
 and a few cherries. Of worms and cherries they can procure but 
 few, and those during but a short period ; and they are obliged, 
 therefore, to subsist principally upon the great destroyers of leaves, 
 canker-worms, and some other kinds of caterpillars and bugs. If 
 each robin, old and young, requires for its support an amount of 
 these equal to the weight consumed by this bird, it is easy to see 
 what a prodigious havoc a few hundred of these must make upon 
 the insects of an orchard or nursery." 
 
 Wilson Flagg, an acute and careful observer of the habits 
 of our birds, ( gives some of his experiences of the Robin, 
 as follows. He says, 
 
 " Before I had investigated the habits of this bird, with particular 
 reference to the service he renders to agriculture, I supposed he 
 was only of secondary importance, compared with the Blackbird 
 and others that possess the faculty of discovering and seizing the 
 grubs that lie concealed beneath the surface of the ground. Though 
 the Robin does not possess this faculty, he is pre-eminently service- 
 able in other ways ; and the more I have studied his habits, the 
 more I am convinced of his usefulness. Indeed, I am now fully 
 persuaded that he is valuable beyond all other species of birds, and 
 that his services are absolutely indispensable to the farmers of New 
 England. Some persons believe that the Robin is exclusively a 
 frugivorous bird, and that for fruit he will reject all other food that 
 is within his reach. Others believe that his diet consists about 
 equally of fruits and angle-worms, but that he is not a general con- 
 sumer of insects. The truth is, the Robin is almost exclusively 
 insectivorous, and uses fruit, as we do, only as a dessert, and not 
 for his subsistence, except in the winter, when his insect food cannot 
 be obtained. He is not omnivorous, like the Crow, the Jay, and the 
 Blackbird. He rejects farinaceous food unless it is artificially pre- 
 pared, derives almost his entire support from insects and grubs, and 
 consumes, probably, a greater variety of species than any other 
 bird. I am entirely at a loss to account for this very prevalent and 
 mistaken notion respecting the frugivorous habits of the Robin. 
 
 11 
 
162 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 "Early in May," he says, "my son caught and caged three 
 young Robins, and I encouraged him in the act, that I might be 
 enabled to study their habits of feeding. He commenced by feed- 
 ing them with angle-worms and soaked bread, giving them the latter 
 very sparingly. They soon died, evidently from an excess of the 
 farinaceous part of their diet. He then took three others from 
 different nests, and fed them more exclusively on worms, and some 
 fruit. Two of these also soon died, and the remaining one ap- 
 peared ill and drooping. I suggested that the bird probably needed 
 insects as well as worms, which alone were not sufficient to supply 
 all the wants of the system ; though he had access to cherries and 
 soaked bread, of which he could eat whenever he wanted them. 
 After this, he was supplied with all sorts of grubs and insects which 
 my son was able to capture. The robin devoured these indiscrimi- 
 nately and with great eagerness. He was never known to refuse one 
 of any description. All kinds of beetles, moths, bugs, grubs, vine- 
 worms, chrysalids, and caterpillars, which were presented to him, 
 he devoured. After this improvement of his diet, the bird soon 
 recovered his health ; and the experiment proved conclusively that 
 this variety of insect food was necessary to the life of the bird, at 
 least while he was young. 
 
 " These insects were not put into his mouth : they were placed 
 upon the floor of his cage, and he picked them up, killing them in 
 a way that showed that he knew instinctively how to manage them. 
 
 " He was particular in beating the vine-worm considerably before 
 he swallowed it ; but he never refused one, or neglected to eat it. 
 On one occasion, having swallowed a hard beetle, and finding it 
 incommodious, he threw it out of his crop by a voluntary effort, 
 beat it awhile with his bill against the floor, and then swallowed it 
 again. This fact also proved his instinctive knowledge of the mode 
 of proceeding in such emergencies. 
 
 " It is a fact worthy of notice, that the Baltimore Oriole, or 
 Golden Robin, which has the reputation of performing more ser- 
 vice than the common Robin, may, when confined in a cage, be fed 
 almost entirely on farinaceous food, without injury to his health. 
 This fact is good evidence that the common Robin is more entirely 
 insectivorous than the other. The contrary is generally believed. 
 The fondness of the Robin and others for fruit is not peculiar to his 
 
THE BROWN THRUSH. 163 
 
 species : it is equally remarkable in almost all other insectivorous 
 
 birds.' 
 
 I have given these accounts, as I remarked before, for the 
 purpose of removing a prejudice that is too well established 
 against this bird. Instances like the above might be pre- 
 sented to almost any extent ; but my limits will not permit 
 a further notice of this species. 
 
 Sub-Family MIMING. Mocking Birds. 
 
 Tail long, vaulted at the base, the feathers more or less graduated; size large; 
 general appearance thrush-like; rictus with distinct bristles; frontal feathers normal, 
 directed backwards ; anterior half of outer side of tarsi distinctly scutellate. 
 
 i HARPORHYNCHUS, CABANIS. 
 
 Harporhynchus, CABANIS, Wiegmann's Archiv. (1848), I. 98. (Type Harpes 
 redivivus.) 
 
 Bill from front as long as, or longer than the head, nearly straight to near the tip, 
 or bow-shaped, without any notch ; tarsus as long as, or longer than the middle toe, 
 conspicuously scutellate ; outer lateral toe a little the longer, not reaching the base of 
 the middle claw ; hind toe longer than lateral, its claw equal to its remaining portion ; 
 wings short, rounded, the fourth or fifth longest; the exposed portion of the first about 
 half that of longest; tail longer than the wings, broad, more or less graduated. ' 
 
 HARPORHTNCHUS RUFUS. Cabanis. 
 The Brown Thrush; Brown Thrasher. 
 
 Turdus rufus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 293. Wilson, Am. Orn., II. (1810) 
 83. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 102; V. (1839) 441. 
 
 Orpheus rufus, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 187. Nuttall, Man. I. (1832) 
 328. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Fifth quill longest; the third, fourth, and sixth little shorter; second equal to 
 ninth ; exposed portion of the bill shorter than the head ; outline of lower mandible 
 straight; above light cinnamon-red, beneath pale rufous-white with longitudinal 
 
 1 This genus, together with the preceding, has been removed from its position in 
 the Liotrichidce, as given in vol. IX. Pac. R.R. Reports, and placed in the Turdidce by 
 Professor Baird, in his recent Review of the Birds of North America. 
 
164 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 streaks of dark-brown, excepting on the chin, throat, middle of the belly, and under 
 tail coverts; these spots, anteriorly, are reddish-brown in their terminal portion; the 
 inner surface of the wing and the inner edges of the primaries are cinnamon ; the con- 
 cealed portion of the quills otherwise is dark-brown ; the median and greater wing 
 coverts become blackish-brown towards the end, followed by white, producing two 
 conspicuous bands ; the tail feathers are all rufous, the external ones obscurely tipped 
 with whitish ; the shafts of the same color with the vanes. 
 
 Length, eleven and fifteen one-hundredths inches; wing, four and fifteen one- 
 hundredths; tail, five and twenty one-hundredths inches; tarsus, one and thirty 
 one-hundredths; iris, golden-yellow. 
 
 Probably none of our summer visitors are better known, 
 and none are greater favorites than this bird. Its beautiful 
 song and well-known beneficial habits have endeared it to 
 the farmer, who takes it under his protection, as he should 
 all the Thrushes, and encourages its approach to the garden 
 and orchard. The Brown Thrush arrives from the South 
 about the middle of April in Connecticut and Rhode Island, 
 and the 10th of May in Maine and the other northern dis- 
 tricts. The birds seem to be mated before their arrival 
 here, as they are almost always observed in pairs at their 
 first appearance. The nest is built about the middle of 
 May, sooner or later, according to latitude. It is usually 
 placed in a bush or thicket of briers or vines, sometimes on 
 the ground at the foot of a clump of bushes. It is com- 
 posed first of a layer of twigs, then leaves and strips of 
 cedar and grape-vine bark, and the whole is covered with 
 fibrous roots : the nest is pretty deeply hollowed, and lined 
 with fine roots and hairs. The eggs are from three to five 
 in number. Their color is a greenish or dirty white, over 
 which are thickly sprinkled minute dots of reddish-brown : 
 their shape is ovate, and their dimensions vary from 1.16 
 by .80 inch to 1.06 by .76 inch. A great number before me 
 exhibit these variations, which probably are the greatest of 
 this species, as the eggs are generally nearly of a size. Four 
 eggs in a nest collected in New Hampshire have the follow- 
 ing measurements: 1.12 by .78 inch, 1.12 by .76 inch, 1.08 
 by .76 inch, 1.06 by .76 inch. But one brood is reared in 
 the season in the Northern States. 
 
THE BROWN THRUSH. 165 
 
 The song of this bird is difficult of description : it is a 
 sort of confused mixture of the notes of different birds, or 
 rather seems to be, but is really its own song ; as different 
 individuals all sing nearly alike. The fact that it resembles 
 the Mocking-bird in its medley of notes has caused it to be 
 called, in some localities, the Brown Mocker ; and it is also 
 sometimes called the Mavis and Nightingale, from its habit 
 of singing in the night during the mating season. 
 
 The description of Wilson's, of the habits of this bird, is 
 pretty comprehensive, in fact, the best that I have seen, and 
 I give it almost entire. He says, 
 
 " It is the largest of all our Thrushes, and is a well-known and 
 very distinguished songster. About the middle or 20th of April, 
 or generally about the time the cherry-trees begin to blossom, he 
 arrives in Pennsylvania ;, and, from the tops of our hedge-rows, 
 sassafras, apple, or cherry trees, he salutes the opening morning 
 with his charming song, which is loud, emphatical, and full of 
 variety. At that serene hour, you may plainly distinguish his voice 
 fully half a mile off. These notes are not imitative, as his name 
 would import, and as some people believe, but seem solely his own, 
 and have considerable resemblance to the notes of the Song Thrush 
 (Turdus musicus) of Britain. Early in May he builds his nest, 
 choosing a thorn-bush, low cedar, thicket of briers, dogwood-sapling, 
 or cluster of vines, for its situation, generally within a few feet of 
 the ground. Outwardly, it is constructed of small sticks ; then, 
 layers of dry leaves ; and, lastly, lined with fine, fibrous roots, but 
 without any plaster. The eggs are five, thickly sprinkled with fer- 
 ruginous grains, on a very pale-bluish ground. They generally have 
 two broods in a season. Like all birds that build near the ground, 
 he shows great anxiety for the safety of his nest and young, and 
 often attacks the black snake in their defence ; generally, too, with 
 success, his strength being greater, and his bill stronger and more 
 powerful, than any other of his tribe within the United States. His 
 food consists of worms, which he scratches from the ground, cater- 
 pillars, and many kinds of berries. Beetles, and the whole race of 
 coleopterous insects, wherever he can meet with them, are sure to 
 suffer. He is accused, by some people, of scratching up the hills 
 
166 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 of Indian corn, in planting time. This may be partly true ; but, for 
 every grain of maize he pilfers, I am persuaded he destroys five 
 hundred insects, particularly a large dirty-colored grub, with a 
 black head, which is more pernicious to the corn, and other grain 
 and vegetables, than nine-tenths of the whole feathered race. He 
 is an active, vigorous bird, flies generally low, from one thicket to 
 another, with his long, broad tail spread like a fan ; is often seen 
 about brier and bramble bushes, along fences ; and has a single note 
 or chuck, when you. approach his nest. In Pennsylvania, they are 
 numerous, but never fly in flocks. About the middle of September, 
 or as soon as they have well recovered from moulting, in which they 
 suffer severely, they disappear for the season. In passing through 
 the southern parts of Virginia, and south as far as Georgia, in the 
 depth of winter, I found them lingering in sheltered situations, 
 particularly on the border of swamps and rivers^. On the 1st of 
 March, they were in full song round the commons at Savannah, 
 as if straining to outstrip the Mocking-bird, that prince of feathered 
 musicians. 
 
 " The Thrasher is a welcome visitant in spring, to every lover of 
 rural scenery and rural song. In the months of April and May, 
 when our woods, hedge-rows, orchards, and cherry-trees, are one 
 profusion of blossoms ; when every object around conveys the sweet 
 sensations of joy, and Heaven's abundance is, as it were, showering 
 around us, the grateful heart beats in unison with the varying, 
 elevated strains of this excellent bird : we listen to its notes with 
 a kind of devotional ecstasy, as a morning hymn to the great and 
 most adorable Creator of all. The human being who, amidst such 
 scenes, and in such seasons of rural serenity and delight, can pass 
 them with cold indifference, and even contempt, I sincerely pity ; 
 for abject must that heart be, and callous those feelings, and de- 
 praved that taste, which neither the charms of nature, nor the 
 melody of innocence, nor the voice of gratitude or devotion, can 
 reach. 
 
 " Concerning the sagacity and reasoning faculty of this bird, my 
 venerable friend, Mr. Bartram, writes me as follows : ' I remember 
 to have reared one of these birds from the nest, which, when full 
 grown, became very tame and docile. I frequently let him out of 
 his cage, to give him a taste of liberty. After fluttering, and dusting 
 
THE MOCKING-BIRD. 167 
 
 himself in dry sand and earth, and bathing, washing, and dressing 
 himself, he would proceed to hunt insects, such as beetles, crickets, 
 and other shelly tribes ; but, being very fond of wasps, after catch- 
 ing them, and knocking them about to break their wings, he would 
 lay them down, then examine if they had a sting, and, with his 
 bill, squeeze the abdomen to clear it of the reservoir of poison 
 before he would swallow his prey. When in his cage, being very 
 fond of dry crusts of bread, if upon trial the corners of the crumbs 
 were too hard and sharp for his throat, he would throw them up, 
 carry and put them in his water-dish to soften, then take them out 
 and swallow them.' " 
 
 By the first week in October, the Brown Thrush departs 
 on its southern migration, and passes the winter in the 
 
 West Indies and Mexico. 
 
 
 
 MIMUS, BOIE. 
 
 Mimus, BOIE, Isis (Oct., 1826) 972. (Type Turdus polyglottus.) 
 Bill shorter than the head, decurved from the base, distinctly notched at 
 tip; tarsi longer than the middle toe; lateral toes equal, not reaching the base of 
 the middle claw, and shorter than the hind toe, the claw of which is half the total 
 length; tail variable, equal to or longer than the wings, moderately graduated; 
 wings rounded, the exposed portion of the first nearly or quite half that of the 
 second, which is considerably shorter than the third. 
 
 MIMUS POLYGLOTTUS. Boie. 
 The Mocking-bird, 
 
 Turdus polyglottus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 293. Wilson, Am. Orn., II. 
 (1810) 14. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 108 ; V. (1839) 438. 
 Mimus polyglottus, Boie. Isis (Oct., 1826), 972. 
 Orpheus polyglottus, Swainson. Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 167. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Third to sixth quills nearly equal, second shorter than seventh; tail considerably 
 graduated, above ashy-brown, the feathers very obsoletely darker centrally, and 
 towards the light plumbeous downy basal portion (scarcely appreciable, except when 
 the feathers are lifted); the under parts are white, with a faint brownish tinge, 
 except on the chin, and with a shade of ash across the breast; there is a pale super- 
 ciliary stripe, but the lores are dusky; the wings and tail are nearly black, except 
 the lesser wing coverts, which are like the back, the middle and greater tipped with 
 white, forming two bands, the basal portion of the primaries white, most extended 
 on the inner primaries; the outer tail feather is white, the second is mostly white, 
 
168 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 except on the outer web and towards the base, the third with a white spot on the 
 end, the rest, except the middle, very slightly tipped with white ; the bill and legs 
 are black. 
 
 Length, nine and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, four and fifty one-hun- 
 dredths; tail, five inches; iris, light-yellow. 
 
 This bird is so exceedingly rare in New England, that it 
 can scarcely be regarded otherwise than as an accidental 
 visitor; and Massachusetts is certainly its northern limit. 
 
 Mr. Allen, before referred to, says that it has been known 
 to breed in Springfield several times within five years, and 
 in 1860 two pairs nested there. In June, 1860, he found 
 a nest containing three freshly laid eggs, incubation not 
 having been begun: the locality was a sandy field, growing 
 Tip to pitch-pines, in one of which the nest was placed, 
 about three feet from the ground ; the pair was secured 
 with the nest and eggs. 
 
 As I have had no opportunities of observing the habits 
 of this beautiful songster, I will give the very interesting 
 description by Wilson. He says, 
 
 " The precise time at which the Mocking-bird begins to build 
 his nest varies according to the latitude in which he resides. In 
 the lower parts of Georgia, he commences building early in April, 
 but in Pennsylvania rarely before the 10th of May ; and in New 
 
THE MOCKING-BIRD. 169 
 
 York, and the States of New England, still later. There are par- 
 ticular situations to which he gives the preference. A solitary 
 thorn bush, an almost impenetrable thicket, an orange-tree, cedar, 
 or holly bush, are favorite spots, and frequently selected. It is no 
 great objection with him, that these happen, sometimes, to be near 
 the farm or mansion-house. Always ready to defend, but never 
 over-anxious to conceal, his nest, he very often builds within a 
 small distance of the house, and not unfrequently in a pear or 
 apple tree ; rarely at a greater height than six or seven feet from 
 the ground. The nest varies a little in different individuals, 
 according to the conveniency of collecting suitable materials. A 
 very complete one is now lying before me, and is composed of the 
 following substances : First, a quantity of dry twigs and sticks ; 
 then, withered tops of weeds, of the preceding year, intermixed 
 with fine straws, hay, pieces of wool and tow ; and, lastly, a thick 
 layer of fine fibrous roots, of a light-brown color, lines the whole. 
 The eggs are four, sometimes five, of a cinereous-blue, marked with 
 large blotches of brown. The female sits fourteen days, arid gener- 
 ally produces two broods in the season, unless robbed of her eggs, 
 in which case she will even build and lay the third time. She is, 
 however, extremely jealous of her nest, and very apt to forsake it 
 if much disturbed. It is even asserted by some of our bird-dealers, 
 that the old ones will actually destroy the eggs, and poison the 
 young, if either the one or the other have been handled. But I 
 cannot give credit to this unnatural report. I know, from my own 
 experience at least, that it is not always their practice; neither 
 have I ever witnessed a case of the kind above mentioned. During 
 the period of incubation, neither cat, dog, animal, nor man can 
 approach the nest without being attacked. The cats, in particular, 
 are persecuted whenever they make their appearance, till obliged 
 to retreat. But his whole vengeance is most particularly directed 
 against that mortal enemy of his eggs and young, the black snake. 
 Whenever the insidious approaches of this reptile are discovered, 
 the male darts upon it with the rapidity of an arrow, dexterously 
 eluding its bite, and striking it violently and incessantly about the 
 head, where it is very vulnerable. The snake soon becomes 
 sensible of its danger, and seeks to escape; but the intrepid 
 defender of his young redoubles his exertions, and, unless his 
 
170 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 antagonist be of great magnitude, often succeeds in destroying him. 
 All its pretended powers of fascination avail it nothing against 
 the vengeance of this noble bird. As the snake's strength begins 
 to flag, the Mocking-bird seizes and lifts it up partly from the 
 ground, beating it with his wings ; and, when the business is com- 
 pleted, he returns to the repository of his young, mounts the 
 summit of the bush, and pours out a torrent of song in token of 
 victory. . 
 
 " The plumage of the Mocking-bird, though none of the home- 
 liest, has nothing gaudy or brilliant in it, and, had he nothing else 
 to recommend him, would scarcely entitle him to notice ; but his 
 figure is well proportioned, and even handsome. The ease, ele- 
 gance, and rapidity of his movements, the animation of his eye, 
 and the intelligence he displays in listening and laying up lessons 
 from almost every species of the feathered creation within his 
 hearing, are really surprising, and mark the peculiarity of his 
 genius. To these qualities we may add that of a voice full, strong, 
 and musical, and capable of almost every modulation, from the 
 clear, mellow tones of the Wood Thrush, to the savage scream of 
 the Bald Eagle. In measure and accent, he faithfully follows his 
 originals. In force and sweetness of expression, he greatly im- 
 proves upon them. In his native groves, mounted on the top of a 
 tall bush or half-grown tree, in the dawn of dewy morning, while the 
 woods are already vocal with a multitude of warblers, his admirable 
 song rises pre-eminent over every competitor. The ear can listen 
 to his music alone, to which that of all the others seems a mere 
 accompaniment. Neither is this strain altogether imitative. His 
 own native notes, which are easily distinguishable by such as are 
 well acquainted with those of our various song-birds, are bold and 
 full, and varied seemingly beyond all limits. They consist of short 
 expressions of two, three, or, at the most, five or six syllables, 
 generally interspersed with imitations, and all of them uttered with 
 great emphasis and rapidity, and continued with undiminished 
 ardor for half an hour or an hour at a time. His expanded wings 
 and tail, glistening with white, and the buoyant gayety of his 
 action, arresting the eye, as his song most irresistibly does the ear, 
 he sweeps round with enthusiastic ecstasy; he mounts and de- 
 scends as his song swells or dies away ; and, as my friend Mr. 
 
THE MOCKING-BIRD. 171 
 
 Bartram has beautifully expressed it, He bounds aloft with the 
 celerity of an arrow, as if to recover or recall his very soul, 
 expired in the last elevated strain.' l While thus exerting him- 
 self, a bystander destitute of sight would suppose that the whole 
 feathered tribes had assembled together, on a trial of skill, each 
 striving to produce his utmost effect, so perfect are his imita- 
 tions. He many times deceives the sportsman, and sends him in 
 search of birds that perhaps are not within miles of him, but 
 whose notes he exactly imitates; even birds themselves are' fre- 
 quently imposed on by this admirable mimic, and are decoyed by 
 the fancied calls of their mates, or dive with precipitation into the 
 depth of thickets at the scream of what they suppose to be the 
 Sparrow-hawk. 
 
 " The Mocking-bird loses little of the power and energy of his 
 song by confinement. In his domesticated state, when he com- 
 mences his career of song, it is impossible to stand by uninterested. 
 He whistles for the dog, Caesar starts up, wags his tail, and runs 
 to meet his master. He squeaks out like a hurt chicken, and 
 the hen hurries about with hanging wings and bristled feathers, 
 clucking to protect its injured brood. The barking of the dog, the 
 mewing of the cat, the creaking of a passing wheelbarrow, follow 
 with great truth and rapidity. He repeats the tune taught him by 
 his master, though of considerable length, fully and faithfully. He 
 runs over the quiverings of the Canary, and the clear whistlings 
 of the Virginia Nightingale, or Red-bird, with such superior execu- 
 tion and effect, that the mortified songsters feel their own inferiority, 
 and become altogether silent, while he seems to triumph in their 
 defeat by redoubling his exertions. 
 
 " This excessive fondness for variety, however, in the opinion 
 of some, injures his song. His elevated imitations of the Brown 
 Thrush are frequently interrupted by the crowing of cocks ; and 
 the warblings of the Blue-bird, which he exquisitely manages, are 
 mingled with the screaming of swallows, or the cackling of hens ; 
 amidst the simple melody of the Robin, we are suddenly surprised 
 by the shrill reiterations of the Whippoorwill ; while the notes of 
 the Killdeer, Blue Jay, Martin, Baltimore, and twenty others, suc- 
 ceed with such imposing reality, that we look round for the origi- 
 
 1 Travels, p. 32. Introd. 
 
172 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 nals, and discover, with astonishment, that the sole performer in 
 this singular concert is the admirable bird now before us. During 
 this exhibition of his powers, he spreads his wings, expands his tail, 
 and throws himself around the cage in all the ecstasy of enthu- 
 siasm, seeming not only to sing, but to dance, keeping time to the 
 measure of his own music. Both in his native and domesticated 
 state, during the solemn stillness of night, as soon as the moon 
 rises in silent majesty, he begins his delightful solo, and sere- 
 nades us the livelong night with a full display of his vocal 
 powers, making the whole neighborhood ring with his inimitable 
 medley." 
 
 A number of eggs in my collection average about .98 of 
 an inch in length by about .70 inch in breadth ; their form 
 is generally ovate, and their color a pale emerald-green, 
 with spots of ferruginous and brown. 
 
 GALEOSCOPTES, CABANIS. 
 
 Galeoscoptes, CABANIS, Mus. Hein., I. (1850) 82. (Type Muscicapa Caroli- 
 nensis.) 
 
 Bill shorter than the head, rather broad at base ; rictal bristles moderately devel- 
 oped, reaching to the nostrils ; wings a little shorter than the tail, rounded ; second- 
 aries well developed, fourth and fifth quills longest, third and sixth little shorter, 
 first and ninth about equal, and about the length of secondaries, first quill more 
 than half the second, about half the third ; tail graduated, tail feather about seventy 
 one-hundredths inch shorter than the middle ; tarsi longer than lateral middle toe 
 and claw by about an additional half claw, scutellate anteriorly, more or less dis- 
 tinctly in different specimens; scutellae about seven. 
 
 The conspicuous naked membranous border round the eye of some thrushes, 
 with the bare space behind it, not appreciable. 
 
 GALEOSCOPTES CAROLINENSIS. Cabanis. 
 The Cat-bird. 
 
 Muscicapa Carolinensis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 328. 
 Orpheus Carolinensis, Audubon. Syn. (1839), 88. 
 Mimus Carolinensis, Gray. Genera (1844-49). 
 
 Turdus felivox, Vieillot. Ois. Am. Sept., II. (1807) 10. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. 
 (1831) 171; V. 1839, 440. 
 
 Orpheus felivox, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831 ) 192. 
 Turdus Ikulus, Wilson. Am Orn., II. (1810) 90. 
 
THE CAT-BIRD. 173 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Third quill longest, first shorter than sixth; prevailing color dark plumbeous, 
 more ashy beneath ; crown and nape dark sooty-brown ; wings dark-brown, edged 
 with plumbeous; tail greenish-black, the lateral feathers obscurely tipped with 
 plumbeous ; the under tail coverts dark-brownish chestnut ; female smaller. 
 
 Length, eight and eighty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three and sixty-five 
 one-hundredths ; tail, four; tarsus, one and five one-hundredths inch. 
 
 This very common and well-known species arrives in 
 New England about the first week in May, in Maine, 
 perhaps about the 15th of that month. It is distributed 
 abundantly throughout these States, and its habits are so 
 well known that a description here is hardly necessary. 
 During the mating season, and indeed through the greater 
 part of the summer, the song of the male is heard in the 
 woods, pastures, and gardens at early morning, and some- 
 times through the day ; and, although most persons describe 
 it as being harsh and uncouth, it is really very pleasing and 
 melodious. It is a sort of medley, like that of the Brown 
 Thrush, but not near so loud : the bird usually perches on 
 a low tree, where, standing nearly erect, his wings slightly 
 expanded, and his tail spread beneath him, he pours forth 
 his notes sometimes for half an hour at a time. In addition 
 to this song, he, in common with the female, has a plaintive 
 note almost exactly like the mewing of a cat ; and the spe- 
 cific name of felivox, given it v by some authors, is much 
 more descriptive and appropriate than that of Carolinensis, 
 which is neither descriptive nor proper. 
 
 The alarm-note is a rattling cry, like the sound of quick 
 breaking of several strong sticks: it is perhaps well ex- 
 pressed by the syllables trat-tat-tat-tat, uttered very quickly. 
 I have noticed that this bird, as do many others, prefers the 
 neighborhood of thickly settled districts, even a home in 
 their midst, to others of a wilder character; and, when 1 
 travelling through the deep forests, I have invariably found, 
 that, when these birds became abundant, a settlement was 
 near. 
 
 Soon after mating, the birds build : this is from about the 
 
174 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 20th of May to the first week in June. The nest is usually 
 placed in bushes and shrubs, seldom more than four or five 
 feet from the ground ; the location as often in the deep 
 woods as in the fields or pastures. It is constructed first 
 of a layer of twigs and sticks, on which is built the body of 
 the nest, which is composed of strips of grape-vine bark, 
 fine twigs, leaves, and straws : it is deeply hollowed, and 
 lined with fibrous roots and hairs, and sometimes fine grass. 
 The eggs are usually four in number, sometimes five : their 
 color is a bright, deep emerald-green, and their form gener- 
 ally ovate. A great number of specimens before me do not 
 exhibit great variations in measurement from the dimen- 
 sions of a nest complement of four collected in Thornton, 
 N.H. ; they are as follows : .95 by .67 inch ; .95 by .66 
 inch ; .93 by .67 inch ; .93 by .66 inch. Two broods are 
 reared in the season, seldom three in this latitude. 
 
 About the middle of October, this species moves in its 
 Southern migration. 
 
THE BLUE-BIRD. 175 
 
 FAMILY SAXICOLIDJE. 1 THE ROCK INHABITERS. 
 
 Wings very long and much pointed, reaching beyond the middle of the short 
 square or emarginated tail, and one and a half times or more the length of the 
 latter; the spurious primary very short, the second quill longer than the fourth; in 
 the closed wing, the outer secondary reaches only about two-thirds the length of the 
 longest primary. 
 
 SIALIA, SWAINSON. 
 
 Sialia, SWAINSON, Zool. Jour., III. (Sept., 1827) 173. (8. Wilsonii.) 
 Bill short, stout, broader than high at the base, then compressed, slightly notched 
 at tip; rictus with short bristles; tarsi not longer than the middle toe; claws con- 
 siderably curved ; wings much longer than the tail, the first primary spurious, not 
 one-fourth the longest ; tail moderate, slightly forked. 
 
 SIALIA SIALIS. Baird. 
 The Blue-bird; Red-breasted Blue-bird. 
 
 Motadtla sialis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1758) 187. Gmelin, Syst. Nat, I. 
 (1788) 989. 
 
 Sylvia sialis, Latham. Index Orn., II. (1790) 522. Wilson, Am. Orn.,I. (1808) 56. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog , II. (1834) 84; V. (1839) 452. 
 
 Ampelis sialis, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 444. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Entire upper parts, including wings and tail, continuous and uniform azure-blue, 
 the cheeks of a duller tint of the same ; beneath reddish-brown ; the abdomen, anal 
 region, and under tail coverts white ; bill and feet black ; shafts of the quills and 
 tail feathers black ; female with the blue lighter, and tinged with brown on the head 
 and back. 
 
 Length, six and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, four inches ; tail, two 
 and ninety one-hundredths inches. 
 
 THIS beautiful bird is a very common summer inhabitant 
 of all New England. It is one of the earliest in its 
 arrival from the South, often making its appearance by the 
 middle of March, sometimes even earlier. About the middle 
 of April, immediately after mating, the birds commence pre- 
 paring their nest : this is made in a deserted woodpecker's 
 
 1 I have adopted the arrangement given by Professor Baird in his recent review, 
 in this family and the succeeding, as far as SYLVICOLID.E. 
 

 176 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 hole, in a martin's box, or in a knot-hole in a fence-post. 
 The materials used in its construction are generally soft 
 grasses, feathers, and wools: these are thrown together 
 
 without any great care, the object being to get comfort and 
 warmth in the early season in which the first litter of eggs 
 is laid. The eggs are either four or five in number : they 
 are of a light-blue color, with a very faint greenish tint. 
 Five specimens, taken at random from a great number, 
 exhibit the following measurements : .86 by .62 inch, .85 
 by .62 inch, .84 by .61 inch, .82 by .60 inch, .80 by .60 
 inch. This species raises two broods, usually in the same 
 nest, in the season. 
 
 The Blue-bird's habits are pretty well known; and its 
 insectivorous character, and social and happy disposition, 
 have established it as a great favorite. 
 

 THE BLUE-BIRD. 177 
 
 Its song is a soft pleasing warble, which is often repeated, 
 and is uttered by the bird both when flying and perching. 
 In capturing insects, it has many of the habits of the Fly- 
 catchers. It remains perching on a post or twig until its 
 prey shows itself, when it suddenly flies at it flapping 
 its wings rapidly, seizes it, and returns to its perch to eat 
 it. It often descends quickly, and seizes a grasshopper that 
 is crawling on a straw or weed ; and, if it misses its aim, 
 even follows it while flying. 
 
 About the last week of October, the parents and young 
 leave in a detached flock for the South. 
 
 12 
 
178 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY SYLVIIDJE. THE WOOD-INHABITERS. 
 
 " Bill slender, broad, and depressed at the base, distinctly notched and decurved 
 at the tip ; culmen sharp ridged at base ; frontal feathers reaching to the nostrils, 
 which are oval, with membrane above, and overhung not concealed by a few 
 bristles or by a feather ; rictal bristles extending beyond nostrils ; tarsi booted or 
 scutellate; basal joint of middle toe attached its whole length externally, half-way 
 internally ; primaries ten ; spurious primary about half the second, which is shorter 
 than the seventh; lateral toes equal." BAIKD. 
 
 KEGULUS, CUVIEK. 
 
 Regulus, CUVIER, Le?ons d'Anat. Comp., 1799-1800 (Agassiz). (Type Motadlla 
 regulus, Linnaeus; Regulus cristatw, Koch.) 
 
 Bill slender, much shorter than the head, depressed at base, but becoming rapidly 
 compressed, moderately notched at tip ; culmen straight to near the tip, then gently 
 curved; commissure straight; gonys convex; rictus well provided with bristles; 
 nostril covered by a single bristly feather directed forwards; tarsi elongated, 
 exceeding considerably the middle toe, and without scutellae; lateral toes about 
 equal, hind toe with the claw longer than the middle one, and about half the toe; 
 claws all much curved ; first primary about one-third as long as the longest, second 
 equal to fifth or sixth ; tail shorter than the wings, moderately forked, the feathers 
 acuminate ; colors olive-green above, whitish beneath ; size very small. 
 
 REGULUS CALENDULA. Licht. 
 The Ruby-crowned Wren. 
 
 Motadlla calendula, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 337. 
 
 Sylvia calendida, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 83. 
 
 Regulus calendula, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 415. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 546. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above dark greenish-olive, passing into bright olive-green on the rump and 
 outer edges of the wings and tail ; crown with a large concealed patch of scarlet 
 feathers, which are white at the base; the under parts are grayish-white tinged 
 with pale olive-yellow, especially behind ; a ring round the eye, two bands on the 
 wing coverts, and the exterior of the inner tertials white. Young without the red 
 on the crown. The female differs very little in color. It is quite probable that the 
 species does not attain the red patch in the crown until the second year, as the 
 spring migrations of the species always embrace a considerable number with 
 the head perfectly plain. 
 
 Length, four and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and thirty-three one- 
 hundredths ; tail, one and eighty-five one-hundredths. 
 
THE GOLDEN.-CRESTED WREN. 179 
 
 THIS diminutive species is a quite common spring and 
 autumn visitor in New England, arriving from the 
 South from April the 13th to the 20th in the different States. 
 They are generally first seen in evergreen woods ; but 
 later are found among the opening foliage and blossoms of 
 forest and orchard trees, particularly the oak, elm, maple, 
 and apple, darting about, climbing on the small twigs, 
 and prying in all directions in search of minute flying 
 insects, their eggs and larvae, frequenting the tops of the 
 trees as well as the lower branches. By the 12th of May, 
 they depart for the North to rear their young, breeding 
 in Canada, Labrador, &c. From about the 1st of October 
 to the last of that month, they are again with us, and are 
 seen diligently engaged in pursuit of food in our woods and 
 orchards. 
 
 They are not shy in their habits, and will permit one to 
 approach quite near them. I have noticed that they remain 
 in one cluster of twigs until it is completely cleared of 
 insects, and they often employ ten minutes in searching it 
 completely. 
 
 The Ruby Crown winters in the more southern States of 
 the Union and in Mexico. On clear, fine days in spring, I 
 have heard this bird warble a beautiful song; and it has 
 also a peculiar guttural, querulous call-note, which often 
 precedes this song. I know nothing of its breeding habits. 
 
 REGULUS SATRAPA. Licht. 
 The Golden-crested Wren. 
 
 Regulus, satrapa, Lichtenstein. Verzeich. Doubl. (1823), No. 410 (Quotes Partis 
 satrapa, Illiger, probably a museum name). Aud. Syn. (1839), 82. /ft., Birds 
 Arner., II. (1841) 165. 
 
 Sylvia regulus, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 126. 
 
 Regulus tricolor, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832), 420. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 476. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above olive-green, brightest on the outer edges of the wing; tail feathers tinged 
 with brownish-gray towards the head; forehead, a line over the eye and a space 
 
180 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 beneath it, white ; exterior of the crown before and laterally black, embracing a 
 central patch of orange-red, encircled by gamboge-yellow ; a dusky space around 
 the eye; wing coverts with two yellowish-white bands, the posterior covering, a 
 similar band on the quills, succeeded by a broad dusky one; under parts dull 
 whitish. 
 
 The black of the head immediately succeeds the white frontal band as one of 
 about the same width, passing behind on each side. Generally the white line over 
 the eye is separated from the white forehead by a dusky lore. There is also a 
 dusky space beneath the whitish under the eye. The yellow of the crown 
 generally overlies and conceals the orange. The orange is wanting in the fe- 
 male. The young birds always appear to have at least the yellow and black of the 
 crown. 
 
 Length, under four inches ; wing, two and twenty-five one-hundredths inches ; 
 tail, one and eighty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This handsome and active species is also a common bird, 
 coming to us from the North the last of September, but, 
 unlike the preceding, braving the rigors of our winter; 
 and it leaves again by the 15th of April. Numbers, how- 
 ever, winter farther south ; and it is in spring and autumn 
 that the species is most abundant. On their arrival in 
 autumn, they frequent orchard trees, feeding among the 
 leaves of the apple-trees, which, at this season, are infested 
 with insects. Later, and in winter, they resort more often 
 to the evergreens, such as the pine, spruce, and cedar, 
 but rove whereVer they can find food, generally in company 
 with the Chickadees, and occasionally the White-breasted 
 Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and Downy Woodpecker; the 
 whole forming a lively, busy winter party, as they perambu- 
 late the country, intent on gathering their now scanty food. 
 Their call-note at this season, indeed the only note that I 
 have heard at any time, is a faint pipe or whistle, sounded 
 quickly three or four times. I have never heard this bird 
 utter the querulous note assigned to it by Audubon and 
 Nuttall, but have often heard the Ruby Crown give this 
 strain. In spring, having similar habits and diet with the 
 Ruby Crowns, they frequent the same hunting-grounds, and 
 are seen hanging to the extremities of twigs, head down- 
 wards, and sometimes fluttering in the air in front of them, 
 seizing small flies, " and often exposing the golden feathers 
 
THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. 181 
 
 of their head, which are opened and shut with great adroit- 
 ness." This species may possibly breed in Maine, having 
 been seen there in summer ; but I do not remember of its 
 having been found in the breeding season south of that 
 State. 
 
182 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY PARIDJE. 
 
 Bill generally short,' conical, not notched nor decurved at tip ; culmen broad and 
 rounded, not sharp-ridged at base ; nostrils rounded, basal, and concealed by dense 
 bristles or bristly feathers ; loral feathers rough and bristly, directed forwards ; tarsi 
 distinctly scutellate; basal joints of anterior toes abbreviated, that of middle toe 
 united about equally for three-fourths its length to the lateral, in Parince forming a 
 kind of palm for grasping; outer lateral toe decidedly longer than the inner; prima- 
 ries ten, the first much shorter than the second ; tail feathers without soft tips. 
 
 The two sub-families may be thus distinguished : 
 
 Parince. Body compressed ; bill shorter than the head ; wings rounded, equal 
 to or shorter than the rounded tail, second quill as short as the tenth ; tarsus longer 
 than the middle toe and claw, which are about equal to the hinder; soles of toes 
 widened into a palm ; plumage rather soft and lax. 
 
 Sittince. Body depressed ; bill about equal to or longer than the head ; wings 
 much pointed, much longer than the nearly even tail ; tarsus shorter than the mid- 
 dle toe and claw, which are about equal to the hinder; plumage more compact. 
 
 Sub-Family PARING. The Titmice. 
 PARUS, LINNJEUS. 
 
 Parus, LINN^TUS, Syst. Nat., 1735 (Agassiz). (Type P. major.) 
 Head not crested; body and head stout; tail moderately long, and slightly 
 rounded ; bill conical, not veiy stout, the upper and under outlines very gently and 
 slightly convex ; tarsus but little longer than middle toe ; crown and throat gener- 
 ally black. 
 
 PARUS ATRICAPILLUS. Linrums. 
 
 The Black-cap Titmouse; Chick-a-dee. 
 
 Parus atricapittus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 341. Wilson, Am. Orn., I. 
 (1808) 134. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838). 
 Parus palustris, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 79. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Second quill as long as the secondaries; tail very slightly rounded, lateral 
 feathers about ten one-hundredths shorter than middle ; back brownish-ashy ; top of 
 head and throat black, sides of head between them white, beneath whitish; brown- 
 ish-white on the sides ; outer tail feathers, some of primaries, and secondaries con- 
 spicuously margined with white. 
 
 Length, five inches; wing, two and fifty one-hundredths inches; tail, two and 
 fifty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 THIS well-known little bird is a very common resident 
 of all New England throughout the year. It is one 
 of the very few species that are as abundant in the depths of 
 
THE BLACK-CAP TITMOUSE. 
 
 183 
 
 Hudson's Bay Titmouse, upper flg. 
 Black-cap Titmouse, lower flg. 
 
 winter as through the summer, and it is deservedly one 
 of the greatest favorites. It 
 commences building as early as 
 the second week in May. The 
 nest is placed in a hole exca- 
 vated in a dead tree or stump. 
 This hole is, like that of the 
 Woodpecker, gradually widened 
 at the bottom, and is about nine 
 or ten inches in depth. The' 
 nest is constructed of soft moss 
 and the hairs of different ani- 
 mals. One beautiful specimen 
 that I found in the northern 
 part of Maine is composed of 
 the hair of the common deer, 
 moose, and hare, a few feathers 
 of the Ruffed Grouse, and a few fragments of soft mosses. 
 They are woven into a warm and comfortable tenement. 
 
 The eggs are from six to ten in number, usually about 
 six. They are of a nearly pure-white color, with a faint 
 reddish tint, and are spotted thickly, at the greater end, 
 with markings of reddish-brown : their form is nearly spher- 
 ical, and their dimensions vary from .65 by .52 inch to .60 
 by .50 inch. Two broods are often reared in the season. 
 
 The habits of this little bird are so well known, and have 
 been written about so much, that any description here is 
 almost superfluous. It is eminently kindly and sociable in 
 its disposition ; and, although almost always in company 
 with other birds, such as the Golden-crested and Ruby- 
 crowned Wrens, Nuthatches, <fcc., it is never seen quar- 
 relling with them, but fraternizes with them in the most 
 cordial manner. Often, when seated in the woods, have 1 
 been surrounded by them ; and their curiosity to learn the 
 cause of my presence and my employment was so great, 
 that they would often perch on a twig within two feet of my 
 
184 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 head, and scrutinize me with their shining black eyes in a 
 manner amusing to witness. 
 
 Ostensibly, they were searching beneath the bark for their 
 food ; but really they were watching me. I once had one 
 perch on my boot, and look in my face with a perfectly plain 
 u what-do-you-want-here " expression on its countenance. 
 Always at short intervals, while perched in trees, and some- 
 times while flying, this bird utters its song, which consists 
 of several notes, that may be described by the syllables 
 cheweek-a-dee-dee-dee, cheweek-a-dee-dee-dee, emitted in a 
 clear, sweet tone, easily recognized, and not to be mistaken 
 for any other song. The flight of this species is wavering, 
 and not protracted; the bird seldom extending it further 
 than from one tree to another. When in the air at any 
 considerable height, it resembles the flight of the Wood- 
 peckers, being undulating and partly gliding. 
 
 In some localities, the Titmouse is regarded as injurious, 
 from the fact that it is often seen among the branches and 
 leaves of the fruit-trees and shrubs, pecking off and destroy- 
 ing the buds. It does riot do this to the bud for food, but 
 really for the grub contained in it. t If these buds be exam- 
 ined after the Chick-a-dee has thrown them away, the bur- 
 row of a grub or caterpillar will appear in the very heart 
 of them. The bird is able to discover the presence of these 
 vermin much more readily than man could ; and it is thus 
 able to assail them at a period of their existence when they 
 are doing the most harm. But it is not the insects and 
 their larvae alone that he destroys. His microscopic eyes 
 enable him to discover their eggs deposited on and in the 
 crevices of the bark and in the buds, and in an instant he 
 can destroy the whole future brood. The eggs of the moth 
 of the destructive leaf-rolling caterpillar, those of the canker- 
 worm, the apple-tree moth, and others of these well-known 
 plagues, are greedily eaten by it ; and this is in the inclem- 
 ent winter, when most of our other birds have abandoned 
 us for a more genial climate. 
 
THE HUDSON'S BAY TITMOUSE. 185 
 
 In the summer time, the Chick-a-dee's labors are more 
 easily noticed ; and as he raises a large brood of young, the 
 female laying six or eight eggs at a litter, he is very busy 
 through the whole day in capturing vast quantities of cater- 
 pillars, flies, and grubs. It has been calculated that a single 
 pair of these birds destroy, on the average, not less than five 
 hundred of these pests daily ; a labor which could hardly be 
 surpassed by a man, even if he gave his whole time to the 
 task. 
 
 " Moreover, the man could not be as successful at so 
 small a cost ; for, setting aside the value of his time and 
 the amount of a laborer's daily wages, he could not reach the 
 denser and loftier twigs on which the caterpillars revel, and 
 which the Titmouse can traverse with perfect ease. No 
 man can investigate a tree, and clear it of the insect hosts 
 that constantly beleaguer it, without doing some damage to 
 the buds and young leaves by his rough handling ; whereas 
 the Chick-a-dee trips along the branches, peeps under every 
 leaf, swings himself round upon his perch, spies out 
 every insect, and secures it with a peck so rapid that it is 
 hardly perceptible." 
 
 In some observations made on the habits of this and 
 some other birds in Paris, it was found that the Titmouse 
 destroys, at the lowest computation, over two hundred 
 thousand eggs alone of noxious insects in the course of a 
 year. That one small bird is thus able to accomplish so 
 much good in destroying these myriads of vermin is an 
 appeal to the good sense of the farmer, for the protection of 
 the whole class, that should not be slighted. 
 
 PABUS HUDSONICUS. Forster. 
 
 The Hudson's Bay Titmouse. 
 
 Parus Hudsonicus, Forster. Philos. Trans., LXII. (1772) 383, 430. Aud. Orn. 
 Biog., II. (1834) 543. Ib., Birds Amer., II. (1841) 155. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above yellowish olivaceous-brown; top of head purer brown, not very different 
 in tint; chin and throat dark sooty-brown; sides of head white; beneath white; 
 
186 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 sides and anal regions light brownish-chestnut; no whitish on wings or tail; tail 
 nearly even, or slightly emarginate and rounded ; lateral feathers about twenty one- 
 hundredths inch shortest. 
 
 Length, about five inches ; wing, two and forty one-hundredths inches ; tail, two 
 and sixty-six one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. North-eastern portions of North America to the North Atlantic States. 
 
 This bird occurs in New England only in the most 
 northern parts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, 
 where it is sometimes resident. I have never met with it 
 alive, and will be obliged to avail myself of Audubon's 
 description of its habits, nest, &c. He says, in describing 
 the nest: 
 
 " It was placed at the height of not more than three feet from 
 the ground, in the hollow of a decayed low stump, scarcely thicker 
 than a man's leg ; the whole so rotten that it crumbled to pieces on 
 being touched. I cautiously removed the woody enclosure, and 
 took possession of the nest, which I obtained in perfect order. It 
 was shaped like a purse, eight inches in depth, two in diameter 
 inside ; its sides about half an inch thick. It was entirely com- 
 posed of the finest fur of different quadrupeds, but principally of 
 the great northern hare, so thickly and ingeniously matted through- 
 out, that it looked as if it had been ' felted ' by the hand of man. 
 It was quite elastic throughout, and rather wider at the bottom, 
 probably in consequence of the natural growth of the young." 
 
 This hardy little bird resembles in its manners the other 
 species of its interesting and beautiful tribe : its notes 
 resemble those of our southern Black-headed Titmouse, but 
 are much weaker. 
 
 Sub-Family SITTING. The Nuthatches. 
 SITTA, LINN^US. 
 
 Sitta, LINN^US, Syst. Nat. 1735 (Agassiz). 
 
 Bill subulate, acutely pointed, compressed, about as long as the head; culmen 
 and commissure nearly straight ; gonys convex and ascending ; nostrils covered by a 
 tuft of bristles directed forward ; tarsi stout, scutellate, about equal to the middle 
 toe, much shorter than the hinder, the claw of which is half the total length ; outer 
 
THE WHITE-BELLIED NUTHATCH. 187 
 
 lateral toe much longer than inner, and nearly equal to the middle; tail very short, 
 broad, and nearly even, the feathers soft and truncate ; wings reaching nearlv to the 
 end of the tail, long and acute, the first primary one-third of (or less) the third, or 
 longest. 
 
 SITTA CAROLINENSIS. Gmelin. 
 The White-bellied Nuthatch. 
 
 Sitta Carolinensis, Latham. Ind. Orn., I. (1790) 262. Wilson, Am. Orn., I. 
 (1808) 40. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 581. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 299; V. (1839) 47s! 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above ashy-blue ; top of head and neck black ; under parts and sides of head, to 
 a short distance above the eye, white ; under tail coverts and tibial feathers brown ; 
 concealed primaries white ; bill stout. 
 
 Length, about six inches ; wing, about three and three-quarters inches. 
 
 Hpb. Eastern North America to the high central plains. West of this, replaced 
 by S. aculeata. 
 
 This species is a not uncommon one in New England, 
 where it is found through the winter. In the more north- 
 ern districts, it is a summer resident; and it sometimes 
 breeds as far south as Massachusetts. A nest was found in 
 Cambridge, Mass., in June, 1865. It was made in an exca- 
 vation in a dead tree (or rather stump), which was carried 
 to the depth of perhaps eight inches. The nest was com- 
 posed of soft grasses, hairs, and a few feathers: these were 
 arranged compactly in the bottom of the hole to the depth 
 of perhaps an inch and a half. The eggs were six in num- 
 ber, four of them are now before me : they are ovoidal in 
 shape, of a beautiful roseate- white color, and covered more 
 or less thickly with fine spots and dashes of light-reddish. 
 Their dimensions are .80 by .61 inch, .80 by .60 inch, .78 
 by .58 inch, .75 by .57 inch. Another specimen, collected 
 in the Adirondack Mountains, is marked more sparingly 
 with coarser and darker spots : its dimensions are .70 by 
 .57 inch. 
 
 The habits of this species are very similar to those of the 
 small woodpeckers ; and they are equally industrious with 
 those birds in their search for the larvae and eggs of insects, 
 which they obtain by boring in the bark, and knocking off 
 
188 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the moss and dead pieces of trees with their sharp, powerful 
 bill. 
 
 In traversing the limbs of trees, they resemble in their 
 movements the Downy Woodpecker ; and their flight is also 
 similar to that bird's. The note is a short, harsh call, simi- 
 lar to the syllables eha-cha-cha-chd, uttered quickly, and with 
 emphasis. 
 
 SITTA CANADENSIS. Linnceus. 
 The Red-bellied Nuthatch. 
 
 Sitla Canadensis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 177. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 583. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 24; V. 474. 
 
 Sitta varia, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 40. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above ashy-blue ; top of head black ; a white line above and a black one through 
 the eye j chin white ; rest of under parts brownish-rusty. 
 
 Length, about four and a half inches; wing, two and two-thirds inches. 
 Hab. North America to the Rocky Mountains, probably also to the Pacific. 
 
 The same remarks as to distribution, habits, &c., will 
 apply to this species as to the preceding. It is quite abun- 
 dant as a summer resident in the wilds of Maine; and its 
 notes are almost the first sound heard by the traveller on 
 awakening in the early morning. I have sometimes heard 
 its note in the night, while floating in my canoe on the 
 bosom of some tranquil lake or between the banks of a 
 sombre river ; and frequently they seemed to be high up 
 in the air, as if the bird had taken flight. These notes 
 are a sort of drawling repetition of the syllable chape, like 
 perhaps the following : Cheadpe, cheadpe, cheadpe. 
 
 The nest is built in a hole in a tree or stump, usually 
 excavated by the birds for the purpose : it is of the same 
 description as that of the preceding, as are also the eggs 
 with the exception of size ; the present being considerably 
 smaller, averaging .64 by .53 inch. 
 
 Audubon, in describing the nest of the Red-bellied Nut- 
 hatch, says, 
 
THE RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH. 189 
 
 " I found it building its nest near Eastport, in Maine, on the 
 19th of May, before the Blue-bird had made its appearance there, 
 and while much ice still remained on the northern exposures. The 
 nest is dug in a low, dead stump, seldom more than four feet from 
 the ground ; both the male and the female working by turns until 
 they have got to the depth of about fourteen inches. The eggs, 
 four in number, are small, and of a white color, tinged with a deep 
 blush, and sprinkled with reddish dots. They raise, I believe, 
 only one brood in the season." 
 
 Although I found a pair on Nantucket in June, 1866, 
 which had young without doubt, the only other occurrence 
 of this bird's breeding in New England that has come to 
 my knowledge was in West Roxbury, Mass., in June, 1866, 
 when a nest was found in an old stump by my young friend, 
 William Minot, jun. The eggs were four in number, and 
 were of the description given above. 
 
190 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY CERTHIIADJE. THE CREEPERS. 
 
 First primary very short, less than half the second; outer lateral toe much 
 longest; hind toe exceeding both the middle toe and the tarsus, which is scutellate 
 anteriorly, and very short ; bill slender, as long as, or longer than, the head, much 
 compressed and greatly decurved ; gonys concave, without any notch ? entire basal 
 joint of the middle toes united to the lateral, the feathers stiffened at the tips; tail 
 long, cuneate. 
 
 CERTHIA, LINN^US. 
 
 Certhia, LINN/EUS, Syst. Nat., 1735 (Gray). (Type C. familiaris.) 
 Bill as long as the head, slender, much compressed and decurved from the base, 
 without notch or rictal bristles; tarsi distinctly scutellate, very short, not longer than 
 the outer lateral toes, which much exceeds the inner, reaching nearly as far as the 
 middle toe ; hind toe longer than the middle one, its claw more than half the total 
 length ; claws all very long and acute ; tail rather longer than the wings, arched or 
 vaulted, graduated or cuneate ; the feathers very acute at the tips, the shafts stiff- 
 ened; first primary rather more than one-third the fourth or longest one; color 
 above brown, streaked with white, beneath white. 
 
 CERTHIA AMERICANA. Bonaparte. 
 The American Creeper. 
 
 Certhia Americana, Bonaparte. Consp. List (1838). 
 
 Certhia familiaris, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 122. Aud. Orn Biog., V. 
 (1839) 158. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill about the length of the head; above dark-brown, with a slightly rufous 
 shade, each feather streaked centrally, but not abruptly, with whitish ; rump rusty ; 
 beneath almost silky-white ; the under tail coverts with a faint rusty tinge ; a white 
 streak over the eye ; the ear coverts streaked with whitish ; tail feathers brown cen- 
 trally, the edges paler yellowish-brown ; wings with a transverse bar of pale reddish- 
 white across both webs. 
 
 Length, about five and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, two and sixty one- 
 hundredths inches; tail, two and ninety one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. North America generally. 
 
 THIS species is a resident of the three southern New- 
 England States through the year : in the other States, 
 it is not a common summer visitor. It arrives from the 
 South about the middle of April, and, on pairing, com- 
 mences building about the second week in May. The nest 
 
THE AMERICAN CREEPER. 191 
 
 
 
 is built in a hollow limb of a tree, in a deserted nest of a 
 woodpecker or squirrel, or a hole in a fence-post. Usually 
 the locality is chosen in the deep woods, and seldom near 
 dwellings or in the orchards. The materials used in the 
 construction are soft grasses, feathers, and the bark of 
 the cedar and grape-vine. The eggs are usually about six in 
 number : their color is a dull-gray ; and they are marked, 
 thickest near the great end, with small spots of reddish- 
 brown, and a few dabs of a darker color. Mr. Allen speaks 
 of a nest being found " in a large elm in Court Square, 
 Springfield, about ten feet from the ground, and built behind 
 a strip of thick bark that projected in such a way as to leave 
 a protected cavity behind it." Dimensions of eggs average 
 about .70 by .50 inch. But one brood is reared in the 
 season in New England. 
 
192 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY TROGLODYTIDJE. THE WRENS. 
 
 "Rictal bristles wanting; the loral feathers with bristly points ; the fronta Weathers 
 generally not reaching to nostrils; nostrils varied, exposed or not covered bv 
 feathers, and generally overhung by a scale-like membrane; bill usually without 
 notch; wings much rounded, about equal to tail, which is graduated; primaries ten, 
 the first generally about half the second; basal joint of middle toe usually united to 
 half the basal joint of inner, and the whole of that of the outer, or more; lateral 
 toes about equal, or the outer a little the Longer; tarsi scutellate." BAIRD. 
 
 CISTOTHORUS, CABANIS. 
 
 Cistotkorus, CABANIS, Mus. Hein. (1850-51), 77. (Type Troglodytes stellaris.) 
 Bill about as long as the head or much shorter, much compressed, not notched, 
 gently decurved from the middle; the gonys slightly concave or straight; toes- 
 reaching to the end of the tail ; tarsus longer than the middle toe ; hind toe longer 
 than the lateral, shorter than the middle, lateral toes about equal, hind toe longer 
 than or equal to its digit; wings rather longer than the tail, all the feathers of which 
 are much graduated, the lateral only two-thirds the middle ; the feathers narrow ; 
 back black, conspicuously streaked with white. 
 
 CISTOTHORUS PALUSTRIS. Cabanis. 
 The Long-billed Marsh Wren. 
 
 Certhia palustris, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 58. 
 
 Troglodytes palusti-is, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1824), No. 66. Aud. Orn. Biog., 
 I. (1831) 500; V. (1839) 467. 
 
 Thryothorus palustris, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 439. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill about as long as head; tail and wing nearly equal; upper parts of a dull 
 reddish-brown, except on the crown, interscapular region, outer surface of tertiuls, 
 and tail feathers, which are almost black, the first with a median patch like the 
 ground-color; the second with short streaks of white, extending round on the sides 
 of the neck; the third indented with brown; the fourth barred with whitish, de- 
 creasing in amount from the outer feather, which is marked from the base to the 
 fifth, where it is confined to the tips; the two middle feathers above like the back, 
 and barred throughout with dusky; beneath rather pure-white, the sides and under 
 tail coverts of a lighter shade of brown than the back; a white streak over the eye. 
 
 Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, two and eight one-hundredths 
 inches; tail, two inches. 
 
 Hob. North America from Atlantic to Pacific, north to Greenland. REIN- 
 
 HARDT. 
 
THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN. 193 
 
 THIS interesting and not generally well-known little bird 
 is a summer inhabitant of New England. Although 
 not uncommon in Massachusetts and the other two southern 
 States, it seldom ventures north of the first State, where it 
 is confined to the neighborhood of the salt-water marshes. 
 It makes its appearance about the middle of May ; and its 
 presence is soon made known by its lively, chattering song, 
 and grotesque dodgings among the reeds and tall grass in 
 which it makes its home. I cannot refrain from giving the 
 exceedingly interesting account of its habits, &c., by Wilson. 
 He says, 
 
 " The Marsh Wren arrives in Pennsylvania about the middle of 
 May, or as soon as the reeds and a species of nymphea, usually 
 called splatter-docks, which grow in great luxuriance along the tide- 
 water of our rivers, are sufficiently high to shelter it. To such 
 places it almost wholly limits its excursions, seldom venturing far 
 from the river. Its food consists of flying insects and their larvae, 
 and a species of green grasshopper that inhabits the reeds. As to its 
 notes, it would be mere burlesque to call them by the name of song. 
 Standing on the reedy borders of the Schuylkill or Delaware, in the 
 month of June, you hear a low crackling sound, somewhat similar 
 to that produced by air-bubbles forcing their way through mud or 
 boggy ground when trod upon. This is the song of the Marsh 
 Wren : but as, among the human race, it is not given to one man 
 to excel in every thing, and yet each perhaps has something pecu- 
 liarly his own ; so, among birds, we find a like distribution of talents 
 and peculiarities. The little bird now before us, if deficient and 
 contemptible in singing, excels in the art of design, and constructs 
 a nest which, in durability, warmth, and convenience, is scarcely 
 inferior to one, and far superior to many, of its more musical breth- 
 ren. This is formed outwardly of wet rushes mixed with mud, 
 well intertwined, and fashioned into the form of a cocoanut. A 
 small hole is left two-thirds up for entrance, the upper edge of 
 which projects like a pent-house over the lower to prevent the 
 admission of rain. The inside is lined with fine soft grass, and 
 sometimes feathers ; and the outside, when hardened by the sun, 
 resists every kind of weather. This nest is generally suspended 
 
 13 
 
194 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 among the reeds, above the reach of the highest tides, and is tied 
 so fast to every part of the surrounding reeds as to bid defiance to 
 the winds and the waves. The eggs are usually six, of a dark-fawn 
 color, and very small. The young leave the nest about the 20th of 
 June, and they generally have a second brood in the same season." 
 
 I am unable to add any thing of value to this description. 
 Several nests in my collection, from various localities in 
 New England and elsewhere, agree with the above descrip- 
 tion of nest. They are formed of reeds and grasses twined 
 strongly together in a bulky fabric ; and the entrance, a 
 small round hole, is on one side (facing the south always, 
 I believe). The cavity is deep, and lined with soft grasses 
 and feathers. The eggs are of a mahogany-color, with fine 
 dots covering the entire surface. These dots are darker than 
 the ground-color, and so fine as to be hardly visible. A great 
 number of eggs in my collection vary from .60 by .48 to .56 
 by .42 inch in dimensions. 
 
 CISTOTHORUS STELLARIS. Cabanis. 
 The Short-billed Marsh Wren. 
 
 Cistothorus stettaris, Cabanis. Mus. Hein. (1851), 77. Type. 
 
 Troglodytes brevirostris, Nuttall. Trans. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sc., New Ser., I. 
 (1833) 98, with figure (quoted in Manual, though date of volume is subsequent to 
 1832). Ib., Man., I. (1832) 436. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 427; V. (1839) 469. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill very short, scarcely half the length of the head ; wing and tail about equal ; 
 hinder part of the crown and the scapular and interscapular region of the back and 
 rump almost black, streaked with white ; tail dusky, the feathers barred throughout 
 with brown (the color grayish on the under surface); beneath white; the sides, upper 
 part of the breast, and under tail coverts reddish-brown; upper parts, with the excep- 
 tions mentioned, reddish -brown. 
 
 Length, four and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, one and seventy-five one- 
 hundredths inch ; tail, one and seventy-five one-hundredths inch. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States to the Loup fork of Platte. 
 
 Like the preceding species, this bird is limited to the 
 southern districts of New England ; Massachusetts being its 
 northern limit. It makes its first appearance about the 
 middle of May, sometimes a little earlier. The nest is built 
 
TROGLODYTES. 195 
 
 about the last week in May : it is constructed of grasses and 
 sedges, and is pensile, or rather suspended in tall grass in 
 fresh-water meadows, which is woven into the body of the 
 fabric. I have never noticed any mud in the materials, and 
 doubt if any is used. The entrance is on the side ; it is a 
 small hole, just under the greatest bulge of the nest : the 
 whole fabric is lined with soft down from flying-seeds, and 
 sometimes a few feathers. The eggs are sometimes eight or 
 nine in number, usually about six : their color is pure-white, 
 and the shell is extremely thin and brittle. The dimensions 
 vary from .57 by .44 to .50 by .40 inch. But one brood is 
 reared in New England. 
 
 The habits of this bird are not so well known as those of 
 the preceding, as it is a much more shy bird, and always 
 avoids the presence of man. When its nest is approached, 
 it hovers near the intruder, chattering and scolding in a 
 violent manner. It is hardly ever seen in the neighborhood 
 of the salt water, and seems to be found only in the mead- 
 ows in the vicinity of fresh water : its food consists princi- 
 pally of small insects, and spiders, which it is almost 
 constantly employed in capturing. Its song is short, and 
 consists of a repetition of the syllables, 'che, 'chet, de-de-de- 
 de-de. This is uttered when the bird is perched on a low 
 bush, or tuft of grass. A peculiarity of this bird, and also 
 of the preceding species, is its habit of building a number of 
 nests in the same season : it is believed by many persons, 
 that this is done to secure protection ; because, when a 
 person searches for the nest occupied by the female, the 
 male always decoys the intruder to the neighborhood of one 
 of these empty ones. 
 
 TROGLODYTES, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Troglodytes, VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept., II. (1807) 52. (Type T. cedon.) 
 The characters of this section will be found sufficiently indicated in the synopsis 
 of the genera on a preceding page. It comes nearest to Cistoihorus, but is distin- 
 guished by weaker feet and much smaller hind claw, which, instead of being equal 
 to or longer than the remaining portion of the toe, is decidedly shorter. 
 
196 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 TROGLODYTES .EDON. Vieillot. 
 The House "Wren. 
 
 Troglodytes cedon, Vieillot. Ois. Am. Sept., II. (1807) 52. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. 
 (1831)427; V. (1839)470. 
 
 Sylvia domestica, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 129. 
 Troglodytes fulvus, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 422. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail and wings about equal; bill shorter than the head; above reddish-brown, 
 darker towards the head, brighter on the rump; the feathers everywhere, except on 
 the head and neck, barred with dusky; obscurely so on the back, and still less 
 on the rump; all the tail feathers barred from the base; the contrast more vivid on 
 the exterior ones ; beneath pale fulvous-white, tinged with light-brownish across the 
 breast ; the posterior parts rather dark-brown, obscurely banded ; under tail coverts 
 whitish, with dusky bars ; an indistinct line over the eye, eyelids, and loral region, 
 whitish; cheeks brown, streaked with whitish. 
 
 Length, four and ninety one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and eight one-hun- 
 dredths inches; tail, two inches. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States to the Missouri, or to the high central plains. 
 
 The bill of this species, even from the extreme base, is shorter than the head. 
 The wing is very nearly equal to the tail, and reaches over its basal fourth. The 
 tail is moderately graduated, the lateral feather about .32 of an inch shorter than the 
 middle. The outstretched feet reach about to the end of the tail. 
 
 There are a few whitish spots on the wing coverts. 
 
 This interesting and well-known little bird is very gen- 
 erally distributed throughout New England. It arrives from 
 the South as early as the first week in May, and soon appears 
 
 about its old haunts in the gar- 
 den and orchard. The famili- 
 arity of this species with man 
 is well known ; and comfortable 
 quarters are provided for its 
 reception, oftentimes in the 
 piazza of a dwelling-house, or 
 in the casement of a window. 
 This little bird is rather quar- 
 relsome, and often drives from 
 its home the Blue-bird and Martin, occupying the prepared 
 nest for its own domicile. When building a nest of its own, 
 it selects a hole in a tree, or post in a fence, and fills the 
 whole cavity with sticks and twigs : this mass is hollowed 
 
THE WINTER WREN. 197 
 
 in the centre, and lined with fine grasses, feathers, wool, and 
 other soft materials. The eggs are usually six in number, 
 sometimes eight, and I have known as many as ten being 
 found in one nest : their color is a pale-reddish flesh-color, 
 covered with fine dots or sprinkling of a darker color. 
 Dimensions vary from .62 by .50 to .59 by .48 inch. Occa- 
 sionally, two broods are reared in the season; but, as a 
 general thing, one brood only. The wrens are extremely 
 beneficial in the garden and orchard : they destroy immense 
 numbers of insects and their larva?, and are, in consequence 
 of their sociable habits and pleasant dispositions, great favor- 
 ites. It is hardly necessary to say a good word in their 
 favor, as they are well appreciated and protected. 
 
 As with many other birds, this species, although very 
 generally distributed, is not, by any means, regularly spread 
 through these States. It may be quite abundant in one 
 town ; and in another, perhaps five miles off, not an indi- 
 vidual is to be seen. In Cambridge, Mass., it is one of the 
 most abundant of birds ; but, in Newton or Dorchester, it is 
 comparatively rare. I cannot account for this irregularity, 
 and have never heard a plausible or satisfactory reason for 
 it given. Some species of insects, which are favorites with 
 it for food, may possibly be found less abundantly in some 
 localities than in others ; but I am unable to say if this is 
 the case, since I do not know of any particular insect which 
 this bird prefers. Numbers that I have examined, con- 
 tained in their stomachs spiders in abundance ; but what 
 species they were, or what were their peculiar localities, I 
 am ignorant. 
 
 TROGLODYTES HYEMALIS. Vieillot. 
 The Winter Wren. 
 
 Sylvia troglodytes, Wilson. Am. On., I. (1808) 139. 
 
 Troglodytes hyemalis, Vieillot. Nouv. Diet., XXXIV. (1819) 514. Aud. Orn. 
 Biog., IV. (1838)430. 
 
 Troglodytes JEuropceus, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1825), No. 137. Nutt Man., I. 
 (1832) 427. 
 
198 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill very straight, slender, and conical ; shorter than the head ; tail considerably 
 shorter than the wings, which reach to its middle; upper parts reddish-brown, 
 becoming brighter to the rump and tail ; everywhere, except on the head and upper 
 part of the back, with transverse bars of dusky and of lighter ; scapulars and wing 
 coverts with spots of white; beneath pale reddish-brown, barred on the posterior 
 half of the body with dusky and whitish, and spotted with white more anteriorly; 
 outer web of primaries similarly spotted with pale brownish-white; an indistinct 
 pale line over the eye. 
 
 Length, about four inches ; wing, one and sixty-six one-hundredths inch ; tail, 
 one and twenty-six one-hundredths inch. 
 
 Hob. North America generally. 
 
 This bird is quite abundant in the three northern New- 
 England States, and, as a winter visitor, is not uncommon 
 in the others. Wilson gives the following account of its 
 habits : 
 
 " This little stranger visits us from the north in the month of 
 October, sometimes remaining with us all the winter, and is always 
 observed, early in spring, on his route back to his breeding-place. 
 In size, color, song, and manners, he approaches nearer to the 
 European Wren (M. troglodytes) than any other species we have. 
 During his residence here, he frequents the projecting banks of 
 creeks, old roots, decayed logs, small bushes, and rushes, near 
 watery places : he even approaches the farm-house, rambles about 
 the wood-pile, creeping among the interstices like a mouse. With 
 tail erect, which is his constant habit, mounted on some projecting 
 point or pinnacle, he sings with great animation. Even in the 
 yards, gardens, and outhouses of the city, he appears familiar, and 
 quite at home. In short, he possesses almost all the habits of the 
 European species. He is, however, migratory, which may be 
 owing to the superior coldness of our continent. Never having 
 met with the nest and eggs, I am unable to say how nearly they 
 approximate to those of the former." 
 
 I know nothing of the breeding habits, nest, or eggs of 
 this species. It has, while in its. summer home, one of the 
 most beautiful warbling songs that I ever heard. 
 
THE WARBLERS. 199 
 
 FAMILY SYLVICOLID^E. THE WARBLERS. 
 
 Primaries nine, the first quill nearly as long as the second or third; tarsi dis- 
 tinctly scutellate the whole length anteriorly ; bill conical, slender, or depressed, 
 usually half the length of head, more or less bristled or notched ; nostrils oval or 
 rounded; lateral toes nearly or quite equal, and shorter than the middle; the basal 
 joint of the middle free nearly to its base externally, united for about half inter- 
 nally. 
 
 This family is well marked by its scutellate tarsi in front, the absence of any 
 spurious or short first primary, and the rather weak, slender, conical, or depressed, 
 sometimes decurved, bill. The base of the bill, with the nostrils, is not covered in 
 any genera by setae, as in Parus, Alauda, &c. In many respects, there is a close 
 relationship to some Fringittidce ; and there are some forms, such as the Tanagridce, 
 which it is difficult to assign to the one family rather than to the other. The chief 
 difference, however, is to be found in the longer, slenderer, and less abruptly conical 
 bill of the Tanagers. 
 
 The following synopsis will serve to point out the sub-families of the Sylvi- 
 colldce: 
 
 MOTACILLJN^E. Bill slender; culmen slightly concave at base; legs long; 
 claws but little curved ; hind toe considerably longer than the middle one ; its claw 
 much longer (twice) than the middle claw; all the claws but slightly curved ; ter- 
 tials elongated, much longer than the secondaries. 
 
 SYLVICOLIN/E. Bill rather slender, conical or depressed; culmen straight or 
 convex ; hind toe shorter than the middle ; the claws all much curved ; hind claw 
 not conspicuously longer than the middle one; when the hind toe is lengthened, it 
 is usually in the digit, not the claw ; tertials generally not longer than the second- 
 aries. 
 
 TANAGRIN^E. Bill very stout, conical, as high as broad, or considerably 
 broader than high ; tarsi short, not exceeding the hind toe ; claws much curved, the 
 hinder scarcely larger than the middle anterior. 
 
 Sub-Family MOTACILLIN.E. The Wagtails. 
 ANTHUS, BECHSTEIN. 
 
 Anthus, BECHSTEIN, Gemein. Naturg. Deutschl., 1802 (Agassiz). (Type Alavda 
 spinoletta.) 
 
 Bill slender, much attenuated, and distinctly notched; a few short bristles at the 
 base; culmen concave at the base; tarsi quite distinctly scutellate, longer than 
 the middle toe, inner lateral toe the longer; hind toe rather shorter than the tarsus, 
 but longer than the middle toe, owing to the long, attenuated, and moderately 
 curved hind claw, which is considerably more than half the total length of the toe; 
 tail rather long, emarginate; wing very long, considerably longer than the length- 
 ened tail, reaching to its middle; the first primary nearly equal to the longest; the 
 tertials almost as long as the primaries. 
 
200 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ANTHUS LUDOVICIANUS. Licht. 
 The Tit-lark. 
 
 Alauda Ludovidana, Graelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 793. 
 
 Anthus Ludovicianus, Licht. Verz. (1823), 37, No. 421. Aud. Syn. (1839), 94. 
 Alauda rufa, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 89. 
 
 Anthus spinoletta, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 408, V. (1839), 449. Nutt. 
 Man., I. (1832) 450. 
 
 Anthus pipiens, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 408, V. (1839) 449. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 (Female, in spring.) Above olive-brown, each feather slightly darker towards 
 the central portion; beneath pale dull-buff, or yellowish -brown, with a maxillary 
 series of dark-brown spots and streaks across the breast and along sides; ring 
 round the eye, and superciliary stripe yellowish ; central tail feathers like the back, 
 others dark blackish-brown, the external one white, except at the base within, a 
 white spot at the end of the second ; primaries edged with whitish, other quills with 
 pale-brownish. 
 
 Length, six and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, three and forty-five one- 
 hundredths inches ; tail, two and ninety-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. North America generally. Greenland (Reinhardt). Accidental in Eu- 
 rope. 
 
 THIS bird is a not uncommon fall and spring visitor in 
 New England; and, in the southern parts of these 
 States, in mild seasons, it remains through the entire winter. 
 It is most frequently found in the neighborhood of the sea- 
 coast or its large marshes, and in large tracts of level, dry, 
 weedy pastures and fields. 
 
 While with us, it flies in loose, detached flocks, in a jerk- 
 ing, irregular sort of flight, uttering occasionally its feeble, 
 lisping queet, queet. It seems always busily employed, 
 either on the beach, in gathering the small shell-fish and 
 animalcules thrown up by the tide, or, in pastures and 
 stubble-fields, in gleaning the seeds of weeds and grasses : 
 it also feeds upon spiders and such insects as it is able to 
 find in the dead grass and weeds. 
 
 As this species breeds in the most northern parts of the 
 continent, I am unable to give any account of its breeding 
 habits ; and, having no egg in my collection, I can give 
 no description of it here. Nuttall says the " nest is built 
 in the fissures of cliffs, is composed of dry grass and a 
 
THE BLACK AND WHITE CREEPER. 201 
 
 little moss, and lined with finer blades of the former and a 
 few long hairs. The eggs are four or five in number, of 
 a sullied-white color, and covered with small brown spots, 
 collected chiefly towards the larger end." 
 
 Sub-Family SYLVICOLIN^E. The Wood-warblers. 
 MNIOTILTA, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Mniotilta, VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816 (Agassiz). 
 
 General form sylvicoline; bill rather long, compressed, shorter than the head, 
 with very short rictal bristles and a shallow notch; wings considerably longer than 
 the tail, which is slightly rounded; first quill shorter than second and third; tarsi 
 rather short ; toes long, middle one equal to the tarsus ; hind toe nearly as long, the 
 claw considerably shorter than its digit. Color white streaked with black. 
 
 This genus differs from other Sylvicolines in the elongation of the toes, especially 
 the hinder one, by means of which the species is enabl-ed to move up and down the 
 trunks of trees, like the true Creepers. But one species is recognized as North 
 American, although Nuttall describes a second. 
 
 MNIOTILTA VARIA. Vieittot. 
 The Black and White Creeper, 
 
 Motacilla varia, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 333. 
 
 Mniotilta varia. Vieillot. Analyse (1016). lb., Galerie Ois., I. (1834) 276. Aud. 
 Syn. (1839), 71. Ib , Birds Am., II. (1841) 105. 
 
 Sylvia varia, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 81. Nutt. Man , I. (1832) 384. 
 Certhia maculata, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 22. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill with the upper mandible considerably decurved, the lower straight ; general 
 color of the male black, the feathers broadly edged with white ; the head all round 
 black, with a median stripe in the crown and neck above, a superciliary and a max- 
 illary one of white; middle of belly, two conspicuous bands on the wings, outer 
 edsres of tertials and inner of all the wing and tail feathers, and a spot on the inner 
 webs of the outer two tail feathers, white; rump and upper tail coverts black, 
 edged externally with white; female similar; the under parts white, obsoletely 
 streaked with black on the sides and under tail coverts. 
 
 Length, five inches; wing, two and eighty-five one-hundredths inches; tail, two 
 and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hab. Eastern North America to Missouri River, south to Guatemala. 
 
 This is a rather common summer inhabitant of all New 
 England. It arrives from the South before the 20th of 
 
202 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 April, and sometimes is seen by the first week in that 
 month. In its habits, it resembles both the Creepers and 
 Warblers ; moving about the bodies and limbs of trees with 
 the ease of the former, and gleaning amongst the foliage the 
 insect hosts like the latter. I have sometimes seen it seize 
 a flying insect while on the wing, although this must have 
 been a departure from its general habits. 
 
 The song of the male during the mating season is a sort 
 of lisping rendition of the syllables wMchee, whechee, 
 whechee, whechee, uttered at first loud, and gradually weak- 
 ening to a subdued note, like cheet. At other times, it has 
 only a faint chirp or chink, which is uttered by both sexes. 
 About the 10th of May, after the birds have paired, they 
 commence building the nest : this, Audubon says, in Louis- 
 iana " is usually placed in some small hole in a tree, and 
 is composed of mosses in a dry state, and lined with cottony 
 substances." In New England, it is almost always built, or 
 rather placed, on the ground ; the situation is chosen usually 
 beneath an overhanging point of rock, or beneath a fallen 
 trunk of a tree : it is made of mosses, straw, leaves, and 
 other soft materials, and is lined with cotton from ferns, 
 soft grass, or hair. The eggs are laid by the middle of 
 May. They are usually four or five in number : their color 
 is white, with a slight cream tinge ; and they are spotted 
 irregularly with fine dots and confluent blotches of reddish- 
 brown, thickest near the largest end of the egg. Dimen- 
 sions of four eggs found in a nest in Reading, Mass. : .66 
 by .54 inch, .66 by .54 inch, .65 by .54 inch, .65 by .54 
 inch. Two broods are occasionally reared by this species in 
 southern New England. 
 
 Probably the greater number breed in more northern 
 localities ; for it is much more common in the spring and 
 fall than in summer. By the 10th of September, they move 
 on their southern migration ; and, after the 15th or 20th of 
 that month, none are to be seen in New England. 
 
THE BLUE YELLOW-BACKED WARBLER. 203 
 
 PARULA, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Panda, BONAPARTE, Geog. and Comp. List, 1838. (Type Parus Americans.) 
 In the species of this genus, the bill is conical and acute ; the culmen very gently 
 curved from the base ; the commissure slightly concave, the notch when visible is 
 further from the tip than in Dendroica, but usually is either obsolete or entirely 
 wanting; bristles very short; the tarsi are longer than the middle toe; the tail is 
 nearly even, and considerably shorter than the wing. 
 
 PARULA AMERICANA. Bonaparte. 
 The Blue Yellow-backed Warbler. 
 
 Parus Americanus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1758) 190. 
 
 Sylvia Americana. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 78. 
 
 Parula Americana, Bonaparte. List (1838). Tb., Consp. (1850), 310. 
 
 Sylvia pusilla, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 17. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above blue, the middle of the back with a patch of yellowish-green ; beneath 
 yellow anteriorly, white behind; a reddish-brown tinge across the breast; lores and 
 space round the eye dusky; a small white spot on either eyelid; sides of. head 
 and neck like the crown; two conspicuous white bands on the wings; outer two tail 
 feathers with a conspicuous spot of white ; female similar, with less brown on the 
 breast. 
 
 Length, four and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wing, two and thirty-four 
 one-hundredths inches; tail, one and ninety one-hundredths inch. 
 
 Hob. Eastern North America to the Missouri, south to Guatemala. 
 
 This species, I am inclined to think, is rather common 
 in all of New England ; and it undoubtedly breeds more 
 or less abundantly in each of these States. It arrives from 
 the South about the middle of May, sometimes a little ear- 
 lier. The birds, on their arrival, seem to be mated; for 
 they are almost always seen in pairs, often two males with 
 one female. Their habits are very similar to those of the 
 Titmice, and they are equally at home in the high foliage of 
 trees and in the low thickets and shrubbery. When travel- 
 ling through the trees, they run nimbly both across and 
 along the branches, sometimes hanging head downwards, 
 sometimes fluttering at the extremity of a small twig: they 
 are very nervous and active, and are almost continually 
 employed in catching caterpillars and insects, of which 
 their food consists. While thus engaged, they emit, occa- 
 
204 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 sionally, a feeble note like the syllables cheweech, cheweech, 
 cheweech, uttered at first low, and rapidly increasing in 
 volume. When passing through the forests of Maine and 
 New Hampshire, I have seen numbers of these birds, par- 
 ticularly in the neighborhood of swamps, flying from the 
 tops of the huge hemlocks, and seizing the small lace- 
 winged flies (ephemerides) that are abundant in those 
 regions in May and June. I also noticed that they fed 
 largely upon the small caterpillars (geometridce) ; and I saw 
 them occasionally descend to the surface of a lake or river, 
 and seize small spiders that were struggling in the water. 
 The habits of this bird have caused it to be classed in many 
 different ways. Linna3us and others placed it in the genus 
 Parus, Latham and many others called it Sylvia, some 
 have named it Motacilla, and Stephens named it Thryo- 
 thorus. It, however, belongs properly among the Warblers ; 
 and the position given it as above seems' its most natural 
 one. About the first of June, the birds commence build- 
 ing their nest : this is placed in a fork near the end of a 
 branch of a tree, about twenty feet from the ground. It is 
 usually constructed of the long, gray Spanish moss that 
 is so plentiful in the States of Maine, New Hampshire, and 
 Vermont. A beautiful specimen in my collection, found in 
 Maine by John Krider of Philadelphia, who kindly pre- 
 sented it to me, is of this description, and one of the most 
 curious specimens of bird architecture : the long hairs of 
 the moss a*re woven and twined together in a large mass, on 
 one side of which is the entrance to the nest, a mere hole 
 left in the moss ; the lining is nothing but the same mate- 
 rial, only of a finer quality. There is another nest of this 
 description in the collection of the Museum of Comparative 
 Zoology in Cambridge, which was also found in Maine. The 
 eggs are usually four in number, and they are laid about 
 the first week in June. Their color is white, with a very 
 slight creamy tint, and covered more or less thickly with 
 spots and confluent blotches of brownish-red and obscure- 
 
THE MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. 205 
 
 lilac, thickest at the large end. Two eggs in my collection 
 are of the following measurements : .62 by .48 inch, and .63 
 by .46 inch. 
 
 GEOTHLYPIS, CABANIS. 
 
 Geothlypis, CABANIS, Wiegmann's Archiv. (1847), I. 316, 349. lb., Schomburgk'a 
 Reise Guiana (1848). 
 
 Bill sylvicoline, rather depressed, and distinctly notched; rictal bristles very- 
 short or wanting; wings short, rounded, scarcely longer than the tail; the first quill 
 shorter than the fourth; tail long, much rounded or graduated; legs stout; tarsi 
 elongated as the head; olive-green above, belly yellow; tail feathers immaculate; 
 legs yellow. 
 
 GEOTHLTPIS TEICHAS. Cabanis. 
 The Maryland Yellow-throat. 
 
 Turdus trichas, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 293. 
 
 Sylvia trichas, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 120; V. (1838) 463. 
 
 Geothlypis trichas, Cabanis. Mus. Hein. (1850), 16. 
 
 Sylvia Marilandica, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 88. 
 
 Trichas roscoe, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 457. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts olive-green, tinged with brown towards the middle of the crown ; 
 chin, throat, and breast as far as the middle of the body, with the under tail coverts, 
 bright-yellow; belly dull whitish-buff; sides of body strongly tinged with light 
 olive-brown ; under coverts glossed with the same ; a band of black on the fore- 
 head (about twenty one-hundredths of an inch wide in the middle), passing back- 
 ward so as to cover the cheek and ear coverts, and extending a little above the eye ; 
 this band bordered behind by a suffusion of hoary-ash, forming a distinct line above 
 the eye, and widening behind the ear coverts into a larger patch, with a yellow 
 tinge. In winter dress, and in the female, without the black mask, the forehead 
 tinged with brown, the yellow of the throat less extended, the eyelids whitish, and 
 an indistinct superciliary line yellowish. 
 
 Length of male, five and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and forty one- 
 hundredths inches; tail, two and twenty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is a common inhabitant of all the New-England 
 States. It arrives from the South about the second week in 
 May, sometimes earlier, and soon commences building. 
 The nest is usually placed on the ground, although often in 
 thickets of briers and bushes. It is constructed of leaves 
 and grasses, and is lined with fine grasses and hairs. It is 
 often built over at the top, with the entrance through a hole 
 in the side. The whole makes a bulky affair, almost imper- 
 
206 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 vious to water. 1 The eggs are laid about the last week in 
 May or first week in June. They are variable in size and 
 markings, but are usually five in number. To illustrate 
 the difference in size and markings, I will describe five eggs 
 found in a nest in Milton, Mass. : No. 1 is creamy-white in 
 color, with numerous spots of dark-brown and obscure spots 
 of lilac ; these markings are thinly scattered over the eggs, 
 but are quite thick at the larger end : dimensions, .70 by 
 .52 inch. No. 2 has the same ground-color, but the mark- 
 ings consist of numerous spots and confluent blotches 
 of light-brown and lilac at the large end of the egg : dimen- 
 sions, .70 by .56 inch. No. 3 is pure-white, with thinly 
 scattered spots of brown and black running like a ring, 
 around the larger end of the egg ; dimensions, .74 by .50 
 inch. No. 4 is of a pure-white color, with thinly scattered 
 spots of light-brown around the larger end : dimensions, 
 .66 by .52 inch. No. 5 of the same color, size, and mark- 
 ings as No. 4. Other eggs of this species in my collection 
 exhibit other markings from spots and blotches of lilac and 
 brown at the larger end to thinly scattered dots of reddish 
 over the entire surface ; and one specimen has numerous 
 irregular lines in a circle around the larger end of the egg. 
 This species rears two broods in the season in southern 
 New England. I have found nests often as late as the 
 middle of July. The habits of the Maryland Yellow-throat 
 are well known. He is first noticed in the swampy thickets, 
 darting in and out through the tangled shrubbery. Soon 
 he makes his appearance in the flower-garden and orchard, 
 where he may be seen at almost all times through the breed- 
 ing season, busily engaged searching for his insect food ; 
 occasionally pausing to carol his pretty song, whe-tit-te-tee, 
 whe-tit-te-tee, then darting away for a discovered insect, then 
 caressing his mate, or flying to his nest with food for their 
 young. 
 
 1 A nest sent me from Delaware is constructed of grasses, which are woven into 
 a loose fabric, quite different from northern specimens. 
 
THE MOURNING WARBLER. 207 
 
 Iii the woods, this species is more often found in low 
 thickets in or near wet, swampy localities, and is very sel- 
 dom seen in high, dry, heavily wooded countries. It seems 
 to prefer the neighborhood of human habitations for its 
 home, and its genial disposition and beneficial habits have 
 established it as a great favorite with the farmers. 
 
 As soon as the last brood of young leaves the nest, the 
 old birds become silent ; and, by the middle of September, 
 the whole family leave for the South. 
 
 GEOTHLTPIS PHILADELPHIA. Baird. 
 The Mourning "Warbler. 
 
 Sylvia Philadelphia, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 101. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. 
 (1839) 78. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 404. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Wings but little longer than the tail, reaching but little beyond its base ; head 
 and neck all round, with throat and fore part of breast, ash-gray, paler beneath; the 
 feathers of the chin, throat, and fore breast in reality black, but with narrow ashy 
 margins, more or less concealing the black, except on the breast; lores and region 
 round the eye dusky, without any trace of a pale ring ; upper parts and sides of the 
 body clear olive-green ; the under parts bright-yellow ; tail feathers uniform olive ; 
 first primary, witli the outer half of the outer web, nearly white. Female, with the 
 gray of the crown glossed with olive ; the chin and throat paler centrally, and tinged 
 with fulvous; a dull whitish ring round the eye. 
 
 Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and forty-five one-hun- 
 dredths inches ; tail, two and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is very rarely found in New England. It has 
 been taken in all these States, but in such small numbers 
 that it can hardly be called one of our birds. Mr. Allen 
 shot two ; I have taken but one ; and Mr. Verrill gives one 
 or two instances of its being taken in Maine. The specimen 
 that I captured had all the motions and habits of the Mary- 
 land Yellow-throat; and I neglected to shoot it for some 
 time, supposing it to be the female of that bird. Its note 
 was a simple chirp, with a warbling termination like the 
 syllables chirpchreee, chirpchreee, uttered in a soft, pensive 
 tone. Of its breeding habits, nest, and eggs, I am ignorant. 
 
208 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 OPORORNIS, BAIRD. 
 
 Bill sylvicoline, rather compressed ; distinctly notched at tip ; rictal bristles very 
 much reduced ; wings elongated, pointed, much longer than the tail ; the first quill 
 nearly or quite the longest; tail very slightly rounded; tail feathers acuminate, 
 pointed ; the under coverts reaching to within less than half an inch of their tip ; 
 tarsi elongated, longer than the head; claws large, the hinder one as long as its digit, 
 and longer than the lateral toes; above olive-green, beneath yellow; tail and wings 
 immaculate ; legs yellow. 
 
 OPORORNIS AGILIS. Baird. 
 The Connecticut Warbler. 
 
 Sylvia agllis, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 64. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 227. 
 
 Sylvicola agilis, Orn. Biog., II. (1841) 71. 
 
 Trichas agilis, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 403. 
 
 Trichas tephrocotis, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 462. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts and sides of the body uniform olive-green, very slightly tinged with 
 ash on the crown; sides of the head ash. tinged with dusky beneath the eye (entire 
 head sometimes ash); chin and throat grayish-ash, gradually becoming darker to 
 the upper part ot the breast, where it becomes tinged with dark -ash ; sides of the 
 neck, breast, and body olive, like the back; rest of under parts light-yellow; a 
 broad, continuous white ring round the eye; wings and tail feathers olive (especially 
 the latter), without any trace of bars or spots ; bill brown above ; feet vellow. 
 
 Length, six inches ; wing, three ; tail, two and twenty-five one-hundredths. 
 
 This is another very rare bird in New England, and I 
 have never met with a specimen that was taken north of 
 Massachusetts. In West Roxbury, of this State, in a large 
 tract of pine forest, two or three specimens have been taken 
 within as many years. So far as I can learn, this species 
 has all the habits and motions of the two preceding. It 
 has no song, but utters the note queet often, and in a 
 sprightly tone, as it searches among the shrubbery for its 
 favorite food of spiders and small caterpillars. 
 
 ICTERIA, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Icteria, VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept. I., (1790) 85. 
 
 Bill shorter than the head ; broad at the base, but rapidly becoming compressed 
 or much higher than broad, with the ridge elevated and sharp from the very base 
 of the bill; the upper outline much curved throughout; the commissure less curved, 
 
THE YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. 209 
 
 but strongly concave; the gonys nearly straight, the upper edge of the lower jaw as 
 convex as the commissure is concave; no notch in the bill, and the rictal bristles 
 small ; tarsi longer than the toes, without scutellae, except faint indications on the 
 inner side; lateral toes about equal, shorter than the hinder; wings about equal to 
 the tail, rounded; the first quill longer than the secondaries; tail graduated, above 
 olive, beneath yellow; abdomen, eyelids, maxillary patch, and line to the bill, 
 white. 
 
 ICTEEIA VIRIDIS. Bonaparte. 
 The Yellow-breasted Chat. 
 
 Mmdcapa viridis, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 936. 
 
 Jcteria tiridis, Bonaparte. Obs. Wilson (1826), No. 163. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 
 289. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 223; V. 433. 
 
 Pipra polyglotta, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 90. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Third and fourth quills longest, second and fifth little shorter, first nearly equal 
 to the sixth; tail graduated; upper parts uniform olive-green; under parts, including 
 the inside of wing, gamboge-yellow as far as nearly half-way from the point of the 
 bill to the tip of the tail ; rest of under parts white, tinged with brown on the sides ; 
 the outer side of the tibia plumbeous; a slight tinge of orange across rtie breast; 
 forehead and sides of the head ash, the lores and region below the eye blackish ; 
 a white stripe from the nostrils over the eye and involving the upper eyelid; a patch 
 on the lower lid, and a short stripe from the side of the lower mandible, and running 
 to a point opposite the hinder border of the eye, white; bill black; feet brown. 
 Female like the male, but smaller; the markings- indistinct ; the lower mandible not 
 pure-black. 
 
 Length, seven and forty one-hundredths inches; wing, three and twenty-five 
 one-hundredths ; tail, three and thirty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Massachusetts seems to be the northern limit of this 
 bird's habitat in New England ; and, even in this State, it is 
 a very rare species. Every season, for the last three years, a ' 
 pair has nested near Lynn, in this State ; and Mr. Allen 
 says, that they are sometimes seen, in the breeding season, 
 near Springfield. I have never met with the bird alive, and 
 can give no account of its habits from my own observation. 
 Nuttall's description is as follows : 
 
 " The males, as in many other migrating birds, who are not 
 continually paired, arrive several days before the females. As 
 soon as our bird has chosen his retreat, which is commonly in some 
 thorny or viny thicket, where he can obtain concealment, he becomes 
 jealous of his assumed rights, and resents the least intrusion, scold- 
 ing all who approach in a variety of odd and uncouth tones, very 
 
 14 
 
210 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 difficult to describe or imitate, except by a whistling ; in which case 
 the bird may be made to approach, but seldom within sight. His 
 responses on such occasions are constant and rapid, expressive of 
 anger and anxiety ; and, still unseen, his voice shifts from place to 
 place amidst the thicket, like the haunting of a fairy. Some of 
 these notes resemble the whistling of the wings of a flying duck, 
 at first loud and rapid, then sinking till they seem to end in single 
 notes. A succession of other tones are now heard, some like the 
 barking of young puppies, with a variety of hollow, guttural, un- 
 common sounds, frequently repeated, and terminated occasionally 
 by something like the mewing of a cat, but hoarser ; a tone, to 
 which all our Vireos, particularly the young, have frequent recur- 
 rence. All these notes are uttered with vehemence, and with such 
 strange and various modulations as to appear near or distant, like 
 the manoeuvres of ventriloquism. In mild weather also, when the 
 moon shines, this gabbling, with exuberance of life and emotion, is 
 heard nearly throughout the night, as if the performer were dis- 
 puting with the echoes of his own voice. 
 
 " About the middle of May, soon after their arrival, the icterias 
 begin to build, fixing the nest commonly in a bramble-bush, in an 
 interlaced thicket, a vine, or small cedar, four or five feet from the 
 ground. The outside is usually composed of dry leaves, or thin 
 strips of grape-vine bark, and with root-fibres and dry, slender 
 blades of grass. The eggs are about four, pale flesh-colored, spotted 
 all over with brown or dull-red. The young are hatched in the 
 short period of twelve days, and leave the nest about the second 
 week in June." 
 
 Four eggs in my collection exhibit the following dimen- 
 sions : .71 by .60 inch, .70 by .60 inch, .68 by .59 inch, .67 
 by .58 inch. 
 
 The food of this bird consists of those small insects and 
 spiders that are found in the thick shrubbery of brier patches, 
 and on the ground among the fallen leaves. It also occa- 
 sionally captures flying insects in the manner of the Vireos ; 
 and this fact has caused it, more than its peculiarities of 
 form, to be classed by some authors with those birds. 
 
 By the first week in September, none are seen in New 
 
THE WORM-EATING WARBLER. 211 
 
 England ; they having left for the tropical countries of South 
 America, where they spend the winter. 
 
 HELMITHERUS, RAFINESQUE. 
 
 Helmitherus, RAFINESQUE, Journal de Physique, LXXXVIII. (1819) 417. (Type 
 Motacilla vermivora. ) 
 
 Bill large and stout, compressed, almost tanagrine ; nearly or quite as long as the 
 head; culmen very slightly curved; gonys straight; no notch in the bill; rictal 
 bristles wanting; tarsi short, but little longer, if any, than the middle toe; tail 
 considerably shorter than the wings, rather rounded; wings rather long, the first 
 quill a little shorter than the second and third. 
 
 HELMITHERUS VEBMIVORUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Worm-eating Warbler. 
 
 f Motacilla vermivora, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 951. 
 
 Sylvia vermivora, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 74. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 
 177. 
 
 Sylvia (Dacnis) vermivora, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 409. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill nearly as long as the head ; upper parts generally rather clear olive-green ; 
 head with four black stripes and three brownish-yellow ones, namely, a black one 
 on each side of the crown, and one from behind the eye (extending, in fact, a little 
 anterior to it), a broader median yellow one on the crown, and a superciliary from 
 the bill; under parts pale brownish-yellow, tfnged with buff across the breast, and 
 with olivaceous on the sides ; tail unspotted. Female nearly similar. 
 
 Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, three ; tail, two and thirty- 
 five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This species is so rarely seen in New England, that it can 
 be regarded only as a straggler. I have never met with a 
 specimen alive, although it has been taken in all these 
 States. Audubon describes its habits as follows : 
 
 "It is an inhabitant of the interior of the forests, and is seldom 
 found on the borders of roads or in the fields. In spring, they 
 move in pairs ; and, during their retrograde marches, in little 
 groups, consisting each of a family, seven or eight in number: 
 on which account I am inclined to believe that they raise only a 
 single brood in the year. They are ever amongst the decayed 
 branches of trees or other plants, such as are accidentally broken 
 off by the wind, and are there seen searching for insects or cater- 
 
212 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 pillars. They also resort to the ground, and turn over the dried 
 leaves in quest of the same kind of food. They are unsuspecting, 
 and will suffer a person to approach within a few paces. When 
 disturbed, they fly off to some place where withered leaves are 
 seen. They have only a few weak notes, which do not deserve 
 the name of song. Their industry, however, atones for this defect, 
 as they are seen continually moving about, rustling among the 
 leaves, and scarcely ever removing from one situation to another, 
 until after they have made a full inspection of the part in which 
 they have been employed." 
 
 The nest of this active little bird is formed of singular 
 materials, being composed externally of dried mosses and 
 the green blossoms of hickories and chestmit-trees, while 
 the interior is prettily lined with fine fibrous roots, the 
 whole apparently rather small for the size of the occupants. 
 About the middle of May, the female lays four or five eggs, 
 which are cream-colored, with a few dark-red spots near the 
 larger end, leaving a circular unspotted part at the ex- 
 tremity. The nest is usually placed between two small 
 twigs of a bush, not more than eight or nine feet from the 
 ground, and sometimes only four or five. 
 
 HELMINTHOPHAGA, CABANIS. 
 
 Helminthophaga, CABANIS, Mus. Hein. (1850-51) 20. (Type Sylvia rufaapilla.) 
 Bill elongated, conical, very acute ; the outlines very nearly straight, sometimes 
 slightly decurved; no trace of notch at the tip; wings long and pointed; the first 
 quill nearly or quite the longest; tail nearly even or slightly emarginate; short and 
 rather slender; tarsi longer than the middle toe. 
 
 HELMINTHOPHAGA PINUS. Baird. 
 The Blue-winged Yellow Warbler. 
 
 Certhia pinus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 187. Gm., I. (1788) 478. 
 
 Sylvia solitaria, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 109. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 102. 
 
 Sylvia (Dacnis) solitaria, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 410. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts and cheeks olive-green, brightest on the rump ; the wings, tail, and 
 upper tail coverts, in part, bluish-gray; an intensely black patch from the blue- 
 
THE BLUE-WINGED YELLOW WARBLER. 213 
 
 black bill to the eye, continued a short distance behind it; crown, except behind, 
 and the under parts generally, rich orange-yellow ; the inner wing and under tail 
 coverts white; eyelids, and a short line above and behind the eye, brighter yellow; 
 wing with two white bands; two outer tail feathers with most of the inner web] 
 third one with a spot at the end white. Female and young similar, duller, with 
 more olivaceous on the crown. 
 
 Length, four and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, two and forty one-hirn- 
 dredths inches ; tail, two and ten one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This species is also very rare in New England. In 1857, 
 in the month of May, about the 12th or 15th, I found a 
 small flock in a swamp in Dedham, Mass. They were 
 actively employed in catching flying insects, and were so 
 little mistrustful, that they permitted me to approach quite 
 near, and observe their motions. I noticed nothing pecu- 
 liar in them ; but they had all the activity and industry of 
 the true arboreal Warblers. I know nothing of their breed- 
 ing habits, and will give the description by Wilson of the 
 nest and eggs. He says, 
 
 " This bird has been mistaken for the Pine Creeper of Catesby. 
 It is a very different species. It comes to us early in May from 
 the South ; haunts thickets and shrubberies, searching the branches 
 for insects ; is fond of visiting gardens, orchards, and willow-trees, 
 of gleaning among blossoms and currant-bushes ; and is frequently 
 found in very sequestered woods, where it generally builds its nest. 
 Tliis is fixed in a thick bunch or tussock of long grass, sometimes 
 sheltered by a brier bush. It is built in the form of an inverted 
 cone or funnel, the bottom thickly bedded with dry beech-leaves, 
 the sides formed of the dry bark of strong weeds lined within with 
 fine, dry grass. These materials are not placed in the usual 
 manner, circularly, but shelving downwards on all sides from the 
 top ; the mouth being wide, the bottom very narrow, filled with 
 leaves, and the eggs or young occupying the middle. The female 
 lays five eggs, pure-white, with a few very faint dots of reddish 
 near the great end ; the young appear the first week in June. I 
 am not certain whether they raise a second brood in the same 
 season. 
 
 " I have met with several of these nests, always in a retired 
 though open part of the woods, and very similar to each other." 
 
214 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 HELMINTHOPHAGA CHRYSOPTERA. Cabanis. 
 The Golden-winged Warbler. 
 
 Motadlla chryscptera, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 333. Gm. Syst. Nat., 
 I. (1788) 971. 
 
 Sylvia ch^ysqptera t Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 113. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts uniform bluish-gray ; the head above and a large patch on the wings 
 vellow; a broad streak from the bill through and behind the eye, with the chin, 
 throat, and forepart of the breast, black ; the external edge of the yellow crown con- 
 tinuous with a broad patch on the side of the occiput above the auriculars, a broad 
 maxillary stripe widening on the side of the neck, the under parts generally, with 
 most of the inner webs of the outer three tail feathers white; the sides of the body 
 pale ash-color. Female similar, but duller. 
 
 Length, about five inches ; wing, two and sixty-five one-hundredths inches ; tail, 
 two and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 " This handsomely marked species has hitherto been con- 
 sidered a very rare bird in New England ; but it is less 
 uncommon than it is supposed to be. The first one I saw 
 was caught by a cat in a garden in West Newton, Mass. 
 This was on May 16, 1861. That year, and since, I have 
 found it occurring, in small numbers, from the 14th to the 
 30th of May. The higher branches of trees, in the vicinity 
 of swampy land, appear to be its favorite hunting-places. It 
 may be seen seeking its food quite diligently along the 
 branches and among the twigs, moving by short leaps, and 
 stopping often to utter its drawling note, ' zee-zee-zee-zee ' or 
 6 dee-dee-dee-dee.' 
 
 " I once saw one, who, having seemingly finished his 
 morning meal, was perched on the topmost twig of a tree, 
 quite motionless, occasionally uttering the above song, 
 which is easily recognized from that of any of our other 
 Warblers. On my alarming him, he flew down among the 
 undergrowth of young birches, and permitted me to approach 
 quite near him : while watching his movements, I observed 
 a Nashville Warbler alight on the same bush in which he 
 was moving, when the Golden-wing immediately gave fight, 
 and chased the intruder away. I have never observed the 
 
THE NASHVILLE WARBLER. 215 
 
 species in autumn, and all the specimens that I have met 
 with were males. It rears its young in the more northern 
 regions probably ; and winters beyond the southern limits 
 of the Union, in the West Indies, Central America, and 
 even as far south as Bogota, S.A. This Warbler is not 
 given in any of the lists of the birds of Maine or Vermont 
 that I have seen ; but, as it occurs in such small numbers, it 
 may have been overlooked, or perhaps is now becoming a 
 regular visitor, during the spring migrations, in New Eng- 
 land." Letter from Henry A. Purdie. 
 
 HELMINTHOPHAGA RUFICAPILLA. Baird. 
 The Nashville Warbler. 
 
 Sylvia rujicfipilla, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 120. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. 
 (1832) 450. 
 
 Sylvia rubricapilla, Wilson. Am. Orn., VI. (1812) 15. 
 Sylvia (Dacnis) rubricapilla, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 412. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head and neck above and on sides ash-gray, the crown with a patch of con- 
 cealed dark brownish-orange hidden by ashy tips to the feathers; upper parts 
 olive-green, brightest on the rump ; under parts generally, with the edge of the 
 wing deep yellow ; the anal region paler; the sides tinged with olive ; a broad yel- 
 lowish-white ring round the eye; the lores yellowish; no superciliary stripe; the 
 inner edges of the tail feathers margined with dull-white. Female similar, but 
 duller; the under parts paler; but little trace of the red of the crown. 
 
 The bill is very acute; the wings long and pointed; the tail emarginate, not 
 rounded. 
 
 In autumn, the entire upper parts are olive-green, tinged with yellowish on the 
 rump, sometimes with brownish on the head ; the patch on the crown more or less 
 concealed ; the female has the white on the middle of the belly more extended. 
 
 Length, four and sixty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, two and forty-two 
 one-hundredths inches; tail, two and five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This species is quite common in the spring migrations, 
 arriving about the first week in May ; but few breed in the 
 southern districts of New England. Like some other spe- 
 cies, it has grown much more abundant than it was a few 
 years since, and is now quite common in localities where it 
 was once a stranger. Its habits are like those of the other 
 Warblers, eminently active and industrious: it seems always 
 
216 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 moving through the foliage, gleaning its insect food. Its 
 note is a peculiar one, and easily recognized : it is best 
 described or illustrated by the sound produced by striking 
 two pebbles together with some force. 
 
 About the 20th of June, after the birds have paired, they 
 commence building the nest : this is usually placed on the 
 ground, in a slight depression usually made by the birds 
 themselves. A specimen before me containing three eggs, 
 collected in Maiden, Mass., by Mr. H. A. Purdie, is con- 
 structed of the leaves of the pine, which are very neatly 
 woven into a compact, circular fabric, deeply hollowed, and 
 lined with horsehair and fine leaves of the pine : the eggs 
 are of a white color, with a very faint rosy tint, and covered 
 irregularly with dots of reddish-brown and obscure lilac. 
 Dimensions of the three specimens : .61 by .50 inch, .60 by 
 48 inch, .58 by .48 inch. J. A. Allen, in his " Catalogue 
 of the Birds of Springfield, Mass.," gives the folio wing- 
 exceedingly interesting description of the nest and eggs 
 of this bird : 
 
 " I have found the nest of this species for two successive 
 seasons as follows : May 31, 1862, containing four freshly laid eggs. 
 The nest was placed on the ground, and sunken so that the top of 
 the nest was level with the surface of the ground, and protected 
 and completely concealed above by the dead grass and weeds of 
 the previous year. It was composed of fine rootlets and dry grass, 
 lined with fine, dry grass -and a few horsehairs, and covered 
 exteriorly with a species of fine, green moss. The eggs were 
 white, sprinkled with light reddish-brown specks, most thickly 
 near the larger end. Longer diameter sixty, and the shorter fifty 
 one-hundredths inch. The following year, June 5, 1863, I found 
 another nest of this species, within three or four feet of where 
 the one was discovered the previous year, and containing three 
 eggs of this species, and one of the Cow Bunting, in all of which 
 the embryos were far advanced. The nest, in every particular, 
 was built and arranged like the one above described ; and the eggs 
 must have been laid at just about the same season. In both cases, 
 the female bird was secured, and the identity ascertained beyond 
 
THE TENNESSEE WARBLER. 217 
 
 question. The locality of the nests was a mossy bank, at the edge 
 of young woods, sloping southward, and covered with bushes and 
 coarser plants." 
 
 HELMINTHOPHAGA PEREGRINA. Cabanis. 
 The Tennessee Warbler. 
 
 Sylvia, peregrina, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 83. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. 
 (1834) 307. 
 
 Sylvia (Dacnis) peregrina, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 412. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Top and sides, of the head and neck ash-gray ; rest of upper parts olive-green, 
 brightest on the rump ; beneath dull-white, faintly tinged in places, especially on the 
 sides, with yellowish-olive ; eyelids and a stripe over the eye whitish ; a dusky line 
 from the eye to the bill ; outer tail feather with a white spot along the inner edge, 
 near the tip. Female, with the ash of the head less conspicuous; the under parts 
 more tinged with olive-yellow. 
 
 Length, four and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and seventy-five one- 
 hundredths ; tail, one and eighty -five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is an extremely rare summer visitor in New 
 England. Mr. Allen says he lias taken it on Sept. 19 and 
 May 29 : this shows that it passes north to breed, but where 
 it passes the season of incubation we are ignorant. The 
 species itself seems to be a very small one ; and, as the mem- 
 bers are so few, they may be easily overlooked in the 
 forest through the whole season, particularly as they are 
 quiet and retiring in habits. I think that, perhaps, the 
 wilder sections of Maine and New Hampshire may give it a 
 summer home, but of course can only judge from the above 
 reasons. 
 
 Of its nest and eggs I am ignorant ; and, as I have seen 
 no description of them, I can give none here. 
 
 SEIURUS, SWAINSON. 
 
 Seiurus, SWAINSON, Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 171. (Sufficiently distinct from 
 Sciurus. Type Motodlla aurocapilla, L.) 
 
 Bill rather sylvicoline, compressed, with a distinct notch; gonys ascending; rictal 
 bristles very short; wings moderate, about three-quarters of an inch longer than the 
 tail; first quill scarcely shorter than the second; tail slightly rounded; feathers acu- 
 
218 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 minate; tarsi about as long as the skull, considerably exceeding the middle toe; 
 under tail coverts reaching within about half an inch of the end of the tail ; color 
 above olivaceous; beneath whitish, thickly streaked on the breast and sides: wings 
 and tail immaculate. 
 
 SEIURUS AUROCAPILLUS. Swainsm. 
 The Oven-bird; Golden-crowned Thrush. 
 
 Motadlla aurocapilla, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 334. Gm., I. (1788) 982. 
 Turdus aurocapillus, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 88. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. 
 (1834)253; V. (1839)447. 
 
 Turdus (Seiurus) aurocapillus, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 355. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above uniform olive-green, with a tinge of yellow; crown with two narrow 
 streaks of black from the bill, enclosing a median and much broader one of brownish- 
 orange; beneath white; the breast, sides of the body, and a maxillary line streaked 
 with black. The female, and young of the year, are not appreciably different. 
 
 Length, six inches; wing, three inches; tail, two and forty one-hundredths 
 inches. 
 
 This beautiful and well-known bird is a common summer 
 inhabitant of New England, breeding abundantly in all the 
 States. It arrives from the South about the last week in 
 April or first in May, and soon commences building. The 
 birds are not often paired on their arrival, and many are 
 the little quarrels and battles that occur between two or 
 three males for the possession of one of the opposite sex. 
 The birds both work diligently in the construction of the 
 nest, which is a model of neatness and ingenuity. It is 
 built on the ground in the woods, usually in a dry situation. 
 The materials used are dry leaves and grasses : these are 
 arranged compactly together, and built over at the top, the 
 entrance being on the side, like an old-fashioned oven ; 
 hence the familiar name of the " Oven-bird." The nest is 
 usually placed in a slight hollow in the earth, scratched by 
 the birds, and is lined with soft grasses and hairs. The 
 eggs are from three to five in number, usually four. They 
 are of a delicate creamy-white color, and spotted irregularly 
 with different shades of reddish-brown ; and some specimens 
 have a number of spots of obscure lilac-color. The mark- 
 
THE OVEN-BIRD. 219 
 
 ings are usually thickest at the larger end of the egg, where 
 they are often confluent, and cover the primary color. 
 Dimensions of four specimens collected in a nest in West 
 Roxbury, Mass. : .80 by .64 inch, .79 by .64 inch, .79 by 
 .62 inch, .78 by .62 inch. A great number of specimens, 
 collected in different localities of New England, show no 
 great variations from these measurements. 
 
 The habits of this bird are so well known that an ex- 
 tended description here is scarcely needed. It is seldom 
 found in any but the most retired and thickly wooded local- 
 ities, and it generally prefers the neighborhood of a swamp 
 for its home. Its song is a peculiar one, and easily recog- 
 nized : it consists of the repeated utterance of the syllables, 
 quicha, qmcha, qmcha, quicha^ qmcha, begun at first very 
 low, and rapidly increasing in volume. I have heard this 
 song, in the mating and incubating seasons, at all hours of 
 the night : the bird seems, at that time, to ascend into the 
 air to a considerable height, and utters its notes while hover- 
 ing and slowly descending. I have noticed the same habit 
 in the Maryland Yellow-throat and some other birds ; and 
 suppose that it is owing to, and to show, his great affection 
 for his mate, and to anxiety for the success of her labors. 
 
 When on the ground, the Oven-bird runs with great 
 rapidity, frequently jetting its tail and uttering its sharp 
 alarm-note : if the nest is approached, the male throws 
 himself in the way of the intruder, and endeavors to draw 
 him from its vicinity, scolding all the time with the greatest 
 vehemence. If the female is driven from her domicile, she 
 suddenly flutters along the ground, her wings extended, 
 counterfeiting lameness in a very natural and generally 
 effective manner. 
 
 This species, in consequence of its eminently terrestrial 
 habits, often falls a victim to snakes and skunks. I have 
 repeatedly found nests, and left them, in order that I might 
 acquaint myself with the breeding peculiarities of the bird ; 
 and in a day or two, on paying it a second visit, found 
 
220 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 that a skunk or other depredator had destroyed the whole 
 family. 
 
 The Oven-bird feeds principally upon small insects and 
 smooth caterpillars, which it obtains usually on the ground, 
 among the fallen leaves : whan berries are in season, it feeds 
 occasionally upon them ; and it seems particularly fond of 
 small spiders, with which I have sometimes found its stom- 
 ach filled. About the 12th or 15th of September, after the 
 young birds have become capable of providing for them- 
 selves, the whole family leave for the South. 
 
 SEI CJRUS NOVEBORACENSIS. Nuttall. 
 The Water Thrush ; Water Wagtail. 
 
 Motadlla Nmeboracemis, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 958. 
 
 Turdus (Seiurus) Noveboracensis, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 353. 
 
 Turdus aquations, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 66. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. (1839) 
 284. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill, from rictus, about the length of the skull ; above olive-brown, with a shade 
 of green; beneath pale sulphur-yellow, brightest on the abdomen; region about the 
 base of the lower mandible, and a superciliary line from the base of the bill to the 
 nape, brownish-yellow; a dusky line from the bill through the eye; chin and throat 
 finely spotted; all the remaining under parts and sides of the body, except the 
 abdomen, and including the under tail coverts, conspicuously and thickly streaked 
 with olivaceous-brown, almost black on the breast. 
 
 Length, six and fifteen one-hundredths inches; wing, three and twelve one-hun- 
 dredths inches ; tail, two and forty one-hundredths inches ; bill, from rictus, sixty- 
 four one-hundredths of an inch. 
 
 This bird is not very uncommon in New England in the 
 spring and fall migrations (arriving about the 1st of May, 
 and departing about the last week in September) ; and I 
 have sometimes seen it in summer in Massachusetts. It 
 undoubtedly breeds in the three northern of these States, 
 and probably in them all. In its habits, it much resembles 
 the preceding species ; but it is seldom found in any but a 
 wet locality. 
 
 Wilson says, " This bird is remarkable for its partiality 
 to brooks, rivers, shores, ponds, and streams of water ; 
 
THE WATER-THRUSH. 221 
 
 wading in the shallows in search of aquatic insects, wag- 
 ging the tail almost continually, chattering as it flies ; and, 
 in short, possesses many strong traits and habits of the 
 Water Wagtail. It is also exceedingly shy, darting away 
 on the least attempt to approach it, and uttering a sharp 
 chip repeatedly, as if greatly alarmed." 
 
 Although I have met with quite a number of these birds 
 in their sylvan haunts, I have never heard them sing, and 
 suspect that the following description of its song must 
 belong to some other species : " They are eminently distin- 
 guished by the loudness, sweetness, and expressive vivacity 
 of their notes, which begin very high and clear, falling with 
 an almost imperceptible gradation till they are scarcely 
 articulated. At these times, the musician is perched on 
 the middle branches of a tree over the brook or river bank, 
 pouring out his charming melody, that may be distinctly 
 heard for nearly half a mile. The voice of this little bird 
 appeared to me so exquisitely sweet and expressive, that I 
 was never tired of listening to it, while traversing the deep- 
 shaded hollows of those cane-brakes where it usually 
 resorts." 
 
 Although I have looked repeatedly for the nest of this 
 species, I have never been able to find one, and will be 
 obliged to use the description of others. Mr. Yerrill says, 
 in his paper on Maine birds, before referred to : 
 
 "A nest found, June 8, 1861, in a dense cedar swamp, was built 
 in an excavation in the side of a decayed, moss-covered log, so that 
 the excavation itself formed an arch over the nest, instead of one 
 made by the bird, as in the preceding species. The nest was con- 
 structed of moss, and lined with fine roots. The five eggs were of 
 a delicate flesh-color, spotted with light reddish-brown." 
 
 Nuttall says of the nest : 
 
 " It is placed usually at the foot of a tree, or by the side of a 
 decayed log, and is formed of dry leaves, moss, and fine grass ; 
 being lined with hair or the similar fibres of the Spanish moss 
 
222 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 (Tilandsid). The eggs are four or five, flesh-colored, with dark 
 spots at the greater end." 
 
 Several eggs in my collection agree with the above descrip- 
 tion : they exhibit an average of .81 by .63 inch in dimen- 
 sions. 
 
 DENDROICA, GRAY. 
 
 SyMcola, GRAY, Genera Birds (2d ed., 1841), 32. (Not of Humphreys or Swain- 
 son.) 
 
 Dendroica, GRAY, Genera Birds, Appendix (1842) 8. 
 
 Bill conical, attenuated, depressed at the base, where it is, however, scarcely 
 broader than high, compressed from the middle ; culmen straight for the basal half, 
 then rather rapidly curving, the lower edge of upper mandible also concave ; gonys 
 slightly convex and ascending; a distinct notch near the end of the bill; bristles, 
 though short, generally quite distinct at the base of the bill ; tarsi long, decidedly 
 longer than middle toe, which is longer than the hinder one; the claws rather small 
 and much curved, the hind claw nearly as long as its digit ; the wings long and 
 pointed; the second quill usually a very little longer than the first; the tail slightly 
 rounded and emarginate. 
 
 Colors. Tail always with a white spot; its ground-color never clear olive-green. 
 
 DENDROICA VIRENS. Baird. 
 The Black-throated Green Warbler. 
 
 Motadlla virens, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 985. 
 
 Sylvia virens, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 127. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 376. 
 And. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 70. 
 Sylcicola virens. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male, upper parts, exclusive of wing and tail, clear yellow olive-green, the 
 feathers of the back with hidden streaks of black ; forehead and sides of head and 
 neck, including a superciliary stripe, bright yellow; a dusky-olive line from the bill 
 through the eye, and another below it ; chin, throat, and fore part of breast, extend- 
 ing some distance along on the sides, continuous black ; rest of under parts white, 
 tinged with yellow on the breast and flanks ; wings and tail feathers dark-brown, 
 edged with bluish-gray; two white bands on the wing; the greater part of the three 
 outer tail feathers white. Female, similar, but duller; the throat yellow; the black 
 on breast much concealed by white edges ; the sides streaked with black. 
 
 Length, five inches; wing, two and fifty-eight one-hundredths ; tail, two and 
 thirty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful bird is a quite common species in Rhode 
 Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, and is not rare in 
 the other New-England States, in which, I have no doubt, it 
 
THE BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. 223 
 
 breeds, though not nearly so abundantly as in those first 
 mentioned. It arrives from the South from about the 25th 
 of April to the 1st of May, in Massachusetts. I have often 
 seen this species, as late as the last week in May, busily 
 engaged in destroying insects (of which its food, as also that 
 of the other Warblers, consists), apparently without being 
 mated, as several individuals of both sexes were together, 
 seemingly in harmony, but without those little fondlings 
 and attentions peculiar to mated birds. The nest is seldom 
 built before the 10th of June in this latitude. It is con- 
 structed of fine grasses, fibrous roots, fine strips of bark from 
 the cedar, and the leaves of the pine : these are entwined 
 together strongly and neatly, and the interior of the nest is 
 lined with horsehair and fine moss. Nuttall, in describing 
 the only nest of ijiis bird that he ever saw, says, 
 
 " On the 8th of June, I was so fortunate as to find a nest of this 
 species in a perfectly solitary situation, on the Blue Hills of Milton, 
 Mass. The female was now sitting, and about to hatch. The nest 
 was in a low, thick, and stunted Virginia juniper. When I ap- 
 proached near the nest, the female stood motionless on its edge, and 
 peeped down in such a manner that I imagined her to be a young 
 bird: she then darted directly to the earth, and ran; but when, 
 deceived, I sought her on the ground, she had very expertly disap- 
 peared, and I now found the nest to contain four roundish eggs, 
 white, inclining to flesh-color, variegated, more particularly at the 
 great end, with pale, purplish points of various sizes, interspersed 
 with other large spots of brown and blackish. The nest was formed 
 of circularly entwined fine strips of the inner bark of the juniper, 
 and the tough, fibrous bark of some other plant, then bedded with 
 soft feathers of the Robin, and lined with a few horsehairs, and 
 some slender tops of bent grass (Agrostis)." 
 
 Early in June, 1863, a nest of this species was discovered 
 in a grove of pines in West Roxbury : it was built in a 
 small fork of a pine, about ten feet from the ground. The 
 nest and its contents, four eggs, were removed ; but the 
 birds remained in the neighborhood, and soon commenced 
 
224 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 building another nest in the same tree, but a few feet higher. 
 In it the female laid three eggs, after which this nest and 
 eggs were removed ; but soon after they built another nest 
 in another pine, near the first : this nest was perhaps twenty- 
 five feet from the ground ; in this, two eggs were laid, which 
 were allowed to be hatched. One of these nests, with four 
 eggs, is in my collection, and is already described above. 
 The eggs are a pale, creamy-white color, with a very faint 
 roseate tint, and one marked with coarse and fine spots of 
 brown of different shades, and obscure spots of lilac. These 
 markings are quite thick at the large end of the egg, in 
 fact, are almost confluent into a sort of girdle. Their 
 dimensions are .66 by .53 inch, .66 by .52 inch, .64 by .52 
 inch, and .62 by .51 inch. 
 
 This bird prefers the foliage of high trees to the lower 
 shrubbery, and I have noticed that it is most usually found 
 in or near the different pines. Its song is heard through 
 the mating and breeding seasons, as the bird is actively 
 moving about the trees searching for its food. 
 
 This song is something like the syllables, ta-te-te-it-ta-tee, 
 uttered in a plaintive tone ; the first syllable low, the second 
 higher, the third and fourth quickly together and high, and 
 the fifth and sixth a little slower and lower. Its song is 
 peculiar, and cannot be confounded with that of any other 
 Warbler in New England. 
 
 By the 10th of September, none are to be found in Massa- 
 chusetts ; and, by the 12th of that month, they have all left 
 New England. 
 
 DENDROICA CANADENSIS. Baird. 
 The Black-throated Blue Warbler. 
 
 Motadlla Canadensis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 336. Gm., I. (1788) 991. 
 Sylvia Canadensis, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 115. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 398. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 309. 
 
 Sylvia pusilla, Wilson. Am. Orn , V. (1812) 100. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above uniform continuous grayish-blue, including the outer edges of the quill 
 and tail feathers ; a narrow frontal line, the entire sides of head and neck, chin and 
 
THE BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER. 225 
 
 throat, lustrous black, this color extending in a broad lateral stripe to the tail; rest 
 of under parts, including the axillary region, white; wings and tail black above, the 
 former with a conspicuous white patch formed by the bases of all the primaries 
 (except the first); the inner webs of the secondaries and tertials with similar patches 
 towards the base and along the inner margin; all the tail feathers, except the inner- 
 most, with a white patch on the inner web, near the end. 
 
 Female, olive-green above and dull-yellow beneath ; sides of head dusky-olive, 
 the eyelids and a superciliary stripe whitish ; traces of the white spot at the base of 
 the primaries and of the tail. 
 
 Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, two and sixty one-hun- 
 dredths; tail, two and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This Warbler is not uncommon in the mountainous dis- 
 tricts of Massachusetts, from the middle to the end of May ; 
 and I found several specimens in the Green-Mountain coun- 
 try as late as the 10th of June. This occurrence, together 
 with the fact that it has been found, in the breeding season, 
 on Mount Holyoke, in Mass., and along the ridges in the 
 western part of this State, shows that it probably breeds, 
 sometimes at least, in New England. 
 
 The individuals that I saw were in tall oaks and chest- 
 nuts, actively moving about through the foliage, snapping at 
 flies and other insects : they often uttered a faint, drawling 
 weesy, weesy, and occasionally a louder chirp or chink, like 
 that of the Nashville Warbler. 
 
 Being unacquainted with the nest and eggs, I give Audu- 
 bon's description of them : 
 
 " The nest is usually placed on the horizontal branch of a fir-tree, 
 at a height of seven or eight feet from the ground. It is composed 
 of slips of bark, mosses, and fibrous roots, and is lined with fine 
 grass, on which is laid a warm bed of feathers. 
 
 " The eggs, four or five in number, are of a rosy tint, and, like 
 those of most other Sylvia, scantily sprinkled with reddish-brown 
 at the larger end. Only one brood is raised in a season." 
 
 About the first week in September, this species leaves 
 New England on its southern migration. 
 
 15 
 
226 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DENDROICA CORONATA. Gray. 
 The Yellow-rumped Warbler. 
 
 MotadUa coronata, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 333. Gm. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 
 974. 
 
 Sylvia coronata, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 138. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 361. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 303. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above bluish-ash, streaked with black ; under parts white ; the fore part of breast 
 and the sides black, the feathers mostly edged with white; crown, rump, and sides 
 of breast yellow; cheeks and lores black; the eyelids and a superciliary stripe, two 
 bands on the wing, and spots on the outer three tail feathers, white. Female, of 
 duller plumage, and browner above. 
 
 Length, five and sixty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, three inches ; tail, two 
 and fifty one-hundreths inches. 
 
 The Yellow-rumped or Golden-crowned Warbler is very 
 abundant in all parts of New England as a spring and fall 
 visitor. It arrives from the South about the 10th of May, 
 and passes quickly northward. But few breed south of 
 
 the northern parts of Maine, 
 and probably not a great many 
 pass the season of incubation 
 there. When with us in the 
 spring, they are found in the 
 pastures, woods, orchards, and 
 swamps, equally distributed, 
 and evincing no partiality for 
 any particular locality. They 
 are then very active, and are constantly engaged in their 
 search for insects. 
 
 Their note is nothing but a kind of tchip and a tinkling 
 tweeter, which they utter occasionally, both while on the 
 wing and while perching. 
 
 I have heard of no nest being found in either of the 
 southern New-England States, have met with but one in 
 Massachusetts, and have heard of but two or three others. 
 
THE BLACKBUBNIAN WARBLER. 227 
 
 This nest was built in a low barbeny-bush in Waltliam : it 
 was constructed of fine grasses and the down from ferns. 
 These materials were carefully woven together into a neat 
 fabric, which was lined with cottony substances and a few 
 horsehairs. The eggs were three in number: these were 
 of a creamy-white color, covered sparsely with spots and 
 blotches of different shades of reddish-brown, thickest at 
 the large end of the egg. Dimensions of the eggs : .68 by 
 .50 inch, .6? by .50 inch, .66 by .49 inch. Audubon 
 describes a nest and eggs sent him from Nova Scotia as 
 follows : 
 
 " It resembles that of the Sylvia cestiva of Latham, being firm, 
 compact, the outer parts formed of silky fibres from different plants, 
 attached to the twigs near it by means of glutinous matter, mixed 
 with the inner bark of some tree unknown to me. Within this is 
 a deep and warm bed of thistle-down, and the inner layer consists 
 of feathers and the fine hair of small quadrupeds. 
 
 " The eggs are rather large, of a light rosy tint, the shell thin 
 and transparent : they are sparingly dotted with reddish-brown near 
 the larger end, but in a circular manner, so that the extremity is 
 unspotted." 
 
 From the last of September until the middle of October, 
 they become very plentiful again, and may be seen in large 
 detached flocks in all the fields, orchards, and woods of the 
 country : they are very abundant in stubble-fields ; and I 
 have seen as many as fifty in a flock start at the report of 
 my gun, when I have been quail-shooting. 
 
 DENDEOICA BLACKBUENIJE Baird. 
 The Blackburnian Warbler. 
 
 Motadlla Bladclurnice, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 977. 
 Sylvia Elackburnice, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 67. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 379. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 208; V. 73. 
 
 Sylvia parus, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 114. 
 Hemlock Warbler, Authors. 
 
228 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts nearly uniform black, with a whitish scapular stripe and a large 
 white patch in the middle of the wing coverts ; an oblong patch in the middle of 
 the crown, and the entire side of the head and neck (including a superciliary stripe 
 from the nostrils), the chin, throat, and forepart of the breast, bright orange-red; 
 a black stripe from the commissure passing over the lower half of the eve, and 
 including the ear coverts, with, however, an orange crescent in it, just below 
 the eye, the extreme lid being black; rest of under parts white, strongly tinged 
 with yellowish-orange on the breast and belly, and streaked with black on the sides; 
 outer three tail feathers white, the shafts and tips dark-brown, the fourth and fifth 
 spotted much with white, the other tail feathers and quills almost black. Female 
 similar; the colors duller; the feathers of the upper parts with olivaceous edges. 
 
 Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, two and eighty -three one- 
 hundredths inches; tail, two and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This, the most beautiful of all our Warblers, is a rare 
 summer inhabitant of all New England. Dr. Brewer found 
 it breeding in the eastern part of Massachusetts. Verrill 
 says it breeds in Maine ; Dr. Thompson says it breeds in 
 Vermont; and I have seen it in New Hampshire in the 
 season of incubation. It is a shy and mistrustful species, 
 and is found only in the deepest woods, where it keeps in 
 the thickest foliage of tall trees. Its nest and eggs I have 
 not seen, and I am obliged to give the description by 
 Audubon : " It [the nest] is composed externally of dif- 
 ferent textures, and lined with silky fibres and thin delicate 
 strips of fine bark, over which lay a thick bed of feathers 
 and horsehair. The eggs are small, very conical towards 
 the smaller end, pure- white, with a few spots of light-red 
 towards the larger end. It was found in a small fork of a 
 tree, five or six feet from the ground, near a brook." 
 
 DENDROICA CASTANEA. Baird. 
 The Bay-breasted Warbler. 
 
 Sylvia castanea, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 97. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 382. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., I. 858. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Crown dark reddish-chestnut ; forehead and cheeks, including a space 
 above the eye, black; a patch of buff-yellow behind the cheeks; rest of upper parts 
 bluish-gray, streaked with black; the edges of the interscapulars tinged with 
 yellowish, of the scapulars with olivaceous ; primaries and tail feathers edged ex- 
 
THE PINE-CREEPING WARBLER. 229 
 
 ternally with bluish-gray, the extreme outer ones with white; the secondaries edged 
 with olivaceous; two bands on the wing and the edges of the tertials white ; the 
 under parts are whitish with a tinge of buff; the chin, throat, forepart of breast, and 
 the sides, chestnut-brown, lighter than the crown; two outer tail feathers with a 
 patch of white on the inner web near the end; the others edged internally with 
 the same. 
 
 Female with the upper parts olive, streaked throughout with black, and an oc- 
 casional tinge of chestnut on the crown ; lower parts with traces of chestnut, but 
 no stripes. 
 
 Length of male, five inches; wing, three and five one-hundredths inches; tail, 
 two and forty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is extremely rare in New England. It has been 
 taken in all these States, but not in any numbers. Mr. 
 Allen took one on May 20 and May 25 ; and another was 
 taken in July, 1862, by Mr. B. Horsford of Springfield. I 
 have never seen one alive, and I can give no account of its 
 habits from my own observation. Nuttall says, 
 
 " It is an active insect-hunter, and keeps much towards the tops 
 of the highest trees, where it darts about with great activity, and 
 hangs from the twigs with fluttering wings." 
 
 The species is a rare one in all parts of the New-England 
 States, and very little is known regarding its habits. 
 
 DENDROICA PINUS. Baird. 
 The Pine-creeping Warbler. 
 
 Sylvia pinus, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 25. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 387. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 232. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts nearly uniform and clear olive-green, the feathers of the crown with 
 rather darker shafts ; under parts generally, except the middle of the belly behind, 
 and under tail coverts (which are white), bright gamboge-yellow, with obsolete 
 streaks of dusky on the sides of the breast and body ; sides of head and neck olive- 
 green like the back, with a broad superciliary stripe; the eyelids and a spot beneath 
 the eve very obscurely yellow ; wings and tail brown ; the feathers edged with dirty 
 white, and two bands of the same across the .coverts ; inner web of the first tail 
 feather with nearly the terminal half, of the second with nearly the terminal third, 
 dull inconspicuous white. 
 
 Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, three inches ; tail, two and 
 forty one-hundredths inches. 
 
230 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 This species arrives from the South very early, often 
 before the last snow-storm of the season, and remains in 
 the deep swamps of hemlocks or pines until the weather 
 opens. About the first week in May, the birds become 
 scarce, and soon but very few can be found. A nest with 
 two eggs, found in Woburn, Mass. ; and another nest with 
 three eggs, from West Roxbury, in the same State, are all 
 the specimens accessible to me at the present time. These 
 nests were built in forks of pine-trees, about twenty feet 
 from the ground. They are constructed of the bark of the 
 cedar and leaves of the pine: these materials are intwined 
 into a neat structure, which is warmly lined with mosses, 
 and hairs of different animals. The eggs are of a bluish- 
 white, with a slight roseate tint: this primary color is dotted 
 with spots of two shades of brown and reddish, and some 
 spots of purple. Dimensions vary from .69 by .50 inch to 
 .67 by .51 inch. 
 
 In the migrations, these birds associate in detached flocks : 
 in the spring they are in company with the Red-poll 
 Warblers ; and, in the fall, with the Yellow-rumps. 
 
 They are, in the summer, almost always observed in the 
 pine-groves, actively traversing the limbs and branches, 
 sometimes with the movements of the Creepers and Titmice, 
 sometimes with those of the Warblers, and , often flying 
 from the foliage and seizing an insect, on the wing, like the 
 Flycatchers. 
 
 Their song is now somewhat similar to that of the Field 
 Sparrow, or perhaps more like a mixture of that and the 
 song of the Indigo-bird, if such can be imagined. It con- 
 sists of the syllables tweet 'weet 'weet 'weet 'weet 'iveet, uttered 
 at first slow and faint, but rapidly increasing in utterance 
 and volume. Besides this, it has a sort of trilling note, 
 like fre 're 're 're 're 're, uttered softly and listlessly. 
 
 In the autumn, they add to their usual insect-food small 
 berries and seeds : they are now nearly silent, having only 
 a quick, sharp chirp. They are scattered through the fields 
 
THE CHESTNUT-SIDED WAKBLER. 231 
 
 and woods, and seem to be as much on the ground as in 
 the trees. They depart for the South by the 10th or 
 15th of October. 
 
 DENDROICA PENNSTLVANICA. Baird. 
 The Chestnut-sided Warbler. 
 
 Motacilla Pennsylvania, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 333. 
 
 Sylvia Pennsylvania, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 99. 
 
 Sylvia icterocephala, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 506. Nutt. Man., I. 
 (1832) 380. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Upper parts streaked with black and pale bluish-gray, which becomes 
 nearly white on the forepart of the back; the middle of the back glossed with 
 greenish-yellow; the crown is continuous yellow, bordered by a frontal and super- 
 ciliary band, and behind by a square spot of white; loral region black, sending off 
 a line over the eye, and another below it; ear coverts and lower eyelid and entire 
 under parts pure-white, a purplish-chestnut stripe starting on each side in a line 
 with the black moustache, and extending back to the thighs ; wing and tail feathers 
 dark-brown, edged with bluish-gray, except the secondaries and tertials, which are 
 bordered with light yellowish-green; the shoulders with two greenish- white bands; 
 three outer tail feathers with white patches near the end of the inner webs. 
 
 Female like the male, except that the upper parts are yellowish-green, streaked 
 with black ; the black moustache scarcely appreciable. 
 
 Length, five inches; wing, two and fifty one-hundredths inches; tail, two and 
 twenty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is a rather common summer inhabitant of all 
 New England, being most plentiful in Massachusetts and 
 the States south, and gradually growing more rare as we 
 advance north. It makes its appearance from the South 
 about the first to the middle of May, according to latitude, 
 and commences to build about the last week in this month 
 or the first in June. The nest is usually built in a small 
 fork of a low tree, often in bushes, but a few feet from the 
 ground. It is constructed of thin strips of pliable bark and 
 fine grasses : these materials are bent and intwined together, 
 and over the .outside are pieces of caterpillar silk and cob- 
 webs, which are plastered on, seemingly to give the fabric 
 compactness and consistency. The nest is deeply hollowed, 
 and lined with horsehairs and slender strips of the bark of 
 
232 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the grape-vine. Nuttall describes a nest found in Acton, 
 Mass., as follows : 
 
 "It is fixed in the forked twigs of a hazel, about breast-high. 
 The fabric is rather light and airy, being made externally of a few 
 coarse blades and stalks of dead grass, then filled in with fine 
 blades of the same ; the whole matted and tied with caterpillars' 
 silk, and lined with very slender strips of brown bark and similar 
 white-pine leaves." 
 
 The nests which I have collected, and some I have before 
 me, are of a different character from his description, being 
 compactly and neatly made of bark from the cedar, and 
 grasses, and lined with horsehair ; but I have no doubt that 
 this species, like many others, varies in breeding habits in 
 different localities. The eggs are three or four in number, 
 and are laid about tbe first week in June. They are of a 
 delicate creamy-white color, and marked at the great end 
 with spots of brown, which are often confluent: tbe spots 
 are of two colors, a reddish-brown and purplish-brown. 
 The dimensions vary from .70 by .51 inch to .63 by .50 inch. 
 But one brood is raised in the season in this latitude. 
 
 This is another of those birds which seem to have become 
 quite abundant within a few years. Wilson, Nuttall, and 
 others speak of it as being a very rare species ; and it is now 
 one of the most common of birds in localities where it was, 
 a few years since, quite rare. It prefers a growth of low 
 shrubs and scrub-oaks and birches to a forest of tall trees, 
 and is seldom seen in the latter. 
 
 Its note consists of the syllables 'che 'che ^ch ''cheea, 
 repeated at short intervals : it has also, at times, a rattling 
 cry something like the alarm-note of the Maryland Yellow- 
 throat. 
 
 The female has nothing but a sharp chirp, which she 
 often emits in answer to the song of the male. When 
 approached while on tbe nest, she sits quietly until tbe 
 intruder is quite near. I once had a dog make a point 
 
PLATE II. 
 
 /.v 
 
 Fig. 1. Great-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus. Cabanis. 
 
 ,, 2. Blue Yellow-backed VVarb'er, Panda Americana. Bonaparte. 
 
 ,, 3. Water Thrush, Seiurus Noveboracensis. Nuttall. 
 
 ,, 4. Black-throated Green Warbler, Denc/roira virens. Baird. 
 
 ,, 5. White-bellied Nuthatch. Sitta Carolmensis. Gmelin. 
 
 ,, 6. Red-bellied Nuthatch, Sitta Canar/ensis. Linnaeus. 
 
 ,, 7. White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis. Bonaparte. 
 
 ,, 8. Snow-bird, Junco liyemalis. Sclater. 
 
 ,, 9. Tree Sparrow, Spizellq monticola. Baird. 
 
 ,, 10. Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Guiraca ludoviciana. Swainson. 
 
 ,, 11. Orchard Oriole. Icterus spurius. Bonaparte. 
 
 ,, 12. Rusty Blackbird, Scolecophagusferrugineus. Swainson. 
 
THE BLACK-POLL WARBLER. 233 
 
 at one while she was sitting on her nest, and she almost 
 permitted me to touch her before she flew off. 
 
 By the first week in September, the old birds and young, 
 apparently in a group by themselves, leave for the South, 
 and winter in Panama and the Bahamas. 
 
 DENDROICA STRIATA. Saird. 
 The Black-poll Warbler. 
 
 Muscicapa striata, Forster. Philos. Trans., LXII. (1772) 383, 428. Gm. Syst. 
 Nat., I. (1788) 930. 
 
 Sylvia striata, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 40. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 383. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 201. 
 
 Sylvia autumnalis, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 65. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 
 447. Nutt. Man., I. (1832), 390. (Female or young in autumn.) 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Crown, nape, and upper half of the head black ; the lower half, including 
 the ear coverts, white, the separating line passing through the middle of the eye ; 
 rest of upper parts grayish-ash, tinged with brown, and conspicuously streaked with 
 black; wing and tail feathers brown, edged externally (except the inner tail feathers) 
 with dull olive-green; two conspicuous bars of white on the wing coverts, the ter- 
 tials edged with the same ; under parts white, with a narrow line on each side the 
 throat from the chin to the sides of the neck, where it runs into a close patch of 
 black streaks continued along the breast and sides to the root of the tail ; outer two 
 tail feathers with an oblique patch on the inner web near the end, the others edged 
 internally with white. 
 
 Female similar, except that the upper parts are olivaceous, and, even on the 
 crown, streaked with black; the white on the sides and across the breast tinged 
 with yellowish ; a ring of the same round the eye, cut by a dusky line through it. 
 
 Length of male, five and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, three inches ; 
 tail, two and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird, although very abundant in all parts of New 
 England in the spring migrations, passes far to the north 
 to breed ; but few remain in the States through the breed- 
 ing season, and these in the most northern districts. It 
 arrives from the South about the last week in May, and pro- 
 ceeds leisurely on its journey, arriving at its destination 
 about the second week in June. I have two nests in my 
 collection, both found in the northern part of Maine: 
 they were placed in low trees or saplings, and are con- 
 structed of first a layer of twigs and grass, then the 
 
234 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 leaves of -the pine, and moss ; these materials are twined 
 into a compact structure, somewhat bulky, and deeply 
 hollowed, and lined with feathers of wild birds and hairs 
 of different animals. A nest complement of four eggs in my 
 collection, furnished by my friend, George A. Boardman, 
 are of a grayish-white color, thickly marked with spots and 
 blotches of two or three shades of brown and purple. 
 Dimensions vary from .71 by .54 inch, to .66 by .50 inch. 
 Audubon describes the only nest of this bird that he 
 ever met with as follows : 
 
 " It was placed about three feet from the ground, in the fork of 
 a small branch, close to the main stem of a fir-tree. Its diameter 
 internally was two inches, the depth one and a half: externally, it 
 resembled the nest of a white-crowned sparrow, 'being formed of 
 green and white moss and lichens, intermixed with coarse dried 
 grass ; within this was a layer of bent grass, and the lining was of 
 very dark-colored, dry moss, looking precisely like horsehair, 
 arranged in a circular direction with great care. Lastly, there was 
 a thick bed of large, soft feathers, some of which were from ducks, 
 but most of them from willow-grouse." 
 
 The same author describes the habits of this bird as 
 follows : 
 
 " You see it darting in all directions after insects, chasing them 
 on the wing, and not unfrequently snapping, so as to emit the click- 
 ing sound characteristic of the true Flycatcher. Its activity is 
 pleasing ; but its notes have no title to be called a song. They are 
 shrill, and resemble the noise made by striking two small pebbles 
 together, more than any other sound I know." 
 
 I cannot agree with Professor Baird, that the Autumnal 
 Warbler of authors, and the young of the Bay-breasted, 
 are identical, at least in New England ; but I am persuaded 
 that the young of the present species is the Sylvia autumnalis. 
 And it seems to me, that no other argument is needed to 
 establish this beyond a doubt, than the fact, that the Bay- 
 breasted Warbler is very rare, in all this section of the coun- 
 
THE BLACK-POLL WARBLER. 235 
 
 try, in spring and summer; and that it should become 
 exceedingly abundant in autumn is inconsistent with reason 
 and nature. The description of the young of the Black-poll 
 also agrees with that of the Autumnal Warbler, as do also 
 its habits and characteristics. 
 
 I will append Wilson's description of the habits of the 
 Black-poll and Autumnal Warbler, and also their general 
 description. He says of the Autumnal Warbler, 
 
 " This plain little species regularly visits Pennsylvania .from the 
 North, in the month of October, gleaning among the willow-leaves, 
 but, what is singular, is rarely seen in spring. From the 1st to the 
 loth of October, they may be seen in considerable numbers, almost 
 every day, in gardens, particularly among the branches of the 
 weeping-willow, and seem exceedingly industrious. They have 
 some resemblance, in color, to the Pine-creeping Warbler, but do 
 not run along the trunk like that bird, neither do they give a 
 preference to the pines. They are also less. After the 1st of 
 November, they are no longer to be found, unless the season be 
 uncommonly mild. These birds doubtless pass through Pennsyl- 
 vania, in spring, on their way to the North ; but either make' a very 
 hasty journey, or frequent the tops of the tallest trees : for I have 
 never yet met with one of them in that season, though in October 
 I have seen more than a hundred in an afternoon's excursion. 
 
 " Length, four inches and three-quarters ; breadth, eight inches ; 
 whole upper parts olive-green, streaked on the back with dusky 
 stripes ; tail coverts ash, tipped with olive ; tail black, edged with 
 dull-white ; the three exterior feathers marked near the tip with 
 white ; wings deep-dusky, edged with olive, and crossed with two 
 bars of white ; primaries also tipped, and three secondaries next 
 the body edged with white ; upper mandible dusky-brown ; lower, as 
 well as the chin and breast, dull-yellow ; belly and vent white ; legs 
 dusky-brown ; feet and claws yellow ; a pale-yellow ring surrounds 
 the eye. The males of these birds often warble out some low but 
 very sweet notes, while searching among the leaves in autumn." 
 
 He says of the Black-poll Warbler, 
 " This species has considerable affinity to the Flycatchers in its 
 habits. It is chiefly confined to the woods, and, even there, to the 
 
236 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 tops of the tallest trees, where it is descried skipping from branch 
 to branch in pursuit of winged insects. Its note is a single screep, 
 scarcely audible from below. It arrives in Pennsylvania about the 
 20th of April, and is first seen on the tops of the highest maples, 
 darting about among the blossoms. As the woods thicken with 
 leaves, it may be found pretty generally, being none 'of the least 
 numerous of our summer birds. It is, however, most partial to 
 woods in the immediate neighborhood of creeks, swamps, or mo- 
 rasses, probably from the greater number of its favorite insects 
 frequenting such places. It is also pretty generally diffused over 
 the United States, having myself met with it in most quarters 
 of the Union, though its nest has hitherto defied all my researches." 
 
 He then says of the female Black-poll, 
 
 " From its habit of keeping on the highest branches of trees, it 
 probably builds in such situations, and its nest may long remain 
 unknown to us. 
 
 " Pennant, who describes this species, says that it inhabits, during 
 summer, Newfoundland and New York, and is called in the last 
 Sailor. This name, for which, however, no reason is given, must 
 be very local ; as the bird itself is one of those silent, shy, and soli- 
 tary individuals that seek the deep retreat of the forest, and are 
 known to few or none but the naturalist. 
 
 " Length of the female Black-cap five inches and a quarter, 
 extent eight and a quarter; bill brownish-black; crown yellow- 
 olive, streaked with black ; back the same, mixed with some pale- 
 slate ; wings dusky-brown, edged with olive ; first and second wing 
 coverts tipped with white ; tertials edged with yellowish-white ; 
 tail coverts pale-gray ; tail dusky, forked, the two exterior feathers 
 marked on their inner vanes with a spot of white ; round the eye 
 is a whitish ring ; cheeks and sides of the breast tinged with yellow, 
 and slightly spotted with black ; chin white, as are also the belly 
 and vent ; legs and feet dirty-orange. 
 
 " The young bird of the first season, and the female, as is usually 
 the case, are very much alike in plumage. On their arrival, early 
 in April, the black feathers on the crown are frequently seen coming 
 out, intermixed with the former ash-colored ones. 
 
 " This species has all the agility and many of the habits of the 
 Flycatcher." 
 
THE YELLOW WARBLER. 237 
 
 About the middle of October, sometimes not before the 
 last of that month, the Black-poll Warbler leaves on its 
 southern migration : at that time, it has, in New England 
 certainly, all the characteristics and habits of the Autumnal 
 Warbler described above; and, having examined numbers 
 of specimens, I conclude, from the reasons expressed above, 
 that the species are identical. 
 
 DENDROICA .ESTIVA. Baird. 
 The Yellow Warbler. 
 
 Motacitta cestiva, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 996. 
 Sylvia citrinella, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 111. 
 Sylvia childreni, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 180. 
 Motacilla petechia, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 334. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill lead-color; head all round, and under parts generally, bright-yellow; rest of 
 upper parts yellow-olivaceous, brightest on the rump; back with obsolete streaks 
 of dusky reddish-brown ; fore breast and sides of the body streaked with brownish- 
 red ; tail feathers bright-yellow ; the outer webs and tips, with the whole upper sur- 
 faces of the innermost one, brown ; extreme outer edges of wing and tail feathers 
 olivaceous, like the back; the middle and greater coverts and tertials edged with 
 yellow, forming two bands on the wings. Female similar, with the crown olivaceous, 
 like the back, and the streaks wanting on the back, and much restricted on the under 
 parts ; tail with more brown. 
 
 Length of male, five and twenty -five one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and sixty- 
 six one-hundredths ; tail, two and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This exceedingly abundant species is a summer resident, 
 and breeds in all the New-England States. It arrives from 
 the South about the last of April or first of May, and com- 
 mences building about the 15th of the latter month. The 
 nest is usually placed in a low bush, frequently the bar- 
 berry. Occasionally, it is built in an alder or maple tree, 
 seldom more than fifteen or twenty feet from the ground, 
 although Mr. Nuttall gives instances of its being built in the 
 forks of a sugar-maple-tree, fifty feet from the ground : this, 
 however, is a very rare case. Nuttall's description of the 
 nest is the best I have seen, and I give it entire: 
 
 " The nest is extremely neat and durable ; the exterior is formed 
 of layers of asclepias, or silk-weed lint, glutinously though slightly 
 
238 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 attached to the supporting twigs, mixed with some slender strips of 
 fine bark and pine-leaves, and thickly bedded with the down of wil- 
 lows, the nankeen wool of the Virginia cotton-grass (Eriophorum 
 Virginicum), the down of fine stalks, the hair of the downy seeds 
 of the button-wood (Platanus), or the papus of compound flowers, 
 and then lined either with fine bent grass (Agrostis), or down, and 
 horsehair, and rarely with a few accidental feathers." 
 
 The eggs are usually four in number, sometimes five: 
 they vary in color from creamy-white, with numerous spots 
 and blotches of different shades of brown, to a grayish-white 
 with a greenish tint, and marked with the same spots and 
 blotches ; these markings are thickest at the larger end of 
 the egg, where they are often confluent. Dimensions vary 
 from .67 by .50 inch to .64 by .50 inch. The habits of tins 
 bird are well known ; and its genial nature and confid- 
 ing disposition have rendered it a great favorite with the 
 farmer. 
 
 DENDROICA MACULOSA. Baird, 
 The Black and Yellow Warbler ; Magnolia Warbler. 
 
 Motacilla maculosa, Gmelin. Syst., I. (1788) 984. 
 
 Sylvia maculosa, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 370. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 260; 
 II. (1834) 145; V. (1839) 458. 
 
 Sylvia magnolia, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 63. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male, in spring. Bill dark bluish-black, rather lighter beneath; tail dusky; 
 top of head light grayish-blue ; front, lore, cheek, and a stripe under the eye, black, 
 running into a large triangular patch on the back, between the wings, which is also 
 black ; eyelids and a stripe from the eye along the head white ; upper tail coverts 
 black, some of the feathers tipped with grayish; abdomen and lower tail coverts 
 white ; rump and under parts, except as described, yellow ; lower throat, breast, and 
 sides streaked with black, the streaks closer on the lower throat and fore breast; 
 lesser wing coverts, and edges of the wing and tail, bluish-gray, the former spotted 
 with black ; quills and tail almost black, the latter with a square patch of white on 
 the inner webs of all the tail feathers (but the two inner), beyond the middle of the 
 tail; two white bands across the wings (sometimes coalesced into one), formed by 
 the small coverts and secondaries; part of the edge of the inner webs of the quills 
 white; feathers margining the black patch on the back behind and on the sides 
 tinged with greenish. 
 
 Second and third quills longest, first shorter than fourth ; tail rounded, emarginate. 
 
 Female, in spring. In general appearance like the male, but with the corre- 
 sponding colors much duller; the black on the back reduced to a few large proxi- 
 
THE BLACK AND YELLOW WARBLER. 
 
 239 
 
 mate spots; the spots on the under parts much fewer; upper parts dirty-ash, tinged 
 with greenish on the lower back; on the rump dull-yellow. 
 
 Male, in autumn. Bill brown, lighter along the edges and base of lower man- 
 dible; head and hind neck dirty-ash, tinged above with green; back greenish- 
 yellow, obsoletely spotted with black; rump yellow; throat and breast yellow, 
 obsoletely spotted with black, strongly tinged with light-ash on the lower throat ; 
 eyelids dirty-white ; differs from the spring plumage in being without the black on 
 the back, front, sides of the head and cheeks, and in a great degree on the under 
 parts; much less white on the wing and side of the head; the colors generally 
 also are duller. 
 
 Female, in autumn. Similar, generally, to the male in fall. Back greenish- 
 yellow, brighter on the rump; rest of upper parts deep-ash; lower parts yellow, 
 obsoletely streaked with black, the light-ash on the lower throat decided; the 
 white on the wings reduced to two narrow bands. There is a continuous white ring 
 round the eye; bill light brown; basal part of lower mandible dirty-white; feet 
 lighter brown. 
 
 Specimens vary somewhat in the amount of black on the under parts. 
 
 Length, five inches; wing, two and fifty one-hundredths ; tail, two and twenty-five 
 one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful bird is not uncommon in the migrations 
 in the three southern New-England States, and is a summer 
 resident in the others. It does not make its appearance 
 before the 20th of May, and 
 proceeds slowly in its travels. 
 I found numbers in Northern 
 Maine and New Hampshire as 
 late as the 17th of June. They 
 were industrious, and seemed to 
 be, at that late date, but just 
 mating. Hence I infer that they 
 rear but one brood, and not until 
 late in the season. 
 
 The note of the male is very 
 similar to that of the Chestnut 
 sided Warbler ; and I was de- 
 ceived by it into mistaking this 
 for that species. It had the hab- upper flg yeilow WarWor _ 
 
 itS Of that bird also, and Seemed Lower fig., Black and Yellow Warbler 
 
 to prefer the low, swampy woods to the higher ones. 
 
 Although I looked very carefully and diligently for the 
 nest, I could not find it. From the fact that the birds were 
 
240 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 almost always in or near clearings or young growth, I judge 
 that they nest in such localities. Mr. Hutchins informs us, 
 that, in the Hudson's Bay country, the nest is built in wil- 
 lows, and that it is constructed of grass and feathers : he 
 also says that the female lays four eggs. I can find no 
 other description of the nest or eggs. 
 
 After the 25th of September, none are to be found in 
 New England. 
 
 DENDEOICA TIGRINA. Baird. 
 The Cape-May Warbler. 
 
 Mutadtta tigrina, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 985. 
 
 Sylvia maritima, Wilson. Am. Orn., VI. (1812) 99. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 156. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., V. (1839) 156. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill very acute, conical, and decidedly curved ; bill and feet black ; upper part of 
 head dull-black, some of the feathers faintly margined with light yellowish-brown; 
 collar scarcely meeting behind ; rump and under parts generally rich-yellow ; throat, 
 fore part of breast, and sides, streaked with black ; abdomen and lower tail coverts 
 pale-yellow, brighter about the vent; ear coverts light reddish-chestnut ; back part of 
 a yellow line from nostrils over the eye, of this same color ; chin and throat tinged 
 also with it; a black line from commissure through the eye, and running into the 
 chestnut of the ear coverts ; back, shoulder, edges of the wing and tail, yellowish- 
 olive, the former spotted with dusky ; one row of small coverts, and outer bases of 
 the secondary coverts, form a large patch of white, tinged with pale-yellow; tertials 
 rather broadly edged with brownish-white ; quills and tail dark-brown, the three 
 outer feathers of the latter largely marked with white on the inner web; edge of the 
 outer web of the outer feathers white, more perceptible towards the base. 
 
 Length, five and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, two and eighty-four 
 one-hundredths ; tail, two and fifteen one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is so exceedingly rare in New England, that it 
 can be regarded as a straggler only. Of its habits I know 
 nothing, and I can give no description of its nest or eggs. 
 
 DENDROICA PALMAEUM. Baird. 
 The Yellow Red-poll Warbler. 
 
 Motacilla palmarum, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 951. 
 
 Sylvia petechia, Wilson. Am. Orn., VI. (1812) 19. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 364. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 259, 360. 
 
THE PRAIRIE WARBLER. 241 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head above chestnut-red; rest of upper parts brownish olive-gray; the feathers 
 with darker centres, the color brightening on the rump, upper tail coverts, and outer 
 margins of wing and tail feathers, to greenish-yellow ; a streak from nostrils over the 
 eye, and under parts generally, including the tail coverts, bright-yellow; paler on 
 the body; a maxillary line; breast and sides finely but rather obsoletely streaked 
 with reddish-brown; cheeks brownish (in highest spring plumage, chestnut like the 
 head); the eyelids and a spot under the eye olive-brown; lores dusky; a white spot 
 on the inner web of the outer two tail feathers at the end. 
 
 Length, five inches; wing, two and forty-two one-hundredths ; tail, two and 
 twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This is one of the earliest of our spring visitors, arriving 
 sometimes as early as the first week in April : it is quite 
 abundant until the 25th of that month, when it moves on 
 to its northern breeding-homes. While here, it prefers the 
 neighborhood of a swampy thicket, and is seldom seen in 
 high dry woods. It is, like the other Warblers, always 
 actively employed in searching for insects, which it captures 
 as often while on the wing as otherwise. Its note is a faint 
 tinkle like that of the Golden-crested Wren. There are only 
 a few that breed in New England. I have in my collection a 
 nest and eggs collected in Northern Maine by Mr. George 
 A. Boardman, of Calais. The nest was placed on the 
 ground. It is constructed loosely, first of stalks of weeds 
 and grasses : above these is placed a layer of fine roots and 
 grass ; then are laid pieces of moss, caterpillars' silk, fine 
 grasses, and hairs ; and the whole is deeply hollowed, and 
 lined with fine roots and pine-leaves. Two eggs in the nest 
 are of a delicate white, with a faint roseate tint : they are 
 marked at the larger end with fine spots and blotches of 
 reddish and brown. They are about the size of the eggs 
 of the Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, being .61 by .50 inch 
 and .62 by .51 inch. 
 
 DENDROICA DISCOLOR. Baird. 
 The Prairie Warbler. 
 
 Sylvia discolor, Vieillot. Ois. Am. Sept., II. (1807) 37. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. 
 (1831) 76. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 294. 
 
 Sylvia minuta, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 87. 
 
 16 
 
242 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above uniform olive-green; the middle of the back streaked with brownish-red. 
 Under parts and sides of the head, including a broad superciliary line from the nos- 
 trils to a little behind the eye, bright-yellow, brightest anteriorly; a well-defined 
 narrow stripe from the commissure of the mouth through the eye, and another from 
 the same point curving gently below it, also a series of streaks on each side of the 
 body, extending from the throat to the flanks, black; quills and tail feathers brown, 
 edged with white; the terminal half of the inner web of the first and second tail 
 feathers white; two yellowish bands on the wings. Female similar, but duller; 
 the dorsal streaks indistinct. 
 
 Length, four and eighty-six one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and twenty-five 
 one-hundredths ; tail, two and ten one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful bird is not very common in any part of 
 New England ; and it appears to be a rather rare species 
 north of Massachusetts, which State seems to be its northern 
 breeding limit. It makes its appearance about the first 
 week in May, and commences building about the 20th of 
 that month. I have been so fortunate as to find two nests 
 in Norfolk County, and have had another nest and eggs sent 
 me from Belmont, in this State : I have also known of sev- 
 eral other nests being found, and judge that the species 
 breeds not uncommonly in Massachusetts and the other two 
 southern New-England States. These nests were all placed 
 in low barberry bushes, in rocky localities. They are ex- 
 ceedingly neat structures, the most so of any of our New- 
 England Warblers' nests : they are constructed of various 
 soft cottony substances, after the manner of the nest of the 
 Yellow Warbler, and are lined with soft feathers and wool. 
 The eggs are usually three in number. These are of a beau- 
 tiful pearly-white color, with a slight roseate tint, and cov- 
 ered irregularly with small spots of different shades of 
 brown and lilac, thickest at the large end. Dimensions of 
 three eggs collected in Belmont, Mass. : .64 by .52 inch, .63 
 by .52 inch, .60 by .50 inch. The above-described nests 
 were invariably placed in the fork of the bush in which 
 they were built : the materials were the same, consisting of 
 the down from different plants, cotton, wool, and other like 
 substances. I find, on referring to Audubon, Wilson, and 
 
THE PRAIRIE WARBLER. 243 
 
 others, considerable differences in the description of the 
 nest, &c. Wilson's description is as follows : 
 
 " The nest of this species is of very neat and delicate workman- 
 ship, being pensile, and generally hung on the fork of a low bush 
 or thicket. It is formed outwardly of green moss, intermixed with 
 rotten bits of wood and caterpillars' silk : the inside is lined with 
 extremely fine fibres of grape-vine bark ; and the whole would 
 scarcely weigh a quarter of an ounce." 
 
 Audubon says, 
 
 " Its nest, which forms by far the most interesting part of its his- 
 tory, is uncommonly small and delicate. Its eggs I have uniformly 
 found to be four in number, and of a white color, with a few brown- 
 ish spots near the larger end. The nest is sometimes attached to 
 three or four blades of tall grass, or hangs between two small sprigs 
 of a slender twig. At first sight, it seems to be formed like that of 
 the Humming-bird; the external parts being composed of deli- 
 cate gray lichens and other substances, and skins of black cater- 
 pillars, and the interior finished with the finest fibres of dried 
 vines." 
 
 Nuttall says, in contradiction to these descriptions, 
 
 " The nest was hardly distinguishable from that of the Summer 
 Yellow-bird (Yellow Warbler), being fixed in a trifid branch (not 
 pensile), and formed of strips of inner red-cedar bark and asclepias 
 fibres, also with some caterpillar silk, and thickly lined with cud- 
 weed down (Gnaphalium plantagineum), and slender tops of bent 
 grass (Agrostis). The eggs, four or five, were white, rather sharp 
 at the lesser end, marked with spots of lilac-purple, and others of 
 two different shades of brown, rather numerous at the great end, 
 where they appear most collated together in a circle." 
 
 NuttalPs description of the nest is certainly the most 
 correct, so far as shown in all the specimens that I have : 
 probably, in different sections, the breeding habits of this 
 bird are, like those of some others, subject to great varia- 
 tions. 
 
244 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Wilson says, in his description of the habits of these 
 birds, 
 
 "They seem to prefer these open plains and thinly wooded 
 tracts, and have this singularity in their manners, that they are 
 not easily alarmed, and search among the leaves the most leisurely 
 of any of the tribe I have yet met with ; seeming to examine every 
 blade of grass and every leaf ; uttering, at short intervals, a feeble 
 chirr. I have observed one of these birds to sit on the lower 
 branch of a tree for half an hour at a time, and allow me to come 
 up nearly to the foot of the tree, without seeming to be in the least 
 disturbed, or to discontinue the regularity of its occasional note. 
 In activity, it is the reverse of the preceding species ; and is rather 
 a scarce bird in the countries where I found it. Its food consists 
 principally of small caterpillars and winged insects." 
 
 In closing with the genus Dendroica, I give the remarks 
 of J. A. Allen concerning the distribution of the different 
 species at Springfield, Mass. : 
 
 " Of the twenty-two species of Dendroica inhabiting the United 
 States, thirteen have been found at Springfield, and one other 
 (D. ccerulea) may occur as accidental or extremely rare. Four of 
 them (D. virens, pinus, Pennsylvania, (Estiva) are known to breed 
 here, and two others (D. Blackburnice, castanea) have been taken 
 in the breeding season. None are permanent residents, and none 
 are seen in the winter. The remaining five {D. coronata, striata, 
 maculosa, tigrina, palmarum) are at present known merely as 
 spring and autumn visitants. D. coronata is most abundant; 
 striata nex^ so ; virens, Canadensis, maculosa, cestiva, and palma- 
 rum are but little less common ; Blackburnia is more rare ; casta- 
 nea and discolor are quite rare, while tigrina is extremely rare. 
 The earliest to arrive are pinus and palmarum, commonly appearing 
 early in April ; striata is rarely seen before May 30 : the others 
 commonly arrive from May 5th to May 12th, and stragglers remain 
 till June. D. coronata is decidedly gregarious in its migrations, 
 and is everywhere about equally abundant. The others are usually 
 seen in small parties, and keep pretty closely to the woods, except 
 D. cestiva and palmarum, cestiva, being never found in the deep 
 woods." 
 
THE HOODED WARBLER. 245 
 
 MYIODIOCTES, AUDUBON. 
 
 Myiodioctes, AUDUBON, Syn. (1839), 48. (Type Motacilla mitrata.) 
 Bill depressed, Flycatcher like; broader than high at the base; gape with bristles 
 nearly as long as the bill, which is distinctly notched at tip ; both outlines gently 
 convex ; tarsi longer than the head, considerably exceeding the middle toe ; claws 
 all considerably curved ; tail decidedly rounded or slightly graduated; the lateral 
 feathers one-fifth of an inch shorter; wing very little longer than the tail; the first 
 quill decidedly shorter than the fourth ; colors yellow. 
 
 MYIODIOCTES MITRATUS. Audubon. 
 The Hooded Warbler. 
 
 Motacilla mitrata, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 977. 
 
 Sylvia mitrata, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 373. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 68. 
 
 Sylvania mitrata, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 333. 
 
 Muscicapa cucullata, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 101. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Bill black ; feet pale-yellow ; head and neck all round, and fore part of 
 the breast, black ; a broad patch on the forehead extending round on the entire 
 cheeks and ear coverts, with the under parts, bright-yellow; upper parts and sides 
 of the body olive-green ; greater portion of inner web of three outer tail feathers 
 white. 
 
 Female similar; the crown like the back; the forehead yellowish; the sides of 
 the head yellow, tinged with olive on the lores and ear coverts. 
 
 Length, five inches; wing, two and seventy-five one-hundredths ; tail, two and 
 fifty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is so extremely rare in New England, that it 
 can be regarded only as a straggler. I have never seen 
 one alive, and will have to give, from Audubon, a short 
 description of its habits. He says, 
 
 " The Hooded Flycatcher is one of the liveliest of its tribe, and 
 is almost continually in motion. Fond of secluded places, it is 
 equally to be met with in the thick cane-brakes of the high or low 
 lands, or amid the rank weeds and tangled rushes of the lowest 
 and most impenetrable swamps. You recognize it instantly, on 
 seeing it ; for the peculiar graceful opening and closing of its broad 
 tail distinguishes it at once, as it goes on gambolling from bush to 
 bush, now in sight, now hidden from your eye, but constantly 
 within hearing. 
 
246 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 " The nest of this species is always placed low, and is generally 
 attached to the forks of small twigs. It is neatly and compactly 
 formed of mosses, dried grasses, and fibrous roots, and is carefully 
 lined with hair, and, not unfrequently, a few large feathers. The 
 eggs are from four to six, of a dull-white, spotted with reddish- 
 brown towards the larger end. The male and female sit by turns, 
 and show extreme anxiety for the safety of their eggs or young." 
 
 MYIODIOCTES PUSILLUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Green Black-cap Flycatcher ; Wilson's Black-cap. 
 
 Mitscicapa pusilla, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 103. 
 Sylvania pusilla, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 335. 
 Sylvia Wilsonii, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 408. 
 Muscicapa Wilsonii, Audubon. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 148. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Forehead, line over and around the eye and under parts generally bright-yellow ; 
 upper part olive-green ; a square patch on the crown lustrous-black ; sides of body 
 and cheeks tinged with olive; no white on wings or tail. Female similar; the 
 black of the crown obscured by olive-green. 
 
 Length, four and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and twenty- 
 five one-hundredths ; tail, two and thirty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is another rare species in New England. I 
 have never seen one alive, and know nothing of its habits. 
 Aububon, who met with a number of individuals, says of 
 its habits : 
 
 " It has all the habits of a true Flycatcher, feeding on small 
 insects, which it catches entirely on the wing, snapping its bill with 
 a smart clicking sound. It frequents the borders of the lakes, and 
 such streams as are fringed with low bushes, from which it is seen 
 every moment sallying forth, pursuing its insect prey for many 
 yards at a time, and again throwing itself into its favorite thickets. 
 
 " The nest is placed on the extremity of a small horizontal 
 branch, among the thick foliage of dwarf firs, not more than from 
 three to five feet from the ground, and in the centre of the thickets 
 of these trees so common in Labrador. The materials of which it 
 is composed are bits of dry moss and delicate pine twigs, aggluti- 
 nated together and to the branches or leaves around it, and beneath 
 
THE CANADA FLYCATCHER. 247 
 
 which it is suspended, with a lining of extremely fine and trans- 
 parent fibres. The greatest diameter does not exceed three and a 
 half inches, and the depth is not more than one and a half. The 
 eggs are four, dull-white, sprinkled with reddish and brown dots 
 towards the larger end, where the marks form a circle, leaving 
 the extremity plain. The parents show much uneasiness at the 
 approach of any intruder, skipping about and around among the 
 twigs and in the air, snapping their bill, and uttering a plaintive 
 note. They raise only one brood in the season. The young 
 males show their black cap as soon as they are fully fledged, and 
 before their departure to the South." 
 
 This bird, according to Audubon, is not very rare in 
 Maine, and it becomes more abundant the farther north we 
 proceed. He found it in Labrador and all the immediate 
 districts ; it reaching that country early in June, and re- 
 turning southward by the middle of August. 
 
 MYIODIOCTES CANADENSIS. Audubon. 
 The Canada Flycatcher. 
 
 Muscicapa Canadensis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 327. Wil. Am. Orn., 
 III. (1811) 100. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 17. 
 
 Sylvia pardalina, Bonaparte. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 372. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts bluish-ash ; a ring round the eye, with a line running to the nos- 
 trils, and the whole under part (except the tail coverts, which are white), bright- 
 yellow ; centres of the feathers in the anterior half of the crown, the cheeks, con- 
 tinuous with a line on the side of the neck to the breast, and a series of spots across 
 the fore part of the breast, black; tail feathers unspotted. Female similar, with the 
 black of the head and breast less distinct. In the young obsolete. 
 
 Length, five and thirty-four one hundredths inches ; wing, two and sixty-seven 
 one-hundredths ; tail, two and fifty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful species is a rather common spring and 
 autumn visitor in all New England, and, in the northern 
 sections of these States, is an inhabitant through the whole 
 summer. It sometimes breeds in Massachusetts ; and I 
 have no doubt, that, in a few years, it will be found to 
 breed abundantly in this State, as it has increased in num- 
 
248 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 bers greatly within four or five years. It arrives from the 
 South from about the 10th to the 25th of May. The birds 
 seem to be mated on their arrival ; for I have noticed, that, 
 if a male is seen, a female is almost always to be found in 
 his immediate vicinity. 
 
 About the first week in June, the nest is built. This is 
 fixed in a fork of a low cedar or pine bush, very near the 
 ground, and is constructed of pine leaves, fine roots and 
 grasses, and a few hairs : it is loosely put together, and is 
 lined with fine pieces of the same materials and lichens. 
 
 The eggs are four in number. They are small and 
 abruptly pointed : they are of a grayish- white color, with a 
 slight roseate tint, and are marked with spots and fine 
 blotches of lilac and brown, usually thickest near the larger 
 end. The only nest and eggs that I have seen were of this 
 description: they were found in Quincy, Mass., in an old 
 pasture, partly grown up with bushes. 
 
 The eggs were nearly of a uniform size and shape, and 
 measured about .65 by .48 inch in dimensions. 
 
 The habits of this species are so much like those of the 
 preceding, that, if the Wilson's Black-cap were more com- 
 mon, the two birds might be easily confounded. The flight 
 of the present is rapid ; and all the motions of the bird, when 
 it is pursuing insects, are those of the true Flycatchers. Its 
 note is a shrill weechy, weechy, which is uttered at short 
 intervals by the bird, both while on the wing and when 
 perching. About the first week in September, it begins to 
 grow abundant; and, by the 15th of that month, it has 
 departed on its southern migration. 
 
 SETOPHAGA, SWAINSON. 
 
 Setophaga, SWAINSON, Zool. Jour., III. (Dec., 1827) 360. (Type Muscicapa ruti- 
 cilla, Linnajus.) 
 
 Bill depressed, broader than high; rictus with long bristles; wings rounded, 
 equal to or shorter than the tail ; first quill shorter than the fourth ; tail long, some- 
 what graduated, the outer feathers about twenty one-hundredths of an inch or more 
 shorter; all the feathers unusually broad, and widened at the end; feet short; tarsus 
 
THE BED START. 
 
 249 
 
 shorter than the head; hind toe equal to the lateral; coloration embracing more or 
 less of red in northern species. 
 
 This genus differs from Myiodioctes chiefly in the longer, broader tail, and rather 
 shorter tarsi and toes, the hinder especially; the bill is more muscicapine; the 
 culmen nearly straight to the abruptly decurved and much notched tip; the gonys 
 straight; in Myiodioctes the verticnl outlines are more convex; the gonys more 
 ascending; the tip gently and but slightly decurved. 
 
 SETOPHAGA EUTICILLA. Swainson. 
 The Red Start. 
 
 Muscicapa ruticilla, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 326. Wil. Am. Orn., I. 
 (1808) 103. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 202; V. (1839) 428. 
 Sylvania ruticilla, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 291. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Prevailing color black ; a central line on the breast, the abdomen, and 
 under tail coverts, white; some feathers in the latter strongly tinged with dark- 
 brown ; bases of all the quills, except the inner and outer, and basal half of all 
 the tail feathers, except the middle one, a patch on each side of the breast, and the 
 axillary region orange-red, of a vermilion shade on the breast. Female with the 
 black replaced by olive-green above, by brownish-white beneath; the head tinged 
 with ash; a grayish-white lore and ring round the eye; the red of the male 
 replaced by yellow. 
 
 Length, five and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, two and fifty one- 
 hundredths inches; tail, two and forty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This quite common species is a summer resident, and 
 breeds in all the New-England States. It arrives from the 
 South from about the first to the middle of May, accord- 
 ing to latitude, and commences 
 building about the first week 
 in June. The nest is usually 
 placed on a low limb of a 
 small tree, often in a hori- 
 zontal fork, seldom more than 
 ten feet from the ground. It 
 is constructed of strips of 
 cedar bark, grape-vine bark, 
 grasses, and fine weeds : these 
 materials are adjusted neatly, and agglutinated by the bird's 
 saliva into a compact structure, to the exterior of which 
 are attached, or plastered on by the bird's saliva, fragments 
 
250 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 of soft lichens, caterpillars' silk, and down from the ferns. 
 It is deeply hollowed, and lined with thin strips of grape-vine 
 bark and cottony substances, and sometimes a few hairs or 
 fibrous roots. Nuttall, in describing the nest, says " the 
 lining is neither soft nor downy;" but Wilson and Audubon 
 both assert to the contrary. I have examined a great num- 
 ber of the nests, and have found them to agree with the 
 foregoing description. The eggs are usually four in number. 
 Their color is a beautiful creamy-white, which is covered, 
 more or less thickly, with spots of reddish-brown and lilac. 
 Average dimensions of eggs, about .63 by .50 inch. 
 
 Perhaps the best description I can give of the habits of 
 this bird is to say that they are a combination of those 
 of the Flycatchers and Warblers ; for, like the former, it 
 pursues flying insects in the air, and seizes them with a 
 loud snapping of the bill, and, like the latter, gleans indus- 
 triously for them among the foliage and branches of trees. 
 The note of the Red Start is a shrill cheweea, which is 
 uttered at intervals of perhaps a half or whole minute. 
 
 I have not noticed that it prefers any particular locality ; 
 but it seems to frequent the woods, pastures, and orchards 
 in equal abundance : and I have known of a pair building, 
 and rearing a brood, in a garden, within five rods of a house. 
 
 About the 15th of September, the Red Start leaves for 
 the South ; and, after the 20th of that month, none are to 
 be seen in New England. 
 
 Sub-Family TANAGRIN^E. The Tanagers. 
 PYRANGA, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Pyranga, VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept., I. (1807) IV. /&., Analyse (1816), 32. 
 Sclater, Pr. Zool. Soc. (1856), 123. 
 
 Bill somewhat straight; sub-conical, cj'lindrical, notched at tip; culmen moder- 
 ately curved; commissure with a median acute lobe; wings elongated; the four first 
 primaries about equal ; tail moderate, slightly forked. Colors of the male chiefly 
 scarlet, of the female yellowish. 
 
THE SCARLET TANAGER. 251 
 
 PYRANGA RUBRA. VieiUot. 
 The Scarlet Tanager. 
 
 Tanagra rubra. Linn., I. (1766) 314. Wil. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 42. Aud. Orn. 
 Biog., IV. (1838) 388. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill shorter than the head ; second quill longest ; first and third a little shorter ; 
 tail moderately forked ; general color of male bright-carmine ; wings and tail velvet- 
 black, the quills internally edged with white towards the base. Female olive-green 
 above, yellowish beneath; wing and tail feathers brown, edged with olivaceous. 
 
 The young nv.iles are colored like the females, but generally exhibit more or less 
 of red feathers among the greenish ones. Sometimes the full plumage is varied by 
 a few yellow feathers, or by olivaceous edges to the wings ; not unfrequently there 
 is a partly concealed bar of red or yellow on the wing, across the median coverts. 
 Young niiiles are sometimes seen with the body like the female, the wings and tail 
 like the male. 
 
 Length, seven and forty one-hundredths inches; wing, four inches; tail, three 
 inches. 
 
 This gaudy summer visitor breeds in all the New-England 
 States ; less plentifully, however, in the northern than in the 
 southern districts. It arrives from the South about the first 
 week in May, and commences building about the 20th of 
 that month. The favorite localities of this bird seem to be 
 oak-groves, situated near swamps : here I have often heard 
 several males singing at the same time, and have watched 
 them in their active movements in their pursuit of insects, 
 of which this species destroys great numbers. The nest is 
 placed on a horizontal limb of a tree, usually from fifteen 
 to twenty feet from the ground, in the deep woods. It is 
 constructed of slender twigs of the oak, huckleberry or 
 whortleberry bush, and weeds: these are loosely put to- 
 gether ; so much so, that, were it not for the interlacing of 
 the small joints of the twigs, it would soon fall apart. It is 
 not deeply hollowed, and is lined with thread-like fibrous 
 roots and the leaves of the various pines. The whole 
 structure is so thinly made as almost to fall to pieces on 
 removal from the tree. The eggs are usually four in num- 
 ber, sometimes three, seldom five. They are of a dull light 
 greenish-blue color, of different shades, and spattered with 
 
252 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 purplish-brown, in some specimens quite thickly, in others 
 less so. The ground-color is the most prominent ; the mark- 
 ings never completely hiding it, or sufficiently confluent to 
 
 be called blotches. A nest complement of four eggs, in a 
 nest collected in Milton, Mass., exhibit the following meas- 
 urements: .97 by .66 inch, .93 by .65 inch, .90 by .62 inch, 
 .88 by .64 inch. Other specimens show no great variations 
 from these dimensions. 
 
 The Scarlet Tanager thrives well in confinement, and 
 makes a beautiful and interesting pet. I once kept one 
 caged for over six months. He eat seeds and small fruits, 
 and, within a week after his capture, chanted his warbling 
 song with perfect freedom. He had, and I have also noted 
 that all of this species have, a sort of ventriloquism in his 
 song: it at times sounded as if at quite a distance; and I 
 have been deceived in this manner, by birds that were almost 
 over my head, into supposing that they were far away. 
 
THE SCARLET TANAGEE. 253 
 
 The song is almost exactly like that of the Robin, but is 
 often broken with a pensive call-note, sounding like the 
 syllables chip churr. 
 
 Early in September, the Tanagers leave for their Southern 
 homes ; from which they seem, while here, hardly more than 
 wanderers, so commonly do we associate gaudy plumages 
 with tropical climes. They winter, probably, in Central 
 America and the Bahamas. 
 
254 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY HIRUNDINID^E. THE SWALLOWS. 
 Sub-Family HIRUNDININ^E. 
 
 Bill triangular, very short and broad, much depressed ; the ridge much less than 
 half the head ; the gonys two-thirds this length ; the gape extending to below the 
 eye; primaries nine; the first longest, and, with the second, considerably longer 
 than the others ; the secondaries and tertials not reaching the middle of the prima- 
 ries; the secondaries deeply emarginate; wings very long, reaching beyond the 
 commencement of the fork of the tail, which is generally more or less deep; tarsi 
 scutellate, very short, less than the lateral toes, the inner of which is more deeply 
 cleft than the outer. 
 
 HIRUNDO, LINN^US. 
 
 Hirundo, LINN.EUS, Syst. Nat. (1735). Gray, Genera, I. (1845). 
 
 Nostrils basal, small, oblong, and covered partly by a membrane; tail more or 
 less forked; the outer lateral feather sometimes greatly lengthened; tarsi shorter 
 than the middle toe, and scutellated ; tarsi naked ; toes long, slender, the lateral ones 
 unequal ; claws moderate, curved, acute. 
 
 HIEUNDO HORREORUM. Barton. 
 The Barn Swallow. 
 
 Hirundo horreorum, Barton. Fragments N. H. Penna. (1799) 17. 
 Hirundo Americana, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 34. 
 Hirundo rustica, Audubou. Orn. Biog., II. ( 1834) 413. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail very deeply forked ; outer feathers several inches longer than the inner, very 
 narrow towards the end ; above glossy-blue, with concealed white in the middle of 
 the back ; throat chestnut ; rest of lower part reddish-white, not conspicuously dif- 
 ferent; a steel-blue collar on the upper part of the breast, interrupted in the middle; 
 tail feathers with a white spot near the middle, on the inner web. Female with the 
 outer tail feather not quite so long. 
 
 Length, six and ninety one-hundredths inches; wing, five inches; tail, four and 
 fifty one hundredths inches. 
 
 THIS beautiful and well-known bird arrives in New 
 England from about the 10th of April to the 25th of 
 that month, according to latitude : it is quickly dispersed in 
 great numbers through these States, and soon commences 
 mating. Its habits are so well known that any description 
 
THE BARN SWALLOW. 
 
 255 
 
 This nest is built out 
 
 here is hardly needed. About the 10th of May, after the 
 birds have paired, they commence building; or sometimes 
 the same couple begin repairing the nest of the preceding 
 year or years, as the same nest 
 is occupied several seasons. It is 
 built in the eaves of houses or 
 barns, or on rafters of barns and 
 other buildings. It is constructed 
 outwardly of a strong shell of 
 pellets of mud, which are plas- 
 tered together, and, as Nuttall 
 says, "tempered with fine hay, 
 and rendered more adhesive by 
 the glutinous saliva of the bird." 
 and up until the top is about horizontal, and then lined with 
 a layer of fine grass or hay, which is covered with loose 
 feathers. This bird is fond of society, often as many as 
 twenty nests being in the same eaves. The eggs are 
 usually four in number, sometimes five: they are of a 
 nearly pure-white color, with a slight roseate tint ; and are 
 spotted more or less thickly with fine dots of two shades of 
 brown, reddish, and purplish. The dimensions of four eggs, 
 collected in Upton, Me., are .76 by .56 inch, .70 by .52 
 inch, .76 by .52 inch, .69 by .53 inch. The largest speci- 
 men, in a great number, is .78 by .57 inch ; the smallest. 
 .67 by .50 inch. Two broods, and sometimes three, are 
 reared in the season. The period of incubation is thirteen 
 days. 
 
 About the first week in September, the old and young 
 birds of different families gather in immense flocks ; and, 
 after remaining about the marshes near the seacoast for a 
 few days, they leave for their winter homes. It is seldom 
 that any are seen after Sept. 15th in New England. 
 
256 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 HIRUNDO LUNIFRONS. Say. 
 The Cliff Swallow ; Eave Swallow. 
 
 ffirundo lunifrons, Say. Long's Exped. R. Mts., II. (1823) 47. 
 Hirundo respublicana, Audubon. Ann. N.Y. Lye., I. (1824) 164. 
 Hirundo fulva, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 353. 
 Hii-undo melanogaster, Swainson. Philos. Mag., I. (1827) 366. 
 Petrochelidon melanogastra, Cabanis. Mus. Hein., 47. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Crown and back steel-blue; the upper part of the latter with concealed pale 
 edges to the feathers; chin, throat, and sides of the head dark-chestnut; breast 
 fuscous; belly white; a steel-blue spot on throat; rump light-chestnut; forehead 
 brownish-white; a pale nuchal band; tail slightly emarginate. 
 
 Length, about five inches ; wing, four and forty one-hundredths ; tail, two and 
 twenty one-hundredths. 
 
 Hob. North America from Atlantic to Pacific. 
 
 The Cliff Swallow is very generally distributed as a sum- 
 mer inhabitant of New England. It arrives from the South 
 from about the 25th of April to the 1st of May. It has all 
 the habits and characteristics of the preceding species, and 
 is probably as well known throughout New England as that 
 bird. About the 10th of May (sometimes earlier, sometimes 
 later, according to latitude), it pairs, and commences build- 
 ing. The nest is usually fixed beneath eaves or cornices, 
 or other jutting portions of buildings, or on cliffs, beneath 
 overhanging portions of rock : it is constructed externally 
 of pellets of mud and earth, which are gradually plastered 
 together into a large gourd-shaped structure ; the larger part 
 attached to the building or cliff, and the neck curving out- 
 ward and downward. At the part of the nest resembling 
 the neck of the gourd is the entrance. The whole fabric is 
 much more brittle than the nest of the Barn Swallow, for the 
 reason that no grass or hay is worked into the mud to give 
 it strength. A lining of fine grass and feathers is fixed in 
 this, and the whole makes a very neat and comfortable 
 structure. The eggs are usually five in number. They 
 can hardly be distinguished from those of the preceding 
 
THE WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW. 257 
 
 species; and, in fact, identification is next to impossible. 
 In a majority of the present species, the spots are somewhat 
 coarser, and the eggs are generally longer. Four eggs, 
 collected in Dorchester, Mass., are of the average dimen- 
 sions of .84 by .54 inch ; other specimens, from various 
 localities, are about this size. 
 
 Like the Barn Swallow, this species gathers into large 
 flocks at the end of the summer, and frequents the same 
 localities, but not at the same time ; as it leaves usually a 
 week or ten days before the other bird. 
 
 HIRUNDO BICOLOR. VieMot. 
 The White-bellied Swallow ; Blue-backed Swallow. 
 
 Hirundo bicolor, Vieillot. Ois. Am. Sept., I. (1807) 61. Aud. Orn. Biog. (1831), 
 491. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Glossy metallic-green above; entirely white beneath. Female much duller in 
 color. 
 
 Length, six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, five inches ; tail, two 
 and sixty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This very common and well-known species is a summer 
 inhabitant of all New England ; being most abundant in 
 localities near sheets of water, and less common in high, 
 dry districts. Its habits are well known ; and arriving, as 
 it does, early in the season, and fraternizing with man, it is 
 a great favorite. It makes its appearance as early as the 
 first week in April, but does not commence building before 
 the middle of May. Near cities and towns, the nest is 
 built in martin-boxes provided for its reception: but, in 
 less thickly settled districts, it is built in holes in stumps 
 and trees ; and cases are on record of its being built in a 
 deserted nest of the common Barn Swallow. When passing 
 through the chain of the Umbagog lakes, in Maine, I 
 observed great numbers of these birds whose nests were 
 built in holes in dead trees standing in the lake near the 
 shores. These nests were so plenty, that, in the area of 
 
 17 
 
258 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 about ten rods square, I counted over fifty. Of course, the 
 birds were in myriads, and the species constitutes the com- 
 mon Swallow of the districts in that latitude. The materials 
 used in the construction of the nest are fine grasses, hay, 
 and feathers : these are adjusted loosely in the cavity of the 
 tree, and without any form. The eggs are, most commonly, 
 five in number. Their color is a beautiful clear-white, with 
 a roseate tint before their contents are removed : they are 
 extremely thin and fragile, much more so than most of the 
 other species ; and their form is a slender oval. Of a great 
 number of specimens, collected in various localities, the 
 largest is .79 by .56 inch ; the smallest, .69 by .51 inch. 
 Two broods are generally reared in the season, and the 
 period of incubation is fourteen days. 
 
 This species leaves New England in the fall migration 
 about the 10th of September. 
 
 COTYLE, BOIE. 
 
 Cotyle, BOIE, Isis (1822), 550. (Type H. riparia.) 
 
 Bill very flat, extremely broad at the base, and gradually narrowed towards 
 the tip ; nostrils prominent and rounded ; tail moderate, nearly straight, or some- 
 what emarginated ; tarsi rather shorter than the middle toe, slender and scutellated ; 
 toes very slender, the claws slightly curved; colors generally dull brown above, 
 without gloss. 
 
 COTYLE RIPARIA. Boie. 
 The Bank Swallow. 
 
 Hirundo riparia, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 344. Wils. Am. Orn., V. 46. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 584. 
 
 Cotyle riparia, Boie. Isis (1822), 550. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The smallest of American swallows ; tail slightly emarginate ; outer web of first 
 primary soft, without hooks ; lower part of the tarsus with a few scattered feathers ; 
 above grayish-brown, somewhat fuliginous, with a tendency to paler margins to the 
 feathers; beneath pure-white, with a band across the breast and sides of the body 
 like the back. 
 
 Length, four and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wing, four; tail, two 
 inches. 
 
THE BANK SWALLOW. . 259 
 
 Unlike all our other swallows, this species avoids the 
 neighborhood of man in selecting its breeding-place ; and it 
 is abundant only in the neighborhood of streams or other 
 sheets of water. It is distributed, as a summer resident, 
 in all the New-England States, and in many localities is 
 very abundant. It arrives the first week in May, often 
 earlier ; and soon pairs, and commences building, or rather 
 excavating, for the nest. The excavations are made in 
 sand-banks, in the same manner as those of the Kingfisher, 
 and are often three or four feet in depth, usually about 
 eighteen inches. At the end of this burrow, which is 
 widened and enlarged, is placed the nest, composed of 
 dried grasses, hay, feathers, and other like soft materials. 
 The birds are sociable in their habits, as are all the other 
 species ; and often as many as twenty and thirty holes 
 may be seen in the same bank. The number of eggs is 
 either five or four. These are of a pure-white color, and 
 vary but little in size or shape ; the latter being almost 
 always oval, and the size ranging from .72 by .52 inch to 
 .68 by .49 inch. Usually two broods are reared in the 
 season, but often only one. 
 
 In habits, this bird resembles the other swallows, but is 
 not so quarrelsome as they, and I never noticed two of this 
 species fighting: its note is not, like theirs, shrill and oft 
 repeated, but is only a seldom-uttered lisping chatter. It 
 leaves New England by the last week in August. 
 
 PROGNE, BOIE. 
 
 Progne, BIOE, Isis (1826), 971. (Type Hirundo purpurea, L.) 
 
 Bill, strong, short; the gape very wide; the sides gradually compressed, the 
 
 culmen and lateral margins arched to the tip, the latter inflected; the nostrils 
 
 basal, lateral, open, and rounded ; tail considerably forked ; tarsi shorter than the 
 
 middle toe and claw, about equal to the toe alone; toes long, strong; lateral ones 
 
 The large size, very stout bill and feet (for this family), with the usually uni- 
 form black glossy plumage, readily distinguish this genus among the swallows. 
 But one species is well established as North American. 
 
260 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 PROGNE PURPUREA. Boie. 
 The Purple Martin. 
 
 Hirundo purpurea, Linnteus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 344. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. 
 (1831) 115. 
 
 Progne purpurea, Boie. Isis (1826), 971. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Largest of North-American Swallows; closed wings rather longer than the 
 deeply forked tail ; tarsi and toes naked ; color, in the old male, everywhere glossy 
 steel-blue, with purple and violet reflections. Female and immature male less 
 brilliant above, pale-brownish beneath, blotched with darker or with bluish. 
 
 Length, seven and thirty one-hundredths inches; wing, five and eighty-five 
 one-hundredths ; tail, three and forty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 The Purple Martin is the least abundant of all our 
 Swallows, and, indeed, in some localities is quite rare. 
 It arrives from the South about the first week in May, 
 and is distributed in single pairs through all New Eng- 
 land. 
 
 The description, by Wilson, of the habits of the bird, is 
 so well written that 1 present quite a liberal extract from it. 
 He says, 
 
 " The summer residence of this agreeable bird is universally 
 among the habitations of man, who, having no interest in his 
 destruction, and deriving considerable advantage as well as amuse- 
 ment from his company, is generally his friend and protector. 
 Wherever he comes, he finds some hospitable retreat fitted up for 
 his accommodation and that of his young, either in the projecting 
 wooden cornice, on the top of the roof or sign-post, in the box 
 appropriated to the Blue-bird, or, if all these be wanting, in the 
 dove-house among the pigeons. In this last case, he sometimes 
 takes possession of one quarter or tier of the premises, in which 
 not a pigeon dare for a moment set its foot. Some people have 
 large conveniences formed for the Martins, with many apartments, 
 which are usually full tenanted, and occupied regularly every 
 spring ; and, in such places, particular individuals have been noted 
 to return to the same box for several successive years. Even the 
 solitary Indian seems to have a particular respect for this bird. 
 
THE PURPLE MARTIN. 261 
 
 The Choctaws and Chickasaws cut off all the top branches from a 
 sapling near their cabins, leaving the prongs a foot or two in 
 length, on each of which they hang a gourd or calabash, properly 
 hollowed out, for their convenience. On the banks of the Missis- 
 sippi, the negroes stick up long canes, with the same species of 
 apartment fixed to their tops, in which the Martins regularly 
 breed. Wherever I have travelled in this country, I have 
 seen with pleasure the hospitality of the inhabitants to this favor- 
 ite bird. 
 
 "About the middle or 20th of April, the Martins first begin to 
 prepare their nest. The last of these which I examined was 
 formed of dry leaves of the weeping willow, slender straws, hay, 
 and feathers in considerable quantity. The eggs were four, very 
 small for the size of the bird, and pure-white, without any spots. 
 The first brood appears in May, the second late in July. During 
 the period in which the female is laying, and before she commences 
 incubation, they are both from home the greater part of the day. 
 When the female is sitting, she is frequently visited by the male, 
 who also occupies her place while she takes a short recreation 
 abroad. He also often passes a quarter of an hour in the apart- 
 ment beside her, and has become quite domesticated since her con- 
 finement. He sits on the outside, dressing and arranging his 
 plumage, occasionally passing to the door of the apartment, as if 
 to inquire how she does. His notes, at this time, seem to have 
 assumed a peculiar softness ; and his gratulations are expressive of 
 much tenderness. Conjugal fidelity, even where there is a num- 
 ber together, seems to be faithfully preserved by these birds. On 
 the 25th of May, a male and female Martin took possession of a 
 box in Mr. Bartram's garden. A day or two after, a second 
 female made her appearance, and stayed for several days ; but from 
 the cold reception she met with, being frequently beat off by the 
 male, she finally abandoned the place, and set off, no doubt, to seek 
 for a more sociable companion. 
 
 " The Purple Martin, like his half-cousin the King-bird, is the 
 terror of crows, hawks, and eagles. These he attacks whenever 
 they make their appearance, and with such vigor and rapidity that 
 they instantly have recourse to flight. So well known is this to 
 the lesser birds, and to the domestic poultry, that, as soon as they 
 
ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 hear the Martin's voice engaged in fight, all is alarm and conster- 
 nation. To observe with what spirit and audacity this bird dives 
 and sweeps upon and around the Hawk or the Eagle is astonish- 
 ing. He also bestows an occasional bastinading on the King-bird 
 when he finds him too near his premises ; though he will, at any 
 time, instantly co-operate with him in attacking the common 
 enemy. 
 
 " The Martin differs from all the rest of our Swallows in the 
 particular prey which he selects. Wasps, bees, large beetles, par- 
 ticularly those called by the boys goldsmiths, seem his favorite 
 game. I have taken four of these large beetles from the stomach 
 of a Purple Martin, each of which seemed entire, and even 
 unbruised. 
 
 " The flight of the Purple Martin unites in it all the swiftness, 
 ease, rapidity of turning, and gracefulness of motion of its tribe. 
 Like the Swift of Europe, he sails much with little action of the 
 wings. He passes through the most crowded parts of our streets, 
 eluding the passengers with the quickness of thought ; or plays 
 among the clouds, gliding about at a vast height, like an aerial 
 being. His usual note, peuo, peuo, peuo, is loud and musical ; 
 but is frequently succeeded by others more low and guttural. 
 Soon after the 20th of August, he leaves Pennsylvania for the 
 South." 
 
 In New England, this species begins to prepare its nest 
 about the 10th of May : this is composed of dried grasses, 
 leaves, and feathers, and is deposited usually in a box pre- 
 pared for this purpose. The eggs are from four to six in 
 number, of a pure-white color, and vary but little in form 
 from exactly oval. Four specimens, collected in Connecti- 
 cut, exhibit the following measurements : 1.04 by .70 inch, 
 1 by .70 inch, 1 by .68 inch, .97 by .68 inch. Other speci- 
 mens vary but little from these dimensions. Two broods 
 are often reared in the season, and the period of incubation 
 is fourteen days. 
 
 In dismissing this family, it is hardly necessary, at this 
 late day, to say a word in favor of their beneficial habits ; 
 
THE PURPLE MARTIN. 263 
 
 for every farmer has recognized them, and encouraged 
 the presence of the birds, and protected them for years ; 
 but the immense amount of injurious and noxious insects 
 they destroy is astonishing, and hardly realized ; amount- 
 ing probably to several hundreds by every bird in the 
 day. 
 
264 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY BOMBYCILLID^. THE CHATTERERS. 
 
 Primaries ten, the first very short or moderate, always less than half the second ; 
 bill short, broad, triangular, much depressed; gape opening nearly to the eyes, 
 twice the length of the cultnen; both mandibles notched, the upper with a tooth 
 behind the notch ; tarsi scutellate anteriorly, with indications also of scales inferiorly 
 on the sides (except in Myiadestes ?), shorter than the middle toe ; outer lateral toe 
 longest; toes unequally cleft ; head generally crested. 
 
 Sub-Family BOMBYCILLIN^E. The Wax Wings. 
 
 AMPELIS, LINNAEUS. 
 
 Ampelis, LINN^US, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type A. garrulus.) 
 
 Head with a broad, depressed crest; bill very broad, opening nearly to the eye; 
 a series of short, velvety feathers at the base of the bill, with bristles directed for- 
 wards and covering the nostrils, but none along the rictus ; commissure straight ; 
 culmen and gonys curved, convex; both mandibles notched at tip; legs stout; tarsi 
 shorter than the middle toe, scutellate anteriorly, and slightly on the lower half on 
 the sides behind, slightly feathered above ; hind toe shorter than the lateral, which 
 are equal; wings very long, pointed, reaching almost to the tip of the nearly even 
 tail; first primary so short as to be with difficulty discernible, the second quill 
 longest; tips of secondary quills with horny appendages, like sealing-wax. 
 
 AMPELIS GARRULUS. Linnaeus. 
 The Wax-wing ; Bohemian Chatterer. 
 
 " Lanius garrulus, Linnaeus. Fauna Suecica, II. No. 82." 
 Ampelis garrulus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 297. 
 B&mbydtta garrula. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 462. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Highly crested; general color brownish-ash, with a faint shade of reddish, 
 especially anteriorly ; the forehead, sides of the head, and under tail coverts, brown- 
 ish-orange ; the hinder parts purer ash ; the region about the vent white ; primaries 
 and tail feathers plumbeous black, especially towards the tips ; the tail with a ter- 
 minal band of yellow; a narrow frontal line passing backward and involving the 
 eye, and extending above and behind it; chin and upper part of throat black; tips 
 of the secondary coverts, and a spot on the end of the outer webs of all the quills, 
 white; those on the inner primaries glossed with yellow; secondaries with red, horny 
 tips, like sealing-wax; side of the lower jaw whitish. 
 
 Length, seven and forty one-hundredths inches ; wing, four and fifty one-hun- 
 dredths inches; tail, three inches. 
 
THE CEDAR-BIRD. 265 
 
 This species, with the general appearance of the Cedar-bird, is readily distin- 
 guished by its superior size, much larger crest, black chin and throat, instead of 
 chin alone, brownish-chestnut under tail coverts, instead of white, and the white 
 marks on the wing not found at all in the other. In the closed wing, the white on 
 the ends of the primaries forms a continuous narrow stripe nearly parallel with the 
 outer edge of the wing. 
 
 FT1HIS bird is an extremely rare winter visitor in New 
 JL England, appearing only in severe seasons. It is seen 
 in small flocks of perhaps six or eight individuals, usually 
 in groves of cedars or Virginia junipers, where it feeds on 
 the small blue berries or seeds that are found on those trees. 
 This species breeds in the most northern portions of the 
 continent. I am unacquainted with its habits, nest, or 
 eggs. 
 
 AMPELIS CEDRORUM. Baird. 
 The Cedar-bird; Cherry-bird. 
 
 Ampelis garrulus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 297. 
 
 Bombycilla Carolinensis, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 227; V. 494. 
 
 Ampelis Americana, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 107. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head crested ; general color reddish-olive, passing anteriorly on the neck, head, 
 and breast into purplish-cinnamon, posteriorly on the upper parts into ash, on the 
 lower into yellow; under tail coverts white; chin dark sooty-black, fading insensibly 
 into the ground-color on the throat ; forehead, loral region, space below the eye, and 
 a line above it on the side of the head, intense black ; quills and tail dark-plumbeous, 
 passing behind into dusky; the tail tipped with yellow; the primaries, except the 
 first, margined with hoary; a short maxillary stripe, a narrow crescent on the inferb- 
 posterior quarter of the eye, white ; secondaries with horny tips, like red sealing-wax. 
 
 Length, seven and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, four and five one- 
 hundredths; tail, two and sixty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. North America generally, south to Guatemala. 
 
 This very common and well-known bird is a summer 
 inhabitant of all New England. It remains in the southern 
 districts through the winter, but usually arrives, in flocks 
 of twenty or thirty, as early as the first or second week in 
 March. About the middle of May, these flocks are divided 
 into smaller ones, and these soon into pairs, which com- 
 mence building about the last week in May or first in June. 
 The nest is placed in the midst of twigs on a horizontal 
 
266 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 branch, generally of a tree in the orchard ; sometimes in a 
 cedar or other tree in a pasture or wood. It is con- 
 structed of stalks of weeds, long fine roots, grass, grape- 
 vine bark, and leaves : it is 
 deeply hollowed, and lined with 
 fine roots, horsehairs, and fine 
 grass. One specimen in my col- 
 lection is partly composed of 
 strips of twine and thread, 
 which are woven together in a 
 very neat and compact man- 
 ner, and interlaced with nu- 
 merous fine roots and weeds. 
 The eggs are usually four or 
 five in number: they are laid 
 about the first week in June, 
 
 Lower fig., Cedar-bird. and a SeC01ld Utt6r ftei1 in AU ~ 
 
 upper flg., Bed-eyed vireo. gust. They are of a light-bluish 
 
 or clay-white color, with a slight purple tint, and are marked, 
 more or less thickly, with distinct spots of black, and more 
 obscure spots of purplish-brown : the appearance of these 
 latter spots is as if they were " beneath the surface of 
 the shell." Dimensions of five eggs collected in New 
 Hampshire : .86 by .64 inch, .86 by .63 inch, .86 by .60 
 inch, .80 by .62 inch, .80 by .60 inch. A great number of 
 specimens from different localities do not exhibit any great 
 variations from these measurements. 
 
 There is a great deal of ill feeling manifested towards 
 this well-known bird by the farmers, on account of its occa- 
 sionally helping itself to a few cherries or other small fruits. 
 Its valuable services in the orchard and nursery seem to be 
 overlooked, and its life is often forfeited for this little weak- 
 ness. But if the farmer will observe it in its insect-destroy- 
 ing labors, watch it as it devours caterpillar after caterpillar, 
 or draws from its lurking-place the larva of some injurious 
 insect, he will come to the conclusion, as many have already 
 
THE CEDAR-BIRD. 267 
 
 done, that this bird is worthy his protection, instead of 
 deserving his anger. 
 
 Says Nuttall, in speaking of this fact, 
 
 "At this season (April), to repay the gardener for the tithe 
 of his crop, their natural due, they fail not to assist in ridding his 
 trees of more deadly enemies which infest them, and the small 
 caterpillars, beetles, and various insects now constitute their only 
 food ; and for hours at a time they may be seen feeding on the all- 
 despoiling canker-worms, which infest our apple-trees and elms. 
 On these occasions, silent and sedate, after plentifully feeding, they 
 sit dressing their feathers, in near contact on the same branch, to 
 the number of five or six ; and, as the season of selective attach- 
 ment approaches, they may be observed pluming each other, and 
 caressing with the most gentle fondness. This friendly trait is 
 carried so far, that an eye-witness assures me he has seen one 
 among a row of these birds seated upon a branch dart after an 
 insect, and offer it to his associate when caught, who very disin- 
 terestedly passed it to the next ; and, each delicately declining the 
 offer, the morsel has proceeded backwards and forwards before it 
 was appropriated." 
 
 The note of the Cedar-bird, like that of the Wax-wing, is 
 a feeble, plaintive twe, twee, uttered often, and by both 
 sexes. 
 
268 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY LANIID^. 
 
 Bill strong and compressed, the tip abruptly hooked ; both mandibles distinctly 
 notched, the upper with a distinct tooth behind, the lower with the point bent up; 
 tarsi longer than the middle toe, strongly scutel late; primaries ten; first primary 
 half the second, or shorter (occasionally wanting). 
 
 The sub-families of Laniidce belonging to the United States are as follows : 
 
 LANIIN.E. Bill very powerful, much compressed, and abruptly hooked, with a 
 very prominent tooth behind the notch; wings considerably rounded; tail rather 
 long and graduated ; sides of the tarsi scutellate behind. 
 
 VIREONINJE. Bill moderate, cylindrical, somewhat compressed; wings long, the 
 first primary sometimes wanting; tail short and nearly even; sides of the tarsi behind 
 not scutellate. 
 
 Sub-Family LANIIN^E. The Shrikes. 
 COLLYRIO, MOEHRING. 
 
 Collyrio, MOEHRING, Genera Avium (1752), 28. (Type Lanius excubitor, L.) 
 Lanius, of AUTHORS. 
 
 Feathers of forehead stiffened ; base of bill, including nostrils, covered by bristly 
 feathers directed forward; bill shorter than the head, much compressed, and very 
 powerful ; culmen decurved from base, the mandible abruptly bent down in a power- 
 ful hook, what in acute lobe near the tip; tip of lower mandible bent upwards in a 
 hook; the gonys very convex; rictus with long bristles; legs stout; the tarsi are 
 rather short, longer than the middle toe ; the lateral equal ; the claws all very sharp 
 and much curved ; wings rounded ; the first primary about half the second, which is 
 equal to the sixth or seventh; tail longer than the wings, much graduated, the 
 feathers broad. 
 
 COLLYEIO BOREALIS. Baird. 
 The Great Northern Shrike ; Butcher-bird. 
 
 Lanius septentrionalis, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 72. Bon. List (1838). Nutt. 
 Man., L (1832)258. 
 
 Lanius borealls, Audubon. Syn. (1839), 157. 
 
 Lanius excubitor. Wils., I. (1808) 74. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 534. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above light bluish-ash, obscurely soiled with reddish-brown ; forehead, sides of 
 the crown, scapulars, and upper tail coverts hoary-white ; beneath white, the breast 
 with fine transverse lines; wings and tail black, the former with a white patch at 
 base of primaries and tips of small quills, the latter with the lateral feathers tipped 
 with white; bill blackish-brown, considerably lighter at the base; black stripe from 
 the bill through and behind the eye, but beneath the latter interrupted by a whitish 
 crescent. Female and young with the gray soiled with brownish. 
 

 GREAT NORTHERN SHRIKE, Butcher-bird, CoUyrio borealis. Baird. 
 
THE GREAT NORTHERN SHRIKE. 269 
 
 Length, nine and eighty-five one-hundredths inches; wings, four and fifty one- 
 hundredths inches; tail, four and eighty one-hundredths inches; its graduation, 
 ninety one-hundredths inches. 
 
 THIS species, although not uncommon as a winter visitor 
 in New England, is seldom seen here during the sum- 
 mer months ; and I think that it very rarely breeds in these 
 States, and then only in the most northern and retired 
 sections. 
 
 It makes its appearance about the last week in October, 
 jyid is seen until the last week in May. During this period, 
 it preys upon small birds, mice, and such insects and Iarva3 
 as it finds in exposed situations, such as fences, piles of 
 stones, &c. 
 
 In watching for its prey, it usually remains perched on a 
 stake or small tree, in a field or meadow, carefully scanning 
 the surrounding neighborhood. When a mouse or other 
 small mammal presents itself in the grass, the bird folds 
 its wings, drops on it with an unerring aim, and seizes it 
 with its bill. If a flock of small birds, such as Pine-finches 
 or Red-polls, appear in sight, he immediately pursues them, 
 and generally secures one or two before they are dispersed. 
 I have seen an individual dart into a flock of Tree Sparrows, 
 and kill three of them before they could escape ; and it 
 seems a characteristic of this bird to secure more than 
 enough food for its present wants. Its habit of suspending 
 small birds, mice, and insects on thorns and small twigs, 
 is well known. This is done, I am inclined to think, not 
 because, as many writers assert, that it will not eat its food 
 when freshly killed, and it thus suspends it in order that 
 it may become tainted, but rather to have this food stored 
 for future need. We see many other birds with this same 
 habit of providing for future wants ; particularly the Blue 
 Jay, and some of the Woodpeckers. 
 
 I have never met with the nest of this species, and will 
 borrow the description by Audubon : 
 
 "About the 20th of April, the male and his mate are seen 
 
270 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 engaged in building their nest in the covered and secluded parts of 
 the forests. I found several of their nests placed on bushes not 
 above ten feet from the ground, without any appearance of choice 
 as to the tree, but generally towards the top, and placed in a fork. 
 The nest is as large as that of the Robin, and is composed exter- 
 nally of coarse grasses, leaves, and naoss ; internally of fibrous roots, 
 over which is a bed of the feathers of the wild turkey and pheas- 
 ant (Tetrao umbellus)" 
 
 Nuttall, in describing the nest, says that it is " large and 
 compact, in the fork of a small tree, and sometimes in an 
 apple-tree, composed externally of dried grass, with whitish 
 moss, and well lined with feathers." 
 
 The eggs are from four to six in number, of a dirty lead- 
 colored white, and marked more or less thickly, around the 
 greater end, with dashes and spots of brown of different 
 shades. Dimensions of four eggs : 1.12 by .80 inch, 1.12 
 by .78 inch, 1.08 by .78 inch, 1.04 by .77 inch. 
 
 Sub-Family VIREONIN^E. The Vireos. 
 
 VIREO, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Vireo, VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept., I. (1807) 83. (Type Muscicapa Noveloracensis, 
 Gm.) 
 
 Bill short, strong, straight ; the culmen slightly curved, the sides much compressed 
 to the tip, which is rapidly curved and deflected; the gonys long and ascending; the 
 gape with short, weak bristles; the nostrils basal, rounded, and exposed, the feathers 
 of the head advancing forward on the bill to the nostril ; wings variable, rather long. 
 and pointed; the first quill sometimes spurious, the larger outer one always gradu- 
 ated a little; tail nearly even and rather short; tarsi longer than the middle toe; 
 outer toe a little longer than the inner; hind toe rather shorter than the middle one. 
 
 VIREO OLIVACEUS. Vieillot. 
 The Red-eyed Vireo. 
 
 Muscicapa olivacea, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 327. Wils. Am. Orn., II. 
 (1810) 65. 
 
 Vireo olivaceus, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 312. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1831) 287; 
 V. 430. 
 
THE BED-EYED VIREO. 271 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Second and third quills about equal, and longest; first a little shorter than the 
 fourth, but considerably longer than the fifth ; back, rump, and edges of wing and 
 tail feathers bright olivaceous-green ; side of head and neck paler ; crown dark-ash, 
 sharply defined ; a well-defined whitish line from the bill, over the eye, nearly to the 
 occiput; a dark line separating it above from the ashy crown; a dusky line through 
 the eye; beneath white; under tail coverts pale sulphur-yellow; iris, red. 
 
 Length, about six and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, three and fifty one- 
 hundredths. 
 
 I feel that no description of mine can begin to do justice 
 to the genial, happy, industrious disposition of this one of 
 our most common, and perhaps best-loved birds. From the 
 time of its arrival, about the first week in May, until its 
 departure, about the first week in October, it is seen in the 
 foliage of elms and other shade-trees in the midst of our 
 cities and villages, in the apple-trees near the farm-houses, 
 and in the tall oaks and chestnuts in the deep forests. 
 Everywhere in these States, at all hours of the day, from 
 early dawn until evening twilight, his sweet, half-plaintive, 
 half-meditative carol is heard. I know that I am not singu- 
 lar in my preference, when I say, that, of all my feathered 
 acquaintances, this is the greatest favorite I have. I always 
 loved it ; and I can never look upon one, after it is killed, 
 no matter how naturally it is preserved, without a sad feel- 
 ing, as if it were one of my own most dear friends dead 
 before me. 
 
 The Red-eyed Yireo is one of the most industrious of 
 our birds. Whenever we see him, we notice that he is 
 busily searching in the foliage of trees for caterpillars and 
 noxious larvae, or pursuing winged insects that have taken 
 flight from the trees. While thus engaged, he utters at 
 short intervals his warbling song. This consists some- 
 times of a few syllables like *w$e cheweo turruttit cheiveeo, 
 given in a singularly sweet tone. This is only a part of its 
 song ; and the whole is so difficult of description that I can- 
 not put it on paper. 
 
 SaysNuttall, 
 
272 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 " The whole is delivered almost without any sensible interval, 
 with earnest animation, in a pathetic, tender, and pleasing strain, 
 well calculated to produce calm and thoughtful reflection in the 
 sensitive mind. Yet, while this heavenly reverie strikes on 
 the human ear with such peculiar effect, the humble musician 
 himself seems but little concerned : for all the while, perhaps, that 
 this flowing chorus enchants the hearer, he is casually hopping 
 Vrom spray to spray in quest of his active or crawling prey ; and, 
 if a cessation occurs in his almost untiring lay, it is occasioned by 
 the caterpillar or fly he has fortunately just captured. So unaf- 
 fected are these delightful efforts of instinct, and so unconscious is 
 the performer, apparently, of this pleasing faculty bestowed upon 
 him by nature, that he may truly be considered as a messenger of 
 harmony to man alone, appointed by the fiat of the Creative 
 power. Wantonly to destroy these delightful aids to sentimental 
 happiness ought therefore to be viewed, not only as an act of bar- 
 barity, but almost as a sacrilege." 
 
 The Red-eyed Yireo commences building about the first 
 week in June, frequenting the woods rather more commonly 
 than the pastures and orchards, although it often breeds in 
 these places. The nest is pensile, and is hung from the 
 fork of a small limb of a tree, seldom more than fifteen or 
 twenty feet from the ground : it is constructed of thin strips 
 of cedar bark, pieces of wasps' nests, spiders' nests, pieces of 
 caterpillars' silk, and other pliable materials. These are 
 woven together neatly and compactly, and agglutinated 
 together by the bird's saliva. It is suspended in the form 
 of a basket from the forked twig to which it is attached, or 
 rather sewed firmly. It is lined with narrow strips of 
 grape-vine bark, pine leaves, and sometimes fine grass. On 
 the outside are often visible bits of rotten wood, fragments 
 of newspapers, and hornet's nests. One specimen in my col- 
 lection, obtained in Maine, is constructed almost entirely of 
 pieces of the bark of the white birch: it is a very netit 
 fabric. The eggs are four in number, pure-white in color, 
 and thinly spotted, chiefly at the great end, with dots of 
 
THE WARBLING VIREO. 273 
 
 brownish-black. The measurement of four eggs in a nest 
 collected in Milton, Mass., are .84 by .60 inch, .80 by .60 
 inch, .80 by .59 inch, .78 by .59 inch. Other specimens 
 vary but little from these dimensions. Two broods are 
 often reared in the season. , The period of incubation is 
 twelve days. 
 
 VIREO GILVUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Warbling Vireo. 
 
 Muscicapa gilva, Vieillot. Ois., I. (1807) 65. 
 
 Vireo yikus, Nuttall. I. (1832) 309. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 114; V. (1839) 
 433. 
 
 Muscicapa melodia, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 85. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Third, fourth, and fifth quills nearly equal; second and sixth usually about equal, 
 and about twenty-five one-hundredths of an inch shorter than third ; the exposed 
 portion of spurious quill about one-fourth the third; above greenish-olive; the 
 head and hind neck ashy, the back slightly tinged with the same ; lores dusky ; a 
 white streak from the base of the upper mandible above and a little behind the eye ; 
 beneath the eye whitish ; sides of the head pale yellowish-brown ; beneath white, 
 tinged with very pale yellow on the breast and sides ; no light margins whatever on 
 the outer webs of the wings or tail. 
 
 Length, about five and a half inches; wings nearly three. Spurious primary, 
 one-fourth the length of second. 
 
 This species is a not very common summer inhabitant of 
 New England, arriving and departing at about the same 
 time as the preceding species. It is seldom seen in the 
 deep forests ; and, while usually found about farm-houses 
 and villages, is most commonly seen in localities where there 
 are numbers of the trees of the poplar and ash. In these 
 trees, it inhabits the higher branches ; and is, with the Red- 
 eyed Vireo, equally industrious in its search for insects. Its 
 song is difficult of description : it is, unlike that of our other 
 Yireos, a long-continued, cheerful warble ; and is perhaps 
 best described by saying that it almost exactly resembles 
 the love-song of the Purple Finch. In fact, I have some- 
 times mistaken the song of this bird for that of the other, 
 and only discovered my error after carefully watching the 
 bird in his movements in the tree-tops. 
 
 18 
 
274 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The Warbling Vireo seems to arrive here in pairs ; for they 
 seem to be mated when we first discover them. Whether 
 their attachment continues through several seasons, I am 
 ignorant. 
 
 About the middle of May, the pair commence building. 
 The nest is pensile, and usually built in tall trees (usually 
 poplars), often fifty feet from the ground. It is constructed 
 of strips of grape-vine bark, grass, leaves, or bass-wood 
 bark ; and sometimes bunches of caterpillars' silk are left on 
 the outside, as if for ornament. The following very inter- 
 esting account of the breeding habits of this bird is given 
 by Audubon, who watched a pair building in a Lombardy 
 poplar : 
 
 "One morning, I observed both of them at work: they had 
 already attached some slender blades of grass to the knots of the 
 branch and the bark of the trunk, and had given them a circular 
 disposition. They continued working downwards and outwards 
 until the structure exhibited the form of their delicate tenement. 
 Before the end of the second day, bits of hornets' nests and particles 
 of corn husks had been attached to it by pushing them between the 
 rows of grass, and fixing them with silky substances. On the third 
 day, the birds were absent, nor could I hear them anywhere in the 
 neighborhood ; and, thinking that a cat might have caught them from 
 the edge of the roof, I despaired of seeing them again. On the 
 fourth morning, however, their notes attracted my attention before 
 I arose ; and I had the pleasure of finding them at their labors. 
 The materials which they now used consisted chiefly of extremely 
 slender grasses, which the birds worked in a circular form within 
 the frame which they had previously made. The little creatures 
 were absent nearly an hour at a time, and returned together, bring- 
 ing the grass, which, I concluded, they found at a considerable 
 distance. Going into the street to see in what direction they went, 
 I watched them for some time, and followed them as they flew from 
 tree to tree towards the river. There they stopped, and looked as 
 if carefully watching me, when they resumed their journey, and 
 led me quite out of the village to a large meadow, where stood an 
 old hay-stack. They alighted on it, and, in a few minutes, each had 
 
THE WHITE-EYED VIREO. 275 
 
 selected a blade of grass. Returning by the same route, they 
 moved so slowly from one tree to another, that my patience was 
 severely tried. Two other days were consumed in travelling for 
 the same kind of grass. On the seventh, I saw only the female at 
 work, using wood and horsehair : the eighth was almost entirely 
 spent by both in smoothing the inside. They would enter the nest, 
 sit in it, turn round, and press the lining. In the course of five 
 days, an equal number of eggs were laid: they were' small, of a 
 rather narrow oval form, white, thinly spotted with reddish-black 
 at the larger end. The birds sat alternately, though not with regu- 
 larity as to time ; and, on the twelfth day of incubation, the young 
 came out. I observed that the male would bring insects to the 
 female, and that, after chopping and macerating them with her 
 beak, she placed them in the mouth of her young with a care 
 and delicacy which were not less curious than pleasing to me." 
 
 This account is so full and complete that I can add noth- 
 ing to the history of the breeding habits of this bird. But 
 one brood is reared in the season in this latitude. The 
 dimensions of four eggs in my collection from different 
 localities are .83 by .56 inch, .80 by .56 inch, .78 by .54 
 inch, .78 by .53 inch. These will be found to be the aver- 
 age size of this species. The nest is about three inches in 
 exterior diameter, and about two and a half in depth. 
 
 VIREO NOVEBORACENSIS. Bonaparte. 
 The White-eyed Vireo. 
 
 Muscicapa Noveboracensis, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 947. 
 Vireo Noveboracensis, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1825), No. 122. Aud. Orn. Biog., 
 I. (1831) 328; V. 431, 433; Birds Am., IV. (1842) 146; Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 306. 
 Muscicapa cantatrix, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 266. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Spurious primary about half the second, which is about equal to the eighth quill ; 
 entire upper parts bright olivaceous-green; space around the eyes and extending 
 to the bill greenish-yellow, interrupted by a dusky spot from the anterior canthus to 
 the base of the gape ; beneath white ; the sides of the breast and body well denned, 
 almost gamboge-yellow; edges of greater and middle wing coverts (forming two 
 bands) and of inner tertiaries greenish-yellow white; iris white. 
 
 Length, five inches; wing, two and fifty one-hundredths. 
 
276 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 This species is very irregularly distributed in New Eng- 
 land as a summer inhabitant. In Maine, New Hampshire, 
 and Vermont it is rare ; and, while it is quite abundant in 
 the eastern parts of Massachusetts, it is rare in the western. 
 Says J. A. Allen of it, at Springfield, 
 
 " I have never known the White-eyed Vireo taken here ; and if 
 occurring, as it very probably does, being not very uncommon in 
 the eastern parts of the State, it must be excessively rare. In 
 about a thousand specimens of the smaller land birds taken at 
 Springfield during the last three years by different collectors, not 
 a single White-eyed Vireo has been found." 
 
 This species arrives from the South, usually in pairs, from 
 about the 10th of April to the 1st of May. It generally 
 frequents low thickets and swamps. I do not remember of 
 ever meeting with one in deep, high woods ; but have often 
 found a pair in a brier-patch in the middle of an old field or 
 pasture. In such localities, its peculiar note 'chip cheweeo, 
 ''chip ''chip cheweeo, is often heard ; together with another 
 rattling, scolding note, difficult of description. When the 
 bird is approached, it meets the intruder with this scolding 
 rattle ; and, if the nest is approached, the Vireo becomes 
 almost outrageous in its remonstrances. The nest is usually 
 placed in a thicket of briers or vines, often in the gardens 
 and fields. It is constructed of fibres of the inner bark of 
 trees, fine twigs, grasses, pieces of hornets' nests, and frag- 
 ments of paper. These are built in a pensile form, sus- 
 pended by the upper edge, and lined with slender strips of 
 grape-vine bark and roots. The eggs are usually four in 
 number, and can hardly be distinguished from those of the 
 Red-eyed Vireo in shape or color; the average dimensions 
 being a trifle smaller. Several eggs collected in different 
 localities exhibit, as an average measurement, .82 by .59 
 inch. A nest complement of four eggs, collected in Milton, 
 Mass., vary but a trifle from this size ; their measurement 
 being .83 by .59 inch, .82 by .59 inch, .82 by .58 inch, .80 
 
THE SOLITARY VIREO. 277 
 
 by .58 inch. But one brood is usually reared in New Eng; 
 land in the season, and the period of incubation is twelve 
 days. 
 
 VIEEO SOLITARIUS. VieiUot. 
 The Solitary Vireo; Blue-headed Vireo. 
 
 Muscicapa solitaria, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 143. 
 
 Vireo solitarius, Vieillot. Nouv. Diet. (1817). Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831), 147; V. 
 (1839) 432. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 305. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Spurious primary very small, not one-fourth the second, which is longer than 
 the sixth ; top and sides of the head and upper part of the neck dark bluish-ash ; 
 rest of upper parts clear olive-green ; a white ring round the eye, interrupted in the 
 anterior canthus by a dusky lore, but the white color extending above this spot to 
 the base of the bill; under parts white; the sides under the wings greenish- vellow ; 
 two bands on the wing coverts, with the edges of the secondaries, greenish-white ; 
 outer tail feather with its edge all round, including the whole outer web, whitish. 
 
 Length, about five and a half inches ; wing, two and forty one-hundredths. 
 
 This bird is a rare summer resident in New England. It 
 has been taken in all these States, but not in any numbers. 
 
 It makes its appearance about the first or second week in 
 May, usually in pairs, and commences building its nest 
 about the last week in that month. I have never met with 
 its nest ; and Audubon's description, though meagre, is the 
 best available.* It is as follows : 
 
 " The nest is prettily constructed, and fixed, in a partially pensile 
 manner, between two twigs of a low bush on a branch running 
 horizontally from the main stem. It is formed externally of gray 
 lichens slightly put together, and lined with hair, chiefly from the 
 deer and raccoon. The female lays four or five eggs, which are 
 white, with a strong tinge of flesh-color, and sprinkled with brown- 
 ish-red dots at the larger end." 
 
 A number of eggs in my collection correspond in color 
 and markings to the above description, and measure on 
 the average .81 by .59 inch. But one brood is reared in the 
 season, although there have been specimens taken as late as 
 
278 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 October. But little is known of the habits of this bird, as 
 it prefers the deep woods and swamps to the more open dis- 
 tricts. 
 
 VIEEO FLAVIFRONS. Vieittot. 
 The Yellow-throated Vireo. 
 
 Tireo jlavifrons, Vieillot. Ois. Am., I. (1807) 85. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 
 119; V. 428. lb., Syn. /&., Birds Am., IV. (1842) 141. 
 Muscicapa sylvicola, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 117. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 No spurious quill; the first and fourth equal; from bill to middle of back, sides 
 of head, neck, and fore part of breast olive-green; beneath, from bill to middle of 
 belly, with a ring round the eyes, sulphur-yellow; lores dusky; rest of under parts 
 white; of upper, ashy-blue, tinged with green; two white bands on the wing; ter- 
 tiaries edged with white, other quills with greenish ; outer tail feathers edged with 
 vellowish-white ; the outer web of first feather entirely of this color, except near 
 the end. 
 
 Length, nearly six inches ; wing, three and twenty one-hundredths. 
 
 This beautiful Yireo is not very common in New England, 
 although it is found in all these States as a summer visitor. 
 It arrives from the South about the middle of April, some- 
 times not before the first of May, and commences building 
 about the middle of the latter month. The nest is placed 
 in a small fork of a tree, usually the apple-tree, at a height 
 of about fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. It is the 
 most beautiful nest made by birds of this genus : it is built 
 of nearly the same materials as the others, but is covered in 
 the most tasty manner with pieces of lichens and caterpil- 
 lars' silk and spiders' webs, which are plastered or aggluti- 
 nated on over the entire surface, giving the nest the 
 appearance of a large bunch of moss hanging from a forked 
 twig. Several of these nests, collected in different locali- 
 ties, are in my collection. They are invariably of this 
 description, and are all lined with pieces of paper, wasps' 
 nest, and fine grasses. With the exception of the nest of the 
 Humming-bird, and perhaps two or three of the Warblers, 
 the nest of this species is the most beautiful specimen of 
 
THE YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. 279 
 
 bird architecture that I am acquainted with. The eggs are 
 usually four in number. They are of a pure-white color, 
 with thinly scattered spots of two shades of reddish-brown 
 and black. The dimensions of four eggs collected in Con- 
 necticut are .83 by .61 inch, .82 by .60 inch, .82 by .60 inch, 
 and .80 by .59 inch. But one brood is reared in the season 
 in New England. 
 
 Wilson, in describing the habits of this bird, says, 
 
 " This summer species is found chiefly in the woods, hunting 
 among the high branches ; and has an indolent and plaintive note, 
 which it repeats, with some little variation, every ten or twelve 
 seconds, like preeb, preea, &c. It is often heard in company with 
 the Red-eyed Flycatcher (Muscicapa olivacea) ; the loud, energetic 
 notes of the latter, mingling with the soft, languid warble of the 
 former, producing an agreeable effect, particularly during the burn- 
 ing heat of noon, when almost every other songster but these two 
 is silent. Those who loiter through the shades of our magnificent 
 forests at that hour will easily recognize both species. It arrives 
 from the south early in May, and returns again with its young 
 about the middle of September. Its nest, which is sometimes fixed 
 on the upper side of a limb, sometimes on a horizontal branch 
 among the twigs, generally on a tree, is composed outwardly of 
 thin strips of the bark of grape-vines, moss, lichens, &c., and lined 
 with fine fibres of such like substances : the eggs, usually four, are 
 white, thinly dotted with black, chiefly near the great end. Winged 
 insects are its principal food." 
 
 In dismissing this beautiful and favorite family of our 
 birds, I feel that it is impossible to say too much in their 
 favor : their neat and delicate plumage and sweet song, their 
 engaging and interesting habits, and their well-known insect- 
 destroying proclivities, have justly rendered them great 
 favorites ; and the farmer, in protecting them, and encour- 
 ing them to take up homes near his orchards and gardens, 
 but extends a care and welcome for his best friends. 
 
280 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY ALAUDIDJE. THE SKYLARKS. 
 
 First primary very short or wanting; tarsi scutellate anteriorly and posteriorly, 
 with the plates nearly of corresponding position and number; hind claw very long 
 and nearly straight; bill short, conical, frontal feathers extending along the side of 
 the bill ; the nostrils usually concealed by a tuft of bristly feathers directed forwards ; 
 tertials greatly elongated beyond the secondaries. 
 
 EREMOPHILA, BOIE. 
 
 EremophQa, BOIE, Isis (1828), 322. (Type Alauda alpeslris.) Sufficiently distinct 
 from Eremophilus, Humboldt (Fishes, 1805). 
 
 First primary wanting; bill scarcely higher than broad; nostrils circular, con- 
 cealed by a dense tuft, of feathers ; the nasal fossae oblique ; a pectoral crescent and 
 cheek patches of black. 
 
 EREMOPHILA CORNUTA. Sole. 
 The Skylark; Shore-lark. 
 
 Eastern and Northern variety. 
 Alauda cornuta, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 85. 
 Eremophila cornuta, Boie. Isis (1828), 322. 
 
 Alauda alpeslris, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 85. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 455. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 570; V. 448. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above pinkish-brown, the feathers of the back streaked with dusky; a broad 
 band across the crown, extending backwards along the lateral tufts; a cre?centic 
 patch from the bill below the eye and along the side of the head: a jugular crescent, 
 and the tail feathers, black ; the innermost of the latter like the back ; a frontal band 
 extending backwards over the eye, and under parts, with outer edge of wings and 
 tail, white; chin and throat yellow. 
 
 Length of Pennsylvania specimens, seven and seventy-five one-hundredths 
 inches; wing, four and fifty one-hundredths inches; tail, three and twenty-five one- 
 hundredths inches; bill, above, fifty-two one-hundredths of an inch. 
 
 THIS bird is found in New England only as a winter 
 visitor. It makes its appearance by the latter part of 
 November, in flocks of thirty or forty, which repair to the 
 salt-marshes, and low pastures and fields, where they remain 
 during their stay with us. Here they feed on the seeds of 
 various grasses and weeds, and such insects as they may be 
 
THE SKYLARK. 281 
 
 able to obtain at that inclement season. They often associate 
 with the Snow Buntings, and sometimes make short excur- 
 sions inland. I have seen them on the beach busily search- 
 ing among the seaweed for small shell-fish and animalcules ; 
 and, in country roads, have observed that they visit the drop- 
 pings of horses and cattle for the seeds contained in them. 
 
 By the middle of March, the Shore-larks leave New Eng- 
 land for the North, where they breed, and spend the summer. 
 Auduboii says, of their breeding habits, 
 
 " The Shore-lark breeds on the high and desolate tracts of 
 Labrador, in the vicinity of the sea. The face of the country 
 appears as if formed of one undulated expanse of dark granite, 
 covered with mosses and lichens, varying in size and color ; some 
 green, others as white as snow, and others again of every tint, and 
 disposed in large patches or tufts. It is on the latter that the Lark 
 places her nest, which is disposed with so much care, while the moss 
 so resembles the bird in hue, that, unless you almost tread upon her 
 as she sits, she seems to feel secure, and remains unmoved. Should 
 you, however, approach so near, she flutters away, feigning lameness 
 so cunningly that none but one accustomed to the sight can refrain 
 from pursuing her. The male immediately joins her in mimic 
 wretchedness, uttering a note so soft and plaintive that it requires 
 a strong stimulation to force the naturalist to rob the poor birds of 
 their treasure. 
 
 " The nest, which is embedded in the moss to its edges, is com- 
 posed of fine grasses, circularly disposed, and forming a bed about 
 two inches thick, with a lining of grouse-feathers and those of other 
 birds. In the beginning of July, the eggs are deposited. They 
 are four or five in number, large, grayish, and covered with numer- 
 ous pale-blue and brown spots. The young leave the nest be- 
 fore they are able to fly, and follow their parents over the moss, 
 where they are fed about a week. They run nimbly, emit a soft 
 prep, and squat closely at the first appearance of danger. If ob- 
 served and pursued, they open their wings to aid them in their 
 escape, and, separating, make off with great celerity. On such 
 occasions, it is difficult to secure more than one of them, unless 
 several persons be present, when each can pursue a bird. The 
 
282 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 parents, all this time, are following the enemy overhead, lamenting 
 the danger to which their young are exposed. In several instances, 
 the old bird followed us almost to our boat, alighting occasionally 
 on a projecting crag before us, and entreating us, as it were, to 
 restore its offspring. By the first of August, many of the young 
 are fully fledged, and the different broods are seen associating 
 together to the number of forty, fifty, or more. They now gradu- 
 ally remove to the islands of the coast, where they remain until 
 their departure, which takes place in the beginning of September. 
 They start at the dawn of day, proceed on their way south at a 
 small elevation above the water, and fly in so straggling a manner 
 that they can scarcely be said to move in flocks." 
 
 A number of eggs in my collection, from Wisconsin and 
 Illinois, where these birds breed in considerable numbers, 
 are of a faint grayish-brown color, and marked with numer- 
 ous dots and spots of umber, of different shades, over the 
 entire surface of the egg. On one or two specimens, these 
 markings are confluent into coarser blotches of the two 
 shades of umber and lilac. The greatest dimensions of my 
 specimens are .93 by .65 inch ; the least dimensions, .85 
 by .63 inch. 
 
THE PINE GROSBEAK. 283 
 
 FAMILY FRINGILLIDJE. THE SEED-EATERS. 
 
 Primaries nine ; bill very short, abruptly conical and robust ; commissure strongly 
 angulated at base of bill ; tarsi sctitellate anteriorly, but the sides with two undivided 
 plates meeting behind along the median line, as a sharp posterior ridge. * 
 
 Sub-Family COCCOTHRAUSTIN^E. The Finches. 
 
 Wings very long and much pointed, generally one-third longer than the more or 
 less forked tail; first quill usually nearly as long or longer than the second; ter- 
 tiaries but little longer, or equal to the secondaries, and always much exceeded by 
 the primaries; bill very variable in shape and size, the upper mandible, however, as 
 broad as the lower; nostrils rather more lateral than usual, and always more or less 
 concealed by a series of small bristly feathers applied along the base of the upper 
 mandible; no bristles at the base of the bill; feet short and rather weak; hind claw 
 usually longer than the middle anterior one, sometimes nearly the same size. 
 
 PINICOLA, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Pinicola, VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept., I. (1807). 
 
 Bill short, nearly as high as long, upper outline much curved from the base; the 
 margins of the mandibles rounded; the commissure gently concave, and abruptly 
 deflexed at the tip; base of the upper mandible much concealed by the bristly feath- 
 ers covering the basal third ; tarsus rather shorter than the middle toe ; lateral toe 
 short, but their long claws reach the base of the middle one, which is longer than 
 the hind claw; wings moderate, the first quill rather shorter than the second, third, 
 and fourth ; tail rather shorter than the wings, nearly even. 
 
 But one species of this genus belongs to the American fauna, and is closely allied 
 to, if not identical with, that belonging to the northern portions of the Old World. 
 
 PINICOLA CANADENSIS Cabanis. 
 The Pine Grosbeak. 
 
 Pinicola Canadensis, Cabanis. Mus. Hein. (1851), 167. 
 Loxia enucleator, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 80. 
 Pyrrhula enucleatvr, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 414. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill and legs black; general color carmine-red, not continuous above, however, 
 except on the head ; the feathers showing brownish centres on the back, where, too, 
 the red is darker; loral region, base of lower jaw all round, sides and posterior part 
 of body, with under tail coverts, ashy, whitest behind ; wing with two white bands 
 
 1 See Introduction, and vol. IX. Pacific R.R. Reports. 
 
284 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 across the tips of the greater and middle coverts ; the outer edges of the quills also 
 white, broadest on the tertiaries. 
 
 Female, ashy ; brownish above, tinged with greenish-yellow beneath ; top of head, 
 rump, and upper tail coverts brownish gamboge-yellow; wings as in the male. 
 
 Length, about eight and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, four and fifty one- 
 hundredths; tail, four inches. 
 
 A LTHOUGH we find in Yen-ill's list of birds found at 
 *L\- Norway, Me., that this species is there a very common 
 winter visitor, my experience has been, that it is an ex- 
 tremely rare one in Massachusetts, and is only found with 
 us in very severe seasons. 
 
 This winter (1866-67), they have been very abundant, 
 and good opportunities have been obtained for studying 
 their habits. 
 
 Like other northern species, the Pine Grosbeak is very 
 tame and familiar while here in winter. Mr. Maynard, of 
 Newtonville, Mass., informs me, that he has repeatedly, 
 during this season, captured specimens in his hands, and 
 has had no difficulty in slipping a noose over their heads, as 
 the birds were employed in opening the pine seeds, or eating 
 the berries of the cedar ; and he has now in captivity a 
 number of specimens that are exceedingly tame and inter- 
 esting, feeding readily on various seeds and fruits. A pair 
 that I have in my possession, which he captured, are so 
 tame that they take food from my hand, and even perch 
 upon my finger. Their song is a soft, pleasing warble, not 
 unlike that of the canary. 
 
 Both sexes have a number of call-notes, and they keep up 
 a continuous twitter through the day : they are always lively 
 and good-tempered, and are really entertaining pets. 
 
 Mr. Wheelwright, in his valuable and exceedingly inter- 
 esting book, " A Spring and Summer in Lapland," gives 
 the following account of the habits of the European Pine 
 Grosbeak, a bird nearly allied to, if not identical with, our 
 own : " By the first week in May, they had paired ; and we 
 took our first nest on June 4, with three eggs, in a small fir, 
 about ten feet from the ground, on the side of a small fell, 
 
THE PURPLE FINCH. 285 
 
 in by no means a large wood : and I may observe, that all 
 the nests we took were built in small firs, never high from the 
 ground, or in deep woods, and generally in conspicuous situa- 
 tions. The nest is neither large nor deep, but very com- 
 pactly and cleanly built, like basket-work, the outside walling 
 of very fine fir branches and thin cranberry fibres tightly 
 interlaced, and lined with fine stiff grass and a little hair. 
 The eggs vary much, both in size and coloring ; but are 
 usually of a pale blue-green ground-color, blotched and lined 
 with light-purple and dark burnt-umber spots and pricks, 
 always thickest towards the large end. Average size, 1 inch 
 by .75 inch." 
 
 The food of the Grosbeak is not, as in the Crossbills, from 
 the seed of the fir cones, but the small buds or embryo of the 
 young branches which shoot out from the lateral branches 
 of the fir ; but they can pick out the seeds from the cones, 
 both of the pine and fir, quite as cleverly as the Crossbills. 
 
 For a very full and interesting description of the habits 
 of this species, I will refer the reader to vol. IV. Audubon's 
 Am. Orn. Biog., p. 414. 
 
 CARPODACUS, KAUP. 
 
 Carpodacus, KAUP, " Entw. Europ. Thierw., 1829." ( Type Loxia erythrina, Pall. ) 
 Bill short, stout, vaulted ; the culmen decurved towards the end ; the commis- 
 sure nearly straight to the slightly decurved end; a slight development of bristly 
 feathers along the sides of the bill, concealing the nostrils ; tarsus shorter than the 
 middle toe; lateral claws reaching to the base of the middle one; claw of hind toe 
 much curved, smaller than the middle one, and rather less than the digital portion ; 
 wings long and pointed, reaching to the middle of the tail, which is considerably 
 shorter than the wing, and moderately forked ; colors red, or red and brown. 
 
 CARPODACUS PURPUREUS. Gray. 
 The Purple Finch. 
 
 Fringilla purpurea, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 119. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 
 24; V. 200. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Second quill longest ; first shorter than third, considerably longer than the fourth ; 
 body crimson, palest on the rump and breast, darkest across the middle of back and 
 wing coverts, where the feathers have dusky centres ; the red extends below continu- 
 
286 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ously to the lower part of the breast, and in spots to the tibiae ; the belly and under tail 
 cove'rts white, streaked faintly with brown, except in the very middle ; edges of wings 
 and tail featliers brownish-red; lesser coverts like the back; two reddish bands across 
 the wings (over the ends "of the middle and greater coverts); lores dull-grayish. 
 
 Female olivaceous-brown, brighter on the rump; beneath white; all the feathers 
 everywhere streaked with brown, except, on the middle of the belly and under coverts, 
 a superciliary light stripe. 
 
 Length, six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three and thirty-four 
 one-hundredths; tail, two and fifty one-hundredths; bill, above, forty-six one-hun- 
 dredths of an inch. 
 
 This species, although quite common in many localities 
 of New England, is very irregularly distributed. For in- 
 stance, it breeds abundantly in and near Cambridge, Mass., 
 but is not found in any other part of the State in any thing 
 like the abundance that it is there. In that locality, it is 
 one of the most common birds breeding ; in other localities, it 
 is occasionally found in only detached pairs. So, in Maine, 
 it is common in the neighborhood of the Umbagog lakes ; but 
 elsewhere it is not often seen. There seems to be, as Mr. 
 Allen justly remarks, a great increase of this species within 
 the last few years ; and it is beginning to be one of our most 
 common species. The birds separate into pairs soon after 
 their arrival, about the middle of April, but do not com- 
 mence building before the middle of May. They are occa- 
 sionally resident here through the mild winter ; but, as a 
 general thing, they arrive in New England in flocks of ten 
 or a dozen about the last of March. The nest is usually 
 built in a pine or cedar tree, and is sometimes thirty or even 
 forty feet from the ground, oftener about fifteen or twenty. 
 It is constructed of fine roots and grasses, and is lined with 
 horsehair and hogs' bristles. One specimen in my collection 
 has the cast-off skin of a snake woven in the rest of the 
 fabric ; and I have seen nests lined with mosses. Generally, 
 hairs of different animals form the lining, and roots and 
 grass the main structure. 
 
 The eggs are of a beautiful bluish-green color, and marked 
 with spots and streaks of black : their form is a sharply 
 pointed oval, and their dimensions vary from .94 by .64 inch 
 
THE PURPLE FINCH. 287 
 
 to .88 by .60 inch. Two broods are often reared in the 
 season. 
 
 This species is one of the few injurious birds that we have ; 
 and, although it has a beautiful warbling song, and is alto- 
 gether a fine-looking bird, it is much disliked in the country 
 in consequence of its bad habit of cutting off and eating 
 the buds and blossoms of fruit-trees. Wilson says of this 
 habit, - 
 
 " This is a winter bird of passage, coining to us in large flocks 
 from the North, in September and October ; great numbers remain- 
 ing with us in Pennsylvania during the whole winter, feeding on 
 the seeds of the poplar, button-wood, juniper, cedar, and on those 
 of many rank weeds that flourish in rich bottoms and along the 
 margin of creeks. When the season is very severe, they proceed 
 to the South, as far at least as Georgia, returning North early in 
 April. They now frequent the elm-trees, feeding on the slender 
 but sweet covering of the flowers ; and, as soon as the cherries put 
 out their blossoms, feed almost exclusively on the stamina of the 
 flowers : afterwards, the apple-blossoms are attacked in the same 
 manner ; and their depredations on these continue till they disap- 
 pear, which is usually about the 10th or middle of May. I have 
 been told that they sometimes breed in the northern parts of New 
 York, but have never met with their nests. About the middle of 
 September, I found these birds numerous on Long Island, and 
 around Newark in New Jersey. They fly at a considerable height 
 in the air ; and their note is a single chink, like that of the Rice- 
 bird. They possess great boldness and spirit, and, when caught, 
 bite violently, and hang by the bill from your hand, striking with 
 great fury ; but they are soon reconciled to confinement, and in a 
 day or two are quite at home. I have kept a pair of these birds 
 upwards of nine months to observe their manners. One was caught 
 in a trap, the other was winged with the gun : both are now as 
 familiar as if brought up from the nest by the hand, and seem to 
 prefer hemp-seed and cherry-blossoms to all other kinds of food. 
 Both male and female, though not crested, are almost constantly 
 in the habit of erecting the feathers of the crown. They appear to 
 be of a tyrannical and domineering disposition: for they nearly 
 
288 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 killed an Indigo-bird, and two or three others, that were occasion- 
 ally placed with them, driving them into a corner of the cage, 
 standing on them, and tearing out their feathers, striking them on 
 the head, munching their wings, &c., till I was obliged to interfere ; 
 and, even if called to, the aggressor would only turn up a malicious 
 eye to me for a moment, and renew his outrage as before. They are 
 a hardy, vigorous bird. In the month of October, about the time 
 of their first arrival, I shot a male, rich in plumage, and plump in 
 flesh, but which wanted one leg, that had been taken off a little 
 above the knee: the wound had healed so completely, and was 
 covered with so thick a skin, that it seemed as though it had been 
 so for years. Whether this mutilation was occasioned by a shot, or 
 in party quarrels of its own, I could not determine : but our invalid 
 seemed to have used his stump either in hopping or resting ; for it 
 had all the appearance of having been brought in frequent contact 
 with bodies harder than itself." 
 
 CHRYSOMITRIS, BOIE. 
 
 Chrysomitris, BOIE, Isis (1828), 322. (Type Fringitta spinus, Linnaeus.) 
 Bill rather acutely conic, the tip not very sharp; the culmen slightly convex at 
 the tip; the commissure gently curved; nostrils concealed; obsolete ridges on the 
 upper mandible; tarsi shorter than the middle toe; outer toe rather the longer, 
 reaching to the base of the middle one ; claw of hind toe shorter than the digital 
 portion; wings and tail as in Aegiothus. 
 
 The colors are generally yellow, with black on the crown, throat, back, wings, 
 and tail, varied sometimes with white. 
 
 CHRYSOMITRIS TRISTIS. Bonaparte. 
 The Yellow-bird; Thistle-bird. 
 
 Fringilla tristls, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 320. Wils. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 20. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 172; V. 510. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bright gamboge-yellow; crown, wings, and tail, black; lesser wing coverts, 
 band across the end of greater ones, ends of secondaries and tertiaries, inner mar- 
 gins of tail feathers, upper and under tail coverts, and tibia, white. Female re- 
 placing the yellow of the male by a greenish-olive color. 
 
 Length, five and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three inches. 
 
 This well-known bird is a very common summer inhab- 
 itant of all New England, and in the southern districts 
 
THE YELLOW-BIRD. 289 
 
 remains through the year. Notwithstanding its being here 
 through the early spring, it does not begin to build before 
 the middle of June. The earliest nest that I ever heard of 
 was found June the 10th, and very few are found as early 
 as the middle of that month. The nest is usually placed in 
 a forked branch in an apple-tree in the orchard, sometimes 
 in a maple or birch tree near the roadside. It is constructed 
 of soft strips of the cedar and grape-vine bark: these are 
 very neatly woven together into a compact structure, which 
 is deeply hollowed, and lined with soft down from the 
 thistle, and sometimes a few feathers. The eggs are 
 usually four in number : their form is generally oval, 
 and their color a bluish-white. Dimensions vary from .68 
 by .53 inch to .62 by .50 inch. But one brood is reared in 
 the summer. 
 
 The habits of this bird are so well known that I will not 
 give them an extended notice here. It seems to be a per- 
 sistently gregarious species : for, even in the breeding 
 season, several families are usually found in one neighbor- 
 hood ; and the males often assemble together, and pass the 
 time in collecting food, trimming their feathers, and bath- 
 ing. In fact, this bird seems to be more of a dandy, and 
 consequently less of a family man, than most of our other 
 species ; and I have noticed that he leaves the greater part 
 of the burden of the family cares upon the shoulders of his 
 attentive mate. 
 
 When the season of incubation has passed, the birds 
 assemble in flocks of from ten to twenty or thirty in num- 
 ber, and frequent the gardens and stubble-fields, where they 
 subsist upon the seeds of various weeds and grasses. They 
 have a short note like che wee, which is uttered often, 
 sometimes in a drawling, plaintive key, and at other times 
 in a brisk, cheerful tone. Their flight is undulating and 
 irregular, and resembles very much that of the Wood- 
 peckers. When on the wing, they have a short, simple 
 chatter, like 'che 'chS 'che 'che, uttered rapidly, and with 
 
 19 
 
290 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 emphasis on the second syllable. Occasionally, the male 
 emits a continued warbling song, very similar to that of the 
 Canary-bird ; and I have heard one of this species sing in 
 confinement almost as sweetly and often as its more familiar 
 and domesticated relative. 
 
 CHRYSOMITKIS PINUS, Bonaparte. 
 The Pine Finch. 
 
 Fringillapims, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 133. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 
 455; V. 509. 
 
 Chrysomitris pinus, Bonaparte. Consp. (1850), 515. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail deeply forked; above brownish-olive; beneath whitish, every feather 
 streaked distinctly with dusky ; concealed bases of tail feathers and quills, together 
 with their inner edges, sulphur-yellow ; outer edges of quills and tail feathers yel- 
 lowish-green ; two brownish- white bands on the wing. 
 
 Length, four and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, three inches ; tail, 
 two and twenty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is found in New England, usually as a winter 
 visitor. While here, it has all the habits of the preceding 
 species, and might, at a little distance, be mistaken for that 
 bird. The Pine Finch, as its name implies, prefers the 
 groves and forests of pines to other trees ; and it is found in 
 all our pine woods in flocks of twenty or thirty, where it 
 feeds on the seeds contained in the cones on these trees. 
 It has been known to breed in Cambridge, in this State ; but 
 I know nothing of its breeding habits. 
 
 CURVTROSTRA, SCOPOLI. 
 
 Loxia, LINNJSUS, Syst. Nat., 1758. (Type Loxia curvirostra, L. Not of 1735, 
 which has for type Loxia coccolkraustes, L.) 
 
 Curvirostra, SCOPOLI, 1777. (Type L. curvirostra.) 
 
 Mandibles much elongated, compressed, and attenuated; greatly curved or 
 falcate, the points crossing or overlapping to a greater or less degree ; tarsi very 
 short; claws all very long, the lateral extending beyond the middle of the central; 
 hind claw longer than its digit; wings very long and pointed, reaching beyond the 
 middle of the narrow, forked tail. 
 
 Colors reddish in the male. 
 
THE BED CROSSBILL. 291 
 
 The elongated, compressed, fklcate-curved, and overlapping mandibles readily 
 characterize this genus among birds. 
 
 The United-States species of Curvirostra are readily distinguished by the pres- 
 ence of white bands on the wing in Leucoptera and their absence in Americana. 
 
 CURVIROSTRA AMERICANA. Wilson. 
 The Red Crossbill. 
 
 Curvirostra Americana, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 44. 
 Loxia curvirostra. Aud. Biog., II. (1834) 559; V. 511. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male dull-red ; darkest across the back ; wings and tail dark blackish-brown. 
 
 Female dull greenish-olive above, each feather with a dusky centre ; rump and 
 crown bright greenish-yellow ; beneath grayish ; tinged, especially on the sides of 
 the body, with greenish-yellow; young entirely brown; paler beneath. 
 
 The immature and young birds exhibit all imaginable combinations of the colors 
 of the male and female. They all agree in the entire absence of white bands on 
 the wings. 
 
 Male about six inches ; wing, three and thirty one-hundredths inches ; tail, two 
 and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is very irregularly distributed in New Eng- 
 land, usually as a winter visitor. Sometimes it is quite 
 rare at that season in all sections ; and occasionally it 
 is very abundant. It also occurs here during the sum- 
 mer ; and, according to both Mr. Allen and Mr. Yerrill, it 
 sometimes breeds here. Wilson says of the habits of this 
 bird, 
 
 " On first glancing at the bill of this extraordinary bird, one is 
 apt to pronounce it deformed and monstrous : but on attentively 
 observing the use to which it is applied by the owner, and the dex- 
 terity with which he detaches the seeds of the pine-tree from the 
 cone, and from the husks that enclose them, we are obliged to con- 
 fess, on this, as on many other occasions where we have judged 
 too hastily of the operations of nature, that no other conformation 
 could have been so excellently adapted to the purpose ; and that 
 its deviation from the common form, instead of being a defect or 
 monstrosity, as the celebrated French naturalist insinuates, is a 
 striking proof of the wisdom and kind superintending care of the 
 great Creator. 
 
292 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 "This species is a regular inhabitant of almost all our pine 
 forests situated north of 40, from the beginning of September to 
 the middle of April. It is not improbable that some of them re- 
 main during the summer within the territory of the United States 
 to breed. Their numbers must, however, be comparatively few, as 
 I have never yet met with any of them in summer, though lately 
 I took a journey to the Great Pine Swamp beyond Pocano Moun- 
 tain, in Northampton County, Pa., in the month of May, expressly 
 for that purpose; and ransacked, for six or seven days, the 
 gloomy recesses of that extensive and desolate morass, without 
 being able to discover a single Crossbill. In fall, however, as 
 well as in winter and spring, this tract appears to be their favorite 
 rendezvous ; particularly about the head waters of the Lehigh, the 
 banks of the Tobyhanna, Tunkhannock, and Bear Creek, where I 
 have myself killed them at these seasons. They then appear in 
 large flocks, feeding on the seeds of the hemlock and white-pine ; 
 have a loud, sharp, and not unmusical note ; chatter as they fly ; 
 alight, during the prevalence of deep snows, before the door of the 
 hunter, and around the house, picking off the clay with which 
 the logs are plastered, and searching in corners where urine, or any 
 substance of a saline quality, had been thrown. At such times, 
 they are so tame as only to settle on the roof of the cabin when 
 disturbed, and, a moment after, descend to feed as before. They 
 are then easily caught in traps, and will frequently permit one to 
 approach so near as to knock them down with a stick. Those 
 killed and opened at such times are generally found to have the 
 stomach filled with a soft, greasy kind of earth or clay. When 
 kept in a cage, they have many of the habits of the Parrot ; often 
 climbing along the wires, and using their feet to grasp the cones in, 
 while taking out the seeds." 
 
 Of its breeding habits I know nothing. Nuttall says, 
 
 " They often breed in winter in more temperate countries, as in 
 January and February ; and the young fly in March. The nest 
 is said to be fixed in the forks of fir-trees ; and the eggs, four or 
 five, are of a greenish-gray, with a circle of reddish-brown spots, 
 points, and lines, disposed chiefly at the larger end : the lines also 
 often extend over the whole surface of the egg." 
 
THE WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 
 
 293 
 
 CURVIROSTRA LEUCOPTERA. Wilson. 
 The White-winged Crossbill. 
 
 Loxia leueqptera, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 467. 
 Curvirostra leucqptera, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 48. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill greatly compressed, and acute towards the point; male carmine-red, tinged 
 with dusky across the back; the sides of body under the wings streaked with 
 brown; from the middle of belly to the tail coverts whitish, the latter streaked 
 with brown; scapulars, wings, and tail, black; the broad bands on the wings 
 across the ends of greater and median coverts ; white spots on the end of the inner 
 tertiaries. 
 
 Female brownish, tinged with olive-green in places ; feathers of the back and 
 crown with dusky centres; rump bright brownish-yellow. 
 
 Length, about six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, three and fifty 
 one-hundredths inches ; tail, two and sixty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful bird seems to 
 be much less frequent in its 
 winter visits to New England 
 than the preceding. It has all 
 the general characteristics of 
 that bird. In May, in the Hud- 
 son's Bay country, according 
 to Mr. Hutchins, it builds its 
 nest in a pine-tree. This is 
 constructed of grass, mud, and 
 feathers, and is lined with moss 
 and other soft materials. The 
 female lays five white eggs, 
 marked with yellowish spots. 
 
 ^EGIOTHUS, CABANIS. 
 
 ^Egiothus, CABANIS, Mus. Hein., 1851, 161. (Type Fringilla linaria, Linn.) 
 Bill very short, conical, and acutely pointed, the outlines even concave; the 
 commissure straight ; the base of the upper mandible and the nostrils concealed by 
 stiff, appressed bristly feathers; middle of the mandible having several ridges 
 parallel with the culmen ; inner lateral toe rather the longer, its claw reaching the 
 middle of the middle claw ; the hind toe rather longer, its claw longer than the digi- 
 tal portion ; wings very long, reaching the middle of the tail ; second quill a little 
 longer than the first and third; tail deeply forked. 
 
294 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 JEGIOTHUS LINAEIA. Cabanis. 
 
 The Lesser Redpoll. 
 
 Fringilla linaria, Linnzeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 322. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. 
 (1838) 533. 
 
 JSgiothus linaria, Cabanis. Mus. Hein. (1851), 161. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above light-yellowish, each feather streaked with dark-brown; crown dark- 
 crimson ; upper part of breast and sides of the body tinged with a lighter tint of the 
 same ; the rump and under tail coverts also similar, but still less vivid, and with 
 dusky streaks ; rest of under parts white, streaked on the sides with brown ; loral 
 region and chin dusky; cheeks (brightest over the eye), and a narrow front, 
 whitish ; wing feathers edged externally, and tail feathers all round with white ; two 
 vellowish-white bands across the wing coverts; secondaries and tertiaries edged 
 broadly with the same; bill yellowish, tinged with brown on the culmen and 
 gonys; the basal bristles brown, reaching over half the bill. 
 
 The specimen described above is a male in winter dress. The spring plumage 
 has much more of the red. The female winter specimens lack the rose of the 
 under parts and rump; the breast is streaked across with dusky. 
 
 Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, three and ten one-hundredths 
 inches ; tail, two and seventy one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This species is a pretty common winter visitor in all parts 
 of New England. It congregates in large flocks, which 
 frequent old fields and pastures and stubble-fields, and feed 
 on the seeds of weeds and grasses. It has, while with us, 
 the note and general habits of the Goldfinch and Pine 
 Finch, and might'easily, at a little distance, be mistaken for 
 those birds. They seem fond of the seeds of the white 
 birch ; and they cluster so thick on a branch of this tree, 
 while securing the seeds, that I have killed as many as a 
 dozen at a shot. Mr. Selby's account of the nest and eggs 
 is as follows : 
 
 " It is only known in the southern parts of Britain as a winter 
 visitant ; and is at that period gregarious, and frequently taken, in 
 company with the other species, by the bird-catchers, by whom it is 
 called the Stone Redpoll. In the northern counties of England, 
 and in Scotland and its isles, it is resident through the year. It 
 retires, during the summer, to the underwood that covers the bases 
 of many of our mountains and hills, and that often fringes the 
 
THE MEALY REDPOLL. 295 
 
 banks of their precipitous streams ; in which sequestered situa- 
 tions it breeds. The nest is built in a bush or low tree (such as 
 willow, alder, or hazel), of moss and the stalks of dry grass, inter- 
 mixed with down from the catkin of the willow, which also forms 
 the lining, and renders it a particularly soft and warm receptacle 
 for the eggs and young. From this substance being a constant 
 material of the nest, it follows that the young are produced late 
 in the season, and are seldom able to fly before the end of June or 
 the beginning of July. The eggs are four or five in number : their 
 color pale bluish-green, spotted with orange-brown, principally 
 towards the larger end. In winter, the Lesser Redpoll descends to 
 the lower grounds in considerable flocks ; frequenting woods and 
 plantations, more especially such as abound in birch or alder trees, 
 the catkins of which yield it a plentiful supply of food. When 
 feeding, its motion affords both interest and amusement ; since, in 
 order to reach the catkins, which generally grow near the extremi- 
 ties of the smaller branches, it is obliged, like the Titmouse, to 
 hang with its back downwards, and assume a variety of constrained 
 attitudes : and, when thus engaged, it is so intent upon its work, as 
 frequently to allow itself to be taken by a long stick smeared with 
 bird-lime ; in which way I have occasionally captured it when hi 
 want of specimens for examination. It also eats the buds of trees, 
 and (when in flocks) proves in this way seriously injurious to 
 young plantations. Its call-note is very frequently repeated when 
 on wing, and by .this it may be always distinguished from the other 
 species. The notes it produces during the pairing season, although 
 few, and not delivered in continuous song, are sweet and pleasing." 
 
 JEGIOTHUS CANESCENS. Cabanis. 
 The Mealy Redpoll. 
 
 jEgiothus canescens, Cabanis. Mus. Hem. (1851), 161. 
 IFringilla borealis, Audubon. On. Biog., V. (1839) 87. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Size large ; bill short ; claws elongated ; rump white (in the spring, male tinged 
 with rose), never streaked ; the quills broadly margined with white. 
 Length, six inches ; tail, three and seventeen one-hundredths. 
 
 This bird occurs only as an exceedingly rare winter visi- 
 tor in New England. I have never met with it myself, but 
 
296 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Mr. Yerrill says that it is found rarely in Maine. I know 
 nothing of its habits, nest, or eggs. 
 
 PLECTROPHANES, MEYER. 
 
 Plectropkanes, MEYER, Taschenbuch (1810). Agassiz. (Type Emberiza nivalis.) 
 Bill variable, conical, the lower mandible higher than the upper; the sides of 
 both mandibles (in the typical species) guarded by a closely applied brush of stiffened 
 bristly feathers directed forwards, and in the upper jaw concealing the nostrils; the 
 outlines of the bill nearly straight, or slightly curved; the lower jaw considerably 
 broader at the base than the upper, and wider than the gonys is long ; tarsi consid- 
 ably longer than the middle toe; the lateral toes nearly equal (the inner claw 
 largest), and reaching to the base of the middle claw ; the hinder claw very long ; 
 moderately curved and acute ; considerably longer than its toe ; the toe and claw 
 together reaching to the middle of the middle claw, or beyond its tip ; wings very 
 long and much pointed, reaching nearly to the end of the tail ; the first quill longest, 
 the others rapidly graduated ; the tertiaries a little longer than the secondaries ; tail 
 moderate, about two-thirds as long as the wings ; nearly even, or slightly emargi- 
 nated. 
 
 PLECTROPHANES NIVALIS. Meyer. 
 The Snow Bunting. 
 
 Emberiza nivalis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 308. Wils. Am. Orn., III. 
 (1811) 86; Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 515; V. (1839) 496. 
 "Plectrophanes nivalis, Meyer." Bon. List (1838). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Colors, in full plumage, entirely black and white ; middle of back between scapu- 
 lars, terminal half of primaries and tertiaries, and two innermost tail feathers, black ; 
 elsewhere pure-white; legs black at all seasons. In winter dress white beneath; 
 the head and rump yellowish-brown, as also some blotches on the side of the breast; 
 middle of back brown, streaked with black ; white on wings and tail much more 
 restricted. 
 
 This species varies much in color; and the male in full plumage is seldom, if ever, 
 seen within the limits of the United States. 
 
 Length, about six and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, four and thirty- 
 five one-hundredths ; tail, three and five one-hundredths inches ; first quill longest. 
 
 This is a very common winter visitor in all parts of New 
 England, but is most abundant in localities near the sea- 
 coast. I have seen flocks of hundreds of individuals in the 
 marshes in Plymouth County, Mass., and have almost 
 always noticed that they were accompanied by Shore-larks 
 and Redpolls. They feed on seeds of various wild plants 
 
THE SNOW BUNTING. 
 
 297 
 
 and small shell-fish, and become, during their stay here, 
 very fat, and are accounted as delicate eating by epicures, 
 for whose tables they are killed in great numbers. 
 
 The following interesting account of the habits of this 
 species is by Wilson. It is partly compiled from the observa- 
 tions of Mr. Pennant : 
 
 " These birds," says Mr. Pennant, " inhabit, not only .Greenland, 
 but even the dreadful climate of Spitzbergen, where vegetation is 
 nearly extinct, and scarcely any but 
 cryptogamous plants are found. It 
 therefore excites wonder, how birds 
 which are graminivorous in every 
 other than those frost-bound regions 
 subsist, yet are there found in great 
 flocks, both on the land and ice of 
 Spitzbergen. They annually pass 
 to this country by way of Norway ; 
 for, in the spring, flocks innumer- 
 able appear, especially on the Nor- 
 wegian isles, continue only three 
 weeks, and then at once disappear. 
 As they do not breed in Hudson's 
 Bay, it is certain that many retreat 
 to this last of lands, and totally uninhabited, to perform, in full 
 security, the duties of love, incubation, and nutrition. That they 
 breed in Spitzbergen is very probable; but we are assured that 
 they do so in Greenland. They arrive there in April, and make 
 their nests in the fissures of the rocks on the mountains in May : 
 the outside of their nest is grass, the middle of feathers, and the 
 lining the down of the arctic fox. They lay five eggs, white, 
 spotted with brown : they sing finely near their nest. 
 
 " They are caught by the boys in autumn, when they collect 
 near the shores in great flocks, in order to migrate, and are eaten 
 dried. 
 
 " In Europe, they inhabit, during summer, the most naked Lap- 
 land alps ; and descend in rigorous seasons into Sweden, and fill the 
 roads and fields, on which account the Dalecarlians call them 
 
298 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Mlwarsfogel, or bad-weather birds; the Uplanders, Hardwars- 
 fogel, expressive of the same. The Laplanders style them Alaipg. 
 Leems remarks, I know not with what foundation, that they fatten 
 on the flowing of the tides in Finmark, and grow lean on the ebb. 
 The Laplanders take them in great numbers in hair springs, for the 
 tables ; their flesh being very delicate. 
 
 " They seem to make the countries within the whole arctic circle 
 their summer residence, from whence they overflow the more south- 
 ern countries in amazing multitudes at the setting-in of winter in 
 the frigid zone. In the winter of 1778-79, they came in such mul- 
 titudes into Birsa, one of the Orkney Islands, as to cover the whole 
 barony ; yet, of all the numbers, hardly two agreed in colors. 
 
 " Lapland, and perhaps Iceland, furnishes the north of Britain 
 with the swarms that frequent these parts during winter, as low 
 as the Cheviot Hills, in latitude 52 32'; their resting-places, the 
 Feroe Isles, Shetland, and the Orkneys. The Highlands of Scot- 
 land, in particular, abound with them. Their flights are immense ; 
 and they mingle so closely together in form of a ball, that the 
 fowlers make great havoc among them. They arrive lean, soon 
 become very fat, and are delicious food. They either arrive in the 
 Highlands very early, or a few breed there ; for I had one shot for 
 me, at Invercauld, the 4th of August. But there is a certainty of 
 their migration; for multitudes of them fall, wearied with their 
 passage, on the vessels that are sailing through the Pentland 
 Firth. 
 
 " In their summer dress, they are sometimes seen in the south of 
 England, the climate not having severity sufficient to affect the 
 colors; yet now and then a milk-white one appears, which is 
 usually mistaken for a white Lark. 
 
 " Russia and Siberia receive them in their severe seasons 
 annually, in amazing flocks, overflowing almost all Russia. They 
 frequent the villages, and yield a most luxurious repast. They vary 
 there infinitely in their winter colors, are pure-white, speckled, and 
 even quite brown. This seems to be the influence of difference of 
 age, more than of season. Germany has also its share of them. 
 In Austria, they are caught and fed with millet, and afford the 
 epicure a treat equal to that of the Ortolan. 
 
 " These birds appear in the northern districts of the United States 
 
THE SNOW BUNTING. 299 
 
 early in December, or with the first heavy snow, particularly if 
 drifted by high winds. They are usually called the White Snowbird, 
 to distinguish them from the small dark-bluish Snowbird already 
 described. Their numbers increase with the increasing severity of 
 weather, and depth of snow. Flocks of them sometimes reach as 
 far south as the borders of Maryland ; and the whiteness of their 
 plumage is observed to be greatest towards the depth of winter. 
 They spread over the Genesee country and the interior of the 
 District of Maine, flying in close, compact bodies, driving about 
 most in a high wind ; sometimes alighting near the doors, but sel- 
 dom sitting long, being a roving, restless bird. In these plentiful 
 regions, where more valuable game is abundant, they hold out no 
 temptation to the sportsman or hunter ; and, except the few caught 
 by boys in snares, no other attention is paid to them. They are, 
 however, universally considered as the harbingers of severe cold 
 weather. How far westward they extend I am unable to say. 
 One of the most intelligent and expert hunters, who accompanied 
 Captains Lewis and Clark on their expedition to the Pacific Ocean, 
 informs me that he has no recollection of seeing these birds in any 
 part of their tour, not even among the bleak and snowy regions of 
 the Stony Mountains ; though the little blue one was in abundance. 
 " The Snow Bunting derives a considerable part of its food from 
 the seeds of certain aquatic plants, which may be one reason for its 
 preferring these remote northern countries, so generally intersected 
 with streams, ponds, lakes, and shallow arms of the sea, that proba- 
 bly abound with such plants. In passing down the Seneca River 
 towards Lake Ontario, late in the month of October, I was sur- 
 prised by the appearance of a large flock of these birds, feeding on 
 the surface of the water, supported on the tops of a growth of 
 weeds that rose from the bottom, growing so close together that our 
 boat could with great difficulty make its way through them. They 
 were running about with great activity ; and those I shot and ex- 
 amined were filled, not only with the seeds of this plant, but with a 
 minute kind of shell-fish that adheres to the leaves. In this kind 
 of aquatic excursions, they are doubtless greatly assisted by the 
 length of their hind heel and claws. I also observed a few on 
 Table Rock, above the Falls of Niagara, seemingly in search of the 
 same kind of food. 
 
300 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 According to the statements of those traders who have resided 
 near Hudson's Bay, the Snow Buntings are the earliest of their 
 migratory birds; appearing there about the llth of April, staying 
 about a month or five weeks, and proceeding farther north to breed. 
 They return again in September, stay till November, when the 
 severe frosts drive them southward." 
 
 PLECTROPHANES LAPPONICUS. Selby. 
 The Lapland Longspur. 
 
 Erriberiza lapponica, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 472. 
 Plectrophanes lappvnicus, " Selby." Bon. List (1838). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 First quill longest; legs black; head all round black, this extending as a semi- 
 circular patch to the upper part of breast; sides of lower neck and under parts 
 white, with black streaks on the sides, and spots -on the side of the breast ; a short 
 brownish-white streak back of the eye ; a broad chestnut collar on the back of the 
 neck; rest of upper parts brownish-yellow, streaked with dark-brown; outer tail 
 feathers white, except on the basal portion of the inner web. 
 
 This species is very seldom seen in full spring plumage in the United States. In 
 perfect dress, the black of the throat probably extends further down over the breast. 
 In winter, the black is more or less concealed by whitish tips to the feathers beneath, 
 and by yellowish-brown on the crown. Some fall specimens, apparently females, 
 show no black whatever on the throat, which, with the under parts generally, are 
 dull-white, with a short black streak on each side of the throat. 
 
 Length, about six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, three and 
 ninety one-hundredths; tail, two and eight one-hundredths. 
 
 This bird is found only as an extremely rare winter 
 visitor in New England. I have never known of more than 
 a dozen being taken here, and those were in scattered par- 
 ties of two or three in the winter of 1857. I know nothing 
 whatever of its habits, and can give no description, from my 
 own observation, of its nests and eggs. We are informed 
 by Dr. Richardson, that it breeds in the moist meadows on 
 the shores of the Arctic Sea. The nest is placed on a small 
 hillock, among moss and stones ; is composed externally 
 of the dry stems of grass, interwoven to a considerable 
 thickness ; and lined, very neatly and compactly, with deer's 
 hair. The eggs, usually seven, are pale ochre-yellow, 
 spotted with brown. 
 
THE SAVANNAH SPARROW. 301 
 
 Sub-Family SPIZELLIN^E. The Sparrows. 
 
 Bill variable, usually almost straight ; sometimes curved ; commissure generally 
 nearly straight, or slightly concave; upper mandible wider than lower; nostrils 
 exposed; wings moderate; the outer primaries not much rounded; tail variable; 
 feet large; tarsi mostly longer than the middle toe. 
 
 The species are usually small, and of dull color. Nearly all are streaked on the 
 back and crown ; often on the belly. None of the United-States species have any 
 red, blue, or orange ; and the yellow, when present, is as a superciliary streak, or on 
 the elbow edge of the wing. 
 
 PASSERCULUS, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Passerculus, BONAPARTE, Comp. List Birds (1838). (Type Fringilla Savanna.) 
 Bill moderately conical; the lower mandible smaller; both outlines nearly 
 straight; tarsus about equal to the'middle toe; lateral toes about equal, their claws 
 falling far short of the middle one ; hind toe much longer than the lateral ones, 
 reaching as far as the middle of the middle claw ; its claws moderately curved ; 
 wings unusually long, reaching to the middle of the tail, and almost to the end of the 
 upper coverts ; the tertials nearly or quite as long as the primaries ; the first primary 
 longest; the tail is quite short, considerably shorter than the wings, as long as 
 from the carpal joint to the end of the secondaries; it is emarginate, and slightly 
 rounded; the feathers pointed and narrow. 
 
 Entire plumage above, head, neck, back, and rump, streaked; thickly streaked 
 beneath. 
 
 PASSERCULUS SAVANNA. Bonaparte. 
 The Savannah Sparrow. 
 
 Fringilla Savanna, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 55. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. 
 (1834)63; V. (1839), 516. 
 
 Passerculus Savanna, Bonaparte. List (1838). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Feathers of the upper parts generally with a central streak of blackish-brown ; 
 the streaks of the back with a slight rufous suffusion laterally ; the feathers edged 
 with gray, which is lightest on the scapulars; crown with a broad median stripe of 
 yellowish-gray ; a superciliary streak from the bill to the back of the head, eyelids, 
 and edge of the elbow, yellow ; a yellowish-white maxillary stripe curving behind 
 the ear coverts, and margined above and below by brown; the lower margin is a 
 series of thickly crowded spots on the sides of the throat, which are also found on 
 the sides of the neck, across the upper part of the breast, and on the sides of the 
 body ; a few spots on the throat and chin ; rest of under parts white ; outer tail 
 feather and primary edged with white. 
 
 Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, two and seventy one-hun- 
 dredths inches; tail, two and ten one-hundredths inches. 
 
302 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 This bird seems to be rather irregularly distributed 
 throughout New England in the summer season. In the 
 eastern part o'f Massachusetts, it is quite common ; in 
 the western part, "chiefly a spring and summer visitant," 
 but "not common." Mr. Allen has never found it breed- 
 ing in the neighborhood of Springfield ; but, in the neighbor- 
 hood of the seacoast in the same State, it is abundant in 
 the breeding season. On the contrary, in Maine, it is not 
 at all common near the seacoast ; but in the interior, even 
 as far as the western borders, it is one of the most plentiful 
 of Sparrows. It arrives in Massachusetts as early as the 
 first week in April ; in Maine, seldom before the middle of 
 that month. About the first week in May in Massachusetts, 
 and later as we advance north, the birds commence build- 
 ing. The nest is placed on the ground, usually under a 
 tussock of grass : it is constructed of fine grasses and 
 roots, which are bent and twined together rather neatly; 
 and the whole is lined with hairlike roots and fine grass. 
 The eggs are usually four in number, grayish-white in color, 
 and covered irregularly with spots of umber-brown and lilac. 
 Their form varies from long and slender to quite short 
 and thick : their dimensions vary from .76 by .60 to .72 by 
 .58 inch. Two broods are often reared in the season. This 
 species rather prefers pastures and fields at a distance from 
 houses for a home to their more immediate neighborhood. 
 
 On the seaboard, this species is most often found on or 
 near the sandy beaches, where it is observed busily glean- 
 ing, in the seaweed and little bunches of beach-grass, the 
 insects and mollusks that are found there. In the interior, 
 it prefers the dry, sandy fields and pastures, where, running 
 about with great rapidity, its white outer tail feathers spread, 
 it is always industrious in its search for coleopterous insects 
 and seeds. 
 
 The female, when the nest is approached, leaves it, and 
 runs limping off, her wings extended, uttering the chatter- 
 ing cry peculiar to the Sparrows. 
 
THE GRASS FINCH. 303 
 
 The male, during the mating and the early part of the 
 breeding season, has a very sweet and pretty song which he 
 chants most often at morning and early evening, and during 
 dark and cloudy weather. 
 
 This song is difficult of description : it resembles nearly 
 the syllables 'chewee 'chewitt 'chewitt 'chewitt 'cheweet 'chewee, 
 uttered slowly and plaintively. It has also a short chirp, 
 quite faint, yet shrill, which, as Mr. Nuttall truly remarks, 
 almost exactly resembles the chirping of a cricket. 
 
 About the first week in October, this species gathers in 
 small, detached flocks ; and, after frequenting the stubble- 
 fields and gardens a week or two, the whole leave for the 
 South. 
 
 POOCLETES, BAIRD. 
 
 Bill rather large ; upper outline slightly decurved towards the end, lower straight ; 
 commissure slightly 'concave; tarsus about equal to the middle toe; outer toe a 
 little longer than the inner, its claw reaching to the concealed base of the middle 
 claw ; hind toe reaching to the middle of the middle claw ; wings unusually long, 
 reaching to the middle of the tail, as far as the coverts, and pointed, the primaries 
 considerably longer than the secondaries, which are not much surpassed by the 
 tertiaries; second and third quills longest; first little shorter, about equal to the 
 fourth, shorter than the tail; the outer feathers scarcely shorter; the feathers rather 
 stiff, each one acuminate and sharply pointed ; the feathers broad nearly to the end, 
 when they are obliquely truncate; streaked with brown above everywhere; beneath, 
 on the breast and sides ; the lateral tail feather is white. 
 
 POOCJETES GRAMINEUS. Baird. 
 The Grass Finch; Bay-winged Bunting. 
 
 Fringilla graminea, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 922. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. 
 (1831) 473; V. 502. 
 
 Emberiza graminea, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 51. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail feathers rather acute ; above light yellowish-brown ; the feathers everywhere 
 streaked abruptly with dark-brown, even on the sides of the neck, which are paler; 
 beneath yellowish-white ; on the breast and sides of neck and body streaked with 
 brown ; a faint light superciliary and maxillary stripe ; the latter margined above 
 and below with dark-brown; the upper stripe continued around the ear coverts, 
 which are darker than the brown color elsewhere; wings with the shoulder light 
 chestnut-brown, and with two dull-whitish bands along the ends of the coverts; the 
 outer edge of the secondaries also is white ; outer tail feather, and edge and tip 
 of the second, white. 
 
304 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Length, about six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, three and ten 
 one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hub. United States from Atlantic to the Pacific; or else one species to the high 
 central plains, and another from this to the Pacific. 
 
 This Sparrow is abundantly distributed throughout New 
 England in the breeding season. It arrives about the first 
 week in April, and commences building about the last of 
 that month in Massachusetts ; in Maine, about the first 
 of June. The nest, like that of the preceding species, is 
 built in open, dry pastures and fields, at the foot of a tuft 
 of grass, and is composed of the same materials and con- 
 structed in the same form as the others ; and I would here 
 remark, that, of our New-England sparrows, it is impossible 
 to distinguish most species, either in manner and material 
 of nest, and form and color of eggs, in the great variations 
 which exist in them. The descriptions already given, and 
 those which follow, are made from the average specimens, 
 or in the forms in which they are most often met. The 
 eggs of the Grass Finch are usually about four in number : 
 they are of a grayish, livid-white color, and marked irregu- 
 larly with spots of obscure brown, over which are blotches 
 of black. Dimensions of specimens from various localities 
 vary from .88 by .60 to .76 by .58 inch. Two broods, and 
 sometimes three, are reared in the season. 
 
 The habits of this and the succeeding species so much 
 resemble those of the preceding, that it is difficult to 
 describe either so that they may be readily recognized. 
 The present bird is more civilized in its habits, and usually 
 resides much nearer the habitations of man than the others ; 
 but in other respects it resembles them in all their charac- 
 teristics. 
 
 COTURNICULUS, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Coterniculus, BONAPARTE, Geog. List (1838). (Type Fringilla passerina, Wils.) 
 Bill very large and stout; the under mandible broader, but lower than the upper, 
 which is considerably convex at the basal portion of its upper outline ; legs mod- 
 erate, apparently not reaching to the end of the tail; the tarsus appreciably longer 
 
THE YELLOW-WINGED SPARROW. 305 
 
 than ijie middle^toe ; the lateral toes equal, and with their claws falling decidedly 
 short of the middle claw ; the hind toe intermediate between the two ; the wings are 
 short and rounded, reaching to the base of the tail ; the tertiaries almost as long as 
 the primaries; not much difference in the lengths of the primaries, although the 
 outer three or four are slightly graduated ; the tail is short and narrow, decidedly 
 shorter than the wing, graduated laterally, but slightly emarginate; the feathers all 
 lanceolate and acute, but not stiffened, as in Ammodromus. 
 
 The upper parts generally are streaked ; the blotches on the interscapular region 
 very wide ; the breast and sides are generally streaked more or less distinctly ; the 
 edge of the wing is yellow. 
 
 COTURNICULUS PASSERINUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Yellow-winged Sparrow. 
 
 Fringilla passerina, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 76. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. 
 (1834) 180; V. 497. 
 
 Coturniculus passerina, Bonaparte. List (1838). 
 
 Fringilla Savanarum (Gmelin), Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 494. Ib. (2d ed., 
 1840), 570. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Feathers of the upper parts brownish-rufous, margined narrowly and abruptly 
 with ash-color; reddest on the lower part of the back and rump; the feathers all 
 abruptly black in the central portion ; this color visible on the interscapular region, 
 where the rufous is more restricted; crown blackish, with a central and superciliary 
 stripe of yellowish tinged with brown, brightest in front of the eye ; bend of the 
 wing bright-yellow; lesser coverts tinged with greenish-yellow; quills and tail 
 feathers edged with whitish; tertiaries much variegated; lower parts brownish- 
 yellow, nearly white on the middle of the belly; the feathers of the upper breast 
 and sides of the body with obsoletely darker centres. 
 
 Length, about five inches; wing, two and forty one-hundredths inches; tail, two 
 inches. 
 
 The young of this species has the upper part of the breast streaked with black, 
 much more distinct than in the adult, and exhibiting a close resemblance to C. Hens- 
 lorn. 
 
 Specimens from the Far West have the reddish of the back considerably paler ; 
 the light stripe on the head, with scarcely any yellow; a decided spot in front 
 of the eye quite yellow. 
 
 This bird is irregularly distributed. In Massachusetts it 
 is rare near the seacoast, but in the western part is an 
 " abundant summer visitant ; arrives about the first week 
 in May, and leaves in autumn the earliest of the Sparrows." 
 ALLEN. It is not included in Mr. Yen-ill's list of Maine 
 birds ; and I have never met with it in that State or the 
 other two northern ones, although it probably occurs there, 
 
 20 
 
306 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 but not abundantly. The nest is built, like the two preced- 
 ing species, on the ground, in the same localities, and of the 
 same materials ; but the eggs are different, being pure-white 
 in color, with thinly scattered spots of reddish-brown : they 
 are usually five in number, and their dimensions vary from 
 .78 by .60 to .74 by .58 inch. Two broods are often reared 
 in the same season. Its habits are similar to those of the 
 Savannah Sparrow. 
 
 COTURNICULUS HENSLOWI. Bonaparte. 
 Henslow's Bunting. 
 
 Emberiza Henslowi, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 360. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 
 App. 
 
 Coturniculus Hensloivi, Bonaparte. List (1838). Ib., Consp. (1850), 481. 
 FringiUa Henslowi, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 571. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts yellowish-brown ; the head, neck, and upper parts of back tinged 
 with greenish-yellow ; interscapular feathers dark-brown, suffused externally with 
 bright brownish-red ; each feather with grayish borders ; tertiaries, rump, and tail 
 feathers abruptly dark-brown centrally, the color obscurely margined with dark-red ; 
 crown with a broad black spotted stripe on each side, these spots continued down 
 to the back; two narrow black maxillary stripes on each side the head, and an 
 obscure black crescent behind the auriculars; under parts light brownish-yellow, 
 paler on the throat and abdomen ; the upper part of the breast, and the sides of the 
 body, conspicuously streaked with black; edge of wing yellow; a strong tinge of 
 pale-chestnut on the wings and tail. 
 
 Length, five and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, two and fifteen one- 
 hundredths inches ; tail, two and fifteen one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird is an extremely rare summer resident in New 
 England. It can hardly be called any thing but a strag- 
 gler, and Massachusetts seems to be its extreme northern 
 limit. 
 
 It has been found breeding near Lynn in this State, and 
 at Berlin (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., VII. p. 137). 
 Allen captured a male at Springfield on May 18, 1863, and 
 heard another at the same place in June. These few 
 instances are all that I have heard of its occurrence here. 
 Of its habits I know nothing. 
 
THE SHARP-TAILED FINCH. 307 
 
 AMMODROMUS, SWAINSON. 
 
 Ammodromus, SWAINSON, Zool. Jour., III. 1827. (Type Oriolus caudacutus, 
 Gmelin.) 
 
 Bill very long, slender, and attenuated, considerably curved towards the tip above ; 
 the gonys straight; the legs and toes are very long, and reach considerably beyond 
 the tip of the short tail ; the tarsus is about equal to the elongated middle toe ; the 
 lateral toes equal, their claws falling considerably short of the base of the middle 
 one ; the hind claw equal to the lateral one ; wings short, reaching only to the base 
 of the tail ; much rounded ; the secondaries and tertials equal, and not much shorter 
 than the primaries; the tail is short, and graduated laterally, each feather stiffened, 
 lanceolate, and acute. 
 
 Color. Streaked above and across the breast; very faintly on the sides. 
 
 AMMODROMUS CAUDACUTUS. Swainson. 
 The Sharp-tailed Finch. 
 
 Oriolus caudacutus. Gm., I. (1788) 394. 
 
 Fringilla caudacuta, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 70. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. 
 (1834) 281; V. 499. 
 
 Ammodromus caudacutus, Swainson. Birds, II. (1837) 289. 
 Fringilla littoralis, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 504 (2d ed., 1840, 590). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts brownish-olivaceous; head brownish, streaked with black on the 
 sides, and a broad central stripe of ashy; back blotched with darker; a broad 
 superciliary and maxillary stripe, and a band across the upper breast buff-yellow; 
 the sides of the throat with a brown stripe ; the upper part of the breast and the 
 sides of the body streaked with black ; rest of under parts white ; edge of wing 
 yellowish-Avhite. 
 
 The young is of a more yellowish tinge above and below; the streaks on the 
 back more conspicuous; the scapular feathers without the whitish edging. 
 
 Length, five inches ; wing, two and thirty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Atlantic Coast of the United States. 
 
 Massachusetts seems to be the northern limit of this spe- 
 cies. In this State and those south, it is not uncommon ; 
 but it is confined to the districts in the neighborhood of the 
 coast, and is never found more than a mile or two from 
 those localities in the breeding season. About the last 
 week in May, the nest is built : this is placed in a tussock 
 of grass above the tide-marks, and is constructed of coarse 
 grasses, which are woven into a strong fabric, and lined with 
 finer grasses and seaweed. The eggs are generally five in 
 
308 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 number. Their color is a bluish-white, which is covered 
 with fine brown dots : these dots are coarser in some speci- 
 mens, and almost confluent near the greater end. Dimen- 
 sions vary from .80 by .64 inch to .76 by .60 inch. But one 
 brood is generally reared in the season in this latitude. 
 
 The description, by Wilson, of the habits of the Seaside 
 Finch is so applicable to this species, that I give it here : 
 "It inhabits the low, rush-covered sea islands along our 
 Atlantic Coast, where I first found it ; keeping almost con- 
 tinually within the boundaries of tide-water, except when 
 long and violent east and north-easterly storms, with high 
 tides, compel it to seek the shore. On these occasions, it 
 courses along the margin, and among the holes and inter- 
 stices of the weeds and sea-wrack, with a rapidity equalled 
 only by the nimblest of our Sand-pipers, and very much in 
 their manner. At these times, also, it roosts on the ground, 
 and runs about after dusk. 
 
 " This species derives its whole subsistence from the sea. 
 I examined a great number of individuals by dissection, 
 and found their stomachs universally filled with fragments 
 of shrimps, minute shell-fish, and broken limbs of small 
 sea-crabs. Its flesh, also, as was to be expected, tasted of 
 fish, or what is usually termed sedgy. Amidst the re- 
 cesses of these wet sea-marshes, it seeks the rankest growth 
 of grass and seaweed, and climbs along the stalks of the 
 rushes with as much dexterity as it runs along the ground, 
 which is rather a singular circumstance, most of our 
 climbers being rather awkward at running." 
 
 AMMODROMUS MARITIMUS. Summon. 
 The Seaside Finch. 
 
 FringiUa maritima, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 68. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831). 
 Ammodromus maritimus, Swainson. Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 328. 
 Fringilla (Ammodromus) maritima, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 592. 
 Fringilla MacgiUivrayi, Audubon. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 285; IV. (1838) 394; 
 V. (1839) 499. 
 
 Fringilla (Ammodromus) MacgiUivrayi, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 593. 
 
THE WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. 309 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Above olivaceous-brown ; beneath white ; the breast and sides of body yellowish- 
 brown, obsoletely streaked with plumbeous; sides of head and body, a central stripe 
 on the head above, a maxillary stripe, and indistinct longitudinal streaks on the 
 breast, ashy-brown ; the sides and the breast tinged with yellowish; the maxillary 
 stripe cuts off a white one above it ; a superciliary stripe is bright-yellow anterior to 
 the eye, and plumbeous above and behind it; edge of wing yellow; bill blue. 
 
 Length, about six inches ; wing, two and fifty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This bird's habits and distribution are the same as those 
 of the preceding species, as also are the nests and eggs, 
 which are impossible of identification when placed side by 
 side. 
 
 ZONOTRICHIA, SWAINSON. 
 
 Zonotrichia, SWAINSON, Fauna Bor. Am., II. (1831). (Type Emberiza leucophrys.) 
 Body rather stout; bill conical, slightly notched, somewhat compressed, excavated 
 inside ; the lower mandible rather lower than the upper ; gonys slightly convex ; 
 commissure nearly straight; feet stout; tarsus rather longer than middle toe; the 
 lateral toes very nearly equal; hind toe longer than the lateral ones, their claws just 
 reaching to base of middle one ; inner claw contained twice in its toe proper ; claws 
 all slender and considerably curved; wings moderate, not reaching to the middle of 
 the tail, but beyond the rump ; secondaries and tertials equal and considerably less 
 than longest primaries; second and third quills longest; first about equal to the fifth, 
 much longer than tertials; tail rather long, moderately rounded; the feathers not 
 very broad ; back streaked ; rump and under parts immaculate ; head black, or with 
 white streaks, entirely different from the back. 
 
 ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHRYS. Swainson. 
 The White-crowned Sparrow. 
 
 Emberiza leucophrys, Forster. Philos. Trans., LXII. (1772) 382, 426. Wils. Am. 
 Orn., IV. (1811) 49. 
 
 Fringitta (Zonotrichia) leucophrys, Swainson. F. B. Am., II. (1831) 255. 
 Frinyilla leucophrys, Audubon. Orn* Biog., II. (1834) 88; V. 515. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head above, upper half of loral region from the bill, and a narrow line through 
 and behind the eye to the occiput, black ; a longitudinal patch in the middle of the 
 crown, and a short line from above the anterior corner of the eye, the two confluent 
 on the occiput, white; sides of the head, fore part of breast, and lower neck all 
 round, pale-ash, lightest beneath and shading insensibly into the whitish of the belly 
 and chin; sides of belly and under tail coverts tinged with yellowish-brown; inter- 
 scapular region streaked broadly with dark chestnut-brownish ; edges of the tertiariee 
 brownish-chestnut ; two white bands on the wing. 
 
310 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Female similar, but smaller; immature male with the black of the head replaced 
 by dark chestnut-brown, the white tinged with brownish-yellow. 
 
 The white of the crown separates two black lines on either sides, rather narrower 
 than itself; the black line behind the eye is continued anterior to it into the black 
 at the base of the bill; the lower eyelid is white; there are some obscure cloudings 
 of darker on the neck above ; the rump is immaculate ; no white on the tail, except 
 very obscure tips ; the white crosses the ends of the middle and greater coverts. 
 
 Length, seven and ten one-hundredths inches ; wing, three and twenty-five one- 
 hundredths. 
 
 This beautiful bird is a rare spring and autumn visitor 
 in New England. It arrives about the first week in May, 
 sometimes as late as the 20th of that month, and returns 
 from the North about the 10th of October. While with 
 us, it has all the habits of the succeeding species, with 
 which it usually associates. 
 
 The following description of its breeding habits, nest, and 
 eggs, is given by Audubon : 
 
 " One day, while near American Harbor, in Labrador, I observed 
 a pair of these birds resorting to a small 'hummock' of firs, where 
 I concluded they must have had a nest. After searching in vain, I 
 intimated my suspicion to my young friends, when we all crept 
 through the tangled branches, and examined the place without suc- 
 cess. . . . Our disappointment was the greater, that we saw the 
 male bird frequently flying about with food in his bill, no doubt 
 intended for his mate. In a short while, the pair came near us, 
 and both were shot. In the female we found an egg, which was 
 pure-white, but with the shell yet soft and thin. On the 6th of 
 July, while my son was creeping among some low bushes to get a 
 shot at some Red-throated Divers, he accidentally started a female 
 from her nest. It made much complaint. The nest was placed in 
 the moss, near the foot of a low fir, and was formed externally of 
 beautiful dry green moss, matted in bunches, like the coarse hair 
 of some quadruped; internally of very fine dry grass, arranged 
 with great neatness to the thickness of nearly half an inch, with a 
 full lining of delicate fibrous roots of a rich transparent yellow. 
 It was five inches in diameter externally, two in depth ; two and a 
 quarter in diameter within, although rather oblong, and one and 
 three-quarters deep. In one nest, we found a single feather of the 
 Willow Grouse. The eggs, five in number, average seven-eighths 
 
THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 311 
 
 of an inch in length, are proportionally broad, of a light sea-green 
 color, mottled toward the larger end with brownish spots and 
 blotches ; a few spots of a lighter tint being dispersed over the 
 whole. . . . We found many nests, which were all placed on the 
 ground or among the moss, and were all constructed alike. This 
 species deposit their eggs from the beginning to the end of June. 
 In the beginning of August, I saw many young that were able to 
 fly ; and, by the twelfth of that month, the birds had already com- 
 menced their southward migration. The young follow their parents 
 until nearly full grown. 
 
 " The food of this species, while in Labrador, consists of small 
 coleopterous insects, grass seeds, and a variety of berries, as well 
 as some minute shell-fish, for which they frequently search the mar- 
 gins of ponds or the seashore. At the approach of autumn, they 
 pursue insects on the wing to a short distance, and doubtless secure 
 some in that manner." 
 
 The song of the White-crowned Sparrow consists of six 
 or seven notes, the first of which is loud, clear, and musi- 
 cal, although of a plaintive nature ; the next broader, less 
 firm, and seeming merely a second to the first; the rest 
 form a cadence, diminishing in power to the last note, which 
 sounds as if the final effort of the musician. These notes 
 are repeated at short intervals during the whole day, even 
 on those dismal days produced by the thick fogs of the 
 country where it breeds, and where this species is, of all, 
 the most abundant. 
 
 ZONOTRICHIA ALBICOLLIS. Bonaparte. 
 The White-throated Sparrow ; Peabody Bird. 
 
 Fringilla albicollis, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 926. Wils. Am. Orn., III. 
 (1811) 61. 
 
 Zonotrichia albicollis^ Bonap. Consp. (1850), 478. 
 
 Fringilla Pennsylvania, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 42; V. 497. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Two black stripes on the crown separated by a median one of white ; a broad 
 superciliary stripe from the base of the mandible to the occiput, yellow as far as 
 the middle of the eye and white behind this ; a broad black streak on the side of the 
 
312 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 head from behind the eye; chin white, abruptly defined against the dark-ash of 
 the sides of the head and upper part of the breast, fading into white on the belly, 
 and margined by a narrow black maxillary line ; edge of wing and axillaries yellow ; 
 back and edges of secondaries rufous-brown, the former streaked with dark-brown; 
 two narrow white bands across the wing coverts. 
 
 Female smaller, and the colors rather duller. Immature and winter specimens 
 have the white chin-patch less abruptly denned; the white markings on the top and 
 sides of the head tinged with brown. Some specimens, apparently mature, show- 
 quite distinct streaks on the breast, and sides of throat and body. 
 
 Length, seven inches; wing, three and ten one-hundredths ; tail, three and twenty 
 one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful Sparrow arrives in Massachusetts by the 
 last week in April. It does not tarry long, but passes 
 north, and breeds abundantly in the northern districts of 
 
 New England. I have 
 found the nests as early 
 as the last week in May ; 
 but generally they are 
 not built before the 10th 
 of June. They are 
 placed under a low bush 
 on the ground, some- 
 times in swamps and 
 pastures, sometimes in 
 high woods and ledges. 
 
 They are constructed of 
 . -, 
 
 k fine grasses, twigs, and 
 
 mosses, and lined with 
 finer grasses, and sometimes a few hair-like roots. Some 
 specimens that I have collected in Northern Maine were 
 placed in a hollow in a mossy knoll, which was scratched 
 by the birds to the depth of the whole nest. The eggs are 
 usually four in number : their color is a grayish-white, and 
 marked with spots and confluent blotches of brown and 
 obscure lilac. A number of specimens, collected in differ- 
 ent localities in Maine, exhibit the following variations in 
 size : .92 by .64 inch, .92 by .60 inch, .90 by .62 inch, .86 
 by .62 inch. But one brood is reared in the season. This 
 
JUNCO. 313 
 
 bird is a great favorite in the North, and justly so. It is 
 one of the sweetest songsters of the localities where it 
 is found ; and, having no bad precedents with the farmer, 
 and being of a sociable, lively disposition, it is no wonder 
 that it meets with great favor. 
 
 The song of this species is very beautiful. It is difficult of 
 description, but resembles nearly the syllables 'cliea dee de; 
 de-d-de,-de-d-de, de-d-de, de-d-de, uttered at first loud and 
 clear, and rapidly falling in tone and decreasing in volume. 
 
 This is chanted during the morning and the latter part of 
 the day, and, in cloudy weather, through the whole day. I 
 have often heard it at different hours of the night, when 
 I have been encamped in the deep forests ; and the effect, at 
 that time, was indescribably sweet and plaintive. The fact 
 that the bird often sings in the night has given it the name 
 of the " Nightingale " in many localities ; and the title is 
 well earned. 
 
 While in its spring and autumn migrations, this Sparrow 
 prefers low moist thickets and young woods ; but, in its sum- 
 mer home, it is found equally abundant in fields, pastures, 
 swamps, and forests. 
 
 It feeds on insects, various seeds, and berries, and some- 
 times pursues flying insects in the manner of the preceding 
 species. 
 
 About the last week in October, the birds, after congre- 
 gating in loose flocks of a dozen or fifteen, leave New Eng- 
 land for their winter homes. 
 
 JUNCO, WAGLER. 
 
 Junco, WAGLER, Isis (1831). (Type Fringilla cinerea, Sw.) 
 Bill small, conical; culmen curved at the tip; the lower jaw quite as high as the 
 upper; tarsus longer than the middle toe; outer toe longer than the inner, barely 
 reaching to the base of the middle claw ; hind toe reaching as far as the middle of 
 the latter; extended toes reaching about to the middle of the tail; wings rather 
 short, reaching over the basal fourth of the exposed surface of the tail ; primaries, 
 however, considerably longer than the nearly equal secondaries and tertials; the 
 second quill longest, the third to fifth successively but little shorter; first longer than 
 sixth, much exceeding secondaries ; tail moderate, a little shorter than the wings ; 
 
314 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 slightly emarginate and rounded ; feathers rather narrow, oval at the end ; no streaks 
 on the head or body ; color above uniform on the head, back, or rump, separately or 
 on all together ; belly white ; outer tail feathers white. 
 
 The essential characters of this genus are, the middle toe rather shorter than the 
 short tarsus; the lateral toes slightly unequal, the outer reaching the base of 
 the middle claw; the tail a little shorter than the wings, slightly emarginate. In 
 Junco cinereus the claws are longer; the lower mandible a little lower than the 
 upper; the species have the upper parts ashy or plumbeous, the belly and lateral 
 tail feathers white. 
 
 JUNCO HYEMALIS. Sclater. 
 The Snowbird. 
 
 Fringilla hyemalis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (10th ed., 1758) 183. Aud. Orn. Biog., 
 I. (1831) 72; V. 505.' 
 
 Junco hyemalis, Sclater. Pr. Zool. Soc. (1857), 7. 
 Fringilla nivalis. Wils., II. (1810) 129. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Everywhere of a grayish or dark ashy-black, deepest anteriorly ; the middle of 
 the breast behind and of the belly, the under tail coverts, and first and second exter- 
 nal tail feathers, white ; the third tail feather white, margined with black. 
 
 Length, six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, about three inches. 
 
 This interesting and well-known little species is an abun- 
 dant inhabitant of New Eng- 
 land. In the spring it migrates 
 from the southern districts, 
 where it spends the winter, to 
 the northern sections, and late 
 in fall returns to its winter 
 home. A few pairs breed in 
 Massachusetts on the Holyoke 
 Mountains, and in New Hamp- 
 shire on the White Mountains : 
 but the great numbers pass to 
 the northern districts to spend 
 the summer ; and near the Um- 
 bagog lakes, and north to the 
 Canada frontier, it is the most 
 common species. I have been 
 so fortunate as to find a number of the nests: some had eggs 
 as early as the last week in May, and others as late as the 
 
 Snowbird, upper i 
 Song Sparrow, lower fig. 
 
THE SNOWBIRD. 315 
 
 middle of July ; therefore two broods are probably reared. 
 The nests are constructed of fine grasses and leaves, and 
 are placed sometimes in a slight hole scratched in a mossy 
 knoll, sometimes in an old stump of a tree or in a tuft of 
 grass in a thicket of bushes. The eggs are usually four in 
 number : they vary in color from nearly pure-white with 
 reddish spots, to grayish-white with reddish-brown spots, and 
 bluish-white with a roseate tint and spots of umber, reddish- 
 brown, and lilac. Dimensions vary from .76 by .60 inch to 
 .70 by .56 inch. 
 
 The description by Wilson of the habits of this species is 
 so full and accurate that I can do no better than give it 
 here : 
 
 " This well-known species, small and insignificant as it may 
 appear, is by far the most numerous, as well as the most extensively 
 disseminated, of all the feathered tribes that visit us from the frozen 
 regions of the North, : their migrations extending from the arctic 
 circle, and probably beyond it, to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, 
 spreading over the whole breadth of the United States, from the 
 Atlantic Ocean to Louisiana ; how much farther westward. I am 
 unable to say. About the 20th of October, they make their first 
 appearance in those parts of Pennsylvania east of the Alleghany 
 Mountains. At first they are most generally seen on the borders 
 of woods among the falling and decayed leaves, in loose flocks of 
 thirty or forty together, always taking to the trees when disturbed. 
 As the weather sets in colder, they approach nearer the farm-house 
 and villages ; and, on the appearance of what is usually called fall- 
 ing weather, assemble in larger flocks, and seem doubly diligent in 
 searching for food. This increased activity is generally a sure prog- 
 nostic of a storm. When deep snows cover the ground, they 
 become almost half domesticated. They collect about the barn, 
 stables, and other out-houses, spread over the yard, and even round 
 the steps of the door, not only in the country and villages, but 
 in the heart of our large cities ; crowding around the threshold 
 early in the morning, gleaning up the crumbs ; appearing very lively 
 and familiar. They have also recourse, at this severe season, when 
 the face of the earth is shut up from them, to the seeds of many 
 
316 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 kinds of weeds that still rise above the snow in corners of fields, 
 and low, sheltered situations, along the borders of creeks and fences, 
 where they associate with several other species of Sparrows. They 
 are, at this time, easily caught with almost any kind of trap ; are 
 generally fat, and, it is said, are excellent eating. 
 
 "I cannot but consider this bird as the most .numerous of its 
 tribe of any within the United States. From the northern parts 
 of the District 1 of Maine to the Ogeechee River in Georgia, a 
 distance, by the circuitous route in which I travelled, of more than 
 eighteen hundred miles, I never passed a day, and scarcely a 
 mile, without seeing numbers of these birds, arid frequently large 
 flocks of several thousands. Other travellers with whom I con- 
 versed, who had come from Lexington, in Kentucky, through Vir- 
 ginia, also declared that they found these birds numerous along the 
 whole road. It should be observed, that the roadsides are their 
 favorite haunts, where many rank weeds that grow along the 
 fences furnish them with food, and the road with gravel. In 
 the vicinity of places where they were most numerous, I observed 
 a Small Hawk, and several others of his tribe, watching their 
 opportunity, or hovering cautiously around, making an occasional 
 sweep among them, and retiring to the bare branches of an old 
 cypress to feed on their victims. In the month of April, when the 
 weather begins to be warm, they are observed to retreat to 
 the woods, and to prefer the shaded sides of hills and thickets ; at 
 which time, the males warble out a few very low, sweet notes, and 
 are almost perpetually pursuing and fighting with each other. 
 About the 20th of April, they take their leave of our humble 
 regions, and retire to the North and to the high ranges of the Alle- 
 ghany to build their nests and rear their young. In some of those 
 ranges, in the interior of Virginia, and northward, about the wa- 
 ters of the west branch of the Susquehanna, they breed in great 
 numbers. The nest is fixed in the ground, or among the grass ; 
 sometimes several being within a small distance of each other. 
 According to the observations of the gentlemen residing at Hudson- 
 Bay Factory, they arrive there about the beginning of June, stay 
 a week or two, and proceed farther north to breed. They return 
 to that settlement in the autumn, on their way to the South. 
 
 i Now State. 
 
THE TREE SPARROW. 317 
 
 "In some parts of New England, I found the opinion pretty 
 general, that the Snowbird, in summer, is transformed into the 
 Small Chipping Sparrow, which we find so common in that season. 
 I had convinced a gentleman of New York of his mistake in this 
 matter, by taking him to the house of a Mr. Gautier there, who 
 amuses himself by keeping a great number of native as well as 
 foreign birds. This was in the month of July ; and the Snow- 
 bird appeared then in the same colored plumage he usually has. 
 Several individuals of the Chipping Sparrow were also in the same 
 apartment. The evidence was, therefore, irresistible ; but, as I 
 had not the same proofs to offer to the eye in New England, I had 
 not the same success. 
 
 " There must be something in the temperature of the blood or 
 constitution of this bird, which unfits it for residing, during sum- 
 mer, in the lower parts of the United States, as the country here 
 abounds with a great variety of food, of which, during its stay, it 
 appears to be remarkably fond. Or perhaps its habit of associating 
 in such numbers to breed, and building its nest with so little pre- 
 caution, may, to insure its safety, require a solitary region, far from 
 the intruding footsteps of man." 
 
 SPIZELLA, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Spizella, BONAPARTE, Geog. and Comp. List (1838). (Type Fringilla Canaden- 
 sis, Lath.) 
 
 Bill conical, the outlines slightly curved ; the lower mandible decided!}' lower 
 than the upper; the commissure gently sinuated; the roof of the mouth not 
 knobbed; feet slender; tarsus rather longer than the middle toe; the hinder toe a 
 little longer than the outer lateral, which slightly exceeds the inner; the outer claw 
 reaching the base of the middle one, and half as long as its toe ; claws moderately 
 curved ; tertiaries and secondaries nearly equal ; wing somewhat pointed, reaching 
 not quite to the middle of the tail ; first quill a little shorter than the second and 
 equal to the fifth, third longest; tail rather long, moderately forked, and divaricated 
 at the tip; the feathers rather narrow; back streaked; rump and beneath immacu- 
 late ; hood generally uniform. 
 
 The genus differs from Zonotrichia in the smaller size, and longer and forked 
 instead of rounded tail. 
 
 SPIZELLA MONTICOLA. Baird. 
 The Tree Sparrow. 
 
 Fringitta monticola, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 912. 
 
 Fringilla Canadensis, Audubon. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 511; V. 504. 
 
 Fringilla arborea, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 12. 
 
318 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Middle of back with the feathers dark-brown centrally, then rufous, and edged 
 with pale-fulvous (sometimes with whitish). Hood and upper part of nape continu- 
 ous chestnut ; a line of the same from behind the eye ; sides of head and neck ashy ; 
 a broad light superciliary band ; beneath whitish, with a small circular blotch of 
 brownish in the middle of the upper part of the breast ; edges of tail feathers, pri- 
 mary quills, and two bands across the tips of the secondaries, white ; tertiaries nearly 
 black; edged externally with rufous, turning to white near the tips; lower jaw yel- 
 lo vv ; upper black. 
 
 This species varies in the amount of whitish edging to the quills and tail. 
 
 Length, six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three inches. 
 
 Hab. Eastern North America to the Missouri; also on Pole Creek and Little 
 Colerado River, New Mexico. 
 
 This species occurs in New England only as a winter 
 visitor. It arrives from the North about the last of October, 
 and remains in swamps and sheltered thickets through the 
 winter, and until the first week in May. While with us, it 
 is gregarious, and often visits stubble-fields and gardens, 
 where it feeds upon the seeds of grasses and various weeds. 
 It has, at this season, a persistent twitter, which is uttered 
 by all the members of the flock at short intervals. Whether 
 it has any song in the breeding season or not, I am ignorant, 
 but judge that it has not. 
 
 It is not impossible that this bird sometimes breeds in 
 the most northern sections of these States ; but there is no 
 authenticated instance on record of its doing so. The bird 
 alluded to in the " Proceedings of the Boston Society of 
 Natural History" (vol. Y. p. 213) was undoubtedly the 
 Chipping Sparrow. 
 
 The Tree Sparrow breeds, according to Mr. Hutchins, 
 around the Hudson's Bay settlements. " Its nest is placed 
 in the herbage, is formed externally of mud and dry 
 grass, and lined with soft hair or down, probably from 
 plants, in the manner of the Yellow-bird." The eggs 
 are about five in number: they are of a light grayish-blue 
 color, and are marked with spots and blotches of two shades 
 of brown and red. To compare them with another species, 
 I would say that they almost exactly resemble small speci- 
 mens of the eggs of the common Song Sparrow. They are 
 
THE FIELD SPARROW. 319 
 
 ovate or ovoidal in form, and average about .73 by .56 inch 
 in dimensions. 
 
 SPIZELLA PUSILLA. Bonaparte. 
 The Field Sparrow. 
 
 Fringilla pusilla, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 121; Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 
 299. 
 
 Spizella pusilla, Bonaparte. List (1838). 
 
 Frinyilla juncwum, Nuttafl. Man., I. (1832) 499. II. (2d ed., 1840), 577. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill red; crown continuous rufous-red; back somewhat similar, streaked with 
 blackish; sides of head and neck (including a superciliary stripe) ashy; ear coverts 
 rufous; beneath white, tinged with yellowish anteriorly; tail feathers and quills 
 faintly edged with white ; two white bands across the wing coverts. 
 
 This species is about the size of S. socialis, but is more rufous above; lacks the 
 black forehead and eye-stripe ; has chestnut ears instead of ash ; has the bill red 
 instead of black; lacks the clear ash of the rump; has a longer tail, &c. It is 
 more like Monticola, but is much smaller; lacks the spot on the breast and the 
 predominance of white on the wings, &c. The young have the breast and sides 
 streaked. 
 
 Length, about five and seventy-five one hundredths inches; wing, two and thirty- 
 four one hundredths inches. 
 
 Hab. Eastern North America to the Missouri River. 
 
 This bird makes its appearance about the first week in 
 April, in Massachusetts, and soon scatters throughout New 
 England. It prefers dry bushy pastures and low open 
 woods, and is seldom found in the near vicinage of human 
 habitations. 
 
 The male sings during the season of incubation, and, 
 indeed, through nearly all the summer : mounted on a low 
 tree or fence-rail, he utters his pleasing yet plaintive ditty 
 at early morning and evening, and, in dark and cloudy 
 weather, through the whole day. The song is a tinkling 
 warble, something like the syllables, 'te 'de 'de 'de 'de 'de 'de 
 'd 'd 'd dr, uttered at first low, and rapidly increasing, and 
 then decreasing in tone to a faint chatter, something like the 
 twitter of the Chipping Sparrow. 
 
 About the middle of May, the first nest is built. It is con- 
 structed of stalks of dried grass and fine twigs, is loosely 
 put together, and placed usually on the ground beneath a 
 
320 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 bush, sometimes in a bush : it is lined with fine grass and 
 horsehairs. The eggs are usually four in number : they are 
 of a grayish-white color, with thinly scattered spots and 
 blotches of reddish-brown and lavender ; and their dimen- 
 sions vary from .72 by .52 to .70 by .50 inch. Two broods 
 are reared in the season. 
 
 Early in September, these birds collect in loose flocks, 
 when, they have all the habits and notes of the Tree Spar- 
 row. In October, they all leave New England for the 
 South. 
 
 SPIZELLA SOCIALIS. Bonaparte. 
 The Chipping Sparrow; Hair-bird. 
 
 Fringilla socially Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 127; Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 
 21; V. 517. 
 
 Spinites socialis, Cabanis. Mus. Hein. (1851), 133. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Rump, back of neck, and sides of neck and head, ashy ; interscapular region with 
 black streaks, margined with pale-rufous ; crown continuous and uniform chestnut ; 
 forehead black, separated in the middle by white ; a white streak over the eye, and 
 a black one from the base of the bill through and behind the eye ; under parts un- 
 spotted whitish, tinged with ashy, especially across the upper breast; tail feathers 
 and primaries edged with paler, not white ; two narrow white bands across the wing 
 coverts; bill black. 
 
 Length, five and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, nearly three inches. 
 
 Hob. North America, from Atlantic to Pacific. 
 
 This very common and well-known little species makes its 
 appearance in Massachusetts sometimes as early as the 15th 
 of March, 1 usually about the 1st of April, and spreads 
 throughout New England. The habits are so well known 
 that any description here is superfluous. 
 
 About the first week in May, the nest is built. It is 
 placed in an apple-tree in the orchard, or in a lilac-bush 
 under the windows of a dwelling-house ; and I found nests 
 in low juniper bushes in the deep woods in Maine. It is 
 
 1 I am indebted for the time of the arrival of this and of many other birds to 
 Mr. H. A. Purdie, of Boston, who has kindly furnished me with full and copious 
 notes and memoranda on the arrival of species, which are of value, having been con- 
 ducted for several years. 
 
THE SONG SPARROW. 321 
 
 constructed of fine twigs and roots and grasses, and is almost 
 invariably lined with horsehairs ; hence its name, in some 
 localities, of " Hair-bird," " Hair Sparrow." The eggs are 
 usually five in number. Their color is a bluish-green ; and 
 they are marked with spots and lines of black and obscure- 
 brown, which are thickest at the great end : some specimens 
 have these spots confluent into a sort of ring. The dimen- 
 sions vary from .74 by .50 to .70 by .48 inch. This species 
 is the most often chosen by the parasitic Cow-bird as a parent 
 for its young ; and many ornithologists account by this fact 
 for its persistent familiarity with man. 
 
 About the middle of October, the old and young birds 
 gather into small flocks, and proceed leisurely on the south- 
 ern migration. 
 
 MELOSPIZA, BAIRD. 
 
 Body stout; bill conical, very obsoletely notched or smooth, somewhat com- 
 pressed ; lower mandible not so deep as the upper ; commissure nearly straight ; gonys 
 a little curved; feet stout, not stretching beyond the tail; tarsus a little longer 
 than the middle toe; outer toe a little longer than the inner, its claw not quite 
 reaching to the base of the middle one; hind toe appreciably longer than the middle 
 one; wings quite short and rounded, scarcely reaching beyond the base of the tail; 
 the tertials considerably longer than the secondaries; the quills considerably gradu- 
 ated ; the fourth longest ; the first not longer than the tertials, and almost the short- 
 est of the primaries; tail moderately long, and considerably graduated; the feathers 
 oval at the tips ; crown and back similar in color and streaked ; beneath thickly 
 streaked; tail immaculate. 
 
 This genus differs from Zonotrickia in shorter, more graduated tail, rather longer 
 hind toe, much more rounded wing, which is shorter; the tertiaries longer; the first 
 quill almost the shortest, and not longer than the tertials. The under parts are 
 spotted ; the crown streaked and like the back. 
 
 MELOSPIZA MELODIA. Baird. 
 The Song Sparrow. 
 
 Fringilla melodia, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 125; Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 
 126; V. 507. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 General tint of upper parts rufous-brown, streaked with dark-brown and ashy- 
 gray ; the crown is rufous, with a superciliary and median stripe of dull-gray, the 
 former lighter; nearly white anteriorly, where it has a faint shade of yellow; each 
 feather of the crown with a narrow streak of dark-brown; interscapulars dark- 
 brown in the centre, then rufous, then grayish on the margin ; rump grayer than 
 
 21 
 
322 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 upper tail coverts, both with obsolete dark streaks; there is a whitish maxillary 
 'stripe, bordered above and below by one of dark rufous-brown, with a similar one 
 from behind the eye; the under parts are white; the breast and sides of body and 
 throat streaked with dark-rufous, with a still darker central line ; on the middle of 
 the breast, these marks are rather aggregated so as to form a spot; no distinct white 
 on tail or wings. 
 
 Specimens vary somewhat in having the streaks across the breast more or less 
 sparse; the spot more or less distinct. In autumn, the colors are more blended, the 
 light maxillary stripe tinged with yellowish, the edges of the dusk}' streaks suffused 
 witli brownish-rufous. 
 
 The voung bird has the upper parts paler, the streaks more distinct, the lines on 
 the head scarcely appreciable. The under parts are yellowish ; the streaks narrower 
 and more sharply defined dark-brown. 
 
 Length of male, six and fifty one-hundredth s inches; wing, two and fifty-eight 
 one-hundredths ; tail, three inches. 
 
 Hab. Eastern United States to the high central plains. 
 
 This beautiful songster is one of the most common and 
 well-known of our summer visitors. It arrives from about 
 the first week in March to the middle of that month. On 
 its first appearance, it prefers the low thickets and bushy 
 woods, where, at all hours of the day, it chants its beautiful 
 song. It is somewhat gregarious at this time, and is 
 usually found in flocks of half a dozen individuals. It soon 
 commences mating ; and, after a short season of courtship, 
 both birds begin building their first nest. This is about the 
 middle of April, sometimes earlier ; and I have found the 
 nest with eggs when there was an inch or two of snow on 
 the ground. The nest is usually built on the ground, some- 
 times in a low bush, and occasionally in low trees : it is 
 constructed of stalks and leaves, of grasses and weeds, and 
 is lined with softer grasses and fine weeds. The eggs are 
 four or five in number, and they are subject to great varia- 
 tions in form and markings : they exhibit all the changes 
 from grayish to bluish-white, with spots, thinly scattered, 
 of reddish-brown, to confluent blotches of umber-brown, 
 thickest at the greater end. Their dimensions vary from 
 .94 by .64 to .78 by. .62 inch. Four eggs in one nest 
 measure .94 by .64, .84 by .66, .80 by .58, .78 by .62. 
 inch. Two broods, and sometimes three, are reared in the 
 season. 
 
THE SWAMP SPARROW. 323 
 
 There lias been considerable discussion among ornitholo- 
 gists regarding this bird ; and many are of the belief, that, 
 from its irregular habits, there are two species found in 
 New England. I have examined with great care many 
 specimens, and have attentively observed their habits, and 
 think that it yet remains to be proved that we have more 
 than one species. Late in October, this species assembles in 
 small detached flocks, and leaves New England for its 
 southern home. 
 
 MELOSPIZA PALUSTRIS. Baird, 
 The Swamp Sparrow. 
 
 Fringilla palustris, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 49. Aud. Orn. Biog , I. 
 (1831) 331; V. 508. 
 
 Fringilla (Ammodromus) Georgiana, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 588. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Middle of the crown uniform chestnut; forehead black; superciliary streak, 
 sides of head and back and sides of neck, ash ; a brown stripe behind the eye ; back 
 broadly streaked with black; beneath whitish, tinged with ashy anteriorly, espe- 
 cially across the breast, and washed with yellowish-brown on the sides; a few obso- 
 lete streaks across the breast, which become distinct on its sides; wings and tail 
 strongly tinged with rufous; the tertials black, the rufous edgings changing 
 abruptly to white towards the end. 
 
 Female with the crown scarcely reddish streaked with black, and divided by a 
 light line. 
 
 In autumn the male of this species has the feathers of the crown each with a 
 black streak ; and the centre of the crown with an indistinct light stripe, materially 
 changing its appearance. 
 
 The forehead is usually more or less streaked with black. 
 
 Length, five and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and forty one- 
 hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States from the Atlantic to the Missouri. 
 
 This bird, although not rare, is not so common as the 
 preceding. It is about equally distributed throughout New 
 England, and breeds in all these States. It arrives from 
 the South about the first week in April in Massachusetts ; 
 in Maine, about a fortnight later. It prefers the swampy 
 localities to all others, and is seldom found at any distance 
 from such places. The nest is built about the 10th of May. 
 It is constructed of leaves of grass and fine hair-like roots, 
 
324 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 and lined with finer of the same : these are adjusted into a 
 loose fabric, and placed in or beneath a tussock of grass in 
 a swamp. I have known of instances of its being found 
 in a low barberry-bush ; but such cases are extremely rare, 
 and form exceptions to the rule. The eggs are four or five 
 in number : their color is a grayish-white, with sometimes a 
 bluish tint, and marked with thinly scattered spots of brown 
 over the entire surface, except a circle around the greater 
 end, where they are confluent, and hide the primary color. 
 Dimensions of a number in my cabinet vary from .80 
 by .58 to .76 by .54 inch. Two broods are reared in the 
 season. 
 
 Wilson, in describing the general habits of this species, 
 says, 
 
 "It is one of our summer visitants, arriving in Pennsylvania 
 early in April ; frequenting low grounds and river courses ; rearing 
 two, and sometimes three, broods in a season ; and returning to the 
 South as soon as the cold weather commences. The immense 
 cypress swamps and extensive grassy flats of the Southern States, 
 that border their numerous rivers, and the rich rice plantations, 
 abounding with their favorite seeds and sustenance, appear to 
 be the general winter resort and grand annual rendezvous of this 
 and all the other species of Sparrow that remain with us during 
 summer. From the river Trent in North Carolina to that of 
 Savannah, and still farther south, I found this species very numer- 
 ous ; not flying in flocks, but skulking among the canes, reeds, and 
 grass, seeming shy and timorous, and more attached to the water 
 than any other of their tribe. In the month of April, numbers 
 pass through Pennsylvania to the northward ; which I conjecture 
 from the circumstance of finding them at that season in particular 
 parts of the woods, where, during the rest of the year, they are 
 not to be seen. The few that remain frequent the swamps and 
 reedy borders of our creeks and rivers. They form their nest in 
 the ground, sometimes in a tussock of rank grass surrounded by 
 water, and lay four eggs, of a dirty- white, spotted with rufous. So 
 late as the 15th of August, I have seen them feeding their young 
 that were scarcely able to fly. Their principal food is grass seeds, 
 
THE FOX-COLORED SPARROW. 325 
 
 wild oats, and insects. They have no song ; are distinguished by a 
 single chip or cheep, uttered in a rather hoarser tone than that of 
 the Song Sparrow ; flirt the tail as they fly ; seldom or never take 
 to the trees, but skulk from one low bush or swampy thicket to 
 another." 
 
 Sub-Family PASSERELLINJE. The Buntings. 
 
 Toes and claws very stout; the lateral claws reaching beyond the middle of the 
 middle one; all very slightly curved. 
 
 Bill conical, the outlines straight; both mandibles equal; wings long, longer 
 than the even tail, reachjng nearly to the middle of its exposed portion; hind claw 
 longer than its digit; its toe nearly as long as the middle toe; tarsus longer than 
 the middle toe ; brown above, either uniformly so or faintly streaked ; triangular 
 spots below. 
 
 PASSERELLA, SWAINSON. 
 
 Passerella, SWAINSON, Class. Birds, II. (1837) 288. (Type Fringilla iliaca, 
 Merrem.) 
 
 Body stout; bill conical, not notched, the outlines straight; the two jaws of 
 equal depth ; roof of upper mandible deeply excavated, and vaulted, not knobbed ; 
 tarsus scarcely longer than the middle toe ; outer toe little longer than the inner, its 
 claw reaching to the middle of the central one; hind toe about equal to the inner 
 lateral ; the claws all long, and moderately curved only ; the posterior rather longer 
 than the middle, and equal to its toe; wings long, pointed, reaching to the middle 
 of the tail; the tertials not longer than secondaries; second and third quills longest; 
 first equal to the fifth; tail very nearly even, scarcely longer than the wing; inner 
 claw contained scarcely one and a half times in its toe proper. 
 
 Color. Rufous or slaty ; obsoletely streaked or uniform above ; thickly spotted 
 with triangular blotches beneath. 
 
 PASSEEELLA ILIACA. Swainson. 
 The Fox-colored Sparrow. 
 
 Fringilla iliaca, Audubon. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 58; V. 512. 
 Passerella iliaca, Swainson. Birds, II. (1837) 288. 
 Fringilla rufa, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 53. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Middle of the back dull-ash, each feather with a large blotch of brownish-red ; 
 top of head and neck, with rump, similar, but with smaller and more obsolete 
 blotches ; upper tail coverts, with exposed surface of wings and tail, bright-rufous ; 
 beneath white, with the upper part of the breast and sides of throat and body with 
 triangular spots of rufous, and a few smaller ones of blackish on the middle of the 
 
326 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 breast; inner edges of quills and tail feathers tinged with rufous-pink; no light lines 
 on the head, but a patch of rufous on the cheeks ; first quill rather less than the 
 fifth; hind toe about equal to its claw; sometimes the entire head above is reddish, 
 like the back. 
 
 Length, about seven and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, three and fifty one- 
 hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States to the Mississippi. 
 
 This beautiful Sparrow is very abundant in spring and 
 autumn in New England, arriving in spring early in March, 
 and departing for the North by the first week in April ; and 
 arriving in autumn from the North about the 10th of Octo- 
 ber, and departing for the South late in November. While 
 with us, it remains in low, moist thickets and woody pas- 
 tures ; and occasionally visits the stubble-fields and gardens, 
 where it busies itself in searching among the dead leaves 
 and weeds for its food of seeds and insects. It generally 
 has, while in New England, only a short, lisping note, occa- 
 sionally a pretty warble ; but it is said to have in its northern 
 home a beautiful song, that is excelled by that of hardly 
 any other species. Audubon, in describing the nest and 
 eggs, says, " The nest of the Fox-colored Sparrow, which 
 is large for the size of the bird, is usually placed on the 
 ground, among moss or tall grass, near the stem of a creep- 
 ing fir, the branches of which completely conceal it from 
 view. Its outside is loosely formed of dry grass and moss, 
 with a carefully disposed inner layer of finer grasses, circu- 
 larly arranged; and the lining consists of very delicate 
 fibrous roots, together with some feathers from different 
 species of water-fowls. The period at which the eggs are 
 laid is from the middle of June to the 5th of July. They 
 are proportionally large, four or five in number, rather 
 sharp at the smaller end, of a dull-greenish tint, sprinkled 
 with irregular small blotches of brown." Their dimensions 
 average about .86 by .62 inch. 
 
THE BLACK-THROATED BUNTING. 327 
 
 Sub-Family SPIZIN^E. 
 
 Bill variable, always large, much arched, and with the culmen considerably 
 curved ; sometimes of enormous size, and with a great development backwards of 
 the lower jaw, which is always appreciably, sometimes considerably, broader behind 
 than the upper jaw at its base; nostrils exposed; tail rather variable; bill generally 
 black or red ; wings shorter than in the first group ; gape almost always much more 
 strongly bristled ; few of the species sparrow-like or plain in appearance ; usually 
 blue, red, or black and white; seldom (or never?) streaked beneath. 
 
 EUSPIZA, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Euspiza, BONAPARTE, List (1838). (Type Emberiza Americana, Gm.) 
 Bill large and strong, swollen, and without any ridges; the lower mandible 
 nearly as high as the upper; as broad at the base as the length of the gonys, and 
 considerably broader than the upper mandible ; the edges much inflexed, and shut- 
 ting much within the upper mandible; the commissure considerably angulated at 
 the base, then decidedly sinuated ; the tarsus barely equal to the middle toe ; the 
 lateral toes nearly equal, not reaching to the base of the middle claw; the hind toe 
 about equal to the middle one without its claw ; the wings long and acute, reaching 
 nearly to the middle of the tail ; the tertials decidedly longer than the secondaries, 
 but much shorter than the primaries ; first quill longest, the others regularly gradu- 
 ated; tail considerably shorter than the wings, though moderately long, nearly even, 
 although slightly emarginate; the outer feathers scarcely shorter; middle of back 
 only striped; beneath without streaks. 
 
 EUSPIZA AMERICANA. Bonaparte. 
 The Black-throated Bunting. 
 
 Emberiza Americana, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 872. Wils. Am. Orn., III. 
 (1811) 86. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 579. 
 
 Euspiza Americana, Bonaparte. List (1838). (Type.) Jb., Consp. (1850), 469. 
 Euspina Americana, Cabanis. Mus. Hein. (1851), 133. (Type.) 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Sides of the head, and sides and back of the neck, ash ; crown tinged with 
 yellowish-green and faintly streaked with dusky; a superciliary and short maxillary 
 line, middle of the breast, axillaries, and edge of the wing, yellow; chin, loral 
 region, spots on sides of throat, belly, and under tail coverts white; a black patch 
 on the throat diminishing to the breast, and a spot on the upper part of the belly; 
 wing coverts chestnut; interscapular region streaked with black; rest of back 
 immaculate. 
 
 Female with the markings less distinctly indicated; the black of the breast 
 replaced by a black maxillary line and a streaked collar in the yellow of the upper 
 part of the breast. 
 
 Length, about six and seventjr one-hundredths inches; wing, three and fifty one- 
 hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. United States from the Atlantic to the border of the high central plains. 
 
328 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 This bird can be regarded only as an extremely rare 
 summer visitor in New England, Massachusetts apparently 
 being its extreme northern limit. I have heard of two 
 specimens being found in this State, and it is possible that 
 others may have occurred here. 
 
 The nest of this species is placed on the ground, usually 
 in a dry pasture or field, and most generally beneath a tuft 
 of grass or a small bush. It is loosely constructed of grass 
 and fine roots arranged circularly, and with a finer lining. 
 The eggs are four in number : they are of an ovoidal shape, 
 and are but little pointed. Their dimensions vary from .82 
 by .60 inch to .79 by .58 inch : their color is a delicate 
 greenish-blue, without spots or markings. 
 
 I have had no opportunities for observing the habits of 
 this bird, and can present nothing of value with relation to 
 them. 
 
 GUIRACA, SWAINSON. 
 
 Guiraca, SWAINSON, Zool. Jour., III. (Nov., 1827) 350. (Type Loxia ccerulea, L.) 
 Bill very large, nearly as high as long ; the culmen curved, with a rather sharp 
 ridge; the commissure conspicuously angulated just below the nostril, the posterior 
 leg of the angle nearly as long as the anterior, both nearly straight; lower jaw 
 deeper than the upper, and extending much behind the forehead; the width greater 
 than the length of the gonys, considerably wider than the upper jaw; a prominent 
 knob in the roof of the mouth; tarsi shorter than the middle toe; the outer toe a 
 little longer, reaching not quite to the base of the middle claw; hind toe rather 
 longer than to this base; wings long, reaching the middle of the tail; the seconda- 
 ries and tertials nearly equal; the second quill longest; the first less than the fourth; 
 tail very nearly even, shorter than the wings. 
 
 GUIRACA LUDOVICIANA. Swainson. 
 The Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 
 
 Loxia Ludwidana, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 306. Wils. Am. Orn., II. 
 (1810) 135. 
 
 Guiraca Ludoviciana, Swainson. Phil. Mag., I. (1827) 438. 
 Fringilla Ludovidana, Audubon. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 166; V. 513. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts generally, with head and neck all round, glossy black; a broad 
 crescent across the upper part of the breast, extending narrowly down to the belly, 
 axillaries, and under wing coverts, carmine; rest of under parts, rump, and upper tail 
 coverts, middle wing coverts, spots on the tertiaries and inner great wing coverts, 
 
GuosBKAK, Gufraca Iwloviciana. Swainson. 
 
THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 329 
 
 basal half of primaries and secondaries, and a large patch on the ends of the inner 
 webs of the outer three tail feathers, pure-white. 
 
 Female, without the white of quills, tail, and rump, and without any black or 
 red; above yellowish-brown streaked with darker; head with a central stripe above, 
 and a superciliary on each side, white; beneath dirty-white, streaked with brown on 
 the breast and sides ; under wing coverts and axillaries saffron- vel low. 
 
 In the male, the black feathers of the back and sides of the neck have a subter- 
 minal white bar: there are a few black spots on the sides of the breast just below 
 the red. 
 
 The young male of the year is like the female, except in having the axillaries, 
 under wing coverts, and a trace of a patch on the breast, light rose-red. 
 
 Th*e tint of carmin- on the under parts varies a good deal in different specimens. 
 
 Length, eight and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, four and fifteen one-hun- 
 dredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States to the Missouri plains, south to Guatemala. 
 
 This beautiful bird is a not very common summer inhabi- 
 tant of New England. It seems to be pretty generally dis- 
 tributed, but is in no locality plenty. It arrives about the 
 first week in May in the southern districts of these States, 
 and a fortnight later in the northern sections. It prefers 
 the neighborhood of a swamp, and is most often found in 
 low growths of birches and alders. The nest is placed 
 in low shrubs and trees, often in the barberry-bush and 
 alder, usually in the deep woods, sometimes in a pasture. 
 It is loosely constructed of twigs and roots, and lined with 
 grass and hair-like roots, and sometimes a few leaves. The 
 eggs are usually four in number, more often less than 
 more. Their ground-color is a greenish-blue : this is irregu- 
 larly covered with fine spots and dashes of umber-brown, 
 thickest at the greater end of the egg. Dimensions vary 
 from 1 by .74 to .90 by .70 inch. One brood only is reared 
 in the season in New England. I am aware that this 
 description differs from those which have been written of the 
 nest and eggs of this bird ; 1 but it is correct. I have had a 
 number of the eggs, and have seen several of the nests : 
 these were invariably of the above description, and differed 
 in no essential particular, though from various localities. 
 
 1 According to Bonaparte, its nest is concealed amidst the thick foliage of the 
 shady forest ; externally, it is composed of twigs, and lined with slender grass ; and 
 the eggs are four or five, white, spotted with brown. NUTTALL. 
 
330 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The habits of this bird are pretty well known. It is a 
 very fine songster, and is hardly excelled by any of our 
 other species ; its notes being uttered, not only through the 
 day, but also during the night, as I have heard on several 
 occasions. The song is difficult of description: it is a 
 sweet warble, with various emphatic passages, and some- 
 times a plaintive strain, exceedingly tender and affecting. 
 
 The Grosbeak feeds upon the seeds of the birches and 
 alders, which it obtains very expertly. It also is very fond 
 of various berries and buds, and it occasionally searches 
 among the fallen leaves for insects and worms. 
 
 After the young birds have become capable of providing 
 for themselves, the whole family sometimes visit the orchards 
 and gardens, where they eat a few berries and currants. 
 By the middle of September, they proceed leisurely on their 
 southern migration. 
 
 CYANOSPIZA, BAIKD. 
 
 Passerina, VIEILLOT, Analyse (1816). Not of Linnseus; used in Botany. 
 
 Cyanospiza, BAIRD. (Type Tanagra cyanea, L.) 
 
 Bill deep at the base, compressed ; the upper outline considerably curved ; the 
 commissure rather concave, with an obtuse, shallow lobe in the middle; gonys 
 slightly curved; feet moderate ; tarsus about equal to middle toe; the outer lateral 
 toe barely longer than the inner, its claw falling short of the base of the middle ; 
 hind toe about equal to the middle without claw; claws all much curved, acute; 
 wings long and pointed, reaching nearly to the middle of the tail ; the second and 
 third quills longest ; tail appreciably shorter than the wings, rather narrow, very 
 nearly even. 
 
 The species of this genus are all of very small size and of showy plumage, 
 usually blue, red, or green, in well-defined areas. 
 
 CYANOSPIZA CYANEA. Baird. 
 The Indigo-bird. 
 
 Tanagra cyanea, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 315. 
 
 Frinyilla cyanea. Wils., I. (1810) 100; Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 377; V. 503. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Blue, tinged with ultramarine on the head, throat, and middle of breast; 
 elsewhere with verdigris-green ; lores and anterior angle of chin velvet-black ; wing 
 feathers brown, edged externally with dull bluish-brown. 
 
THE INDIGO-BIRD. 331 
 
 Female. Brown above ; whitish, obscurely streaked or blotched with brownish- 
 yellow beneath ; immature males similar, variously blotched with blue. 
 
 Length, about five and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wing, nearly three 
 inches. 
 
 Hob. Eastern United States to the Missouri, south to Guatemala. 
 
 This beautiful species is pretty generally distributed 
 throughout New England as a summer visitor, and is rather 
 common in thickly settled districts. It arrives from the 
 south about the 10th of May, and soon mates and selects its 
 home for the ensuing summer. Says Nuttall, 
 
 " Though naturally shy, active, and suspicious, they still, at this 
 interesting period of procreation, resort chiefly to the precincts of 
 habitations, around which they are far more common than in the 
 solitary woods, seeking their borders, or the thickets by the sides of 
 the road ; but their favorite resort is the garden, where, from the 
 topmost bough of some tall tree, which commands the whole wide 
 landscape, the male regularly pours out his lively chant, and 
 continues it for a considerable length of time. Nor is this song 
 confined to the cool and animating dawn of morning; but it is 
 renewed and still more vigorous during the noonday heat of sum- 
 mer. This lively strain seems composed of a repetition of short 
 notes, commencing loud and rapid, and then, slowly falling, they 
 descend almost to a whisper, succeeded by a silent interval of about 
 half a minute, when the song is again continued as before. The 
 most common of these vocal expressions sounds like, tshe tshe 
 t s h e tshe tshee tshee tshe tshe tshe. The middle syllables are 
 uttered lispingly in a very peculiar manner, and the three last 
 gradually fall: sometimes it is varied and shortened into tshea 
 tshea tshea tshreh, the last sound being sometimes doubled. This 
 shorter song is usually uttered at the time that the female is 
 engaged in the cares of incubation, or as the brood already appear, 
 and when too great a display of his music might endanger the 
 retiring security of his family." 
 
 The Indigo-bird commences building about the last of 
 May. The nest is usually placed in low bushes, often 
 bramble and brier bushes, usually near houses and gar- 
 dens : it is constructed of coarse sedge grass, some withered 
 
332 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 leaves, and lined with fine stalks of the same and the slen- 
 der hair-like tops of the bent grass (agrostis), with a very 
 few cow-hairs, though sometimes they make a substantial 
 lining of hair. The eggs are four or five in number ; and 
 their color is a nearly pure white, sometimes with a bluish 
 tint. In a large number in my collection from L. E. Rick- 
 seeker, of Pennsylvania, a few have scattered blotches of 
 reddish-brown. Their size varies from .80 by .60 to .70 by 
 .52 inch. But one brood is reared in the season in New 
 England. 
 
 About the middle of September, the whole family leaves 
 New England, and winters in tropical America. 
 
 PIPILO, VlEILLOT. 
 
 Pipilo, VIEILLOT, Analyse (1816) Agassiz. (Type Fringilla erythrqphthalma, 
 Linn.) 
 
 Bill rather stout; the culmen gently curved, the gonys nearly straight; the com- 
 missure gently concave with a decided notch near the end; the lower jaw not so 
 deep as the upper, not as wide as the gonys is long, but wider than the base of the 
 upper mandible ; feet large, the tarsus as long or a little longer than the middle 
 toe ; the outer lateral toe a little the longer, and reaching a little beyond the base 
 of the middle claw ; the hind claw about equal to its toe ; the two together about 
 equal to the outer toe; claws all stout, compressed, and moderately curved; wings 
 reaching about to the end of the upper tail coverts ; short and rounded, though the 
 primaries are considerably longer than the nearly equal secondaries and tertials ; 
 the outer four quills are graduated ; the first considerably shorter than the second, 
 and about as long as the secondaries; tail considerably longer than the wings; 
 moderately graduated externally ; the feathers rather broad ; most rounded off on 
 the inner webs at the end. 
 
 The colors vary; the upper parts are generally uniform black or brown; the 
 under white or brown; no central streaks on the feathers. The hood sometimes 
 differently colored. 
 
 The essential characters of the genus are in the curved culmen and commissure ; 
 the strong feet ; the outer toe rather longer than the inner ; the wings rounded, but 
 the primaries decidedly longer than the others ; the outer four quills considerably 
 graduated, but the first usually not shorter than the secondaries. The graduated 
 tail longer than the wings. 
 
 PIPILO ERYTHROPHTHALMUS. Vieillot. 
 The Ground Robin ; Towhee ; Chewink. 
 
 Fringilla erythrophthalma, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 318; Aud. Orn. Biog., 
 I. (1832) 151; V. 511. 
 
THE GROUND ROBIN. 333 
 
 Emberiza erythrophthalma, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 874; Wils. Am. Orn., 
 VI. (1812) 90. 
 
 Pipillo eryihrophthalmus, Vieillot. Gal. Ois., I. (1824) 109. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts generally, head and neck all round, and upper part of the breast, 
 glossy black, abruptly defined against the pure white which extends to the anus, 
 but is bounded on the sides and under the wings by light-chestnut; under coverts 
 similar to sides, but paler; edges of outer six primaries with white at the base and 
 on the middle of the outer web; inner two tertiaries also edged externally with 
 white; tail feathers black; outer web of the first, with the ends of the first to the 
 third white, decreasing from the exterior one. Female with the black replaced by 
 brown ; iris red. 
 
 Length, eight and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three and seventy- 
 five one -huti dredths; tail, four and ten one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful and well-known species, although common 
 in "Massachusetts and the other southern New-England 
 States, is rare in the three northern. It begins to grow 
 scarce in the northern districts of Massachusetts ; and, before 
 we have passed twenty miles beyond its northern limits, it is 
 very rarely seen. It makes its appearance about the 20th 
 of April, the males preceding the females by a week or ten 
 days. As soon as the females arrive, the pairing season 
 commences. The male, perched on a low limb of a tree or 
 high bush, chants his pleasing song, sometimes for half an 
 hour at a time : this song resembles the syllables, tow-hSe 
 'die 'de 'de 'de 'de, uttered at first slowly and plaintively, and 
 quickly increased in volume and rapidity of utterance. He 
 has also a sort of quavering warble difficult of description. 
 If he is approached, he watches the intruder, and, after 
 ascertaining his business, utters his note tow-hSe, and pro- 
 ceeds his search among the fallen leaves for his favorite food 
 of worms, insects, and seeds, which he is almost continually 
 scratching for among the dead vegetation. 
 
 About the second week in May, the birds commence build- 
 ing. The locality usually chosen is in low, thick woods, 
 or in thickets of briers and bushes near streams of water, 
 in which places this species is most often found. The nest 
 is placed on the ground, usually beneath a bunch of grass, 
 
334 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 or in a pile of old brush and fagots : it is constructed of 
 fine twigs, leaves, and grasses, and is lined with fine leaves 
 of grasses, and sometimes a few hair-like roots. 
 
 The eggs are usually four in number. Their ground color 
 varies from grayish to reddish-white: this is covered, over 
 the entire surface, with fine dots and points of reddish- 
 brown : in some specimens these dots run into each other, 
 and from small blotches. The average dimensions of a 
 great number of specimens in my collection is about .94 by 
 .76 inch. When placed in a tray beside an equal number 
 of the eggs of the Brown Thrush, the eggs of this species 
 appear much paler, and with a more roseate tint ; otherwise, 
 except with regard to size, the two species resemble each 
 other much. 
 
 In New England, but one brood is usually reared in the 
 season. I have found nests with young in June and 
 August, but generally the first brood leaves the nest too late 
 for another to be brought out before the early frosts. 
 
 About the middle of October, the old birds and their 
 young, in small detached flocks, leave New England on 
 their southern migration. 
 
THE BOBOLINK. 335 
 
 FAMILY ICTERID^. 
 
 Primaries nine; tarsi scutellate anteriorly; plated behind; bill long, generally 
 equal to the head or longer, straight or gently curved, conical, without any notch, 
 the commissure bending downwards at an obtuse angle at the base ; gonys generally 
 more than half the culmen; basal joint of the middle toe free on the inner side, 
 united half-way on the outer ; tail rather long, rounded ; legs stout. 
 
 Sub-Family AGELAEINJE. The Starlings. 
 
 Bill stout, conical, and acutely pointed, not longer than the head ; the outlines 
 nearly straight, the tip not decurved; legs adapted for walking, longer than the 
 head ; claws not much curved ; tail moderate, shorter than the wings ; nearly even. . 
 
 DOLICHONYX, SWAINSON. 
 
 Dotichonyx, SWAINSON, Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 351. (Type Emberlza oryzivo- 
 ra, L.) 
 
 Bill short, stout, conical, little more than half the head ; the commissure slightly 
 sinuated; the culmen nearly straight; middle toe considerably longer than the tar- 
 sus (whicli is about as long as the head); the inner lateral toe longest, but not reach- 
 ing the base of the middle claw; wings long, first quill longest; tail feathers 
 acuminately pointed at the tip, with the shafts stiffened and rigid, as in the Wood- 
 peckers. 
 
 The peculiar characteristic of this species is found in the rigid scansorial tail and 
 the very long middle toe, by means of which it is enabled to grasp the vertical stems 
 of reeds or other slender plants. The color of the known species is black, varied 
 with whitish patches on the upper parts. 
 
 DOLICHONYX ORYZIVOEUS. Swainson. 
 The Bobolink; Reed-bird; Bice-bird. 
 
 Emberiza oryzivora, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 311. Wils. Am. Orn., II. 
 (1810) 48. 
 
 Dolichonyx oryzivora, Swainson. Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 351. 
 
 Icterus agripennis, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1824), No. 87. And. Orn. Biog., I. 
 (1831) 283; V. (1839) 486. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 185. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 General color of male in spring black; the nape brownish-cream color; a patch 
 on the side of the breast, the scapulars and rump white, shading into light ash on 
 the upper tail covers and the back below the interscapular region ; the outer prima- 
 ries sharply margined with yellowish-white, the tertials less abruptly; the tail 
 feathers margined at the tips with pale brownish-ash. In autumn similar to the 
 female. 
 
336 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 \Female, yellowish beneath; two stripes on the top of the head, and the upper 
 parts throughout, except the back of the neck and rump, and including all the wing 
 feathers generally, dark-brown, all edged with brownish-yellow; which becomes 
 whiter nearer the tips of the quills; the sides sparsely streaked with dark-brown, 
 and a similar stripe behind the eye; there is a superciliary and a median band of 
 yellow on the head. 
 
 Length of male, seven and seventy one-hundredths inches; wing, three and 
 eighty-three one-hundredths; tail, three and fifteen one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob, Eastern United States to the high central plains. Seen fifty miles east 
 of Laramie. 
 
 THIS very common and well-known bird is abundantly 
 scattered throughout southern New England as a sum- 
 mer visitor j and is not rare in most of the northern sections. 
 It seldom arrives before the 10th of May, when the males 
 precede the females about a week, and the nest is not built 
 before the last of that month. It is placed on the ground, 
 usually beneath a tussock of grass in a field or meadow, 
 and is very ingeniously and most often successfully con- 
 cealed : it is constructed of grasses, which are so loosely 
 arranged as to be hardly worth the dignity of the name of 
 nest. The eggs are usually four in number : they vary in 
 color from a light-brown with obscure spots of darker 
 brown, to a dirty-gray color with bold blotches of brownish- 
 black. Dimensions vary from .90 by .65 to .86 by .62 inch. 
 But one brood is reared in the season. This bird is no 
 great favorite in the southern portions of the United States, 
 because of its habit of visiting the rice-fields in immense 
 numbers, and devouring and destroying great quantities of 
 that grain ; but in New England it is a general favorite. Its 
 food while here consists of " all kinds of insects and worms," 
 u the various kinds of grass seeds," " crickets and grass- 
 hoppers, as well as beetles and spiders." 
 
 The following interesting description of the general 
 habits of this species is given by Alexander Wilson : 
 
 "The winter residence of this species I suppose to be from 
 Mexico to the mouth of the Amazon, from whence, in hosts innu- 
 merable, they regularly issue every spring, perhaps to both hemi- 
 spheres ; extending their migrations northerly as far as the banks of 
 
BOBOLINK, Reed-bird, Dolichonyjr oryzivorus. Swainson. 
 
THE BOBOLINK. 337 
 
 the Illinois and the shores of the St. Lawrence. Could the fact 
 be ascertained, which has been asserted by some writers, that the 
 emigration of these birds was altogether unknown in this part of 
 the continent, previous to the introduction of rice plantations, it 
 would certainly be interesting. Yet why should these migrations 
 reach at least a thousand miles beyond those places where rice is 
 now planted ; and this, not in occasional excursions, but regularly 
 to breed, and rear their young, where rice never was, and probably 
 never will be, cultivated ? Their so-recent arrival on this part of 
 the continent, I believe to be altogether imaginary ; because, though 
 there were not a single grain of rice cultivated within the United 
 States, the country produces an exuberance of food of which they 
 are no less fond. Insects of various kinds, grubs, May-flies, and 
 caterpillars ; the young ears of Indian corn and the seed of the 
 wild oats, or, as it is called in Pennsylvania, reeds (the Zizania 
 aquatica of Linnaeus), which grows in prodigious abundance along 
 the marshy shores of our large rivers, furnish, not only them, but 
 millions of Rail, with a delicious subsistence for several weeks. I 
 do not doubt, however, that the introduction of rice, but more par- 
 ticularly the progress of agriculture, in this part of America, has 
 greatly increased their numbers, by multiplying their sources of 
 subsistence fifty-fold within the same extent of country. 
 
 " In the month of April, or very early in May, the Rice Bunt- 
 ings, male and female, arrive within the southern boundaries of the 
 United States ; and are seen around the town of Savannah, in 
 Georgia, about the 4th of May, sometimes in separate parties of 
 males and females, but more generally promiscuously. They 
 remain there but a short time; and, about the 12th of May, make 
 their appearance in the lower parts of Pennsylvania, as they did at 
 Savannah. While here, the males are extremely gay and full of 
 song, frequenting meadows, newly ploughed fields, sides of creeks, 
 rivers, and watery places ; feeding on May-flies and caterpillars, of 
 which they destroy great quantities. In their passage, however, 
 through Virginia at this season, they do great damage to the early 
 wheat and barley, while in its milky state. About the 20th of 
 May, they disappear, on their way to the North. Nearly at the 
 same time, they arrive in the State of New York, spread over 
 the whole New-England States, as far as the River St. Lawrence, 
 
 22 
 
338 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 from Lake Ontario to the sea ; in all of which places, north of 
 Pennsylvania, they remain during the summer, building, and rear- 
 ing their young. The nest is fixed in the ground, generally in a 
 field of grass : the outside is composed of dry leaves and coarse 
 grass ; the inside is lined with fine stalks of the same, laid in con- 
 siderable quantity. The female lays five eggs of a bluish-white, 
 marked with numerous irregular spots of blackish-brown. The 
 song of the male, while the female is sitting, is singular, and very 
 agreeable. Mounting and hovering on wing at a small height 
 above the field, he chants out such a jingling medley of short, 
 variable notes, uttered with such seeming confusion and rapidity, 
 and continued for a considerable time, that it appears as if half a 
 dozen birds of different kinds were all singing together. Some 
 idea may be formed of this song by striking the high keys of a 
 piano-forte at random singly and quickly, making as many sudden 
 contrasts of high and low notes as possible. Many of the tones 
 are, in themselves, charming ; but they succeed each other so rap- 
 idly that the ear can hardly separate them. Nevertheless, the 
 general effect is good ; and, when ten or twelve are all singing on 
 the same tree, the concert is singularly pleasing. I kept one of 
 these birds for a long time, to observe its change of color. During 
 the whole of April, May, and June, it sang almost continually. 
 In the month of June, the color of the male begins to change, 
 gradually assimilating to that of the female ; and, before the 
 beginning of August, it is difficult to distinguish the one from 
 the other. At this time, also, the young birds are so much like 
 the female, or rather like both parents, and the mates so different 
 in appearance from what they were in spring, that thousands of 
 people in Pennsylvania, to this day, persist in believing them to 
 be a different species altogether ; while others allow them, indeed, 
 to be the same, but confidently assert that they are all females, 
 none but females, according to them, returning in the fall : what 
 becomes of the males they are totally at a loss to conceive. Even 
 Mr. Mark Catesby, who resided for years in the country they 
 inhabit, and who, as he himself informs us, examined, by dissec- 
 tion, great numbers of them in the fall, and repeated his experi- 
 ment the succeeding year, lest he should have been mistaken, 
 declares that he uniformly found them to be females. These 
 
THE COW BLACKBIRD. 339 
 
 assertions must appear odd to the inhabitants of the Eastern 
 States, to whom the change of plumage in these birds is familiar, 
 as it passes immediately under their eye ; and also to those who, 
 like myself, have kept them in cages, and witnessed their gradual 
 change of color." 
 
 About the first week in August, the old and young birds 
 collect in large flocks ; and, early in September, they all 
 depart for the South. 
 
 MOLOTHRUS, SWAINSON. 
 
 Molothrus, SWAINSON, F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 277. (Type Fringitta pecoris, Gm.) 
 Bill short, stout, about two-thirds the length of head; the commissure straight; 
 ctilmen and gonys slightly curved, convex, the former broad, rounded, convex, and 
 running back on the head in a point ; lateral toes nearly equal, reaching the base of 
 the middle one, which is shorter than the tarsus; claws rather small; tail nearly 
 even; wings long, pointed, the first quill longest. 
 
 MOLOTHRUS PECORIS. Swainson. 
 The Cow Blackbird; Cowbird. 
 
 Fringitta pecoris, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 910. 
 Emberiza pecoris, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 145. 
 
 Icterus pecoris, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1824), No. 88. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 
 493; V. (1839) 233, 490. 
 
 Icterus (emberizoides] pecoris, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 178; 2d ed., 190. 
 Molothrus pecoris, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 277. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Second quill longest; first scarcely shorter; tail nearly even, or very slightly 
 rounded; male with the head, neck, and anterior half of the breast, light chocolate- 
 brown, rather lighter above; rest of body lustrous-black, with a violet-purple gloss, 
 next to the brown, of steel-blue on the back, and of green elsewhere. Female, light 
 olivaceous-brown all over, lighter on the head and beneath ; bill and feet black. 
 
 The young bird of the year is brown above, brownish- white beneath; the throat 
 immaculate; a maxillary stripe and obscure streaks thickl}" crowded across the 
 whole breast and sides ; there is a faint indication of a pale superciliary stripe ; 
 the feathers of the upper parts are all margined with paler ; there are also indications 
 of the light bands on the wings; these markings are all obscure, but perfectly appre- 
 ciable, and their existence in adult birds may be considered as embryonic, and show- 
 ing an inferiority in degree to the species with the under parts perfectly plain. 
 
 Length, eight inches ; wing, four and forty-two one-hundredths inches ; tail, three 
 and forty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. United States from the Atlantic to California : not found immediately on 
 the coast of the Pacific. 
 
340 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Tliis common and well-known bird is abundantly dis- 
 tributed throughout New England as a summer visi- 
 tor. It makes its first appearance about the middle of 
 March in Massachusetts, and, instead of mating and sep- 
 arating into pairs, remains in small flocks through the 
 summer. 
 
 At all times, the males and females congregate together 
 and visit the fields and pastures, (where they destroy num- 
 bers of insects, principally Orthoptera), and are usually in 
 greatest numbers where droves of cattle are assembled. 
 The male, in spring and early summer, has a guttural song, 
 which he utters from a tall tree, sometimes an hour at a 
 time. This song resembles the syllables ^cluk 'seee. When 
 he emits this note, he bristles out the feathers of his neck, 
 and spreads his tail, and seems to swell out his body with 
 the effort to produce an agreeable tone. 
 
 When the desire for laying is awakened in the female, 
 instead of building a nest of her own, she seeks the tene- 
 ment of some other bird, usually a smaller species than 
 herself; and, watching an opportunity when the other bird 
 has left it, she drops an egg in it, and leaves it to the tender 
 mercies of the owner of the nest. The birds most often 
 chosen for this purpose are the Vireos, Warblers, and Spar- 
 rows : sometimes the Small Thrushes are thus imposed upon, 
 and rarely the Wrens. 
 
 Some birds build over the stranger egg a new nest. I 
 have in my collection a nest of the Yellow Warbler thus 
 doubled, and another of the Goldfinch. Sometimes the 
 nest is abandoned, particularly if the owner has no eggs of 
 her own ; but usually the intruding egg is hatched, and the 
 young bird attended with all the care given to the legitimate 
 young. The eggs of this species are of a grayish-white, 
 with fine spots of brown over the entire surface. Their 
 dimensions vary from .96 by .70 to .80 by .62 inch : some 
 specimens are marked with very minute reddish dots, which 
 are scattered over the entire surface ; others have bold 
 
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, Agelaius phceniceus. Vieillot. 
 
THE SWAMP BLACKBIRD. 341 
 
 dashes and confluent blotches of brown, thickest at the 
 greater end. 1 
 
 By the last week in October, the young and old birds 
 assemble in large flocks, and leave for -the South. 
 
 AGELAIUS, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Agelaius, VIEILLOT, "Analyse, 1816." (Type Oriolus Phoeniceus, L.) 
 First quill shorter than second ; claws short ; the outer lateral scarcely reaching 
 the base of the middle; culmen depressed at base, parting the frontal feathers; 
 length equal to that of the head, shorter than tarsus ; both mandibles of equal thick- 
 ness and acute at tip, the edges much curved, the culmen, gonys, and commissure 
 nearly straight or slightly sinuated; the length of bill about twice its height; tail 
 moderately rounded, or very slightly graduated ; wings pointed, reaching to end of 
 lower tail coverts ; colors black, with red shoulders in North-American species. 
 
 The nostrils are small, oblong, overhung by a membranous scale ; the bill is 
 higher than broad at the base; there is no division between the anterior tarsal 
 scutellae and the single plate on the outside of the tarsus. 
 
 AGELAIUS PHCENICEUS. Vidllot. 
 The Swamp Blackbird; Red-wing Blackbird. 
 
 Oriolus Phoeniceus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 161. 
 Agelaius Phoeniceus, Vieillot. Anal. (1816). 
 
 Icterus Phoeniceus, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 348; V. (1839) 487. 
 Icterus (Xanthornus Phoeniceus), Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 52. Nutt. Man., I. 
 (1832) 167. 
 
 Sturnus prcedatorius, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 30. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail much rounded ; the lateral feathers about half an inch shorter ; fourth quill 
 longest; first about as long as the fifth; bill large, stout; half as high, or more than 
 half as high as long. 
 
 Male. General color uniform lustrous velvet-black, with a greenish reflection ; 
 shoulders and lesser wing coverts of a bright-crimson or vermilion-red ; middle 
 coverts brownish-yellow, and usually paler towards the tips. 
 
 1 By an amusing yet incomprehensible mistake of the printer, the subjoined 
 description of eggs, &c., was annexed to this species, in an article published in the 
 " Report of the U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1864," p. 426. It belongs to 
 the Chewink or Ground Robin, page 425 of that volume: "Their form varies from 
 elongated oval to nearly spherical. The dimensions of a nest complement of four 
 eggs, collected in Quincy, Mass., are 1 by .74 inch, .96 by .72 inch, .90 by .70 inch, 
 .90 by .68 inch : other specimens do not vary materially from these measurements. 
 But one brood is usually reared in the season. This bird, although subsisting prin- 
 cipally on various seeds and small fruits, destroys great numbers of insects, particu- 
 larly in the breeding season : in fact, its young are fed entirely on insects and their 
 larvae, and the well-known wire- worms." 
 
342 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Female. Brown above, the feathers edged or streaked with rufous-brown and 
 yellowish ; beneath white, streaked with brown ; forepart of throat, superciliary, and 
 median stripe strongly tinged with brownish-yellow. 
 
 The female differs greatly in appearance ; the prevailing color above is brownish- 
 black, all the feathers margined with reddish-brown; some of those on the back 
 with brownish-yellow, which, on the median and greater wing coverts, forms two 
 bands; the under parts are dull-whitish, each feather broadly streaked centrally with 
 dark-brown ; the chin and throat yellowish, and but little streaked ; there is a dis- 
 tinct whitish superciliary streak alongside the head, tinged anteriorly with brownish- 
 yellow, and another less distinct in the median line of the crown ; there is usually 
 no indication of any red on th wing ; the immature males exhibit every possible 
 condition of coloration between that of the old male and of the female. 
 
 Length of male, nine and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, five inches ; tail, 
 four and fifteen one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This common and well-known species makes its appear- 
 ance about the middle of March. It arrives in small flocks, 
 the males preceding the females a week or ten days. On 
 its arrival, it frequents the meadows and swamps, where, 
 from early dawn to twilight, its song of quonk a ree is 
 heard, sometimes uttered by a half-dozen birds at a time. 
 As soon as the females arrive, the birds mate, and disperse 
 through these States, but not so abundantly in the northern 
 as in the southern districts. It commences building about 
 the first week in May. The nest is usually placed in a 
 tussock of grass or low bush in a meadow and swamp : it 
 is constructed of coarse grasses, which are woven and 
 intwined into a strong fabric, into which are incorporated 
 the grass to which it is suspended, or the twigs of the bush 
 in which it is built. It is deeply hollowed, and lined with 
 fine grasses, and sometimes a few hair-like roots. The eggs 
 are four or five in number ; and they vary, in color, two or 
 three shades of light-blue : they are marked with spots and 
 streaks of vandyke-brown and black, generally distributed 
 thickest at the greater end. Their dimensions vary from 
 1.05 by .75 inch to .90 by .66 inch. Average size about 
 .97 by .70 inch. 
 
 Sometimes several pairs breed in the same swamp or 
 meadow : they always fly to meet an intruder in their 
 haunts, and hover over him, uttering their cries of anger 
 
THE MEADOW-LARK. 343 
 
 and complaint ; and, as the alarm passes along the country, 
 sometimes as many as a dozen or twenty birds are hovering 
 over him, scolding vociferously. 
 
 Two broods are usually reared in the season : as soon as 
 the last brood leaves the nest, the whole family joins with 
 its neighbors into a flock of sometimes a hundred or hun- 
 dred and fifty or more. They then visit the grain-fields, and 
 inflict considerable damage by eating and destroying the 
 grain. In many localities, they are so numerous at this 
 season, that they are a serious nuisance ; and the farmers 
 destroy great numbers of them with poison and with the 
 gun. 
 
 Localities in the neighborhood of the seaboard are thus 
 afflicted more than others ; and I have seen flocks of these 
 birds in Plymouth County, Mass., containing as many as a 
 thousand individuals. 
 
 About the last of October, they depart on their southern 
 migration. 
 
 STURNELLA, VIEILLOT 
 
 Sturnella, VIEILLOT, Analyse (1816). (Type Alauda magna, L.) 
 Body thick, stout; legs large, toes reaching beyond the tail; tail short, even, 
 with narrow acuminate feathers ; bill slender, elongated ; length about three times 
 the height; commissure straight from the basal angle; culmen flattened basally, 
 extending backwards, and parting the frontal feathers; longer than the head, but 
 shorter than tarsus; nostrils linear, covered by an incumbent membranous sca.le; 
 inner lateral toe longer than the outer, but not reaching to basal joint of middle: 
 hind toe a little shorter than the middle, which is equal to the tarsus; hind claw- 
 nearly twice as long as the middle; feathers of head stiffened and bristly; the 
 shafts of those above extended into a black seta; tertiaries nearly equal to the 
 primaries; feathers above all transversely banded; beneath yellow, with a black 
 pectoral crescent. 
 
 STUENELLA MAGNA. Swainson. 
 The Meadow-lark; Old Field-lark. 
 
 Alauda magna, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1758) 167, 10th ed. (based on Alauda 
 magna, Catesby, tab. 33). Wils. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 20. 
 Sturnella magna, Swainson. Phil. Mag., I. (1827) 438. 
 Sturnus Ludovicianus, Audubon. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 216; V. (1839) 492. 
 Sturnella Ludoviciana, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 147. 
 
344 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The feathers above dark-brown, margined with brownish-white, and with a ter- 
 minal blotch of pale reddish-brown ; exposed portions of wings and tail with trans- 
 verse dark-brown bars, which on the middle tail feathers are confluent along the 
 shaft; beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent, the yellow not extending on 
 the side of the maxilla ; sides, crissum, and tibiae pale reddish-brown, streaked with 
 blackish ; a light median and superciliary stripe, the latter yellow anterior to the 
 eye; a black line behind. 
 
 Length, ten and sixty one-hundredth s inches; wing, five; tail, three and seventy 
 one-hundredths inches ; bill above, one and thirty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful and well-known bird is a common summer 
 inhabitant of the three southern New-England States, and 
 is not rare in the others. In mild winter, it remains through 
 
 the year ; but generally leaves for the South late in the 
 fall, and returns about the " second or third week in 
 March." It commences building about the second week 
 in May, sometimes earlier: the locality is generally in a 
 meadow or low field. The nest is usually built in a tussock 
 of grass : it " is pretty compact, made of dry, wiry grass, 
 to which a hidden and almost winding path is made, and 
 generally so well concealed that the nest is only to be found 
 when the bird is flushed." NUTTALL. 
 
 A number of nests that I have examined agree with this 
 description : all were beneath bunches of grass ; and, though 
 
THE MEADOW-LARK. 345 
 
 some were only partly covered, still there was a decided 
 roof to all. The eggs are usually four in number: their 
 color is generally nearly pure-white, sometimes reddish- 
 white, with fine spots of reddish-brown diffused over the 
 entire surface of some specimens ; on others, thinly scat- 
 tered spots, blotches of two or three shades of brown and 
 lilac. Their dimensions vary from 1.10 by .85 to 1 by .78 
 inch. Their form is usually a rounded oval. 
 
 A rather peculiar specimen, kindly presented me by 
 Mr. J. P. Norris, of Philadelphia, is nearly spherical in 
 form, rosy-white in color, with exceedingly minute dots of 
 reddish. Size, 1.05 by .90 inch. Nuttall says of the food 
 of this species, 
 
 " Their food consists of the larvae of various insects, as well as 
 worms, beetles, and grass seeds, to assist the digestion of which 
 they swallow a considerable portion of gravel. It does not appear 
 that this species ever adds berries or fruits of any kind to his fare, 
 like the Starling, but usually remains the whole summer in moist 
 meadows ; and in winter retires to the open, grassy woods, having 
 no inclination to rob the orchard or garden ; and, except in winter, 
 is of a shy, timid, and retiring disposition." 
 
 But one brood is reared in the season. 
 
 In the autumn, the Larks collect in small flocks of ten or 
 a dozen, which visit the marshes and stubble-fields in their 
 neighborhood. Their note at this season, as in other periods 
 of the year, is nothing but a shrill, prolonged, plaintive 
 whistle. Usually one bird of a flock is perched on a tree 
 or fence-post as a sentinel ; and, the moment a gunner 
 approaches, the bird gives his alarm, and the flock is 011 the 
 qui vive. They are so shy that it is extremely difficult to 
 approach them ; and, when shot at, they are secured only by 
 guns of long range. Their flight is a peculiar hovering 
 one, the wings moving in short, almost imperceptible, 
 vibrations. 
 
346 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Sub-Family ICTERIN^E. The Opioles. 
 
 Bill slender, elongated, as long as the head, generally a little decurved, and very 
 acute; tarsi not longer than the middle toe, nor than the head; claws short, much 
 curved ; outer lateral toe a little longer than the inner, reaching a little beyond base 
 of middle toe; feet adapted for perching; tail rounded or graduated; prevailing 
 colors yellow or orange, and black. 
 
 ICTERUS SPURIUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Orchard Oriole. 
 
 Oridus spurius, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 162. 
 
 Icterus spurius, Bonaparte. Obs. on Norn. Wils. (1825), No. 44. Aud. Orn. 
 Biog., I. (1831; 221; V. 485. 
 
 Oriolus mutatus, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 64. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill slender, attenuated, considerably decurved ; tail moderately graduated. 
 
 Male. Head and neck all round, wings, and interscapular region of back, with 
 tail feathers, black; rest of under parts, lower part of back to tail, and lesser upper 
 wing coverts, with ^ie lower one, brownish-chestnut; a narrow line across the wing, 
 and the extreme outer edges of quills, white. 
 
 Female. Uniform greenish-yellow beneath, olivaceous above, and browner in 
 the middle of the back; two white bands on the wings. Young male like the female, 
 with a broad black patch from the bill to the upper part of the breast; this color 
 extending along the base of the bill so as to involve the eye and all anterior to it to 
 the base of the bill. 
 
 In this species the bill is slender, attenuated, and a good deal decurved to the 
 tip. The second and third quills are longest; the first intermediate between 
 the fourth and fifth. The tail is rather long ; the feathers moderately graduated, the 
 greatest difference in length amounting to half an inch. 
 
 The black of the throat extends backwards as far as the bend of the wing, and 
 ends as an obtuse angle. The tail feathers are entirely black, with dull whitish tips 
 when not fully mature. 
 
 Specimens are found in all stages between the characters given above. When 
 nearly mature, some yellowish feathers are found mixed in with the chestnut ones. 
 
 Length of specimens, seven and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three 
 and twenty-five one-huudredths inches. 
 
 This bird is racier rare in New England, and is confined 
 to the southern districts as a summer visitor. It arrives 
 about the second week in May, and commences building 
 about the first week in June. The nest is usually placed in 
 a forked branch of a tree in the orchard, seldom more than 
 twenty feet from the ground. It is constructed of different 
 

 ORCHARD ORIOLE, Icterus spurius. Bonaparte. 
 
THE ORCHARD ORIOLE. 347 
 
 grasses, which are woven together very neatly and com- 
 pactly : the whole is lined with fine grass, and sometimes a 
 few horsehairs. It is not pensile, but is built on the branch. 
 The eggs are four or five in number : their color varies from 
 a light-blue to a fleshy tint, which is marked with irregu- 
 lar spots and lines of obscure lavender, over which are bold 
 spots and blotches of black and brown. The dimensions 
 vary from .86 to .56 by .54 inch. But one brood is reared 
 in the season. 
 
 Nuttall, in describing the habits of this species, says, 
 
 " The Orchard Oriole is an exceedingly active, sprightly, and 
 restless bird : in- the same instant almost, he is on the ground after 
 some fallen insect ; fluttering amidst the foliage of the trees, prying 
 and springing after his lurking prey ; or flying, and tuning his lively 
 notes in a manner so hurried, rapid, and seemingly confused, that 
 the ear is scarce able to thread out the shrill and lively syllables 
 of his agitated ditty. Between these hurried attempts, he also 
 gives others, which are distinct and agreeable ; but still his tones 
 are neither so full nor so mellow as those of the brilliant and gay 
 Baltimore." 
 
 After a description of the nest and eggs, he continues : 
 
 "The female sits about fourteen days, and the young continue 
 in the nest ten (?) days before they become qualified to flit along 
 with their parents ; but they are generally seen abroad about the 
 middle of June. Previously to their departure, the young, leaving 
 the care of their parents, become gregarious, and assemble some- 
 times in flocks of separate sexes, from thirty to forty upwards ; in 
 the South, frequenting the savannahs, feeding much on crickets, 
 grasshoppers, and spiders. According to Audubon, they sing with 
 great liveliness in cages, being fed on rice and dry fruits, when 
 fresh cannot be procured. Their ordinary diet, it appears, is cater- 
 pillars and insects, of which they destroy great quantities. In the 
 course of the season, they likewise feed on various kinds of juicy 
 fruits and berries ; but their depredations on the fruits of the orchard 
 are very unimportant." 
 
348 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 None of this species are to be found in New England after 
 the 1st of September : they leave in small, scattered flocks, 
 consisting of the old and young birds of a family. 
 
 ICTERUS BALTIMORE. Daudin. 
 The Baltimore Oriole; Golden Robin; Hang-nest. 
 
 Oriolus Baltimore, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 162. Wils. Am. Orn., I. 
 (1808) 23. 
 
 " Icterus Baltimore, Daudin." Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 66; V. (1839) 278. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail nearly even ; head all round and to middle of back, scapulars, wings, and 
 upper surface of tail, black ; rest of under parts, rump, upper tail coverts, and lesser 
 wing coverts, with terminal portion of tail feathers (except two innermost), orange- 
 red; edges of wing quills, with a band across the tips of the greater coverts, 
 white. 
 
 The female is much less brilliant in color; the black of the head and back gene- 
 rally replaced by brownish-yellow, purer on the throat; each feather with a black 
 spot. 
 
 Length, seven and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, three and seventy-five 
 one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This wellrknown species is abundantly distributed through- 
 out New England as a summer visitor. It makes its appear- 
 ance about the 1st of May in Massachusetts, and about the 
 
 middle of that month 
 in Maine, in the north- 
 ern districts. It com- 
 mences building about 
 the 20th of May. The 
 nest is usually fixed 
 in an elm-tree near 
 houses, or in an apple 
 or pear tree in the or- 
 chard. Nuttall's de- 
 scription of the nest 
 is the best that I have ever seen, and much better than 
 any I could make : although somewhat lengthy, I give it 
 entire : 
 
THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 349 
 
 
 
 " There is nothing more remarkable in the whole instinct of our 
 Golden Robin than the ingenuity displayed in the fabrication of its 
 nest, which is, in fact, a pendulous, cylindric pouch of five to seven 
 inches in depth, usually suspended from near the extremities of the 
 high drooping branches of trees (such as the elm, the pear, or apple 
 tree, wild cherry, weeping willow, tulip-tree, or buttonwood). It 
 is begun by firmly fastening natural strings of the flax of the silk- 
 weed, or swamp hollyhock, or stout artificial threads, around two or 
 more forked twigs, corresponding to the intended width and depth 
 of the nest. With the same materials, willow-down, or any acci- 
 dental ravellings, strings, thread, sewing-silk, tow, or wool, that may 
 be lying near the neighboring houses, or around grafts of trees, they 
 interweave and fabricate a sort of coarse cloth into the form in- 
 tended, towards the bottom of which they place the real nest, made 
 chiefly of lint, wiry grass, horse and cow hair : sometimes, in defect 
 of hair, lining the interior with a mixture of slender strips of 
 smooth vine-bark, and rarely with a few feathers ; the whole being 
 of a considerable thickness, and more or less attached to the exter- 
 nal pouch. Over the top, the leaves, as they grow out, form a 
 verdant and agreeable canopy, defending the young from the sun 
 and rain. There is sometimes a considerable difference in the 
 manufacture of these nests, as well as in the materials which enter 
 into their composition. Both sexes seem to be equally adepts at 
 this sort of labor; and I have seen the female alone perform the 
 whole without any assistance, and the male also complete this 
 laborious task nearly without the aid of his consort, who, however, 
 in general, is the principal worker." 
 
 The eggs are four or five in number. They are of a flesh- 
 color, with sometimes a bluish tint : they are marked with 
 obscure lines of lavender, over which are irregular scratches 
 and lines, as if done with a pen, of van dyke-brown and 
 black. Their dimensions vary from 1 by .72 to .88 by .66 
 inch. The food of this bird, and also of the preceding 
 species, consists of caterpillars and other injurious insects : 
 great numbers of the hairy caterpillars are destroyed ; and 
 sometimes a large nest of the apple-tree caterpillars is de- 
 populated in a few days. The Orioles are certainly, there- 
 
350 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 fore, worthy the highest consideration and protection from 
 the farmer. 
 
 The familiarity of this bird with man, and its sociable and 
 genial disposition, are so well known that any description 
 of its habits here is unnecessary. About the middle of 
 September, after forming into small detached flocks, this 
 species leaves New England on its southern migration. 
 
 Sub-Family QUISCALIN^E. The Blackbirds. 
 
 Bill rather attenuated, as long or longer than the head ; the culmen curved, the 
 tip much bent down ; the cutting edges inflected, so as to impart a somewhat tubular 
 appearance to each mandible 1 ; the commissure sinuated; tail longer than the wings, 
 usually much graduated; legs longer than the head, fitted for walking. 
 
 The bill of the Quiscalince is very different from that of the other Icteridx, and is 
 readily recognized by the tendency to a rounding inward along the cutting edges, 
 rendering the width in a cross section of the bill considerably less along the commis- 
 sure than above or below. The culmen is more curved than in the Agelairue. 
 
 The only genera in the United States are as follows: 
 
 SCOLECOPHAGUS. Tail shorter than the wings, nearly even ; bill shorter than 
 the head. 
 
 QUISCALUS. Tail longer than the wings, much graduated; bill as long as or 
 longer than the head. 
 
 SCOLECOPHAGUS, SWAIKSON. 
 
 Scolecophagus, SWAINSON, F. Bor. Am.. II. (1831). (Type Oriolus ferrugineus, 
 Gmelin.) 
 
 Bill shorter than the head, rather slender, the edges inflexed as in Quiscalus, which 
 it otherwise greatly resembles ; the commissure sinuated ; culmen rounded, but not 
 flattened; tarsi longer than the middle toe; tail even, or slightly rounded. 
 
 SCOLECOPHAGUS FERRUGINEUS. Swainson. 
 The Rusty Blackbird. 
 
 Cracula ferruginea, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 41. 
 
 Quiscalus ferrugineus, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 199. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 
 315; V. (1839)483. 
 
 Scolecophagus ferrugineus, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 286. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill slender, shorter than the head, about equal to the hind toe ; its height not 
 quite two-fifths the total length ; wing nearly an inch longer than the tail ; second 
 quill longest; first a little shorter than the fourth ; tail slightly graduated ; the lateral 
 
THE RUSTY BLACKBIRD. 351 
 
 feathers about a quarter of an inch shortest ; general color black, with purple reflec- 
 tions; the wings, under tail coverts, and hinder part of the belly, glossed with 
 green. Female, dull-brown. Iris, pale-straw color. 
 
 Length, nine and fifty one-hundredth s inches; wing, four and seventy-five one- 
 hundredths ; tail, four inches. 
 
 This bird is not uncommon in the New-England States in 
 the spring and fall migrations, but is never plenty, and 
 retires to high latitudes to breed. A few remain in the 
 northern districts of Maine and New Hampshire through 
 the breeding season ; but their nests are seldom found. 
 While in the valley of the Magalloway River, in Maine, in 
 June, 1864, I found several ; and two of them contained 
 three eggs in each. These nests were all built in low alders 
 overhanging the water: they were constructed of, first, a 
 layer of twigs and brier-stalks ; on this was built the nest 
 proper, which was composed of stalks and leaves of grass, 
 which were mixed with mud, and moulded into a firm, cir- 
 cular structure, and lined with fine leaves of grass and a few 
 hair-like roots. The whole formed a large structure, easily 
 seen at the distance of a few rods through the foliage. 
 
 The eggs are of a bluish-white color, of oval form, and 
 covered with fine scratches and spots of light-brown. These 
 markings are almost exactly similar to those on the egg of 
 the Great-crested Flycatcher : they appear as if done with 
 a pen, which, as soon as it is pressed forcibly on the object, 
 is suddenly withdrawn, making a mark wide at one end, 
 and sharply pointed at the other. 
 
 The dimensions of three eggs in my collection are 1.04 
 by .76 inch, 1.05 by .75 inch, 1 by .70 inch. 
 
 The habits of this species are less known than those of 
 any of our other Blackbirds. This is owing as much to 
 its unsociable, retiring disposition as to the scarcity of its 
 numbers. When it arrives in spring, sometimes as early 
 as the third week in March, it frequents the low, swampy 
 thickets, where, in companies of three or four, it employs it- 
 self in searching for seeds of various aquatic grasses, insects, 
 worms, and the small crustacae found in such localities. 
 
352 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 If approached, it flies a short distance into a low tree, and 
 watches the intruder, uttering its alarm-note check, some- 
 times, cheek-die wdech or check die weecha. This note is 
 uttered by both sexes, and seems to be the only song pos- 
 sessed by either. I have observed them carefully, not only 
 in the spring, biit during the breeding season and in the 
 autumn, and I never heard them emit any other. Both 
 sexes incubate, and manifest great anxiety when the nest is 
 approached ; the males flying and scolding over the head 
 of the intruder, in the manner of the Red-winged Blackbird. 
 As I paddled my canoe up beneath one of the nests de- 
 scribed above, the parent bird remained sitting, almost until 
 my hand touched the limb on which the structure was 
 placed. On flying off, she uttered a chattering cry, almost 
 exactly like that of the female Redwing when disturbed 
 in a similar manner. 
 
 Early in September, the old and young birds collect in 
 small detached flocks, "and frequent the same localities that 
 they haunt in spring, from which they occasionally visit old 
 cornfields and stubble-fields, where they catch grasshoppers 
 and other insects, and eat the seed of weeds and such grains 
 as are left by the farmer after harvesting. 
 
 They remain in southern New England until early in 
 November. 
 
 QUISCALUS, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Quiscalus, VIKILLOT, Analyse (1816). (Gray.) (Type Gracula quiscala, L.) 
 Bill as long as the head, the culmen slightly curved, the gonys almost straight; 
 the edges of the bill inflected and rounded; the commissure quite strongly sinuated; 
 outlines of tarsal scutellae well defined on the sides; wings shorter than the tail, 
 sometimes much more so; tail long, the feathers conspicuously and decidedly gradu- 
 ated. Colors black. 
 
 QUISCALUS VEESICOLOR Vieillot. 
 The Crow Blackbird ; Purple Grakle. 
 
 Gracula quiscala, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 165. Wils. Am. Orn., III. 
 (1811)44. 
 
 Quiscalus versicobr, Vieillot. Analyse? (1816). Jb., Nouv. Diet., XXVIII. 
 (1819) 488. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 194. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 35; V. (1838) 481. 
 
CROW BLACKBIRD, Quiscalus versicolor. Vieillot. 
 
THE CROW BLACKBIRD. 353 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill above, about as long as the head, more than twice as long as high ; the com- 
 missure moderately sinuated and considerably decurved at tip ; tail a little shorter 
 than the wing, much graduated, the lateral feathers one and ten one-hundredths 
 inches shorter; third quill longest, first between fourth and fifth; head and neck all 
 well defined steel-blue; the rest of the body with varied reflections of bronze, 
 golden, green, copper, and purple, the latter most conspicuous on the tail, the tail 
 coverts, and wings; the edges of primaries and of tail greenish. Female similar, 
 but smaller and duller, with perhaps more green on the head. Iris, yellow. 
 
 Length, three inches; wings, six; tail, five and eighty one-hundredths; bill 
 above, one and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This very common and well-known bird is distributed 
 throughout New England in the summer season ; arriving 
 about the first week in April. It is a social species ; and, 
 instead of breaking up into scattered pairs, the birds 
 remain in flocks, and breed in communities, sometimes 
 several pairs on one tree. The nest is composed of mud, 
 in which grass, seaweed, fine roots, and other like mate- 
 rials, are mixed and woven into a large, compact structure, 
 which is lined with fine grass, seaweeds, and sometimes 
 a few horsehairs. 
 
 The eggs are four or five in number. They vary in color 
 from light-blue to light-brown, and are marked with obscure 
 spots of light-brown, over which are laid blotches and lines 
 of black and umber-brown. They vary in dimensions from 
 1.30 by .88 to 1.18 by .84 inch. Usually, but one brood is 
 reared in the season ; and in September the birds collect 
 into immense flocks, and do considerable mischief in the 
 cornfields : in other seasons, their food consists of " Iarva3, 
 caterpillars, moths, and beetles, of which they devour such 
 numbers, that, but for this providential economy, the whole 
 crop of grain in many places would probably be destroyed 
 by the time it began to germinate." 
 
 Wilson, in describing the habits of this species, says, 
 
 " The trees where these birds build are often at no great distance 
 from the farm-house, and overlook the plantations. From thence 
 they issue in all directions, and with as much confidence, to make 
 their daily depredations among the surrounding fields, as if tho 
 
 23 
 
354 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 whole were intended for their use alone. Their chief attention, 
 however, is directed to the Indian corn in all its progressive stages. 
 As soon as the infant blade of this grain begins to make its appear- 
 ance above ground, the Grakles hail the welcome signal with 
 screams of peculiar satisfaction ; and, without waiting for a formal 
 invitation from the proprietor, descend on the fields, and begin to 
 pull up and regale themselves on the seed, scattering the green 
 blades around. While thus eagerly employed, the vengeance of the 
 gun sometimes overtakes them ; but these disasters are soon forgot- 
 ten, and those 
 
 * Who live to get away, 
 Return to steal, another day/ 
 
 About the beginning of August, when the young ears are in their 
 milky state, they are attacked with redoubled eagerness by the 
 Grakles and Redwings, in formidable and combined bodies. They 
 descend like a blackening, sweeping tempest on the corn, dig off 
 the external covering of twelve or fifteen coats of leaves as dex- 
 terously as if done by the hand of man, and, having laid bare the 
 ear, leave little behind to the farmer but the cobs and shrivelled 
 skins that contained their favorite fare. I have seen fields of corn 
 of many acres, where more than one-half was thus ruined." 
 
 About the last week in September, these birds, in im- 
 mense flocks, depart on their southern migration : so abun- 
 dant are they at that time, and so closely do they fly 
 together in a flock, that I have killed, at one discharge of 
 my gun, over a dozen birds. They visit the beech woods, 
 and also the oak groves, and feed upon the nuts found 
 on and beneath those trees. They also eat the seeds of 
 weeds and various wild plants, as I have proved by examin- 
 ing the stomachs of different specimens. 
 
THE AMERICAN EAVEN. 355 
 
 FAMILY CORVID.E. 
 
 Primaries ten; the first short, generally about half as long as the second (or a 
 little more), the outer four sinuated on the inner edge; the nasal fossae and nostrils 
 usually more or less concealed by narrow stiffened bristles (or bristly feathers), with 
 short appressed lateral branches extending to the very tip, all directed forwards ; 
 tarsi scutellate anteriorly, the sides undivided (except sometimes below) and separa- 
 ted from the anterior plates by a narrow, naked strip, sometimes filled up with small 
 scales; basal joint of middle toe united about equally to the lateral, generally for 
 about half the length ; bill generally notched. 
 
 Sub-Family CORVIN^E. The Grows. 
 
 Wings long and pointed ; longer than the tail, and, when closed, reaching nearly 
 ft to its tip, extending far beyond the under tail coverts ; the third, fourth, and fifth 
 quills forming the tip of the wing. 
 
 CORVUS, LINNAEUS. 
 
 Corvus, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type Corous corax, L.) 
 The nasal feathers lengthened, reaching to or beyond the middle of the bill ; 
 nostrils large, circular, overhung behind by membrane, the edges rounded else- 
 where ; rictus without bristles ; bill nearly as long as the tarsus, very stout ; much 
 higher than broad at the base ; culmen much arched ; wings reaching to or nearly to 
 the tip of the tail ; tarsi longer than the middle toe, with a series of small scales on 
 the middle of each side separating the anterior scutellate portion from the posterior 
 continuous plates; side of the head occasionally with nearly naked patches; tail 
 graduated or rounded ; the outer four primaries sinuated internally. 
 
 CORVUS CARNIVORUS. Bartram. 
 The American Raven. 
 
 Corvus carnivorus, Bartram. Travels in E. Florida (1793), 290. 
 
 Corvus coroo:, Wilson. Am. Orn., IX. (1825) 136. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 202. 
 Aud. Birds Am., IV. (1842) 78. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Fourth quill longest ; third and fifth about equal ; second between fifth and sixth ; 
 first nearly equal to the eighth; entirely glossy black, with violet reflections. 
 
 In this species, the feathers of the head above and body are compact and blended ; 
 those of the back of the neck are very smooth and even, but do not show the out- 
 lines of each separately as elsewhere; on the chin and throat, the feathers are 
 elongated and lanceolate, each one more or less pendent or free, with the outlines 
 distinct to near the base; the bill is very long (three inches), and considerably 
 curved, the upper mandible extending considerably over the upper at the end. 
 
356 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The feet appear very short and stout; the tarsi with but seven scutellae, rather 
 longer than the middle toe and claw; the lateral claws about equal, and extending 
 to a little beyond the base of the middle claw; the fourth quill is longest, the 
 third about, equal the fifth, the second considerably longer than the sixth, the first 
 about equal to the eighth primary. 
 
 Length, about twenty-four or twenty-five inches ; extent, fifty to fifty-one ; wing, 
 about seventeen ; tail, ten. Tail moderately graduated; the outer about one and 
 sixty one-hundredths to one and ninety one-hundredths of an inch less than the 
 middle. 
 
 THIS bird is an extremely rare resident in New England. 
 I have never heard of its breeding here ; but it occa- 
 sionally rears its young on the island of Grand Menan, 
 
 off the north-east coast of 
 Maine. There, on the steep 
 and almost inaccessible cliffs, 
 its nest is built. This is com- 
 posed of twigs, sticks, seaweed, 
 and pieces of turf, and is lined 
 with the finer seaweeds and 
 algae found on the seacoast. 
 
 A nest that I found in Ohio 
 was built on a jutting rock in 
 a large cave. On ascending 
 to it, I found that it was built 
 of coarse sticks and twigs, and 
 was lined with leaves, strips 
 of bark, and pieces of moss. 
 This nest had been occupied so a settler told me for a 
 number of years, by the same pair of birds, who made the 
 cave and its surrounding forest their permanent home 
 through the year. 
 
 From its protected situation, it required but few altera- 
 tions and additions each year ; and many of the sticks of 
 which it was composed were quite rotten and decayed. 
 
 It contained five young, about half-grown. As this was 
 on the 18th of March, I judged the eggs must have been 
 laid by the 20th of February. 
 
 The eggs of this species are generally four or five in 
 
THE COMMON CROW. 357 
 
 number: they almost exactly resemble those of the Com- 
 mon Crow; but are considerably larger, averaging about 
 two inches in length by 1.55 inch in breadth. 
 
 A specimen in my collection, of undoubted authenticity, 
 collected on Grand Menan, is much smaller than the usual 
 size, being but 1.70 by 1.24 inch in dimensions. 
 
 The habits of this bird have been described so many 
 times, and are so familiar to all, that I will not give them 
 an extended notice here. 
 
 CORVUS AMERICANUS. Audutxm. 
 The Common Crow. 
 
 Corvus corone, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 79. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 209. 
 Cor'cus Americanus, Audubon. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 317; V. 477. Nutt. Man., 
 I. (2d ed., 1840) 221. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Fourth quill longest, second shorter than sixth, first shorter than ninth; glossy 
 black with violet reflections, even on the belly ; tarsus longer than the middle toe 
 and claw. 
 
 The bill is considerably narrower than high or much compressed; it is gently 
 curved from the very base, rather more rapidly towards the tip; the incumbent 
 feathers of the nostril reach half the distance from the base of the bill to the end of 
 the lower jaw, and not quite half-way to that of the upper. 
 
 The tarsus has eight scutellae anteriorly, and is rather longer than the middle toe 
 and claw ; the lateral toes are very nearly equal ; the inner claw the larger, and 
 reaching to the base of the middle claw. 
 
 The webs of the throat feathers are a little loose, but lie quite smoothly, without 
 the pointed lanceolate character seen in the ravens. 
 
 Length, nineteen to twenty inches ; wing, thirteen to thirteen and fifty one-hun- 
 dredths; tail, about eight inches. 
 
 This well-known bird is abundant through New England 
 in the summer, and in mild winters is a resident through 
 the year. The species as Mr. Allen justly remarks, in 
 his Catalogue of the Birds of Springfield, Mass. " seems 
 to have diminished very materially in numbers in the last 
 six or eight years ; hundreds, and probably thousands, hav- 
 ing been killed in the State by the use of strychnine almost 
 every year." 
 
 About the first week in May, the birds separate into pairs, 
 and soon commence building. The nest is usually built in a 
 
358 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 fork of a tall pine, sometimes in a thick birch or hemlock : 
 it is constructed of, first, a layer of coarse twigs and sticks, 
 then a layer of the bark of the cedar, moss, and sometimes 
 bunches of grass ; it is warmly lined with the bark of the 
 cedar, and sometimes a few leaves. The eggs are usually 
 four in number : their color is of different shades of green, 
 which is covered with blotches and spots of different browns, 
 and dusky. Dimensions vary from 1.65 by 1.20 to 1.50 by 
 1.08 inch. But one brood is reared in the season. 
 
 Perhaps no branch of American rural economy has been 
 so little investigated as the food of our native birds. In 
 Europe, within a few years, the attention of scientific men 
 has been turned to the subject: but the information they 
 have been able to obtain, although valuable, cannot, of 
 course, be applied, otherwise than by a series of analogies, 
 to this country ; and the economical value of most of our 
 species is as yet almost entirely unknown to us. This igno- 
 rance is owing, principally, to the difficulty attending such 
 investigations, the killing of great numbers of birds in 
 all the seasons when they are found with us, which is abso- 
 lutely necessary, but which is extremely distasteful to most 
 persons ; and it has been aggravated somewhat by the con- 
 tradictory statements of various persons in different locali- 
 ties regarding the food of some species that they have had 
 the means of observing. 
 
 Of these birds, none have given rise to more controversy 
 than the Corvidce ; and I propose to discuss briefly here this 
 interesting topic, and bring a few facts and arguments, 
 founded on reason or actual observation, to show their 
 actual economical value. 
 
 Until very recently, I have been the earnest advocate of 
 these birds, and have believed that the benefits they render 
 much more than balance the injuries they inflict; but I 
 must say, that, after careful consideration, my faith in their 
 utility is sadly shaken. 
 
 At the outset I will say, that I have kept specimens in 
 
COMMON CROW, Corvus Americanus. Audubon. 
 

THE COMMON CROW. 359 
 
 captivity ; and have, by actual observation, proved that at 
 least eight ounces of such food as frogs, fish, &c., are eaten 
 daily by our Common Crow. Of course, like other birds, it 
 can live on a very limited allowance ; but I think that the 
 above is a reasonable amount : however, to be absolutely 
 within bounds, we will fix the food of the Crow to be equal 
 to five ounces of animal matter per diem. Beginning, then, 
 with the new year, we will follow the life of this bird through 
 all the seasons, and then compare the results arrived at 
 together, good and bad. 
 
 During the months of January, February, and March, 
 when the face of the country is covered with snow, the 
 insects being dormant, and the small birds away to more 
 southern districts, most of the Crows migrate from New 
 England: and the few that remain depend upon a scanty 
 subsistence of seeds of wild plants and weeds, acorns, apples 
 that have been left on the trees in the orchard, and frozen ; 
 and they occasionally capture a field-mouse that strays from 
 its nest in the stubble-field or swamp. The life of the Crow 
 during these months is one continued starvation ; and the 
 expression, " poor as a crow," may be applied to it, as well 
 describing its condition. It succeeds in finding a few 
 cocoons of Lepidopterous insects ; meets occasionally with a 
 caterpillar or beetle ; and, on the whole, its labors during 
 these months may be called beneficial ; although the good 
 resulting from them is of so little amount that we might 
 safely regard them as neutral. But, to be beyond the chance 
 of doing it an injustice, we will assume, that, during the 
 three months above mentioned, the Crow does as much good 
 as during the whole month of April. 
 
 Let us adopt, in this discussion, a system of numerals to 
 signify the relative values of this bird through the year ; 
 taking the unit one to represent the labors of each day. The 
 Crow is therefore valuable, during January, February, and 
 March, thirty units, and in April is unquestionably thirty 
 units more ; for its food then consists almost entirely of 
 
360 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 noxious insects in their different forms. It is perfectly safe 
 to say, that it would destroy a thousand insects in making 
 up the amount of food that I mentioned above ; and it is not 
 improbable, that, during this month, it actually eats that 
 number daily. 
 
 During the first half of May, its labors are undoubtedly 
 beneficial ; for its food still consists almost entirely of in- 
 sects : but after the middle of that month, when the small 
 birds have begun to lay their eggs and hatch their young, 
 the Crow divides its diet pretty equally between them and the 
 insects. Now, it is not apparent, at the first glance, how 
 immensely injurious it becomes the moment it begins to 
 destroy the eggs and young of our small birds ; but we may 
 demonstrate it to an approximation. We will allow, that, 
 during the latter part of May, half of its food consists of 
 injurious insects and other vermin : it is therefore beneficial 
 in the whole month about twenty-three units. But it is 
 perfectly reasonable to say, that it destroys at least the eggs 
 or young of one pair of Sparrows, four in number ; one pair 
 of Warblers, four in number ; and one pair of Thrushes or 
 Starlings, four in number : for I have known one pair of 
 Canada Jays to kill and devour the half-grown young of four 
 families of Snowbirds (Junco liyemalis), sixteen birds in all, 
 in one forenoon ; and have seen a pair of crows, in two 
 visits to an orchard, within a half-hour's .time, destroy the 
 young birds in two robins' nests. 
 
 Now, let us see what the injury amounts to that it does in 
 destroying the four eggs or young of the Sparrows, Warblers, 
 and Thrushes. It is a well-known fact, that the young of 
 all our small birds, whether insectivorous or graminivorous 
 in the adult stage, are fed entirely on insects. Bradley 
 says that a pair of Sparrows will destroy 3,360 caterpillars 
 for a week's family supplies. For four weeks, at the lowest 
 estimate, the young of our Sparrows are fed on this diet ; 
 and the family that the crow destroys would, in that time, 
 eat at least 13,440 noxious insects ; and, as they feed more 
 
THE COMMON CROW. 361 
 
 or less upon the same diet during their stay with us, killing 
 certainly as many as fifty insects each daily, the family 
 would devour two hundred per diem, or, before they leave 
 us in September, as many as twenty thousand. The War- 
 blers are entirely insectivorous, and we can certainly allow 
 them as great destructive capacity as the Sparrows. The 
 four that the crow destroys would have devoured, before 
 they leave us in autumn, at least thirty thousand cater- 
 pillars and other insects. A pair of thrushes has been 
 actually seen to carry over a hundred insects, principally 
 caterpillars, to their young in an hour's time : if we sup- 
 pose that the family mentioned above be fed for only six 
 hours in the day, they would eat six hundred per diem, at 
 least while they remain in the nest, which being three weeks, 
 the amount would be 12,600 ; and before they leave us in 
 the fall, allowing only fifty each per day, a very small 
 number, they would, in the aggregate, kill twenty thou- 
 sand more. 
 
 Now, we find that the Crow in one day destroys birds 
 that would together eat 96,040 insects before they would 
 leave us for their winter homes, or about ninety-six times as 
 many as it would eat in a day if its food consisted entirely 
 of them. It is therefore injurious, during the last half of 
 May, keeping our original calculation in view, 598 
 units. 
 
 During the whole month of June and the first half of 
 July, while its family are in the nest, it is at least doubly 
 destructive ; for its young are possessed of voracious appe- 
 tites, requiring an abundance of food to supply them. Al- 
 lowing, then, that of its and their diet, half consists of insects 
 during this period, it is beneficial about forty-six units ; but, 
 as at least one-half of the other half consists of young birds 
 and eggs, it is injurious, during the same period, at least 96 
 units daily, or 4,320 units for June and the first half of 
 July. The remaining quarter of its and their food, during 
 this time, consists of berries and various small seeds and 
 
362 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 reptiles ; and this diet may be considered as of neutral im- 
 portance, economically speaking. 
 
 During the last half of July, and through August and 
 the first half of September, its diet consists of about half 
 insects and mice ; and the balance, of berries and small 
 fruits. It is therefore, during this time, beneficial about 
 thirty units, and is not injurious, .otherwise than by eating 
 garden fruits or grains, items that I do not consider in 
 the present discussion. From the middle of September 
 until November, its food loses much of its fruit character, 
 because of the failure of supply, and it feeds at least two- 
 thirds on insects and other noxious animals : it is therefore 
 beneficial thirty units, and is not injurious ; and, during 
 November and December, it is beneficial to about the same 
 extent that it is in February and March, or about forty 
 units. 
 
 We have now but to condense the foregoing results, and 
 we have, in the aggregate, the sum total of the Crow's 
 merits and demerits. 
 
 We find, that, during the whole year, it is beneficial to the 
 amount of 229 units, and that it is injurious to the extent 
 of 4,918 units. If, for the sake of the greatest indulgence, 
 we take but one-fourth of this enormous disproportion as 
 the actual fact, we still have an exhibit that proves at once 
 that these birds are not only worthless, but are ruinously 
 destructive. 
 
 . In presenting this extended sketch, I will say that I am 
 not moved in the least by prejudice or ill feeling for a much- 
 disliked bird, but that I state the facts as they are, and 
 simply to throw a little light on a subject that has given 
 rise to much discussion and controversy. In conclusion, 
 I will say that the Jays are equally injurious with the Crows, 
 and that they are not deserving of a moment's indulgence 
 or protection at the hands of the ruralist. 
 
FISH Cuow, Corvus ossifragus. Wilson. 
 
THE FISH CROW. 363 
 
 CORVUS OSSIFRAGUS. Wilson. 
 The Fish Crow. 
 
 Corvus ossifragus, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 27. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 216. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 268; V. 479. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Fourth quill longest ; second rather longer than seventh ; first shorter than the 
 ninth; glossy-black, with green and violet reflections; the gloss of the belly 
 greenish. 
 
 In this species the bill is shaped much as in the Common Crow, the upper outline 
 perhaps a little more convex ; the bristly feathers at the base of the bill reach 
 nearly half-way to the tip ; I find no bare space at the base of the lower mandible, 
 although the feathers are not quite so thick there as in the Common Crow; the 
 tarsus has eight transverse scutellae, and is decidedly shorter than the middle toe 
 with its claw ; the lateral claws do not reach within one-tenth of an inch of the base 
 of the middle claw. 
 
 The wings are long and acute ; the fourth is longest ; next the third, fifth, second, 
 and sixth ; the first is about as long as the secondaries. 
 
 Length, about fifteen and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, ten and fifty one- 
 hundredths inches; tail less than seven inches; tarsus shorter than the middle 
 toe and claw. 
 
 Hab. South Atlantic (and Gulf?) coast. 
 
 This bird is so extremely rare in New England, that it 
 can be regarded only as an occasional straggler. I under- 
 stand that it has been taken on Long Island, and, on one 
 or two occasions, in Connecticut, in company with the Com- 
 mon Crow. 
 
 Audubon says of the habits of this species, 
 
 " While on the St. John's River in Florida, during the month of 
 February, I saw flocks of Fish Crows, consisting of several hun- 
 dred individuals, sailing high in the air, somewhat in the manner 
 of the Raven. These aerial excursions would last for hours, 
 during the calm of a fine morning, after which the whole would 
 descend toward the water to pursue their more usual avocations in 
 all the sociability of their nature. When their fishing, which lasted 
 about half an hour, was over, they would alight in flocks on the 
 live oaks and other trees near the shore, and there keep up their 
 gabble, pluming themselves for hours. 
 
 " The nest of this species is smaller than that of the Common 
 Crow, and is composed of sticks, moss, and grasses, neatly finished 
 
364 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 or lined with fibrous roots. The eggs are from four to six, and 
 resemble those of the American Crow, but are smaller." 
 
 Two eggs in my collection, from Florida, are of the 
 above description, and are almost exactly like the others, 
 measuring a little smaller : their dimensions being 1.60 by 
 1.10 inch and 1.52 by 1.04 inch. 
 
 Sub-Family GARRDLIN^E. The Jays. 
 
 Wings short, rounded ; not longer or much shorter than the tail, which is grad- 
 uated, sometimes excessively so ; wings reaching not much beyond the lower tail 
 coverts ; bristly feathers at base of bill, variable ; bill nearly as long as the head, or 
 shorter; tarsi longer than the bill or than the middle toe; outer lateral claws rather 
 shorter than the inner. 
 
 CYANURA, SWAINSON. 
 
 Cyanurus, SWAINSON, F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 495, App. (Type Corvus cristatus, 
 Linn.) 
 
 Head crested; wings and tail blue, with transverse black bars; head and back 
 of the same color ; bill rather slender, somewhat broader than high at the base ; cul- 
 men about equal to the head ; nostrils large, nearly circular, concealed by bristles ; 
 tail about as long as the wings, lengthened, graduated ; hind claw large, longer than 
 its digit. 
 
 The culmen is straight to near the tip, where it is gently decurved; the gonys is 
 convex at the base, then straight and ascending ; the bill has a very slight notch at 
 the tip; the nostrils are large, nearly cirQular, or slightly elliptical; the commissure 
 is straight at the base, then bending down slightly near the tip ; the legs present no 
 special peculiarities; the crest on the head consists of a number of elongated, narrow, 
 lanceolate occipital feathers. 
 
 CYANURUS CRISTATUS. - Swainson. 
 The Blue Jay. 
 
 Corvus cristatus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (10th ed., 1758) 106. Wils. Am. Orn., 
 I. (1808) 2. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 11; V. (1839) 475. 
 
 Cyanurus cristatus, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) App. 495. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Crest about one-third longer than the bill; tail much graduated; general color 
 above, light purplish-blue; wings and tail feathers ultramarine-blue; the secondaries 
 and tertials, the greater wing coverts, and the exposed surface of the tail, sharply 
 
THE BLUE JAY. 365 
 
 banded with black, and broadly tipped with white, except on the central tail feathers ; 
 beneath white; tinged with purplish-blue on the throat, and with bluish-brown 
 on the sides ; a black crescent on the forepart of the breast, the horns passing for- 
 ward and connecting with a half-collar on the back of the neck ; a narrow frontal 
 line and loral region black ; feathers on the base of the bill blue, like the crown. 
 Female rather duller in color, and a little smaller. 
 
 Length, twelve and twenty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, five and sixty-five 
 one-hundredths inches ; tail, five and seventy-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful and well-known bird is abundantly dis- 
 tributed throughout New England. It is less common in 
 the northern than in the southern districts, but is often seen 
 there, not in company with the Canada Jay, however. 
 
 Its food is more varied than that of almost any other 
 bird that we have. In winter, the berries of the cedar, bar- 
 berry or black-thorn, with the few eggs or cocoons of in- 
 sects that it is able to find, constitute its chief sustenance. 
 In early spring, the opening buds of shrubs, caterpillars, 
 and other insects, afford it a meagre diet. Later in the 
 spring, and through the greater part of summer, the eggs 
 and young of the smaller birds constitute its chief food, 
 varied by a few insects and early berries. Later in the 
 summer, and in early autumn, berries, small fruits, grains, 
 and a few insects, afford it a bountiful provender ; and later 
 in the autumn, when the frosts have burst open the burrs 
 of chestnuts and beechnuts, and exposed the brown, ripe 
 fruit to view, these form a palatable and acceptable food : 
 and a large share of these delicious nuts fall to the portion 
 of these busy and garrulous birds. 
 
 The notes of the Blue Jay consist of a shrill cry, like 
 jay-jay-jay repeated often, and in a high key; a shrill 
 whistle like the syllables -wheeo-wheeo-wheeo ; a hoarse 
 rattle, something like a Kingfisher's well-known alarum ; 
 and an exceedingly sweet bell-like note, that possesses a 
 mournful tone, like that of a far-off hamlet bell tolling 
 a funeral dirge. 
 
 I have often heard this tone in the autumn, when the 
 leaves were falling from the trees, and all nature wore its 
 
366 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 funeral livery ; and it seemed to me, when the clear notes of 
 the bird were echoed from hill-side to hill-side in the forest, 
 that it was wandering like a forest elf through the trees, 
 mourning the decay of all the charms that had made them 
 so beautiful through the spring and summer. 
 
 About the first or second week in May, the. Blue Jay com- 
 mences building. The nest is usually placed in a fork of a 
 low pine or cedar, in a retired locality : it is loosely con- 
 structed of twigs and coarse roots, and lined with the same 
 materials, but of a finer quality, and sometimes a few pieces 
 of moss or a few leaves. The eggs are four or five in 
 number. Their color is generally light-green, with spots of 
 light-brown ; sometimes a dirty brownish-gray, spotted with 
 different shades of brown and black. The dimensions vary 
 from 1.20 by .85 to 1 by .80 inch. But one brood is reared 
 in the season. 
 
 PERISOREUS, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Perisoreus, BONAPARTE, Saggio di una dist. met. (1831). (Type Corvus Cana- 
 densist) 
 
 Feathers lax and full, especially on the back, and of very dull colors, without 
 any blue; head without distinct crest; bill very short, broader than high; culmen 
 scarcely half the length of the head, straight to near the tip, then slightly curved; 
 gonys more curved than culmen ; bill notched at tip ; nostrils round, covered by 
 bristly feathers; tail about to the wings, graduated; tarsi rather short, but little 
 longer than the middle toe. 
 
 This genus includes the species of dullest colors among all of our Jays. It has, 
 too, the shortest bill, and with this feature bears a very strong resemblance, in many 
 respects, to some of the Titmice. 
 
 PERISOREUS CANADENSIS. Bonaparte. 
 The Canada Jay. 
 
 Corvus Canadensis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 158. Wils. Am. Orn., III. 
 (1811) 33. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 53; V. (1839) 208. 
 
 Perisoreus Canadensis, Bonaparte. List (1838). lb., Coiisp. (1850) 375. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail graduated; lateral feathers about one inch shortest; wings a little shorter 
 than the tail; head and neck, and forepart of the breast, white; a plumbeous brown 
 nuchal patch, becoming darker behind, from the middle of the crown to the back, 
 from which it is separated by an interrupted whitish color; rest of upper parts ashy- 
 
THE CANADA JAY. 367 
 
 plumbeous ; the outer primaries margined : the secondaries, tertials, and tail feathers 
 obscurely tipped with white ; beneath smoky-gray ; crissum whitish ; bill and feet 
 black. 
 
 The young of this species are everywhere of a dull sooty-brown, lighter on the 
 middle of the belly, and more plumbeous on the wings and tail; with increasing 
 age, the region about the base of the bill whitens, and this color gradually extends 
 backwards until the whole head, excepting the occiput and nape, is white; the 
 under parts are sometimes whiter than in the typical specimens. 
 
 Length, ten and seventy one-hundredths inches ; wing, five and seventy-five one- 
 huudredths inches; tail, six inches; tarsus, one and forty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This species is confined to the northern districts in New 
 England, where it is resident through the year. I have 
 not been so fortunate as to find the nest, and will have to 
 borrow Audubon's description of that and the eggs: 
 
 " The Canada Jay breeds in Maine, in New Brunswick, Nova 
 Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador. It begins as early as Feb- 
 ruary or March to form its nest, which is placed in the thickest 
 part of a fir-tree, near the trunk, and at a height of from five to 
 ten feet. The exterior is composed of dry twigs, with moss and 
 grass ; and the interior, which is flat, is formed of fibrous roots. 
 The eggs, which are from four to six, are of a light-gray color, 
 faintly marked with brown." 
 
 This bird is not generally so well known as the preceding. 
 I have had numerous opportunities for observing its habits, 
 and I can positively affirm that it is equally rapacious and 
 destructive with the Blue Jay, which it resembles in motions 
 and cry. 
 
 I once knew of a single pair of these birds destroying the 
 young in four nests of the Common Snowbird (J. hy emails) 
 in a single day. I found these nests in an old abandoned 
 lumber-road on the morning of June 20 : in the afternoon, 
 when I returned through the same path, every nest was 
 depopulated ; and a pair of these Jays were lurking in the 
 trees, shouting defiance at us, while surrounded by the 
 afflicted Snowbirds, that were uttering their cries of com- 
 plaint and sorrow. I emptied both barrels of my gun in 
 the direction of the Jays, and I am inclined to think that 
 
368 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGT. 
 
 they have killed no young birds since. The familiarity with 
 which this species fraternizes with man in the woods is 
 interesting and amusing. I was once " snowed in," as the 
 expression is, in a large tract of forest, and, with my com- 
 panions, was obliged to wait until the storm had ceased 
 before we could resume our march. We remained in camp 
 two days. A pair of these birds, probably with young in 
 the neighborhood, visited our camp, and even penetrated 
 into our tent for crumbs and pieces of bread. They always 
 flew off with their mouths full, and soon returned for more : 
 their visits soon got to be any thing but a joke, particularly 
 when they flew off with the last piece of our soap. We 
 couldn't kill them, however; for any thing with life was 
 company, and we felt that we had none of that to spare. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 I present a continuation of Mr. Couper's valuable notes, 
 taken at Quebec, Lower Canada, on the species described in 
 the present Order. 
 
 TROCHILUS COLUBEIS. Common in this neighborhood and in the 
 mountain wilds and savannas north of the city. I have had the pleasure 
 of finding its nest on more than one. occasion. It generally arrives here 
 about the middle of May. 
 
 CENTURA PELASGIA. Very abundant. It builds its nest in unused 
 chimneys in the city. I have remarked that no more than a single pair will 
 occupy a flue; and, although there are many instances here of chimneys 
 having unused flues, it is curious that they are not occupied while one is in 
 possession of the Swallow. I have noticed this species flying over the woods 
 many miles north of Quebec ; and I think that it breeds within large forest- 
 trees. 
 
 ANTROSTOMUS VOCIFERUS. This bird is occasionally heard in the 
 mountains north of Quebec. It is, however, very rare in this latitude, 
 which may be considered its northern limit. 
 
 CHORDEILES POPETUE. Very common. It deposits its eggs in a small 
 cavity in the ground, in the midst of a woodland clearing, or wherever there 
 is a young shrubbery. Its principal food in spring consists of ants. I can- 
 not say how far north it goes. 
 
NOTES. 369 
 
 CERYLE ALCYON. The Kingfisher occurs about all our northern lakes 
 and rivers, and breeds plentifully. It probably extends three degrees north 
 of Quebec. 
 
 TYRANNUS CAROLINENSIS. Common. It builds its nest invariably 
 near farm-houses. 
 
 CONTOPUS VIRENS. I detected this species here this spring for the first 
 time. I do not think it breeds commonly in high latitudes. 
 
 EMPIDONAX TRAILLII. This species occurs during summer in the 
 woodlands near Quebec. It rarely builds its nest high from the ground. It 
 is extremely cunning, and invariably selects the most hidden portion of a 
 clump of bushes. 
 
 TURDUS PALLASII. This thrush breeds in the neighborhood of Quebec ; 
 but it is not common. It builds its nest much higher than Wilson's Thrush ; 
 that is to say, the latter is generally found concealed at the lower portion 
 of a bush, while the former is often found on a heavily branched pine-tree. 
 The eggs of T. pallasii are blue and spotted. * 
 
 TURDUS FUSCESCENS. This is one of our most common thrushes. It 
 breeds plentifully in this neighborhood. Its nest is generally placed near the 
 ground, at the lower portions of bushes growing near a swamp or river. The 
 eggs are generally four or five, of a clear greenish-blue color. 
 
 SIALIA SIALIS. The Redbreasted Bluebird is only seen here early in 
 spring, while on its passage to the "West. It does not breed in Lower 
 Canada. 
 
 REGULUS CALENDULA. This species, in company with R. satrapa, visit 
 this locality, from the North, in the autumn. 
 
 ANTHUS LUDOVICIANUS. Common in the autumn. They frequent 
 fields and barnyards, and are generally in flocks. I think they breed in 
 Labrador. 
 
 MNIOTILTA VARIA. This species is not common in our Northern woods. 
 It, however, breeds in the neighborhood of Quebec. 
 
 GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS. Very common. Breeds. 
 SEIURUS AUROCAPILLUS. Common. Breeds. 
 
 DENDROICA VIRENS. Only noticed in spring, on its way North. It was 
 rather common in the spring of 1866. 
 
 DENDROICA CANADENSIS. Common. Breeds. 
 
 DENDROICA CORONATA. Very common in the autumn. I think they 
 breed far north. 
 
 DENDROICA BLACKBURNIJE. This beautiful Warbler was very abun- 
 dant here last spring. None of the young returned this way. There appears 
 
 1 Mr. Couper undoubtedly refers to T. Swainsonii. E. A. S. 
 24 
 
370 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 to be some mystery connected with the breeding localities of many of our 
 Warblers. Some of them are found breeding over the whole of temperate 
 America, while others, who evidently eat the same kinds of food, pass to 
 the inaccessible parts of the northern forests, where the foot of man never 
 trod. 
 
 DENDROICA CASTANEA. This is another of the mysterious Warblers 
 that shows itself in spring, and afterwards slowly departs to its northern 
 hermitage. 
 
 DENDROICA PINUS. Spring. Not common. Follows its kindred, North. 
 DENDROICA PENNSYLVANICA. Not common. Breeds. 
 
 DENDROICA CJERULEA. This species was very common in this neigh- 
 borhood in the spring of 1866. I have never seen its nest or eggs. 
 
 DENDROICA STRIATA. Not common. Breeds. 
 DENDROICA JESTIVA. Common. Breeds. 
 DENDROICA MACULOSA. Common. Breeds. 
 MYIODIOCTES CANADENSIS. Common. Breeds. 
 SETOPHAGA RUTICILLA. Common. Breeds. 
 
 PYRANGA RUBRA. Rarely seen in the woods north of Quebec. They 
 breed in the maple woods ; and this latitude may be considered its northern 
 limit of migration. 
 
 HIRUNDO HORREORUM. Uncommon. It builds its nest on the beams 
 of out-houses and barns in this neighborhood. 
 
 H. LUNIFRONS. Very common. It builds mud or clay nests under the 
 thatched barns and country-houses near Quebec. They are protected by 
 farmers, who will not allow them to be disturbed during their stay here. 
 They return annually to the old nests, which they repair. 
 
 H. BICOLOR. Common. It builds its nest in any hole it may find in 
 the houses in the city. In the woodland districts, it generally selects an 
 abandoned Woodpecker's nest in trees. * ' 
 
 COTYLE RIPARIA. Common. Breeds in every sand-bank in the country. 
 
 PROGNE PURPUREA. The breeding-place of this Swallow is confined to 
 a building called the Jesuit Barracks, of this city, where they raise their 
 young every season. I have repeatedly tried to induce them to occupy 
 boxes, but the White-bellied Swallow always took possession first. In this 
 locality, the Purple Martin loves its own community, and will not be induced 
 to occupy the most tempting abode unless made sufficiently large to accom- 
 moda.te several pairs. 
 
 AMPELIS GARRULUS. During severe winters, this species arrives here 
 from the north to feed on the berries of the mountain-ash, which grows 
 
NOTES. 371 
 
 abundantly in the neighborhood of the city. They go in flocks. They 
 must breed late in the season, as I had the young with the downy feathers 
 attached to their heads during the depth of winter. 
 
 AMPELIS CEDRORUM. Common. Breeds. 
 
 COLLTRIO BOREALIS. Arrives early in Spring. I think they go to 
 high latitudes to breed. The specimens which I procure are either in sprino- 
 or fall plumage. 
 
 VIREO OLIVACEUS. Not common. Breeds. 
 
 MIMUS CAROLINENSIS. Not common. Breeds. 
 
 TROGLODYTES HIEMALIS. Common. Breeds. 
 
 CERTHIA AMERICANA, Common. Breeds. 
 
 SITTA CANADENSIS. Common in summer and winter. Breeds. 
 
 PARUS ATRICAPILLUS. Common. Breeds. 
 
 P. HUDSONICUS. Arrives about the middle of September from the 
 North, and remains until the snow falls. It has not been found breeding in 
 this locality. They go in flocks, like the former species. 
 
 EREMOPHILA CORNUTA. This Lark arrives here in the month of Sep- 
 tember. It gathers in flocks, which remain until the snow falls. It breeds 
 in Labrador. 
 
 PINICOLA CANADENSIS. Arrives from the North, sometimes in com- 
 pany with the Bohemian Wax wing, and feeds on the same berries. They 
 frequently remain during winter. 
 
 CARPODACUS PURPUREUS. Common. Breeds. 
 CHRYSOMITRIS TRISTIS. Common. Breeds. 
 C. PINUS. Sometimes common in winter. 
 
 CURVIROSTRA AMERICANA. Sometimes very abundant in winter. I 
 am told it breeds in Nova Scotia. 
 
 C. LEUCOPTERA. Very numerous during winter. Breeds in Labrador. 
 
 .EGIOTHUS LIN ARIA. Common in the fall. Breeds in Labrador and 
 Northern Newfoundland. 
 
 PLECTROPHANES NIVALIS. Common in winter. Breeds in Labrador. 
 POOCJETES GRAMINEUS. Common. Breeds. 
 ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHRYS. Common. Breeds. 
 Z. ALBICOLLIS. Common. Breeds. 
 JUNCO HTEMALIS. Common. Breeds. 
 
 SPIZELLA MONTICOLA. This species goes far north to breed, probably 
 Labrador. It returns in the fall. 
 
372 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 S. SOCIALIS. Common. Breeds. 
 MELOSPIZA MELODIA. Common. Breeds. 
 
 M. PALUSTRIS. Not common here; but it breeds in some of the south- 
 ern towns of Lower Canada. 
 
 PASSERELLA ILIACA. Not common. Breeds. I think that this species 
 is more abundant in Labrador during summer. 
 
 GUIRACA LUDOVICIANA. Not common. Breeds. Quebec may be con- 
 sidered its northern limit. 
 
 CYANOSPIZA CYANEA. Not common. Breeds. 
 
 DOLICHONYX ORYZIVORUS. Common. Breeds. This is the most 
 northern limit of this species. 
 
 AGELAIUS PHCENICEUS. This species is a very rare visitor in this 
 neighborhood, and is seen only in the spring, when on its passage to the 
 swamps in the West. It breeds abundantly at Toronto, Upper Canada. 
 
 SCOLECOPHAGUS FERRUGINEUS. Very common in the fall, at which 
 season they visit this locality on their passage south. Great numbers are 
 shot, and sold like game in our markets. This species has been noticed here 
 as late as the 24th of May, when it disappears. It has not been found breed- 
 ing within the habitable portions of this province. 
 
 QUISCALUS VERSIC.OLOR. Rare in this district. A few pairs have 
 been discovered breeding at Three Rivers, between this city and Montreal. 
 
 CORVUS AMERICANUS. Common. Breeds in large numbers. A few 
 generally remain here during winter. They feed on the berries of the 
 mountain ash. The old nests are invariably occupied, and the birds lay 
 their eggs very early. I have seen the young ones fully fledged before the 
 24th of May. 
 
 CORVUS CARNIVORUS. Occasionally seen in this district. It breeds on 
 the high, rocky portions of islands in the lower St. Lawrence. 
 
 CYANURA CRISTATA. Abundant in the mountains north of this city, 
 where they breed. 
 
 PERISOREUS CANADENSIS. Sometimes very common in the fall. I 
 have not noticed this bird in the vicinity of Quebec during summer ; but, 
 while on a collecting trip down the St. Lawrence, in the month of July, I 
 saw numbers of the old and young in the woods, at a place called Mille 
 Vaches. They were following each other in one direction, and appeared to 
 me to have habits similar to those of the Black-cap Titmouse. From this 
 fact of its occurrence on the north shore of the St. Lawrence at the above 
 season, it is evident that they breed in our wild, unfrequented forests, such 
 as may be found north and east of the river Saguenay. I have offered a 
 high price for the nests and eggs of the Canada Jay; but, as yet, nothing of 
 the kind has appeared. 
 
WILD PIGKON, Kctopisies miyratoria. 
 
THE WILD PIGEON. 373 
 
 SUB-ORDER COLUMBA. 
 
 The basal portion of the bill covered by a soft skin, in which are situated the 
 nostrils, overhung by an incumbent fleshy valve, the apical portion hard and con- 
 vex ; the hind toe on the same level with the rest ; the anterior toe without mem- 
 brane at the base; tarsi more or less naked; covered laterally and behind with 
 hexagonal scales. 
 
 FAMILY COLUMBINE. THE DOVES. 
 
 Bill horny at the tip; tail feathers twelve, only occasionally fourteen; head 
 smooth. . 
 
 Sub-Family COLUMBINE. 
 
 Tarsi stout, short, with transverse scutellae anteriorly; feathered for the basal 
 third above, but not at all behind ; toes lengthened, the lateral decidedly longer than 
 the tarsus; wings lengthened and pointed; size large; tail feathers twelve. 
 
 This section of doves embraces the largest North-American species, and among 
 them the more arboreal ones. 
 
 ECTOPISTES, SWAINSON. 
 
 Ectopistes, SWAINSON, Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 362. (Type Columba migratoria, L.) 
 
 Head very small ; bill short, black ; culmen one-third the rest of the head ; tarsi 
 
 very short, half covered anteriorly by feathers ; inner lateral claw much larger than 
 
 outer, reaching to the base of the middle one; tail very long and excessively 
 
 cuneate; about as long as the wings; first primary longest. 
 
 This genus is readily distinguished from the other Columbines by the excessively 
 lengthened and acute middle feathers. It formerly included the Columba Caroli- 
 nensis ; but this, with more propriety, has been erected into a different genus, and 
 will be found in the next section. 
 
 ECTOPISTES MIGRATORIA. Swainson. 
 The Wild Pigeon; Passenger Pigeon. 
 
 Columba migratoria, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 285. Wils. Am. Orn., I. 
 (1808) 102. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 319; V. 561. 
 
 Ectopistes migratoria, Swainson. Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 355. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail with twelve feathers; upper parts generally, including sides of body, head, 
 and neck, and the chin, blue ; beneath, purple brownish-red, fading behind with a 
 
374 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 violet tint; anal region and under tail coverts, bluish-white; scapulars, inner tertials, 
 and middle of back, with an olive-brown tinge ; the wing coverts, scapulars, and inner 
 tertials, with large oval spots of blue-black on the outer webs, mostly concealed, except 
 on the latter; primaries blackish, with a border of pale-bluish tinged internally with 
 red ; middle tail feathers brown ; the rest pale-blue on the outer web, white inter- 
 nally; each with a patch of reddish-brown at the base of the inner web, followed by 
 another of black; sides arid back of neck richly glossed with metallic golden-violet; 
 tibia bluish-violet ; bill black ; feet yellow. 
 
 The female is smaller; much duller in color; more olivaceous above ; beneath, 
 pale-blue instead of red, except a tinge on the neck; the jugulum tinged with 
 olive; the throat whitish. 
 
 The blue of the side of the head extends to the throat and chin ; the upper part 
 of the back and lesser coverts are of a darker blue than the head and rump; the 
 inner primaries are more broadly margined with light-blue, which tapers off to 
 the end; the axillars and under surface of the wing are light-blue; the longest 
 scapulars have the black on both webs ; there is no blue on the outer web of the first 
 tail feather, which is white, and the inferior surface of the tail generally is white. 
 
 In some specimens the entire head all round is blue. 
 
 The immature male varies- in having most of the feathers of the head and body 
 margined with whitish. 
 
 Length of male, seventeen inches ; wing, eight and fifty one-hundredths inches ; 
 tail, eight and forty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 FT1HIS bird has become of late years rather scarce in 
 JL New England ; so much so, that, in localities where it 
 was formerly abundant, it is now seen only occasionally in 
 small flocks of a dozen or fifteen. It is a resident of these 
 States through a greater^ part of the year ; only absenting 
 itself in the most severe portion of winter, when its food is 
 usually covered with snow. It depends principally upon 
 acorns and beechnuts for subsistence, and is most abundant 
 in localities where these nuts are found. It also frequents 
 grain-fields, where it gleans among the stubble and weeds ; 
 and, when berries are in season, it feeds plentifully upon 
 them, and it is at that time when the greater number are 
 seen in New England. 
 
 Early in May, the birds, although associating still in com- 
 munities, as in sections where they are more abundant, 
 separate into pairs, and build their nest. This is placed in 
 a forked branch of a tree, usually in a swamp or thick 
 wood. It is constructed of twigs and leaves, which are 
 loosely arranged into a frail structure hardly strong enough 
 
THE CAROLINA DOVE. 375 
 
 to support the parent bird : it is but very little hollowed, 
 and has no lining of softer material. The female deposits 
 in this one or two eggs, on which both birds incubate. 
 These eggs are pure-white in color, nearly oval in form, and 
 have the slightest roseate tint before their contents are 
 removed: they average in dimensions about 1.54 by 1.10 
 inch. Many writers affirm that but one egg is laid at 
 a time. I think that in the greater number of nests two 
 are deposited, as I have inquired of many hunters and 
 woodsmen, and they all agree on that number. 
 
 Sub-Family ZENAIDIN.E. 
 
 Tarsi stout, lengthened ; always longer than the lateral toes, and entirely with- 
 out feathers; the tibial joint usually denuded; tarsus sometimes with hexagonal 
 scales anteriorly ; tail feathers sometimes fourteen. 
 
 ZENAIDURA, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Zenaidura, BONAPARTE, Consp. Avium, II. (1854) 84. (Type Columba Caroli- 
 nensis, L.) Probably named previously in Comptes Rendus. 
 
 Bill weak, black; culmen from frontal feathers, about one-third the head above; 
 tarsus not quite as long as middle toe and claw, but considerably longer than the 
 lateral ones ; covered anteriorly by a single series of scutellae ; inner lateral claw 
 considerably longer than outer, and reaching to the base of middle; wings pointed, 
 second quill longest, first and third nearly equal ; tail very long, equal to the wings ; 
 excessively graduated and cuneate, of fourteen feathers. 
 
 The fourteen tail feathers render this genus very conspicuous among the North- 
 American doves. It was formerly placed with the Passenger Pigeon in Ectopistes, 
 but has nothing in common with it but the lengthened tail, as it belongs to a differ- 
 ent sub-family. 
 
 ZENAIDUEA CABOLINENSIS. Bonaparte. 
 The Carolina Dove ; Turtle Dove. 
 
 Columba Carolinensis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766), 286, No. 37. Wils. Am. 
 Orn., V. (1812) 91. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 91; V. (1839) 555. Nutt. Man., I. 
 (1832) 626. 
 
 Zenaidura Carolinensis, Bonaparte. Consp. Av., II. (1854) 84. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail feathers fourteen; above bluish, although this is overlaid with light brown- 
 ish-olive, leaving the blue pure only on the top of the head, the exterior of the 
 
376 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 wings, ana upper surface of the tail, which is even slightly tinged with this color; 
 the entire head, except the vertex, the sides of the neck, and the under parts general- 
 ly, light brownish-red, strongly tinged with purple on the breast, becoming lighter 
 behind, and passing into brownish-yellow on the anal region, tibia, and under tail 
 coverts; sides of the neck with a patch of metallic purplish-red; sides of body and 
 inside of wings clear light-blue ; wing coverts and scapulars spotted with black, 
 mostly concealed, and an oblong patch of the same below the ear; tail feathers seen 
 from 'below blackish, the outer web of outermost white, the others tipped with the 
 same, the color becoming more and more bluish to the innermost, which is brown ; 
 seen from above, there is the same graduation from white to light-blue in the tips ; 
 the rest of the feather, however, is blue, with a bar of black anterior to the light tip, 
 which runs a little forward along the margin and shaft of the feather; in the sixth 
 feather the color is uniform bluish, with this bar; the seventh is without bar; bill 
 black; feet yellow. Female smaller, and with less red beneath. 
 
 Length of male, twelve and eighty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, five and 
 seventy-five one-hundredths ; tail, six and seventy one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This beautiful and well-known species is distributed 
 throughout New England as a summer resident. It is 
 more rarely seen in the more northern sections than in the 
 southern; but it breeds in all these States. It arrives 
 from the South early in spring, sometimes by the 10th of 
 March. On its first appearance, it is found in small, loose 
 flocks of five or six individuals, which frequent old stubble- 
 fields and orchards, where they feed on scattered grains and 
 the seeds of various weeds. They also sometimes associate 
 with domestic doves in the .poultry yard, as I have witnessed 
 on several occasions. 
 
 About the middle of May, they separate into pairs, and 
 commence their duties of incubation. The nest is placed in 
 a forked, horizontal branch of a tree, sometimes in the 
 orchard, usually in a grove of pines or in a swamp. It is, 
 like the nest of the Wild Pigeon, a loose, frail structure, in 
 which the female deposits two eggs, which are pure-white 
 in color, and usually nearly oval in form. 
 
 A great number of specimens in my collection, from dif- 
 ferent parts of the country, vary from 1.20 by .85 to .98 by 
 .82 inch. The size most often found is about 1.12 by .80 
 inch. Two broods are reared in the season. 
 
 About the last of July, the old birds and young collect in 
 flocks, and frequent grain-fields, where they feed upon the 
 
THE CAROLINA DOVE. 377 
 
 grain, and berry-patches, where they eat plentifully of 
 berries : they are now fat, and very delicate eating ; and, as 
 they are much pursued by gunners, they soon become very 
 shy, and difficult of approach. 
 
 During the mating season, and part of the period of incu- 
 bation, the male has a soft, melancholy cooing note, which 
 he utters often through the day. During the remainder of 
 the year, he seems to have no note ; for I have watched indi- 
 viduals for hours to ascertain, and never heard them emit 
 any thing but the short chuckle peculiar to all doves. 
 
 By the first week in October, this species leaves New 
 England on its southern migration. 
 
378 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 SUB-ORDER GALLINJE. 
 
 Bill usually rather short and stout, and less than the head ; basal portion hard, 
 generally covered with feathers, and not by a soft naked skin; legs lengthened; 
 the hind toe generally elevated above the level of the rest, and short ; when lower 
 down, it is longer; toes connected at the base by a membrane; the feathers of fore- 
 head not extending on the culmen in a point, but more restricted, and parted by the 
 backward extension of the culmen. 
 
 FAMILY TETRAONID^. THE GROUSE. 
 
 
 
 The Tetraonidce are pre-eminently characterized among gallinaceous birds by 
 their densely feathered tarsi, and by the feathers of the nasal fossa or groove, which 
 fill it completely, and conceal the nostrils; the toes are usually naked (feathered 
 to the claws in the ptarmigans), and with pectinations of scales along the edges ; 
 the tail feathers vary from sixteen to eighteen and even twenty in number; the 
 tail is rounded, acute or forked; the orbital region is generally somewhat bare, 
 with a naked stripe above the upper e3 r elid, beset by short fringe-like processes. 
 
 TETRAO, LINNAEUS. 
 
 Tetrao, LINN.EUS, Syst. Nat. (1744) Gray. (Type T. urogallus, L.) 
 Tail lengthened, slightly narrowed to the square or somewhat rounded tip; about 
 two-thirds the wing; the feathers with stiffened shafts; tarsus feathered to and 
 between the bases of the toes ; no unusual feathers on the side of throat ; culmen 
 between the nasal fossae nearly half the total length ; color mostly black. 
 Inhabit wooded regions. 
 
 TETRAO CANADENSIS. Linnaeus. 
 T.ie Canada Grouse ; Spruce Partridge. 
 
 Tetrao Canadensis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat.^I. (1766) 274. Nutt, Man. I. (1832) 
 667. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 437; V. (1839) 563. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail of sixteen feathers; feathers above distinctly banded with plumbeous; 
 beneath uniform black, with a pectoral band of white, and white on the sides of the 
 belly; chin and throat above black; tail with a broad brownish-orange terminal 
 band. 
 
 Prevailing color in the male black; each feather of the head, neck, and upper 
 parts generally, having its surface waved with plumbeous-gray; this is in the 
 form of two or three well-defined concentric bars, parallel to each other, one along 
 the exterior edge of the feather, the others behind it ; the sides of the body, the 
 
THE CANADA GROUSE. 379 
 
 scapulars, and outer surface of the wings are mottled like the back, but more irregu- 
 larly, and with a browner shade of gray, the feathers with a central white streak 
 expanding towards the tip (on the wing these streaks seen only on some of the 
 greater coverts); there is no white above, except as described; the under parts 
 are mostly uniform black, the feathers of the sides of the belly and breast broadly 
 tipped with white, which sometimes forms a pectoral band; there is a white bar 
 across the feathers, at the base of the upper mandible, usually interrupted above; 
 a white spot on the lower eyelid, and a white line beginning on the cheeks, and 
 running into a series of white spots in the feathers of the throat; the lower feathers 
 of this are banded terminally with whitish ; the feathers at the base of the bill, 
 and the head, below the eyes and beneath, are pure-black; the quills are dark- 
 brown, without any spots or bands, the outer edges only mottled with grayish ; the 
 tail feathers are similar, but darker, and the tail is tipped with a band of orange- 
 chestnut, nearly half an inch wide, obscured on the central feathers, the under 
 tail coverts are black, broadly barred and tipped with white; the feathers of the legs 
 mottled-brown and whitish; dirty-white behind the tarsi; the bill is black. 
 
 The female is smaller but somewhat similar, the black bars above broader, the 
 mner gray bars of each feather, including the tail, replaced by broader ones of 
 brownish-orange; the under parts have the feathers black, barred with the brownish- 
 orange, which, on the tips of the belly feathers, is pure-white ; the clear continuous 
 black of the head and breast are wanting; the scapulars, greater coverts, and sides, 
 are streaked as in the male. 
 
 Length, sixteen and twenty one-hundredths inches ; wing, six and seventy one- 
 hundredths ; tail, five and forty-four hundredths inches. 
 
 IT is only in the most retired and unsettled localities in 
 northern New England that this very beautiful grouse is 
 found. There, in the spruce and pine woods and swamps, 
 it is not uncommon as a resident through the year. I have 
 shot specimens in the White Mountains, between what is 
 called Waterville, a hamlet in Thornton, N.H., and Bethle- 
 hem, in the same State ; but they are more commonly found 
 in the localities above mentioned. In its native haunts, it 
 is very unsuspicious, permitting a person to walk within a 
 few feet of it without stirring ; and, when it does take flight, 
 it goes but a few rods, when it alights on a tree, and turns 
 to watch the intruder. 
 
 It is a very graceful bird on the ground, moving with a 
 stately step over the long elastic moss so abundant in the 
 woods of Maine. 
 
 It feeds upon the buds of the evergreens, and their seeds 
 and foliage. This food imparts to the flesh of the bird a 
 disagreeable resinous flavor, particularly in fall and winter, 
 
380 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 when it can get no other food. In fact, at all seasons, it is 
 far inferior to all our other game birds in flesh, and is never 
 delicate nor palatable. 
 
 About the middle of May, the female scratches together 
 a loose nest, beneath the branches of a creeping fir, and 
 lays in it from eight to twelve eggs. These are of a beau- 
 tiful yellowish-buff color, with spots and blotches of two 
 shades of brown : one a purplish-brown ; the other, a burnt- 
 sienna. They average in dimensions about 1.68 by 1.26 
 inch : their form is generally ovoidal ; sometimes nearly 
 oval, and occasionally more rounded. It is said, that, 
 " when incubation begins, the males go apart by themselves 
 to different portions of the forest, and remain until late in 
 autumn, when they rejoin the females and young." 
 
 This species flourishes well in confinement: it tames 
 readily, and soon eats all kinds of grains and seeds, and 
 pieces of potatoes and fruits. It requires a large cage or 
 coop, and is contented if it has, now and then, a spruce or 
 cedar-tree given it to roost and climb upon. 
 
 CUPIDONIA, REICHENBACH. 
 
 Cupidonia, REICHENBACH, Av. Syst. Nat. (1850). (Type Tetrao Cupido, L.) 
 Tail short, half the lengthened wings ; the feathers stiffened and more or less 
 graduated; bare space of the neck concealed by a tuft of lanceolate feathers; tarsi 
 feathered only to near the base, the lower joint scutellate; culmen between the nasal 
 fossae scarcely one-tflird the total length. 
 
 CUPIDONIA CUPIDO. Baird. 
 The Pinnated Grouse; Prairie Hen; Prairie Chicken. 
 
 Tetrao Cupido, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 274. Wils. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 
 104. Nutt. Man., I. 662. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 490; V. (1839) 559. 
 Cupidonia Americana, Reichenbach. Av. Syst. Nat. (1850). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail of eighteen feathers, varied with whitish-brown and brownish-yellow ; almost 
 everywhere with well-defined transverse bars of brown on the feathers. 
 
 Body stout, compact; a tuft of long, pointed lanceolate feathers on each side of 
 the neck, covering a bare space capable of much inflation; tail short, truncate, much 
 graduated, composed of eighteen feathers, the lateral feathers about two-thirds the 
 
THE PINNATED GROUSE. 381 
 
 middle ; the feathers stiffened, nearly linear and truncate ; the tail is scarcely longer 
 than the coverts, and half the length of the wing; tarsi covered with feathers anteriorly 
 and laterally to the toes, but bare, with hexagonal scutellae behind; the middle toe 
 and claw longer than the tarsus; the toes margined by pectinated processes; a space 
 above the eye provided with a dense pectinated process in the breeding season, 
 sometimes separated from the eye by a superciliary space covered with feathers. 
 
 Length, sixteen and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eight and eighty on e- 
 hundredths; tail, four and seventy one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This well-known bird is now found in New England only 
 on Martha's Vineyard and Naushon, and perhaps one or 
 two other islands off the southern coast of Massachusetts. 
 
 It was once probably very abundant in all the southern New- 
 England States : but it is now nearly exterminated here ; 
 and very soon, in all probability, it will cease to be one of 
 our birds. Having had no opportunities for observing and 
 studying its habits, I give the very full and interesting 
 description presented by Wilson. He quotes a letter de- 
 scribing some of its habits as follows : 
 
 " Amours. The season for pairing is in March, and the breed- 
 ing time is continued through April and May. Then the male 
 Grouse distinguishes himself by a peculiar sound. When he utters 
 it, the parts about the throat are sensibly inflated and swelled. It 
 may be heard on a still morning for three or more miles ; some say 
 
382 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 they have perceived it as far as five or six. This noise is a sort of 
 ventriloquism. It does not strike the ear of a bystander with much 
 force, but impresses him with the idea, though produced within a 
 few rods of him, of a voice a mile or two distant. This note is 
 highly characteristic. Though very peculiar, it is termed tooting, 
 from its resemblance to the blowing of a conch or horn from a 
 remote quarter. The female makes her nest on the ground, in 
 recesses very rarely discovered by men. She usually lays from ten 
 to twelve eggs, which are of a brownish color, much resembling 
 those of a Guinea Hen. When hatched, the brood is protected by 
 her alone. Surrounded by her young, the mother-bird exceedingly 
 resembles a domestic Hen and chickens. She frequently leads 
 them to feed in the roads crossing the woods, on the remains of 
 maize and oats contained in the dung dropped by the travelling 
 horses. In that employment, they are often surprised by the pas- 
 sengers. On such occasions, the dam utters a cry of alarm. The 
 little ones immediately scamper to the brush ; and, while they are 
 skulking into places of safety, their anxious parent beguiles the 
 spectator by drooping and fluttering her wings, limping along the 
 path, rolling over in the dirt, and other pretences of inability to 
 walk or fly. 
 
 " Food. A favorite article of their diet is the heath-hen plum, 
 or partridge-berry. They are fond of whortleberries and cran- 
 berries. Worms and insects of several kinds are occasionally found 
 in their crops. But, in the winter, they subsist chiefly on acorns 
 and the buds of trees which have shed their leaves. In their 
 stomachs have been sometimes observed the leaves of a plant sup- 
 posed to be a wintergreen ; and it is said, when they are much 
 pinched, they betake themselves to the buds of the pine. In con- 
 venient places, they have been known to enter cleared fields, and 
 regale themselves on the leaves of clover ; and old gunners have 
 reported that they have been known to trespass upon patches of 
 buckwheat, and pick up the grains. 
 
 " Migration. They are stationary, and never known to quit 
 their abode. There are no facts showing in them any disposition 
 to migration. On frosty mornings, and during snows, they perch 
 on the upper branches of pine-trees. They avoid wet and swampy 
 places, and are remarkably attached to dry ground. The low and 
 
THE PINNATED GROUSE. 383 
 
 open brush is preferred to high shrubbery and thickets. Into these 
 latter places they fly for refuge when closely pressed by the hunt- 
 ers ; and here, under a stiff and impenetrable cover, they escape 
 the pursuit of dogs and men. Water is so seldom met with on the 
 true Grouse ground, that it is necessary to carry it along for the 
 pointers to drink. The flights of Grouse are short but sudden, 
 rapid, and whirring. I have not heard of any success in taming 
 them. They seem to resist all attempts at domestication. In this, 
 as well as in many other respects, they resemble the Quail of New 
 York or the Partridge of Pennsylvania. 
 
 "Manners. During the period of mating, and while the 
 females are occupied in incubation, the males have a practice of 
 assembling, principally by themselves. To some select and central 
 spot, where there is very little underwood, they repair from the 
 adjoining district. From the exercise performed there, this is called 
 a scratching-place. The time of meeting is the break of day. 
 As soon as the light appears, the company assembles from every 
 side, sometimes to the number of forty or fifty. When the dawn 
 is past, the ceremony begins by a low tooting from one of the 
 cocks. This is answered by another. They then come forth one 
 by one from the bushes, and strut 'about with all the pride and 
 ostentation they can display. Their necks are incurvated ; the 
 feathers on them are erected into a sort of ruff; the plumes of their 
 tails are expanded like fans ; they strut about in a style resembling, 
 as nearly as small may be illustrated by great, the pomp of the Tur- 
 key-cock. They seem to vie with each other in stateliness ; and, as 
 they pass each other, frequently cast looks of insult, and utter notes 
 of defiance. These are the signals for battles. They engage with 
 wonderful spirit and fierceness. During these contests, they leap a 
 foot or two from the ground, and utter a cackling, screaming, and 
 discordant cry. 
 
 " They have been found in these places of resort even earlier 
 than the appearance of light in the east. This fact has led to the 
 belief that a part of them assemble over night. The rest join them 
 in the morning. This leads to the further belief that they roost on 
 the ground ; and the opinion is confirmed by the discovery of little 
 rings of dung, apparently deposited by a flock which had passed 
 the night together. After the appearance of the sun, they disperse. 
 
384 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 " These places of exhibition have been often discovered by the 
 hunters ; and a fatal discovery it has been for the poor Grouse. 
 Their destroyers construct for themselves lurking-holes made of pine 
 branches, called bough houses, within a few yards of the parade. 
 Hither they repair with their fowling-pieces, in the latter part of 
 the night, and wait the appearance of the birds. Watching the 
 moment when two are proudly eying each other, or engaged in 
 battle, or when a greater number can be seen in a range, they pour 
 on them a destructive charge of shot. This annoyance has been 
 given in so many places, and to such extent, that the Grouse, after 
 having been repeatedly disturbed, are afraid to assemble. On 
 approaching the spot to which their instinct prompts them, they 
 perch on the neighboring trees, instead of alighting at the scratch- 
 ing-place ; and it remains to be observed how far the restless and 
 tormenting spirit of the marksmen may alter the native habits of 
 the Grouse, and oblige them to betake themselves to new ways 
 of life. 
 
 "They commonly keep together in coveys, or packs, as the 
 phrase is, until the pairing season. A full pack consists, of course, 
 of ten or a dozen. Two packs have been known to associate. I 
 lately heard of one whose number amounted to twenty-two. They 
 are so unapt to be startled, that a hunter, assisted by a dog, has 
 been able to shoot almost a whole pack, without making any of 
 them take wing. In like manner, the men lying in concealment 
 near the scratching-places have been known to discharge several 
 guns before either the report of the explosion, or the sight of their 
 wounded and dead fellows, would rouse them to flight. It has 
 further been remarked, that, when a company of sportsmen have 
 surrounded a pack of Grouse, the birds seldom or never rise upon 
 their pinions while they are encircled ; but each runs along until 
 it passes the person that is nearest, and then flutters off with the 
 utmost expedition. SAMUEL L. MITCHILL." 
 
 He then continues with his own observations : 
 
 " This bird, though an inhabitant of different and very distant 
 districts of North America, is extremely particular in selecting his 
 place of residence ; pitching only upon those tracts whose features 
 and productions correspond with his modes of life, and avoiding 
 
THE PINNATED GROUSE. 385 
 
 immense, intermediate regions that he never visits. Open, dry 
 plains, thinly interspersed with trees, or partially overgrown with 
 shrub oak, are his favorite haunts. Accordingly, we find these 
 birds on the Grouse plains of New Jersey, in Burlington County, 
 as well as on the brushy plains of Long Island ; among the pines 
 and shrub oaks of Pocano, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania ; 
 over the whole extent of the Barrens of Kentucky ; on the luxuri- 
 ant plains and prairies of the Indiana Territory, and Upper Louisi- 
 ana ; and, according to the information of the late Governor Lewis, 
 on the vast arid remote plains of the Columbia River ; in all these 
 places preserving the same singular habits. 
 
 " Their predilection for such situations will be best accounted for 
 by considering the following facts and circumstances : First, their 
 mode of flight is generally direct and laborious, and ill calculated 
 for the labyrinth of a high and thick forest, crowded and intersected 
 with trunks and arms of trees, that require continual angular evolu- 
 tion of wing, or sudden turnings, to which they are by no means 
 accustomed. I have always observed them to avoid the high- 
 timbered groves that occur here and there in the Barrens. Con- 
 nected with this fact is a circumstance related to me by a very 
 respectable inhabitant of that country ; viz., that, one forenoon, a 
 cock Grouse struck the stone chimney of his house with such force 
 as instantly to fall dead to the ground. 
 
 " Secondly, their known dislike of ponds, marshes, or watery 
 places, which they avoid on all occasions ; drinking but seldom, and, 
 it is believed, never from such places. Eyen in confinement, this 
 peculiarity has been taken notice of. While I was in the State of 
 Tennessee, a person living within a few miles of Nashville had 
 caught an old hen Grouse in a trap ; and, being obliged to keep her 
 in a large cage, as she struck and abused the rest of the poultry, 
 he remarked that she never drank, and that she even avoided that 
 quarter of the cage where the cup containing the water was placed. 
 Happening, one day, to let some water fall on the cage, it trickled 
 down in drops along the bars, which the bird no sooner observed 
 than she eagerly picked them off, drop by drop, with a dexterity 
 that showed she had been habituated to this mode of quenching her 
 thirst, and probably to this mode only, in those dry and barren 
 tracts, where, except the drops of dew and drops of rain, water is 
 
 25 
 
386 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 very rarely to be met with. For the space of a week, he watched 
 her closely, to discover whether she still refused to drink; but, 
 though she was constantly fed on Indian corn, the cup and water 
 still remained untouched and untasted. Yet no sooner did he 
 again sprinkle water on the bars of the cage, than she eagerly and 
 rapidly picked them off as before. 
 
 "The last, and probably the strongest, inducement to their 
 preferring these plains is the small acorn of the shrub oak, the 
 strawberries, huckleberries, and partridge-berries, with which they 
 abound, and which constitute the principal part of the food of these 
 birds. These brushy thickets also afford them excellent shelter, 
 being almost impenetrable to dogs or birds of prey. 
 
 " In all these places where they inhabit, they are, in the strict- 
 est sense of the word, resident ; having their particular haunts and 
 places of rendezvous (as described in the preceding account), to 
 which they are strongly attached. Yet they have been known to 
 abandon an entire tract of such country, when, from whatever 
 cause it might proceed, it became again covered with forest. A 
 few miles south of the town of York, in Pennsylvania, commences 
 an extent of country, formerly of the character described, now 
 chiefly covered with wood, but still retaining the name of Barrens. 
 In the recollection of an old man born in that part of the country, 
 this tract abounded with Grouse. The timber growing up, in 
 progress of years, these birds totally disappeared ; and, for a long 
 period of time, he had seen none of them, until, migrating with his 
 family to Kentucky, on entering the Barrens, he, one morning, 
 recognized the well-known music of his old acquaintance, the 
 Grouse, which, he assures me, are the very same with those he 
 had known in Pennsylvania. 
 
 " But what appears to me the most remarkable circumstance 
 relative to this bird is, that not one of all those writers who have 
 attempted its history have taken the least notice of those two 
 extraordinary bags of yellow skin which mark the neck of the 
 male, and which constitute so striking a peculiarity. These appear 
 to be formed by an expansion of the gullet, as well as of the exte- 
 rior skin of the neck, which, when the bird is at rest, hangs in 
 loose, pendulous, wrinkled folds along the side of the neck ; the 
 supplemental wings, at the same time, as well as when the bird is 
 
THE PINNATED GROUSE. 387 
 
 flying, lying along the neck. But when these bags are inflated 
 with air, in breeding-time, they are equal in size, and very much 
 resemble in color, a middle-sized, fully ripe orange. By means of 
 this curious apparatus, which is very observable several hundred 
 yards off, he is enabled to produce the extraordinary sound men- 
 tioned above, which, though it may easily be imitated, is yet diffi- 
 cult to describe by words. It consists of three notes of the same 
 tone, resembling those produced by the Night Hawks in their rapid 
 descent ; each strongly accented, the last being twice as long as the 
 others. When several are thus engaged, the ear is unable to dis- 
 tinguish the regularity of these triple notes ; there being, at such 
 times, one continued bumming, which is disagreeable and perplex- 
 ing, from the impossibility of ascertaining from what distance, or 
 even quarter, it proceeds. While uttering this, the bird exhibits 
 all the ostentatious gesticulations of a Turkey-cock ; erecting and 
 fluttering his neck-wings, wheeling and passing before the female, 
 and close before his fellows, as in defiance. Now and then are 
 heard some rapid, cackling notes, not unlike that of a person tickled 
 to excessive laughter ; and, in short, one can scarcely listen to 
 them without feeling disposed to laugh from sympathy. These are 
 uttered by the males while engaged in fight, on which occasion 
 they leap up against each other, exactly in the manner of Turkeys, 
 seemingly with more malice than effect. This bumming continues 
 from a little before daybreak to eight or nine o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, when the parties separate to seek for food. 
 
 " Fresh-ploughed fields, in the vicinity of their resorts, are sure 
 to be visited by these birds every morning, and frequently also in the 
 evening. On one of these I counted, at one time, seventeen males, 
 making such a continued sound, as, I am persuaded, might have 
 been heard for more than a mile off. The people of the Barrens 
 informed me, that, when the weather becomes severe with snow, 
 they approach the barn and farm-house, are sometimes seen sitting 
 on the fences in dozens, mix with the poultry, and glean up the 
 scattered grains of Indian corn, seeming almost half domesticated. 
 At such times, great numbers are taken in traps. No pains, how- 
 ever, or regular plan, has ever been persisted in, as far as I was 
 informed, to domesticate these delicious birds. A Mr. Reed, who 
 lives between the Pilot Knobs and Bairdstown, told me, that, a few 
 
388 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 years ago, one of his sons found a Grouse's nest with fifteen eggs, 
 which he brought home, and immediately placed beneath a hen then 
 sitting, taking away her own. The nest of the Grouse was on the 
 ground, under a tussock of long grass, formed with very little art, 
 and few materials : the eggs were brownish- white, and about the 
 size of a pullet's. In three or four days, the whole were hatched. 
 Instead of following the hen, they compelled her to run after them, 
 distracting her with the extent and diversity of their wanderings ; 
 and it was a day or two before they seemed to understand her 
 language, or consent to be guided by her. They were let out to 
 the fields, where they paid little regard to their nurse ; and, in a 
 few days, only three of them remained. These became extremely 
 tame and familiar, were most expert flycatchers ; but, soon after, 
 they also disappeared. 
 
 The eggs of this species are generally ovoidal in form, 
 and are often pretty sharply tapered at their small ends. 
 They vary in color from a dirty-drab to a grayish-white, and 
 are covered more or less thickly with fine spots or dots of 
 brown : some specimens have none of these marking's, while 
 others are abundantly spotted. A large number of speci- 
 mens in my collection average about 1.80 by 1.25 inch in 
 dimensions. 
 
 BONASA, STEPHENS. 
 
 Bonaw, STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XI. (1819). (Type Tetrao bonasia, L.) 
 Tail widening to the end, its feathers very broad, as long as the wings ; the 
 feathers soft, and eighteen in number; tarsi naked in the lower half; covered with 
 two rows of hexagonal scales anteriorly, as in the Ortygince; sides of toes strongly 
 pectinated ; naked space on the side of throat covered by a tuft of broad soft feathers ; 
 portion of culmen between the nasal fossae about one-third the total length ; top of 
 head with a soft crest. 
 
 BONASA UMBELLUS. Stephens. 
 The Ruffed Grouse ; Partridge ; Pheasant. 
 
 Tetrao umbellus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 275. Wils. Am. Orn., VI. 
 (1812) 46. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 211; V. 660. 
 
 Tetrao (Bonasia) umbellm, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 126. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 
 
 Bonata umbettus, Stephens. Shaw, Gen. Zool., XI. (1824) 300. 
 
THE RUFFED GROUSE. 389 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail of eighteen feathers, reddish-brown or gray above ; the back with cordate 
 spots of lighter ; beneath whitish, transversely barred with dull-brown ; tail tipped 
 with gray, and with a subterminal bar of black ; broad feathers of the ruff black. 
 
 Tail lengthened, nearly as long as the wing ; very broad, and moderately 
 rounded ; the feathers very broad and truncate, the tip slightly convex, eighteen in 
 number; upper half of tarsus only feathered; bare behind and below, with two 
 rows of hexagonal scutellae anteriorly; a naked space on the side of the neck, con- 
 cealed by an overhanging tuft of broad, truncate feathers ; there are no pectinated 
 processes above the eye, where the skin instead is clothed with short feathers. 
 
 Length, eighteen inches; wing, seven and twenty one-hundredths ; tail, seven 
 inches. 
 
 This beautiful and well-known bird, commonly, but very 
 improperly, called Partridge, is a general resident in all the 
 New-England States throughout the year. In the most 
 retired localities, and in the near vicinage of towns, it is 
 found almost equally abundant ; and its habits and charac- 
 teristics are the same in all localities, except that in thickly 
 settled districts, in consequence of its being more pursued 
 by sportsmen, it is much wilder and more difficult of ap- 
 proach than in less settled neighborhoods. So tame and 
 unsuspicious are these birds in the deep forests, that I have 
 had considerable difficulty at times in flushing them. When 
 I have approached them, instead of flying off, as they should, 
 they stood watching me like so many barn-yard fowls ; and 
 when I walked up to within a few feet of them, to get them 
 a-wing, for no true sportsman will ever kill a game bird 
 unless it is flying, they only retreated slowly into a thicket 
 of undergrowth, and remained there until actually forced to 
 take flight. 
 
 About the first of May, sometimes a little earlier, more 
 often later, the female withdraws from the society of the 
 male, and repairs to a retired spot in the woods, where, 
 usually beneath a thicket of evergreen, or a bunch of brush, 
 or perhaps a fallen log or rock, she scrapes together a few 
 leaves into a loose nest, and deposits from eight to twelve 
 eggs. These are usually of a yellowish-white, sometimes 
 a darker color, sometimes nearly pure-white. They are 
 
390 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 usually ovoidal in form, sometimes nearly rounded, and their 
 dimensions average about 1.65 by 1.20 inches : specimens 
 are occasionally found much larger than this size, and many 
 considerably smaller. In about fifty specimens before me, 
 collected perhaps in ten different States, about five are of a 
 yellowish-buff color, marked with numerous spots of brown ; 
 others are more yellowish, and have more obscure spots, 
 while the greater number have no markings at all. 
 
 From several instances which have come to my knowl- 
 edge, I am inclined to think that the female Ruffed Grouse, 
 if persistently molested when nesting on the ground, avails 
 herself of the abandoned nest of a crow, or the shelter 
 afforded in the top of some tall broken trunk of a tree, 
 in which she deposits her eggs. Two of my collectors in 
 Northern Maine have sent me eggs which they positively 
 declared were found in a crow's nest in a high pine, but 
 which are undoubtedly of this species ; and recently I have 
 heard of another occurrence from my friend L. E. Rick- 
 seeker, of Pennsylvania. The only satisfactory theory that 
 I can advance to account for these departures from the 
 usual habits of the Grouse is, that the birds had been much 
 disturbed, their eggs or young perhaps destroyed ; and as 
 they are often in the trees, and are expert climbers, they 
 laid their eggs in these lofty situations to secure protection 
 from their numerous foes below. 
 
 During the season of incubation, the males congregate 
 together and remain apart from the females, until the young 
 birds are nearly full-grown : they then join them, and remain 
 with them until the ensuing spring. 
 
 JEarty in spring, the male begins " drumming: " this habit 
 is peculiar to this species, and is probably familiar to all 
 persons who have passed much of their time in the woods. 
 
 I have heard this drumming as early as February, and as 
 late as September ; but usually it is not heard much before 
 the first of April. The bird resorts to a fallen trunk of a 
 tree or log, and, while strutting like the male Turkey, beats 
 
THE RUFFED GROUSE. 391 
 
 his wings against his sides and the log with considerable 
 force. This produces a hollow drumming noise, that may 
 be heard to a considerable distance : it commences very 
 slowly, and, after a few strokes, gradually increases in 
 velocity, and terminates with a rolling beat very similar to 
 the roll of a drum. 
 
 I know not by what law of acoustics, but this drumming 
 is peculiar in sounding equally as loud at a considerable 
 distance off, as within a few rods. I have searched for the 
 bird when I have heard the drumming, and, while supposing 
 him to be at a considerable distance, have flushed him within 
 the distance of fifty feet, and vice versa. 
 
 The young birds, like those of all our G-allince, follow 
 their mother almost as soon as they are hatched. I have 
 often found these broods in the woods, and can com- 
 pare them to nothing so much as the chicks of domestic 
 poultry. 
 
 The female, when her family is surprised, quickly gives a 
 warning cluck, when the whole brood adroitly conceal them- 
 selves. I have known a number to disappear, as if by 
 magic, beneath a bunch of leaves or grass ; and it required 
 a long, careful search to discover their whereabouts. 
 
 I once came suddenly upon a covey of these young birds, 
 when the mother, taken by surprise, uttering a harsh cry, 
 flew at my foot, and commenced picking it fiercely : the 
 young scrambled off, uttering faint peets, when the old bird, 
 perhaps astonished at this departure from her usual mod- 
 esty, suddenly retreated, and concealed herself. The young 
 birds associate with the female until scattered by sportsmen 
 or by a scarcity of provender. They are much more deli- 
 cate as food, when about two-thirds grown, than the old 
 birds, as they have less of that peculiar bitter taste, and 
 have a rich flavor, almost similar to that of the Woodcock. 
 
 The food of this species consists of various seeds, berries, 
 grapes, and insects. When nothing else can be obtained, 
 they will eat the leaves of the evergreens, and buds of 
 
392 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 trees ; and, when all other food is covered with snow, they 
 eat dried pieces of apples that are left hanging on the trees, 
 mosses, and leaves of the laurel. It is after feeding on this 
 last plant that their flesh becomes dangerous to be eaten ; 
 and it is always safe not to eat these birds in winter, if they 
 have been killed for any great length of time, or if their 
 intestines and crops have been left in them. 
 
 One habit that this species has is, I believe, peculiar to 
 it; and that is its manner of diving into the deep snow 
 to pass the night in cold weather: this it does very fre- 
 quently, and its snowy covering affords it a warm and 
 effectual protection. But if it rains during the night, and 
 then the weather changes to freezing, the Grouse, imprisoned 
 beneath the crust that forms on the surface of the snow, 
 soon dies ; and it is noticed, that, in seasons after winters 
 when the weather frequently changes from raining to freez- 
 ing, there is a scarcity of these birds. It is a common 
 occurrence to find them, in the spring, dead, having perished 
 in this manner. 
 
THE VIRGINIA PARTRIDGE. 393 
 
 FAMILY PERDICIDJE. THE PARTRIDGES. 
 
 Nostrils protected by a naked scale ; the tarsi bare and scutellate. 
 
 The Perditidce differ from the Grouse in the bare legs and naked nasal fossae ; 
 they are much smaller in size and more abundant in species ; they are widely dis- 
 tributed over the surface, of the globe, a large number belonging to America, where 
 the sub-families have no Old- World representatives whatever ; the head seldom, if 
 ever, shows the naked space around and above the eye, so common in the Tetraonidce ; 
 and the sides of the toes scarcely exhibit the peculiar pectination formed by a suc- 
 cession of small scales or plates. 
 
 Sub-Family ORTTGIN^E. 
 
 Bill stout; the lower mandible more or less bidentate on each side near the end. 
 
 The Ortygince of Bonaparte, or OdontophorincB of other authors, are characterized 
 as a group by the bidentation on either side of the edge of lower mandible, usually 
 concealed in the closed mouth, and sometimes scarcely appreciable ; the bill is short, 
 and rather high at base, stouter and shorter than what is usually seen in Old- 
 World partridges ; the culmen is curved from the base ; the tip of the bill broad, 
 and overlapping the end of the lower mandible; the nasal groove is short; the tail is 
 rather broad and long. 
 
 ORTYX, STEPHENS. 
 
 Ortyx, STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XI. (1819). (Type Tetrao Virginianm, L.) 
 
 Bill stout ; head entirely without any crest ; tail short, scarcely more than half 
 
 the wing, composed of moderately soft feathers ; wings normal ; legs developed, the 
 
 toes reaching considerably beyond the tip of the tail ; the lateral toes short, equal, 
 
 their claws falling decidedly short of the base of the middle claw. 
 
 OETYX VIRGINIANUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Virginia Partridge; Quail; Bob-white. 
 
 Tetrao Virginianus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 277. 
 
 Perdix Virginiana, Wilson. Am. Orn., VI. (1812) 21. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. 
 (1831) 388; V. (1839) 564. 
 
 . Ortyx Virginiana, Jardine. Nat. Lib. Birds, IV, ; Game Birds, 101. 
 Perdix ( Colinia) Virginiana, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 646. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Forehead, and line through the eye and along the side of the necK, with chin 
 and throat, white ; a band of black across the vertex, and extending backwards on 
 the sides, within the white, and another from the maxilla beneath the eye, and 
 crossing on the lower part of the throat ; the under parts are white, tinged with 
 brown anteriorly, each feather with several narrow, obtusely V-shaped bands of 
 
394 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 black; the forepart of back, the side of the breast and in front just below the black 
 collar, of a dull pinkish-red; the sides of body and wing coverts brownish-red; the 
 latter almost uniform, without indication of mottling; scapulars and upper tertials 
 coarsely blotched with black, and edged internally with brownish-yellow; top of 
 head reddish ; the lower part of neck, except anteriorly, streaked with white and 
 black; primary quills unspotted brown; tail ash. 
 
 Female with the white markings of the head replaced by brownish-yellow ; the 
 black wanting. 
 
 This species is subject to considerable variations both of size and color, the more 
 northern 'being considerably the larger; southern specimens are darker, with 
 more black about the head, on the wings, and the middle of the back ; there is also 
 a more appreciable mottling on the wings, and the feathers of the back are streaked 
 with black. 
 
 Length, ten inches ; wing, four and seventy one-hundredths inches ; tail, two and 
 eighty-five one-hundredths inches. 
 
 THIS beautiful bird, very improperly called the Quail, is 
 not very connnon in any part of New England north 
 of Massachusetts ; and in that State it is rapidly becoming 
 rare, both in consequence of the destructive pertinacity 
 with which it is followed by all sportsmen, and the abomi- 
 nable practice of snaring and netting it, that is growing too 
 common. In Massachusetts and the other southern New- 
 England States, it is partially migratory in the fall ; repair- 
 ing to the neighborhood of the seacoast, where it remains 
 two or three weeks : it returns to the fields and swamps, by 
 the first fall of snow, where it passes the winter. Its habits 
 are pretty well known in New England ; but, that my 
 readers may know about it elsewhere, I give the very inter- 
 esting description by Wilson. He says, 
 
 " They are most numerous in the vicinity of well-cultivated 
 plantations, where grain is in plenty. They, however, occasionally 
 seek shelter in the woods, perching on the branches, or secreting 
 themselves among the brushwood ; but are found most usually in 
 open fields, or along fences sheltered by thickets of briers. Where 
 they are not too much persecuted by the sportsmen, they become 
 almost half domesticated ; approach the barn, particularly in winter, 
 and sometimes, in that severe season, mix with the poultry to glean 
 up a subsistence. They remain with us the whole year, and often 
 suffer extremely by long, hard winters and deep snows. At such 
 
THE VIRGINIA PARTRIDGE. 395 
 
 times, the arts of man combine with the inclemency of the season 
 for their destruction. To the ravages of the gun are added others 
 of a more insidious kind ; traps are placed on almost every planta- 
 tion, in such places as they are known to frequent. These are 
 formed of lath, or thinly split sticks, somewhat in the shape of an 
 obtuse cone, laced together with cord, having a small hole at top, 
 with a sliding lid, to take out the game by. This is supported by 
 the common figure-four trigger, and grain is scattered below and 
 leading to the place. By this contrivance, ten or fifteen have some- 
 times been taken at a time. 
 
 " The Partridge begins to build early in May. The nest is 
 made on the ground, usually at the bottom of a thick tuft of grass, 
 that shelters and conceals it. The materials are leaves and fine 
 dry grass in considerable quantity. It is well covered above, and 
 an opening left on one side for entrance. The female lays from 
 fifteen to twenty-four eggs, of a pure-white, without any spots. 
 The time of incubation has been stated to me, by various persons, 
 at four weeks, when the eggs were placed under the domestic Hen. 
 The young leave the nest as soon as they are freed from the shell, 
 and are conducted about in search of food by the female ; are 
 guided by her voice, which, at that time, resembles the twittering 
 of young chickens, and sheltered by her wings, in the same manner 
 as those of the domestic fowl, but with all that secrecy and precau- 
 tion for their safety which their helplessness and greater danger 
 require. In this situation, should the little timid family be unex- 
 pectedly surprised, the utmost alarm and consternation instantly 
 prevail. The mother throws herself in the path, fluttering along, 
 and beating the ground with her wings, as if sorely wounded; 
 using every artifice she is mistress of to entice the passenger in pur- 
 suit of herself; uttering, at the same time, certain peculiar notes of 
 alarm, well understood by the young, who dive separately amongst 
 the grass, and secrete themselves till the danger is over : and the 
 parent, having decoyed the pursuer to a safe distance, returns, by a 
 circuitous route, to collect and lead them off. This well-known 
 manoeuvre, which nine times in ten is successful, is honorable 
 to the feelings and judgment of the bird, but a severe satire on 
 man. The affectionate mother, as if sensible of the avaricious 
 cruelty of his nature, tempts him with a larger prize, to save her 
 
396 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 more helpless offspring ; and pays him, as avarice and cruelty ought 
 always to be paid, with mortification and disappointment." 
 
 In a great number of eggs in my collection, from many 
 different localities, some specimens are nearly pure-white, 
 while others are smeared with some blotches or confluent 
 dabs of yellowish: whether these are stains caused by 
 moisture or dirt, I am ignorant ; but they are permanent, 
 for I cannot remove them by water or alcohol. I judge they 
 are stains from the earth or decayed vegetation on which 
 they were laid. Their form is pyriform ; and their average 
 length about 1.20 inch, and greatest width 1 inch. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 I continue Mr. Couper's notes, made at Quebec, Lower 
 Canada : 
 
 ECTOPISTES MIGRATORIUS. The Passenger Pigeon is not so common 
 in this portion of Lower as in Upper Canada, where they breed in large 
 numbers. They are found breeding in the eastern townships of Lower 
 Canada ; but I have not ascertained that they breed in this district or north 
 of it. I remember at one time finding a nest of this pigeon in the woods 
 north of Toronto : it contained a single young one. I believe there are 
 many instances of its breeding in solitary pairs, something like the Wood 
 Pigeon of Europe. 
 
 ZENAIDUEA CAROLINENSIS. The Carolina Dove has never been noticed 
 in Lower Canada. It occurs occasionally in the woods north of the city of 
 Toronto, where, I believe, it breeds. 
 
 TETRAO CANADENSIS. This species is very common from October to 
 February. They are in prime condition during the last month. It breeds 
 on both sides of the St. Lawrence, but more common on the south. During 
 the above months, there are generally six males to one female exhibited 
 on our markets. The inhabitants inform me that females are very scarce 
 during winter. This is a parodox to me, when I know that both male and 
 female feed on the same tree. What is also astonishing, the nest and eggs 
 of this bird are as hard to discover in spring as the female is in winter. I 
 have offered to purchase every nest of this species brought to me; but, 
 strange to say, I have not been fortunate in seeing one yet. 
 
 BONASA UMBELLUS. Common. Breeds. I have repeatedly found the 
 nest of this species. 
 
ORDER V. GRALLATORES. 397 
 
 ORDER Y. GRALLATORES. 1 WADERS. 
 
 Legs, neck, and usually the bill, much lengthened; tibia bare 
 for a certain distance above the tarsal joint ; nostrils exposed ; tail 
 usually very short ; the species live along or near the water, more 
 rarely in dry plains, wading, never swimming habitually, except 
 perhaps in the case of the Phalaropes. 
 
 The bill of the Grallatores is usually in direct proportion to the 
 length of legs and neck. The toes vary, but are usually connected 
 at the base by a membrane, which sometimes extends almost or 
 quite to the claws. 
 
 The Grallatores, like the Rasores and Natatores, are divisible 
 into two sub-orders, according as the species rear and feed their 
 young in nests, or allow them to shift for themselves. The follow- 
 ing diagnoses express the general character of these subdivisions : 
 
 HERODIONES. Face or lores more or less naked, or else 
 covered with feathers different from those on the rest of the 
 body, except in some Gruidce ; bill nearly as thick at the base as 
 the skull ; hind toe generally nearly on same level with the ante- 
 rior ; young reared in nests, and requiring to be fed by the parent. 
 
 GRALLJE. Lores with feathers similar to those on the rest of 
 the body ; bill contracted at base, where it is usually smaller than 
 the skull ; hind toe generally elevated ; young running about at 
 birth, and able to feed themselves. 
 
 1 See Introduction. 
 
398 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 SUB-ORDER HERODIONES. 
 
 Bill generally thick at the base and much longer than the head ; frontal feathers 
 with a rounded outline; lores, and generally the region round the eye (sometimes 
 most of the head), naked. 
 
 The primary characteristic of the Herodiones, though physiological rather than 
 zoological, is of the highest importance ; the young are born weak and imperfect, 
 and are reared in the nest, being fed directly by the parent until able to take care of 
 themselves, when they are generally abandoned. In the Grallce, on the contrary, 
 the young run about freely, directly after being hatched, and are capable of securing 
 food for themselves under the direction of the parent. 
 
 The chief zoological character (not, however, entirely without exception) is to be 
 found in the bill, which is generally very large, much longer than the head, and 
 thickened at the base so as to be nearly or quite as broad and high as the skull ; the 
 lores are almost always naked, or, if 'covered, it is with feathers of a different kind 
 from those on the rest of the body; the hind toe in most genera is lengthened and 
 on a level with the anterior, so as to be capable of grasping ; sometimes, however, it 
 is elevated and quite short. BAIRD. 
 
 FAMILY ARDEIDJE. THE HERONS. 
 
 Bill conical, acuminate, compressed, and acute ; the edges usually nicked at the 
 end; the frontal feathers generally extending beyond the nostrils; tarsi scutellate 
 anteriorly; the middle toe connected to the outer by a basal web; claws acute; the 
 edge of the middle one serrated or pectinated on its inner edge. 
 
 GARZETTA, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Garzetta, BONAPARTE, Consp., II. (1855) 118. (Type Ardea garzetta, L., 
 whether of Kaup, 1829?) 
 
 Bill slender; outlines nearly straight to near the tip, when they are about 
 equally convex ; middle toe more than half the tarsus ; tarsi broadly scutellate ante- 
 riorly ; tibia denuded for about one-half; outer toe longest ; head with a full occipital 
 crest of feathers having the webs decomposed, hair-like ; feathers of lower part of 
 throat similar; middle of back with long plumes reaching to the tail, recurving at 
 tip; these plumes and the crest apparently permanent ; lower part of neck behind, 
 bare of feathers; colors pure-white in all ages. 
 
 GARZETTA CANDIDISSIMA. Bonaparte. 
 The Snowy Heron. 
 
 Ardea candidissima, Gmelin. Syst. Nat'., I. (1788) 633. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 
 (1813) 120. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 49. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 317; V. 
 (1839) 606. 
 
 Garzelta candidimma, Bonaparte. Consp. (1855), 119. 
 
THE SNOWY HERON. 
 
 399 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Occiput much crested; dorsal plumes reaching to the end of the tail ; colors pure- 
 white; bill black; the base j^ellow; legs black; iris, hazel in young, yellow in 
 adult. 
 
 Length, twenty-four inches; wing, ten and twenty on e-hundredths inches; tar- 
 sus, three and eighty one-hundredths inches; bill, above, three and fifteen one-hun- 
 dredths inches. 
 
 THIS beautiful bird is a very rare summer visitor in 
 the southern New-England States. I have never had 
 an opportunity for observing its habits, and will give the 
 description by Wilson : 
 
 " The Snowy Heron seems particularly fond of the salt marshes 
 during summer, seldom penetrating far inland. Its white plumage 
 renders it a very conspicuous object, either while on wing, or while 
 wading the meadows or marshes. 
 Its food consists of those small 
 crabs usually called fiddlers, mud- 
 worms, snails, frogs, and lizards. 
 It also feeds on the seeds of some 
 species of nymphse, and of several 
 other aquatic plants. 
 
 On the 19th of May, I visited 
 an extensive breeding-place of the 
 Snowy Heron, among the red ce- 
 dars of Summer's Beach, on the 
 coast of Cape May. The situation 
 was very sequestered, bounded on 
 the land side by a fresh-water 
 marsh or pond, and sheltered from 
 the Atlantic by ranges of sand-hills. The cedars, though not high, 
 were so closely crowded together as to render it difficult to pene- 
 trate through among them. Some trees contained three, others 
 four nests, built wholly of sticks. Each had in it three eggs of a 
 pale greenish-blue color, and measuring an inch and three-quarters 
 in length by an inch and a quarter in thickness. Forty or fifty of 
 these eggs were cooked, and found to be well tasted : the white 
 was of a bluish tint, and almost transparent, though boiled for a 
 considerable time ; the yolk very small in quantity. The birds 
 
400 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 rose in vast numbers, but without clamor, alighting on the tops of 
 the trees around, and watching the result in silent anxiety. Among 
 them were numbers of the Night Heron, and two or three Purple- 
 headed Herons. Great quantities of egg-shells lay scattered under 
 the trees, occasioned by the depredations of the Crows, who were 
 continually hovering about the place. On one of the nests I found 
 the dead body of the bird itself, half devoured by the Hawks, 
 Crows, or Gulls. She had probably perished in defence of her 
 
 eggs. 
 
 " The Snowy Heron is seen at all times during summer among 
 the salt marshes, watching and searching for food, or passing, some- 
 times in flocks, from one part of the bay to the other. They often 
 make excursions up the rivers and inlets, but return regularly in 
 the evening to the red cedars on the beach to roost." 
 
 ARDEA, LINN^US. 
 
 Ardea, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., I. (1735). (Type A. cinerea.) 
 
 Bill very thick ; culmen nearly straight; gonys ascending, its tip more convex 
 than that of culmen ; middle toe more than half the tarsus ; tibia bare for nearly 
 or quite one-half; claws short, much curved; outer toe longest; tarsus broadly 
 scutellate anteriorly; occiput with a few elongated occipital feathers; scapulars 
 elongate lanceolate, as long as the secondaries ; no dorsal plumes ; tail of twelve 
 broad stiffened feathers ; back of neck well feathered ; size very large ; colors plum- 
 beous, streaked beneath. 
 
 ARDEA HERODIAS. Linnaeus. 
 The Great Blue Heron, or Crane. 
 
 Ardea Herodias, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 237. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 
 (1814) 28. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 42. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 87; V. 599. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Lower third of tibia bare; above bluish-ash; edges of wing and the tibia rufous; 
 neck cinnamon-brown; head black, with a white frontal patch; body beneath black, 
 broadly streaked on the belly with white; crissum white; middle line of throat 
 white, streaked with black and rufous. 
 
 Adult. Bill yellow, dusky at the base and greenish above ; the forehead and 
 central part of the crown are white, encircled laterally and behind by black, of 
 which color is the occipital crest and its two elongated feathers ; the neck is of a 
 light smoky cinnamon-brown, with perhaps a tinge of purple; the chin and throat 
 whitish ; the feathers along the central line of the throat to the breast white, streaked 
 with black, and also with reddish-brown, except on the elongated feathers of the 
 
THE GREAT BLUE HERON. 401 
 
 breast ; the body may be described as bluish-ash above and on the sides ; the under 
 parts, including the tuft of feathers on each side the breast and the belly to the 
 white crissum, are sooty black, much varied along the middle line with white; 
 the tibia and the edge of the wing are rufous ; the quills are black, becoming more 
 plumbeous internally until the innermost secondaries are ashy, like the back; the 
 elongated tips of the scapular feathers have a whitish shade; the tail is of a bluish- 
 slate color; according to Mr. Audubon, the bill in life is yellow; dusky-green above; 
 loral and orbital spaces light-green; iris yellow; feet olivaceous, paler above the 
 tibio-tarsal joint; claws black. 
 
 Young. The upper mandible is blackish; the lower yellow, except along the 
 commissure; the head above is entirely dusky, without the much elongated occipital 
 feathers; the breast is grayish, streaked with white and light-brown, but without 
 any pure-black patches ; the back is without the elongated scapular feathers; in 
 still younger specimens, the coverts are all margined with rufous, which becomes 
 lighter at the tip ; the rufous of the tibia is much lighter. 
 
 Length, forty-two inches ; wing, eighteen and fifty one-hundredths ; tarsus about 
 six and fifty one-hundredths inches; bill about five and fifty one-hundredths 
 inches. 
 
 This, the largest of our New-England Herons, is pretty 
 generally distributed throughout these States as a summei 
 resident ; and, although not very abundant in any section, it 
 is of course more often found in localities near large bodies of 
 water than elsewhere. It arrives from the South about the 
 second week in April, sometimes a little earlier. During 
 the day, it seems to prefer the solitudes of the forest for 
 its retreat, as it is usually seen in the meadows only at early 
 morning, and in the latter part of the afternoon. It then, 
 by the side of a ditch or pond, is observed patiently watching 
 for its prey. It remains standing motionless until a fish or 
 frog presents Itself, when, with an unerring stroke with its 
 beak, as quick as lightning, it seizes, beats to pieces, and 
 swallows it. This act is often repeated ; and, as the Heron 
 varies this diet with meadow-mice, snakes, and insects, it 
 certainly does not lead the life of misery and want that 
 many writers ascribe to it. In fact, it is always plump and 
 in good condition ; and by many is considered as a palatable 
 bird on the table. 
 
 * About the 10th of May, this species commences building : 
 as with the other Herons, it breeds in communities, and 
 several nests may be foiind in an area of a few rods. These 
 
 26 
 
402 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 are placed in high forks of trees, generally in retired, almost 
 impassable swamps. I once visited a heronry of this species 
 in Erroll, N.H. It was in a deep swamp, which was inter- 
 sected .by a small branch of the Androscoggin River. I 
 think that I never penetrated a more villanous tract : every 
 few rods a quagmire would present itself, which, although 
 familiar to the persons who accompanied me, was generally 
 unrecognizable by me, from any patches of green turf; and 
 it was only by wading through mud and water, sometimes 
 up to my waist, or by leaping from one fallen tree to another, 
 through briers and brushwood, that I at last succeeded in 
 arriving beneath the trees in which the nests were built. 
 These were all dead hemlocks, white and smooth, without a 
 branch for certainly forty feet, and unclimbable. We could 
 see that the nests were nearly flat, and were constructed of 
 twigs of different sizes, put together in a loose and slovenly 
 manner. This was about the 25th of June : the young were, 
 of course, then about two-thirds grown ; and, as I had heard 
 that they were excellent eating, I emptied both the barrels 
 of my gun into one of the nests, when down tumbled two 
 " squab Herons," as they are called. We had them broiled 
 for supper : they tasted something like duck, but had a 
 strong flavor that was not pleasant. " I don't hanker after 
 any more," as one of our company said after supper. The 
 old birds, at the report of my gun, began flying over our 
 heads, uttering their hoarse honks and guttural cries. They 
 were careful to keep out of gunshot ; and, after flying back 
 and forth a few minutes, they disappeared, and all was still. 
 The eggs of this species are laid about the 15th or 20th of 
 May : they are usually three or four in number, and their 
 form is ovoidal. They are of a light bluish-green color, and 
 average in dimensions about 2.62 by 1.75 inch. But one 
 brood is reared in the season. 
 
 This is one of the most suspicious of our birds, and 
 the most difficult to be approached. It is constantly on the 
 lookout for danger ; and its long neck, keen eyes, and deli- 
 
THE LEAST BITTERN. 403 
 
 cate organs of hearing, enable it to detect the approach of 
 a hunter long before he can get within gunshot. 
 
 About the middle of October, it leaves New England, in 
 small detached groups, for the South. 
 
 ARDETTA, GRAY. 
 
 Ardetta, GRAY, List of Genera, App. (1842), 13. (Type Ardea minuta, L.) 
 
 Bill slender, acute ; both mandibles about equally curved ; legs very short ; tarsi 
 
 less than middle toe; inner toe much longest; claws long, acute; tarsi broadly 
 
 scutellate anteriorly. 
 
 Tail of ten feathers; neck short; body much compressed; head smooth; the 
 
 occipital leathers somewhat lengthened; the lower neck bare of feathers behind; no 
 
 plumes; plumage compact, lustrous ; uniform above; sexes differently colored. 
 
 ARDETTA EXILIS. Gray. 
 The Least Bittern. 
 
 Ardea exilis, Gmelin. Syst. Nat, I. (1788) 648. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 
 37. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 77; V. (1839) 606. 
 Ardea (ardeola) exilis, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 66. 
 Ardetta exilis, Gray. Gen. (1842). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head above and the back dark glossy green; upper part of neck, shoulders, 
 greater coverts, and outer webs of some tertials, purplish- cinnamon; a brownish- 
 yellow scapular stripe. Female with the green of head and back replaced by 
 purplish-chestnut; iris yellow. 
 
 Length, thirteen inches; wing, four and seventy-five one-hundredths ; tarsus, 
 one and sixty one-hundredths; bill, above, one and seventy-five one-hundredths 
 inches. 
 
 This, the smallest of our Ardeidae, is a rare summer 
 inhabitant of New England. It is only seen in pairs or 
 solitary individuals, and, unlike most of our birds in this 
 family, seems persistently solitary in its habits. I have 
 never met with an individual alive, and will give a short 
 extract from the description by Audubon of its habits. He 
 says, " Although the Least Bittern is not unfrequently 
 started in salt marshes, it gives a decided preference to 
 the borders of ponds, lakes, or bayous of fresh water ; and 
 it is in secluded situations of this kind that it usually forms 
 its nest. This is sometimes placed on the ground, amid the 
 
404 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 rankest grasses, but more frequently it is attached to the 
 stems several inches above it. It is flat, and composed of 
 dried or rotten weeds. In two instances, I found the nests 
 of the Least Bittern about three feet above the ground, in a 
 thick cluster of smilax and other briery plants. In the 
 first, two nests were placed in the same bush, within a few 
 yards of each other. In the other instance, there was only 
 one nest of this bird, but several of the Boat-tailed Grakle, 
 and one of the Green Heron, the occupants of all of which 
 seemed to be on friendly terms. When startled from the 
 nest, the old birds emit a few notes resembling the syllable 
 qua, alight a few yards off, and watch all your movements. 
 If you go towards them, you may sometimes take the female 
 with the hand, but rarely the male, who generally flies off, 
 or makes his way through the woods. 
 
 " The food of this bird consists of snails, slugs, tadpoles 
 or young frogs, and water lizards. In several instances, 
 however, I have found small shrews and field-mice in their 
 stomach. Although more nocturnal than diurnal, it moves 
 a good deal about by day in search of food. The flight of 
 this bird is apparently weak by day ; for then it seldom re- 
 moves to a greater distance than a hundred yards at a time, 
 and this, too, only when frightened in a moderate degree, 
 for, if much alarmed, it falls again among the grass, in the 
 manner of the Rail : but in the dusk of the evening and 
 morning, I have seen it passing steadily along, at the height 
 of fifty yards or more, with the neck retracted, and the legs 
 stretched out behind in the manner of the larger Herons." 
 
 The eggs of this species are usually four in number: 
 they are nearly oval in form, and are of the size, arid almost 
 exactly the form, of eggs of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, ex- 
 cept with regard to color ; tfie present species being con- 
 siderably paler. It has been found to breed in all the 
 New-England States, but seems to be more of a southern 
 species, and it is not abundant anywhere north of the 
 southern portions of the Middle States. 
 
THE BITTERN. 405 
 
 BOTAURUS, STEPHENS. 
 
 Botaurus, STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XI. (1819) 592. (Type Ardea stel- 
 laris, L.) 
 
 Bill moderate, scarcely longer than the head ; bill outlines gently convex, gonys 
 ascending; tarsi very short, less than the middle toe; broadly scutellate ; inner 
 lateral toe much longest; claws all very long, acute, and nearly straight. 
 
 Tail of ten feathers; no peculiar crest; plumage loose, opaque, streaked; sexes 
 similar. 
 
 BOTAURUS LENTIGINOSUS. Stephens. 
 The Bittern ; Stake-driver. 
 
 Botaurus lentiginosus, Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool., XI. (1819) 596. 
 
 Ardea (botaurus) lentiginosa, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 60. 
 
 Ardea mmor, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 35. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 
 296. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Brownish-yellow, finely mottled and varied with dark-brown and brownish-red ; a 
 
 broad black stripe on each side the neck, starting behind the ear; iris golden yellow. 
 
 ' Length, twenty-six and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eleven; tarsus, three 
 
 and sixty one-hundredths inches; bill, above, two and seventy-five one hundredths 
 
 inches. 
 
 Hob. Entire continent of North America. 
 
 Perhaps none of our Herons are more generally known 
 than this species ; for it is common in all New England as a 
 summer resident, and in some localities, particularly the 
 northern, is quite abundant. It arrives from the South 
 from about the last week in March to the 10th of April, 
 according to latitude, and remains in the meadows, where it 
 makes its home until the middle of October. It seems to 
 be more diurnal in its habits than most of our other Herons, 
 and seems always employed in the pursuit of fishes, frogs, 
 and other reptiles and insects, of which its food consists. 
 
 It breeds in communities, sometimes as many as a dozen 
 pairs nesting within the area of a few rods. The nests are 
 placed on low bushes, or thick tufts of grass, sometimes in 
 low, thickly wooded trees ; and are composed of coarse 
 grasses, twigs, and a few leaves. I know of no other place 
 in New England where these birds breed in such abun- 
 dance as in the neighborhood of the Richardson Lakes, in 
 Maine. There, in some of the tangled, boggy, almost im- 
 
406 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 penetrable swamps, these birds have several heronries, which 
 they have inhabited for years. When their haunts are 
 approached, the birds rise with a guttural note, like the 
 syllable qudk, and alight in some tall tree, from which they 
 silently watch the intruder. 
 
 The eggs are usually four in number. Their form is 
 generally ovoidal, and their color a rich drab, with some- 
 times an olive tinge. I know of no species that exhibits so 
 little variation in the size of its eggs as this ; for in a large 
 number of specimens in my collection from half a dozen 
 different States, east and west, the only variety of dimen- 
 sions is from 1.92 by 1.50 inch to 1.88 by 1.48 inch. 
 
 In the mating season, and during the first part of the 
 period of incubation, the male has a peculiar love-note, that 
 almost exactly resembles the stroke of a mallet on a stake ; 
 something like the syllables ^chunk-a-lunk-chunk^ quank- 
 chunk-a-lunk-chunk. I have often, when in the forests of 
 Northern Maine, been deceived by this note into believing 
 that some woodman or settler was in my neighborhood, 
 and discovered my mistake only after toiling through swamp 
 and morass for perhaps half a mile. But one brood is 
 reared in the season by this bird in New England ; and, by 
 the first week in August, the young are able to shift for 
 themselves. 
 
 BUTORIDES, BLYTH. 
 
 Butorides, BLYTH (1849), Horsf. (Type Ardea Javanica.) 
 
 Bill acute, rather longer than the head, gently curved from the base above ; 
 gnnys slightly ascending; legs very short; tarsi scarcely longer than the middle 
 toe; broadly scutellate anteriorly; lateral toes nearly equal; head with elongated 
 feathers above and behind; these are well defined, lanceolate, as are the inter- 
 scnpulars and scapulars; the latter not exceeding the tertials; neck short; bare 
 behind inferiorly; tibia feathered nearly throughout; tail of twelve feathers. 
 
 BUTORIDES VIRESCENS. Bonaparte. 
 The Green Heron; Fly-up-the-Creek. 
 
 Ardea virescens, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 238. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 
 (1813) 97. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 274. 
 Ardea (botaurus) virescens. Nutt, II. (1834) 63. 
 Butorides n'rescerw, Bonaparte. Consp. Av., II. (1855) 128. 
 
THE GREEN HERON. 407 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 "The Green Bittern is eighteen inches long, and twenty-five inches in extent; 
 bill black, lighter below, and 3 r ellow at the base; chin, and narrow streak down the 
 throat, yellowish-white; neck dark vinaceous-red ; back covered with very long, 
 tapering, pointed feathers, of a hoary green, shafted with white, on a dark-green 
 ground ; the hind part of the neck is destitute of plumage, that it may be the more 
 conveniently drawn in over the breast, but is covered with the long feathers of the 
 throat and sides of the neck that enclose it behind; wings and tail dark glossy 
 green, tipped and bordered with yellowish-white ; legs and feet yellow, tinged before 
 with green, the skin of these thick and movable; belly ashy-brown; irides bright- 
 orange. 
 
 " The crested head very dark glossy green. The female, as I have particularly 
 observed in numerous instances, differs in nothing, as to color, from the male; 
 neither of them receive the long feathers on the back during the first season." 
 WILSON. 
 
 The above description of this beautiful bird is so compre- 
 hensive and accurate, that I cannot do better than to pre- 
 sent it in this volume ; and the account of this bird's habits, 
 by the same author, is so interesting and full, that, being 
 unable to add to it any thing of value, I give it as below : 
 
 " The Green Bittern makes its first appearance in Pennsylvania 
 early -in April, soon after the marshes are completely thawed. 
 There, among the stagnant ditches with which they are intersected, 
 and amidst the bogs and quagmires, he hunts with great cunning 
 and dexterity. Frogs and small fish are his principal game, whose 
 caution and facility of escape require nice address and rapidity of 
 attack. When on the lookout for small fish, he stands in the water, 
 by the side of the ditch, silent and motionless as a statute ; his 
 neck drawn in over his breast, ready for action. The instant a fry 
 or minnow comes within the range of his bill, by a stroke, quick 
 and sure as that of the rattlesnake, he seizes his prey, and swallows 
 it in an instant. He searches for small crabs, and for the various 
 worms and larvae, particularly those of the dragon-fly, which lurk 
 in the mud, with equal adroitness. But the capturing of frogs 
 requires much nicer management. These wary reptiles shrink into 
 the mire on the least alarm, and do not raise up their heads again 
 to the surface without the most cautious circumspection. The Bit- 
 tern, fixing his penetrating eye on the spot where they disappeared, 
 approaches with slow, stealing step, laying his feet so gently and 
 silently on the ground as not to be heard or felt ; and, when arrived 
 within reach, stands t fixed, and bending forwards, until the first 
 
408 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 glimpse of the frog's head makes its appearance, when, with a 
 stroke instantaneous as lightning, he seizes it in his bill, beats it to 
 death, and feasts on it at his leisure. 
 
 " When alarmed, the Green Bittern rises with a hollow, guttural 
 scream ; does not fly far, but usually alights on some old stump, 
 tree, or fence adjoining, and looks about with extended neck; 
 though, sometimes, this is drawn in so that his head seems to rest 
 on his breast. As he walks along the fence, or stands gazing at 
 you with outstretched neck, he has the frequent habit of jetting the 
 tail. He sometimes flies high, with doubled neck, and legs 
 extended behind, flapping the wings smartly, and travelling with 
 great expedition. He is the least shy of all our Herons, and 
 perhaps the most numerous and generally dispersed ; being found far 
 in the interior, as well as along our salt marshes, and everywhere 
 about the muddy shores of our mill-ponds, creeks, and large rivers. 
 
 " The Green Bittern begins to build about the 20th of April : 
 sometimes in single pairs, in swampy woods ; often in companies ; 
 and not unfrequently in a kind of association with the Qua-birds, 
 or Night Herons. The nest is fixed among the branches of the 
 trees ; is constructed wholly of small sticks, lined with finer twigs ; 
 and is of considerable size, though loosely put together. The female 
 lays four eggs, of the common oblong form, and of a pale light-blue 
 color. The young do not leave the nest until able to fly ; and, for 
 the first season at least, are destitute of the long-pointed plumage 
 on the back : the lower parts are also lighter, and the white on 
 the throat broader. During the whole summer, and until late in 
 autumn, these birds are seen in our meadows and marshes, but 
 never remain during winter in any part of the United States." 
 
 A large number of this bird's eggs, lying before me, 
 exhibit a variation of only from 1.56 by 1.20 inch to 1.49 
 by 1.15 inch in dimensions. But one brood is reared in 
 the season ; and, by the 20th of September, the old and 
 young leave New England for the South. 
 
 NYCTIARDEA, SWAINSON. 
 
 Nyctiardea, SWAINSON, Class. Birds, II. (1837) 354. (Type Ardea nycticorax, 
 Linn.) 
 
 Nycticorax, STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XI. (1819) 608. Same type. 
 
THE NIGHT HERON. 409 
 
 Bill very stout; culmen curved from base; the lower outline straight, or a little 
 concave ; end of upper mandible gently 'decurved ; tarsi short, equal to the middle 
 toe; the scales more than usually hexagonal inferiorly; outer lateral toe rather 
 longer; no unusual development of feathers, excepting a long, straight occipital 
 plume of three feathers, rolled together; neck short, moderately feathered behind. 
 
 The Night Herons, with a certain resemblance to the Bittern, differ in the much 
 stouter and more curved bill, the lower edge of which is straight, instead of rising at 
 the end ; the tarsus is equal to the middle toe, not shorter, and is covered anteriorly 
 below by small hexagonal scales, instead of large transverse scutellae; the claws 
 are much shorter and more curved; the tail has twelve feathers instead of ten. 
 
 NYCTI ARDEA GARDENI. Baird. ' 
 The Night Heron Qua-bird, 
 
 Ardea nycticorax, Wilson. Am. On., VII. (1813) 101. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 
 (1835) 275; V. 600. 
 
 Ardea (botaurus) discors, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 54. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head above and middle of back steel-green; wings and tail ashy-blue ; under 
 parts, forehead, and long occipital feathers white ; sides tinged with lilac. 
 
 Bill very thick at the base, and tapering all the way to the tip. Culmen nearly 
 straight for half its length, then considerably curved; lower outline of bill nearly 
 straight; gonys proper slightly concave ; legs short, but stout; the tarsus equal to 
 the middle toe ; covered throughout with hexagonal scales, the anterior largest, but 
 those on the upper portion much larger, and going entirely across ; tibia bare for 
 about one-fifth; lateral toes nearly equal; the outer rather longest; claws small; 
 considerably curved ; tail short, of twelve broad, rather stiff feathers. 
 
 Head with the occipital feathers elongated, and with two or three very long, 
 straight feathers (as long as the bill and head) springing from the occiput. These 
 are rolled up so as to appear like a single cylindrical feather; back of the neck 
 covered with down, but not provided with long feathers ; interscapular feathers and 
 scapulars elongated and lanceolate, the webs scarcely decomposed. 
 
 The upper part of the head, including the upper eyelids, the occipital crest, and 
 the interscapular region and scapulars, dark lustrous steel-green ; the wings and tail 
 are ashy-blue; the under parts, the forehead, and the long occipital feathers, are 
 white, passing into pale ashy-lilac on the sides and on the neck above; this color, in 
 fact, tingeing nearly the whole under parts. The region along the base of the bill, 
 however, is nearly pure, as are the tibia. The bill is black ; the loral space green ; 
 the iris red ; the feet yellow ; the claws brown. 
 
 Length, about twenty-five inches ; wing, twelve and fifty one-hundredths ; tar- 
 sus, three and fifteen one-hundredths; bill, above, three and ten one-hundredths 
 inches. 
 
 Hab. United States generally. 
 
 The Night Heron is pretty generally distributed through- 
 out New England as a summer resident. It seems to pre- 
 fer the neighborhood of the seacoast, but is found in many 
 
410 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 sections quite abundant in the interior ; as, for instance, Dr. 
 Wood'says, " I know of a swamp some fourteen miles from 
 here (East Windsor Hill, Conn.) where thousands breed." 
 " I have counted eight nests on one maple-tree," &c. This 
 species is most commonly found during the daytime perch- 
 ing in high trees in swamps and thick woods, and seems to 
 feed almost entirely by night. As soon as it begins to grow 
 dark, it begins its flight ; and if we stand in a large meadow, 
 qr by a pond or other sheet of water, we may sometimes 
 hear the notes of several, as they are engaged in their 
 search for prey. The call of this bird resembles the sylla- 
 ble quack, which gives the bird the name of Squawk in 
 many localities. The nest of this species is placed in a fork 
 of a tree in a swamp : it is constructed of coarse twigs and 
 leaves, and is v,ery loosely put together. As above remarked, 
 several of these structures may be found on one tree; and, 
 after the young are hatched, their noise, as they scream for 
 food, is almost deafening. I once visited a heronry of this 
 species in Dedham, Mass. As many as a hundred pairs 
 were breeding in the area of an acre ; and, as Wilson truly 
 says, " The noise of the old and young would almost induce 
 one to suppose that two or three hundred Indians were 
 choking or throttling each other." 
 
 Another larger heronry that I visited last season in 
 company with my friends, F. G. Sanborn and H. A. Purdie, 
 occupied an area of several acres. The locality was a 
 swamp, in which were growing cedar-trees. These were 
 rarely over thirty feet in height ; but their dense and twin- 
 ing branches were occupied often by the nests of two or 
 three pairs in a single tree. The reader may judge as to the 
 multitude of parent-birds that were flying in wild confusion 
 over our heads, and may fancy the effect of all their guttural 
 cries. We ascended to a number of the nests, and found 
 them occupied by eggs, both freshly laid and others, far 
 advanced in incubation, and chicks from one day old to 
 some half grown. As the work of ascending to the filthy 
 
THE NIGHT HERON. 411 
 
 nests was not of the pleasantest, we limited, our investiga- 
 tions to the securing of a few of the most recently laid 
 eggs. 
 
 As my thoughts recall the occurrences of that day, num- 
 bers of other pleasant excursions and campaigns that I 
 have enjoyed with the gentlemen above named come back 
 to me ; and I hope the time is not far distant when we three, 
 with gun on shoulder and knapsack on our backs, may take 
 another good long tramp together. 
 
 The eggs of the Night Heron are laid about the 20th of 
 May. They are usually four in number, and their general 
 form is an elongated ovoidal. In a great number of speci- 
 mens, the color is generally bluish-green, sometimes a light 
 pea-green or greenish-yellow. Their dimensions vary from 
 2.15 by 1.50 inch to 2.05 by 1.40 inch. About the latter 
 part of August, the young birds are found in deep woods, 
 and by many are esteemed as excellent eating, as they are 
 plump and fat. They leave for the South early in October. 
 
412 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 SUB-ORDER GRALL^E. WADERS. 
 
 Feathers of the head and neck extending over the entire cheeks to the bill ; bill, 
 when much longer than head, slender at the base ; sometimes thick and shorter than 
 the head; young running about and feeding themselves as soon as hatched. 
 
 The preceding characteristics indicate, in a general way, the characteristics of 
 the GralUe as distinguished from the Herodiones: they are usually much smaller 
 birds, and more especially inhabitants of the open sandy shore. Few or none of the 
 species nest on trees or bushes, the eggs being generally laid in a cavity scooped 
 out in the sand. 
 
 The sub-order is divided by Bonaparte into two tribes, Cursores and Alectorides 
 (by Burmeister into Limicolce and Paludicolce) : the first having the hind toe elevated, 
 small, or wanting; the second having it lengthened, and inserted on a level with the 
 rest Additional characters are as follows: 
 
 LIMICOLCE. Species living on the shore, and generally probing the ground or 
 mud in search of food; bill and legs generally lengthened and slender; bill hard at 
 tip, softer and more contracted at base ; anterior toes connected at base more or less 
 ^by membranes, and with very short claws; hind toe very short, elevated, or wanting; 
 wings long, pointed ; outer primaries longest, and reaching to or beyond the tip of 
 tail, which is stiff. 
 
 PALUDICOL^S. Species living in marshy places among the grass, feeding from 
 the surface of the ground ; bill hard to its base, where it is not contracted ; toes cleft 
 to the base, lengthened, with very long claws; hind toe lengthened, and on same 
 level with the rest; wing short, rounded, not reaching the tip of the soft tail; outer 
 primaries graduated. 
 
 Tribe LIMICOL^:. 
 
 Birds living on the shore or in open places, usually small species, with rounded 
 or depressed bodies, and slender bills of variable length, having a more or less dis- 
 tinct horny terminal portion, the remainder covered with soft skin, in which are 
 situated the elongated, narrow, open, and distinct nostrils; the feathers of the head 
 are small, and extend compactly to the base of the bill ; they are similar in character 
 to those of the neck and body ; the wings are long, acute, and, when folded, reach- 
 ing to or beyond the tip of the tail ; the posterior or inner secondaries are generally 
 as long as the outer primaries; the primaries are ten in number; the three outer 
 longest and about equal; the tail is stiff, short, broad, and rounded or graduated ; 
 the feathers usually twelve, sometimes more; the legs are slender and delicate, but 
 corresponding with the bill in proportions; a large portion of the tibia below is bare 
 of feathers; the covering of the legs is parchment-like, not horny, generally divided 
 anteriorly and behind into small half rings, laterally more in hexagons ; the claws 
 are delicate, sharp, and gently curved; the hind toe is very small, scarcely touching 
 the ground; sometimes wanting; there is usually (except in Calidris, Tringa, &c.) 
 a rather broad basal membrane between the outer and middle toes, sometimes 
 between the inner and middle ; this web occasionally extends toward the ends of the 
 
 toes. BUUMEISTER. 1 
 
 1 See Introduction. 
 
THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 413 
 
 FAMILY CHARADRIDJE. THE PLOVERS. 
 
 Bill rather cylindrical, as long as the head, or shorter; the culmen much indented 
 opposite the nostrils, the vaulted apex more or less swollen and rising, quite distinct 
 from the membranous portion; legs elevated; hind toe rarely present, and then rudi- 
 mentary ; the outer and middle toes more or less united by membrane. 
 
 CHARADRIUS, LINNAEUS. 
 
 Charadrius, LIXNJEUS, Syst. Nat. (1735). 
 
 Plumage yellowish-gray, spotted ; tail transversely banded ; no collar on neck ; 
 tarsi and lower thighs uniformly reticulated. 
 
 CHARADRIUS VIRGINICUS. Borckausen. 
 The Golden Plover; Bull-head. 
 
 Charadrius pluvialis, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 71. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 16. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 623-. 
 
 Charadrius Virginicus, " Borckausen and Bechstein." Licht. Verz. Doubl. (1823). 
 Charadrius marmoratus, Audubon. Orn. Biog., V. (1839) 575. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill rather short ; legs moderate ; wings long ; no hind toe ; tarsus covered before 
 and behind with small circular or hexagonal scales; upper parts brownish-black, 
 with numerous small circular and irregular spots of golden-yellow, most numerous 
 on the back and rump, and on the upper tail coverts, assuming the form of trans- 
 verse bands generally; also with some spots of ashy-white; entire under parts 
 black, with a brownish or bronzed lustre, under tail coverts mixed or barred with 
 white; forehead, border of the black of the neck, under tail coverts, and tibiae, white; 
 axillary feathers cinereous ; quills, dark-brown ; middle portion of the shafts white, 
 frequently extending slightly to the webs, and forming longitudinal stripes on the 
 shorter quills ; tail dark-brown, with numerous irregular bands of ashy-white, and 
 frequently tinged with golden-yellow; bill black; legs dark bluish-brown. 
 
 Younger. Under parts dull-ashy, spotted with brownish on the neck and 
 breast, frequently more or less mixed with black ; many spots of the upper parts 
 dull ashy-white; other spots, especially on the rump, golden-yellow. 
 
 Total length, about nine and a half inches ; wing, seven inches ; tail, two and a 
 half inches. 
 
 Hob. All of North America, South America, Northern Asia, Europe. 
 
 THIS beautiful and well-known bird passes through New 
 England in the spring and fall migrations, but does not 
 pause here, in either, longer than two or three days. It 
 arrives from the South about the 25th of April or 1st of 
 May, in small flocks of fifteen or twenty, and frequents the 
 
414 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 beach on the seashore and marshes in its neighborhood, 
 where it feeds on small shell-fish and animalcules, and such 
 seeds as it may find at that early season. It is, at this 
 period, thin in flesh, but its plumage is perfect ; and it is 
 more desirable for cabinet preservation then than in the 
 fall. It is irregular in its visits in the spring migrations ; 
 being quite plenty in some seasons, and in others quite rare. 
 It passes to the most northern portions of the continent to 
 breed ; none being found in the season of incubation in the 
 limits of the United States. The flocks separate into pairs ; 
 but they breed in small communities, two or three pairs 
 being found in the area of an acre. The nest is nothing 
 but a hollow in the grass or moss, on the open plain, 
 scratched by the female: in this she deposits four eggs, 
 which are oblong-pyriform in shape, of a creamy-buff color, 
 sometimes with an olive tint; and are marked irregularly, 
 chiefly at their larger end, with spots and confluent blotches 
 of umber and obscure spots of lilac. In dimensions, they 
 average about 2.10 by 1.40 incli. It is in the fall migra- 
 tions that these birds are most actively pursued by sports- 
 men. The great flight arrives about the 25th of August, 
 sometimes a little earlier or later, if we have a driving 
 north-east storm. The gunners make it a point to be on the 
 plover grounds the last week in August and first week in 
 September : if they get no plovers then, they usually aban- 
 don the hunt for the season. In the fall of 1865, these 
 birds did not alight in New England in any numbers, but 
 were seen seven or eight miles out at sea, flying at a great 
 height, in immense flocks, towards the South, and not a 
 dozen birds were killed in localities where thousands are 
 usually taken. When the flights are conducted during a 
 storm, the birds fly low ; and the gunners, concealed in pits 
 dug in the earth in the pastures and hills over which the 
 flocks pass, with decoys made to imitate the birds, placed 
 within gunshot of their hiding-places, decoy the passing 
 flocks down within reach of their fowling-pieces, by imitat- 
 
THE KILL-DEER PLOVER. 415 
 
 ing their peculiar whistle, and kill great numbers of them. 
 I have known two sportsnjen to bag sixty dozen in two days' 
 shooting; and instances are on record of still greater num- 
 bers being secured. The flesh of this bird is very delicate 
 and fine-flavored ; and the birds are in great demand in all 
 our markets, bringing equally high prices with the favorite 
 Woodcock. The Golden Plover feeds on grasshoppers, 
 various insects, and berries, but is seldom found in the inte- 
 rior of New England ; the pastures, fields, sandy hills, and 
 dry islands near the seacoast, being its favorite resorts. 
 
 ^EGIALITIS, BOIE. 
 
 ^Egialitis, BOIE, Isis (1822), 558. (Type Charadrius hiaticula, L.) 
 Plumage more or less uniform, without spots; neck and head generally with 
 dark bands; front of the legs with plates arranged vertically, of which there are 
 two or three in a transverse series. 
 
 This genus, as far as North America is concerned, is distinguished from Chara- 
 drius by the generally lighter color and greater uniformity of the plumage, by the 
 absence of continuous black on the belly, and by the presence of dusky bands on 
 theoieck or head ; the size is smaller ; the tarsi, in most species, have the front plates 
 larger, and conspicuously different in this respect from the posterior ones. 
 
 JEGIALITIS VOCIFERUS. Cassin. 
 The Kill-deer Plover. 
 
 Charadrius vociferus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 253. Wils. Am. On., VII. 
 (1813) 73. Nutt. Man., II. 22. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 191; V. 577. lb., 
 Syn., 222. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 207. 
 
 uEgialtes vociferus, Bonaparte. List (1838). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Wings long, reaching to the end of the tail, which is also rather long; head above 
 and upper parts of body light-brown with a greenish tinge ; rump and upper tail 
 coverts rufous, lighter on the latter ; front and lines over and under the eye white ; 
 another band of black in front above the white band; stripe from the base of the 
 bill towards the occiput brownish-black; ring encircling the neck and wide band on 
 the breast black; throat white, which color extends upwards around the neck; 
 other under parts white ; quills brownish-black with about half of their inner webs 
 white, shorter primaries with a large spot of white on their outer webs, secondaries 
 widely tipped or edged with white ; tail feathers pale-rufous at base ; the four mid- 
 dle light olive-brown tipped with white, and with a wide subterminal band of black ; 
 lateral feathers widely tipped with white ; entire upper plumage frequently edged 
 
416 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 and tipped with rufous ; very young have upper parts light-gray, with a longitudinal 
 band on the head and back, black; under parts white. 
 
 Total length, about nine and a half inches; wing, six and a half inches; tail, 
 three and a half inches. 
 
 Hob. North America to the Arctic regions, Mexico, South America. 
 
 This species is pretty generally distributed throughout 
 New England as a summer resident. It is not common in 
 any localities, but seems to be found in pairs all along our 
 seacoast; and, although occasionally breeding in the inte- 
 rior of these States, in the neighborhood of large tracts of 
 water, it is almost exclusively found, during the greater 
 part of the year, in moist fields and meadows and sandy 
 pastures, within a few miles of the sea. Wilson describes 
 its habits as follows : 
 
 " This restless and noisy bird is known to almost every inhabi- 
 tant of the United States, being a common and pretty constant 
 resident. During the severity of the winter, when snow covers 
 the ground, it retreats to the seashore, where it is found at all 
 seasons ; but no sooner have the rivers opened, than its shrill 
 note is again heard, either roaming about high in air, tracing the 
 shore of the river, or running amidst the watery flats and meadows. 
 As spring advances, it resorts to the newly ploughed fields, or level 
 plains bare of grass, interspersed with shallow pools ; or, in the 
 vicinity of the sea, dry, bare, sandy fields. In some such situation 
 it generally chooses to breed, about the beginning of May. The 
 nest is usually slight, a mere hollow, with such materials drawn in 
 around it as happen to be near, such as bits of sticks, straw, peb- 
 bles, or earth. In one instance, I found the nest of the bird 
 paved with fragments of clam and oyster shells, and very neatly 
 surrounded with a mound, or border, of the same, placed in a very 
 close and curious manner. In some cases, there is no vestige 
 whatever of a nest. The eggs are usually four, of a bright rich 
 cream or yellowish-clay color, thickly marked with blotches of 
 black. They are large for the size of the bird, measuring more 
 than an inch and a half in length, and a full inch in width, taper- 
 ing to a narrow point at the great end. 
 
 "Nothing can exceed the. alarm and anxiety of these birds 
 during the breeding season. Their cries of kill-deer, kill-deer, as 
 
THE KILL-DEER PLOVER. 417 
 
 they winnow the air overhead, dive and course around you, or run 
 along the ground counterfeiting lameness, are shrill and incessant. 
 The moment they see a person approach, they fly or run to attack 
 him with their harassing clamor, continuing it over so wide an 
 extent of ground, that they puzzle the pursuer as to the particular 
 spot where the nest or young are concealed ; very much resem- 
 bling, in this respect, the Lapwing of Europe. During the even- 
 ing, and long after dusk, particularly in moonlight, their cries are 
 frequently heard with equal violence, both in the spring and fall. 
 From this circumstance, and their flying about both after dusk and 
 before dawn, it appears probable that they see better at such times 
 than most of their tribe. They are known to feed much on worms, 
 and many of these rise to the surface during the night. The 
 prowling of Owls may also alarm their fears for their young at 
 those hours ; but, whatever may be the cause, the facts are so. 
 
 " The Kill-deer is more abundant in the Southern States in win- 
 ter than in summer. Among the rice-fields, and even around the 
 planters' yards, in South Carolina, I observed them very numerous 
 in the months of February and March. There the negro boys fre- 
 quently practise the barbarous mode of catching them with a line, 
 at the extremity of which is a crooked pin, with a worm on it. 
 Their flight is something like that of the Tern, but more vigorous ; 
 and they sometimes rise to a great height in the air. They 
 are fond of wading in pools of water, and frequently bathe them- 
 selves during the summer. They usually stand erect on their legs, 
 and run or walk with the body in a stiff, horizontal position : they 
 run with great swiftness, and are also strong and vigorous in the 
 wings. Their flesh is eaten by some, but is not in general esteem ; 
 though others say, that, in the fall, when they become very fat, it 
 is excellent. 
 
 " During the extreme droughts of summer, these birds resort to 
 the gravelly channel of brooks and shallow streams, where they can 
 wade about in search of aquatic insects : at the close of summer, 
 they generally descend to the seashore in small flocks, seldom more 
 than ten or twelve being seen together. They are then more serene 
 and silent, as well as difficult to be approached. 
 
 The eggs of this species are four in number. They are 
 oblong-pyriforin in shape, creamy-buff in color, with numer- 
 
 27 
 
418 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ous spots and blotches of dark-brown, chiefly at their greater 
 end. They vary in dimensions from 1.65 by 1.10 inch to 
 1.50 by 1.08 inch ; but one brood is reared in the season. 
 
 2EGIALITIS WILSONIUS. (Ord.) Cassin. 
 Wilson's Plover; Ring-neck. 
 
 Charadrius Wilsonius, Ord. Ed. Wils. Orn., IV. (1825) 77. Nutt. Man., II. 
 (-1834) 21. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 73; V. (1839) 577. /&., Birds Am., V. 
 
 (1842) 214. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Smaller than the preceding; bill rather long and robust. 
 
 Male. Front, and stripe over the eye, and entire under parts, white; front with 
 a second band of black above the white band ; stripe from the base of the bill to the 
 eye and wide transverse band on the breast, brownish-black ; upper parts of head 
 and body light ashy-brown, with the feathers frequently edged and tipped with pale- 
 ashy ; back of the neck encircled with a ring of white, edged above with fine light- 
 reddish ; quills brown, with white shafts ; shorter coverts tipped with white ; outer 
 feathers of the tail white, middle feathers dark-brown ; bill black ; legs yellow. 
 
 Female. Without the band of black in front, and with the pectoral band dull- 
 reddish and light ashy-brown; iris reddish-brown. 
 
 Total length, seven and three quarter inches; wing, four and a half inches; tail, 
 two inches. 
 
 Hab. Middle and Southern States on the Atlantic, and the same coast of South 
 America. 
 
 This species is found in New England only as a somewhat 
 rare visitor in the autumn, after it has reared its young in a 
 more southern locality. I think that it seldom passes north 
 of the southern coast of Cape Cod; but it is there occa- 
 sionally seen in the early part of September, gleaning its 
 food of animalculae and small shell-fish and insects on the 
 sandy beach of the ocean. 
 
 The Wilson's Plover is more southern in its habits than 
 either of the succeeding species ; but it breeds abundantly 
 on the seacoast of New Jersey. The nest is nothing but a 
 hollow scratched in the sand, above high-water mark, with 
 a few bits of seaweed or grass for its lining. The eggs are 
 laid about the first week in June. They are, like those 
 of the other Waders, pyriform in shape ; and, when placed 
 in the nest, their small ends are together in the middle of 
 the nest. They almost exactly resemble the eggs of the 
 
THE SEMIPALMATED PLOYER. 419 
 
 Kill-deer Plover, but are some little smaller ; varying in 
 dimensions from 1.40 by 1.05 to 1.34 by 1.02 inch. The 
 spots and markings are similar to those of the other, but 
 are less thickly distributed: some specimens have obscure 
 spots of purple and lilac, and the brown spots vary from 
 quite blackish to the color of raw-umber. 
 
 JEGIALITIS SEMIPALMATUS. (Bon.) Cabanis. 
 The Semipalmated Plover; Ring-neck. 
 
 Charadrius semipalmatus, Nuttall. Man., II. 24. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 
 256; V. 579. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 218. 
 ^Egialtes svmipalmata, Bonaparte. List (1838). 
 jEgialitis semipalmatus, Cabanis. Cab Journ. (1856), 425. 
 Tringa hiaticula, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 65. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Small; wings long; toes connected at base, especially the outer to the middle 
 toe; front, throat, ring around the neck, and entire under parts, white; a band of 
 deep-black across the breast, extending around the back of the neck below the white 
 ring; band from the base of the bill, under the eye, and wide frontal band above 
 the white band, black; upper parts light ashy-brown, with a tinge of olive; quills 
 brownish-black, with their shafts white in a middle portion, and occasionally a lan- 
 ceolate white spot along the shafts of the shorter primaries ; shorter tertiaries edged 
 with white; lesser coverts tipped with white; middle feathers of the tail ashy olive- 
 brown, with a wide subterminal band of brownish-black, and narrowly tipped with 
 white; two outer tail feathers white, others intermediate, like the middle, but widely 
 tipped with white; bill orange-yellow, tipped with black; legs yellow. Female simi- 
 lar, but rather lighter-colored. Young without the black band in front, and with 
 the band across the breast ashy-brown; iris, dark-hazel. 
 
 Total length, about seven inches; wing, four and three-quarters inches; tail, two 
 and a quarter inches. 
 
 Hob. The whole of temperate North America ; common on the Atlantic. 
 
 This pretty and well-known species is abundant in New 
 England in the spring and fall migrations. It arrives from 
 the South by the latter part of April, in small flocks of 
 eight or ten individuals ; some following the course of large 
 rivers, like the Connecticut ; others haunting the shores of 
 large ponds and meadows ; but the greater number follow- 
 ing the seacoast, where they feed, like the others of this 
 genus, on small crustaceans, shell-fish, and the eggs of fish 
 and other marine animals. 
 
420 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Although I found a single pair with their nest on the 
 island of Muskegeet, Mass., in June, 1866, this bird gener- 
 ally breeds in the most northern parts of the continent. 
 Audubon, in describing its breeding habits, says, 
 
 " As soon as one of us was noticed by a Ring Plover, it would 
 at once stand still, and become silent. If we did the same, it 
 continued, and seldom failed to wear out our patience. If we 
 advanced, it would lower itself, and squat on the moss or bare rock 
 until approached, when it would suddenly rise on its feet, droop its 
 wings, depress its head, and run with great speed to a considerable 
 distance ; uttering, all the while, a low rolling and querulous cry, 
 very pleasing to the ear. On being surprised when in charge of 
 their young, they would open their wings to the full extent, and 
 beat the ground with their extremities, as if unable to rise. If 
 pursued, they allowed us to come within a few feet, then took flight, 
 and attempted to decoy us away from their young, which lay so 
 close that we very seldom discovered them ; but which, on being 
 traced, ran swiftly off, uttering a plaintive peep, often repeated, 
 that never failed to bring their parents to their aid. At Labrador, 
 the Ring Plover begins to breed in the beginning of June. Like 
 the Piping Plover, it forms no nest ; but, whilst the latter scoops a 
 place in the sand for its eggs, the Ring Plover forms a similar 
 cavity in the moss, in a place sheltered from the north winds, and 
 exposed to the full rays of the sun, usually near the margins of 
 small ponds formed by the melting of the snow, and surrounded by 
 short grass. The eggs, like those of all the family, are four, and 
 placed with the small ends together. They are broad at the larger 
 end, rather sharp at the other ; measure 1 inch in length, 1 
 inches in their greatest breadth; are of a dull-yellowish color, 
 irregularly blotched and spotted all over with dark-brown of dif- 
 ferent tints." 
 
 Early in September, sometimes by the 20th of August, 
 small flocks of these birds appear in New England, and 
 they remain here as late as the first week in October : they 
 are now fat and delicate, and are esteemed excellent for the 
 table. 
 
THE PIPING PLOVER. 421 
 
 MELODUS. (Ord.) Cabanis. 
 The Piping Plover. 
 
 Charadrius melodus, Nuttall. Man., II. 18. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 154; 
 V. 578. 
 
 ^Egialtes melodus, Bonaparte. List (1838). 
 jEgialitis melodw, Cabanis. Jour. (1856), 424. 
 Charadrius hiaticula. Wils. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 30. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 About the size of the preceding ; bill short, strong. 
 
 Adult. Forehead, ring around the back of the neck, and entire under parts, 
 white, a band of black in front above the band of white ; band encircling the neck 
 before and behind black, immediately below the ring of white on the neck behind; 
 head above, and upper parts of body, light brownish-cinereous ; rump and upper tail 
 coverts lighter, and often nearly white ; quills dark-brown, with a large portion of 
 their inner webs and shafts white ; shorter primaries with a large portion of their 
 outer webs white ; tail at base white, and with the outer feathers white ; middle 
 feathers with a wide subterminal band of brownish-black, and tipped with white; 
 bill orange at base, tipped with black; legs orange-yellow. 
 
 Female. Similar to the male, but with the dark colors lighter and less in extent. 
 
 Young. No black band in front; collar around the back of the neck ashy- 
 brown; iris brown. 
 
 Total length, about seven inches; wing, four and a half inches; tail, two inches. 
 
 Hab. Eastern coast of North America ; Nebraska (Lieut. Warren); Louisiana 
 (Mr. G. Wurdemann). 
 
 This pretty and well-known species is pretty abundantly 
 distributed along the coast of New England as a summer 
 resident. It arrives from the South about the 20th of April 
 in small flocks, and soon selects its breeding-residence on 
 some tract of ocean beach ; dividing, early in May, into pairs, 
 which, however, associate somewhat together through the 
 whole season. It occasionally penetrates into the interior, 
 and has been known to breed on the borders of a pond 
 twenty miles from the seaboard ; but generally, in New Eng- 
 land, it seldom wanders far from the shore, where it is one 
 of the most beautiful and interesting of our Waders. 
 
 It seems to prefer sandy islands a short distance from the 
 main land for its breeding-place. I have found numbers 
 breeding on the island of Muskegeet, off the southern coast 
 of Massachusetts, and have found it on many others of our 
 islands of similar character. 
 
422 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The nest is nothing but a hollow in the sand scraped by 
 the female bird : it sometimes has a slight lining of pieces 
 of grass or seaweed ; but usually the eggs are deposited on 
 the bare sand. These are four in number, abruptly pyri- 
 form in shape, and a beautiful light creamy-buff in color, 
 with thinly scattered spots of black and brown, and some- 
 times a few obscure spots of lilac. They average smaller in 
 size than either of the preceding, varying from 1.30 by 1 inch 
 to 1.20 by .95 inch in dimensions. They do not resemble 
 the others, being much more finely marked ; and their small 
 ends are more rounded. 
 
 The breeding habits and general characteristics of this 
 so much resemble those of the preceding species that the 
 same remarks will apply to both. 
 
 SQUATAROLA, CUVIER. 
 
 Squatarola, CUVIER, Regne Anim., I. (1817). (Type Tringa squatarola, Linn.) 
 A rudimentary hind toe ; legs reticulated, with elongated hexagons anteriorly, of 
 
 which there are five or six in a transverse row ; fewer behind ; first primary longest ; 
 
 tail slightly rounded. 
 
 SQUATAROLA HELVETICA. Cuvier. 
 The Black-bellied Plover. 
 
 Tringa helvetica, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 250. 
 Squatarola helvetica. Cuvier, R. A., (1817). 
 
 Charadrius helveticus, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 280. lb., Birds Amer., 
 V. (1742)199. 
 
 Charadrius apricarius, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 41. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill and legs strong; wings long; a very small rudimentary hind toe; around the 
 base of the bill to the eyes, neck before and under parts of body, black ; upper 
 white, nearly pure and unspotted on the forehead ; sides of the neck and rump tinged 
 with ashy, and having irregular transverse bars of brownish-black on the back, 
 scapulars, and wing coverts; the brownish-black frequently predominating on those 
 parts, and the rump also frequently with transverse bars of the same ; lower part of 
 the abdomen, tibia, and under tail coverts, white; quills brownish-black, lighter on 
 their inner webs, with a middle portion of their shafts white, and a narrow longi- 
 tudinal stripe of white frequently on the shorter primaries and secondaries; tail 
 white, with transverse imperfect narrow bands of black; bill and legs black; the 
 black color of the under parts generally with a bronzed or coppery lustre, and pre- 
 
THE BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. 423 
 
 senting a scale-like appearance; the brownish-black of the upper parts with a 
 greenish lustre. 
 
 Younger and winter plumage. Entire upper parts dark-brown, with circular 
 and irregular small spots of white, and frequently of yellow, most numerous on 
 the wing coverts ; upper tail coverts white ; under parts white, with short longi- 
 tudinal lines and spots dark brownish-cinereous on the neck and breast; quills brown- 
 ish-black, with large longitudinal spots of white on their inner webs, and also on the 
 outer webs of the shorter primaries. 
 
 Young. Upper parts lighter, and with the white spots more irregular or 
 scarcely assuming a circular shape; narrow lines on the neck and breast more 
 numerous; iris black. 
 
 Total length, about eleven and a half inches; wings, seven and a half inches; 
 tail, three inches. 
 
 Hob. All of North America. The seacoasts of nearly all countries of the 
 world. 
 
 This beautiful bird is almost of the same habits and 
 characteristics as the Golden Plover described on a preced- 
 ing page. It arrives and departs at nearly the same time 
 in spring, and, like that species, breeds in the most northern 
 sections of the continent. Wilson, in speaking of its breed- 
 ing in Pennsylvania, says, 
 
 " This bird is known in some parts of the country by the name 
 of the Large Whistling Field Plover. It generally makes its first 
 appearance in Pennsylvania late in April ; frequents the countries 
 towards the mountains ; seems particularly attached to newly 
 ploughed fields, where it forms its nest of a few slight materials, as 
 slightly put together. The female lays four eggs, large for the 
 size of the bird, of a light-olive color, dashed with black, and has 
 frequently two broods in the same season. It is an extremely shy 
 and watchful bird, though clamorous during breeding-time." 
 
 About the 10th or 15th of September, or a fortnight later 
 than the Golden Plover, it returns on its southern migra- 
 tion ; and the same means are employed for its destruc- 
 tion as for that bird : these birds are called by the gunners 
 by the name of Beetle-heads, and are esteemed as being 
 nearly as palatable and delicate as the other species. 
 
424 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY PHALAROPODID^. THE PHALAROPES. 
 
 Feathers of breast compact, duck-like; legs with transverse scutellse before and 
 behind; toes to the tips with a lateral margin, more or less indented at the joints, 
 the hinder with a feeble lobe; bill equal to or longer than the head, the lateral groove 
 extending nearly to the tip. 
 
 PHALAROPUS, BRISSON. 
 Membrane of toes scolloped at the joints. 
 
 PHALAROPUS HYPERBOREUS. Temm. 
 The Northern Phalarope. 
 
 Tringa hyperborea, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 249. 
 
 Phalaropus hyperboreus, Temm. Man., II. (1820) 709. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 
 (1835)118; V. 595. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill short, straight, pointed ; wings long ; tail short ; legs short. 
 
 Adult. Neck encircled with a ring of bright-ferruginous, and a stripe of the 
 same on each side; head above and neck behind sooty-ash; back, wings, and tail, 
 brownish-black, paler on the rump, mixed with bright-ferruginous on the back; tips 
 of greater wing coverts white ; sides and flanks ash}'-, frequently mixed with red- 
 dish ; throat, breast, and abdomen white ; bill and legs dark ; iris dark-brown. 
 
 Young. Entire upper parts brownish-black ; many feathers edged and tipped 
 with dull yellow and ashy ; under parts white ; tips of greater wing coverts white. 
 
 Total length, about seven inches ; wing, four and half; tail, two and a quarter ; 
 bill, one; tarsus, three-fourths of an inch. 
 
 THE Northern Phalarope is rarely found on the seacoast 
 of New England in the spring and autumn migrations ; 
 appearing in the former about the 10th of May, and in the 
 latter about the 25th of August. The migrations are per- 
 formed by the birds in small flocks out at sea ; and it is only 
 when they are driven into shore by heavy winds and storms 
 that they are found here, and then scarcely more than two or 
 three birds are taken in a season. This species is equally a 
 swimmer and wader. When on the water, it has the appear- 
 ance of a small Gull or Tern, swimming with great elegance 
 
THE NORTHERN PHALAROPE. 425 
 
 and ease, frequently dipping its bill into the water to secure 
 a small marine animal or fly. Its motions are so graceful 
 when thus employed, that the bird has been compared to a 
 swan ; and all writers agree that it is one of the most beauti- 
 ful of our aquatic birds. 
 
 On the shore, it frequents small pools or ponds of water, 
 near the coast, in which it wades and swims with equal 
 facility ; frequently uttering a shrill cry similar to the sylla- 
 bles creet cree teet. It is said that the same pairs are faith- 
 ful to each other for successive seasons. I know not how 
 true this maybe; but it seems not improbable, from the 
 fact, that, in their winter homes on the shores of the Gulf 
 of Mexico, they are most often seen in small parties of three 
 or four, often by pairs. This species breeds in the most 
 northern sections of the continent. It builds its nest about 
 the first week in June, in the Hudson's Bay country : this 
 is constructed of a few pieces of grass and moss, put loosely 
 together, and placed in a tussock of grass or moss. The 
 eggs are usually four in number. They vary in color from a 
 brownish-drab to light-olive, and are thickly covered with 
 large blotches and spots of dark umber : their form is abrupt- 
 ly pyriform, and their dimensions vary from 1.12 by 1.02 
 to 1.06 by .98 inch. 
 
426 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY SCOLOPACIDJE. THE SNIPES. 
 
 Legs with transverse scutellae before and behind; toes not margined broadly to 
 the tips, with or without basal membrane; hind toe generally present; bill generally 
 longer than the head, the groove extending beyond the middle. 
 
 Sub-Family SCOLOPACIN^:. 
 
 Bill swollen at the end, and covered almost to the tip with a soft skin, the edges 
 only of the rather vaulted tip horny; the end of the upper bill generally bent a 
 little over the tip of lower; the jaw-bone in typical genera finely porous, and per- 
 forated by vessels and nerves, imparting a high degree of sensibility to the bill, 
 enabling it to find food in the mud; after death, the end of bill is usually pitted; 
 legs rather stout; the naked portion of the tibia much abbreviated; the hind toe 
 well developed and generally present; the toes usually without basal membrane 
 (except in Macrorhamphus, &c.). 
 
 PHILOHELA, G. R. GRAY. 
 
 Philohela, GRAY, List of Genera (1841). Gmelin. (Type Scolopax minor.) 
 Body very full, and head, bill, and eyes very large; tibia short, feathered to the 
 joint; toes cleft to base; wings short, rounded; first three primaries very narrow, 
 and much attenuated ; the fourth and fifth equal and longest; tarsi stout, shorter 
 than the middle toe ; hind nail very short, conical, not extending beyond the toe ; 
 tail of twelve feathers. 
 
 The present genus, embracing a single species, the American Woodcock, is much 
 like Scolopax, with the European Woodcock as type, in color and external appear- 
 ance. The most striking difference is seen in the wing-*, which are short, rounded, 
 the fourth and fifth primaries longest, and the outer three attenuated; while in Scolo- 
 pax the wings are long, the first primary longest and more attenuated. 
 
 PHILOHELA MINOE. Gray. 
 The American Woodcock. 
 
 Scolopax minor, Wilson. Am. Orti., VI. (1812) 40. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 
 474. 
 
 Jlmticola minor, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 194. 
 
 Swlopax (microptera) minor, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 194. 
 
 Philohela minor, Gray. List Genera (1841). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill long, compressed, punctulated and corrugated near the end ; upper mandible 
 longer than the under, and fitted to it at the tip; wings moderate, three first quills 
 very narrow; tail short; legs moderate; eyes inserted unusually distant from the 
 
THE AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 427 
 
 bill ; occiput with three transverse bands of black, alternating with three others of 
 pale yellowish-rufous ; upper parts of body variegated with pale-ashy, rufous, or 
 yellowish-red of various shades, and black; large space in front, and throat, reddish- 
 ashy ; line from the eye to the bill, and another on the neck below the eve, brownish- 
 black; entire under parts pale-rufous, brighter on the sides and under wing coverts; 
 quills ashy-brown; tail feathers brownish-black, tipped with ashy, darker on the 
 upper surface, paler and frequently white on the under ; bill light-brown, paler and 
 yellowish at base ; legs pale-reddish ; iris brown. 
 
 Total length, about eleven inches; wing, five and a quarter; tail, two and a 
 quarter; bill, two and a quarter; tarsus, one and a quarter inches. 
 
 Hab. Eastern North America. 
 
 THE Woodcock is a common summer inhabitant of the 
 three southern New-England States, and is not rare in 
 most sections of the others. It is one of the earliest of our 
 spring arrivals ; appearing by the 10th of March, and some- 
 times much earlier, even before the 25th of February. 
 When it first arrives, it is partially gregarious ; being found 
 in small companies of four or five, in the area of a few 
 rods. It frequents low swampy woods and thickets at this 
 season, where, during the day, it remains concealed, only 
 moving about, in its search for food, in the night. 
 
 It begins its nocturnal rambles by early twilight, and only 
 retires to its swamp at daybreak. If we stand, in the even- 
 ing, in the neighborhood of a swamp, or low tract of woods, 
 we sometimes hear two or three individuals moving about 
 in the undergrowth, uttering their note, chip-per, chip-per 
 chip, sometimes varying it to bleat or bleat ta bleat ta; or 
 see them, against the evening sky, flying rapidly from one 
 swamp to another. About the first week in April, after 
 separating into pairs, the Woodcocks begin their duties of 
 incubation : the female scratches together a few leaves, on 
 a slight elevation in some meadow or swamp, and this forms 
 the nest. I have noticed that the locality most often selected 
 is in a small bunch of bushes, or small birches or alders, 'in 
 the midst of a meadow. The eggs are three or four in num- 
 ber : their ground -color is usually a rich creamy-drab, 
 sometimes with a slightly olive tint ; and they are marked, 
 more or less thickly, with coarse and fine spots and blotches 
 
428 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 of two shades of brown, and obscure spots of lilac. They 
 are less pyriform than the eggs of any other birds in this 
 group, being often almost exactly ovoidal. They exhibit 
 great variations in size, some specimens from Bristol County, 
 Massachusetts, averaging 1.80 by 1.25 ; and others, from 
 the south and west, averaging only 1.45 by 1.15 ; others 
 from. Western Massachusetts average about 1.50 by 1.20, 
 being nearly rounded; and one from J. P. Norris, found 
 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, is abruptly pyriform, being 
 in dimensions 1.45 by 1.20 inch. 
 
 Both birds assist in incubation ; and they are so unwilling 
 to leave the nest at this time, that I have known of an ox- 
 team being driven within a foot of a bird, without starting 
 her from the nest. The food of the Woodcock consists of 
 worms and animalculae, which it secures by thrusting its bill 
 into the soft earth, and beneath the dead leaves and grass 
 iii swamps and other wet places. 
 
 The tongue of the bird is coated with a thick saliva ; and 
 the worms sticking to it are drawn out and devoured. The 
 holes where the bill is thus thrust in the earth are called, 
 by gunners, " borings ; " and the presence of the bird is 
 detected by them, as none of our wood-birds make any simi- 
 lar. The old bird, if shot in the summer, when she has 
 young, often has her mouth full of small worms ; and this 
 proves that she feeds her chicks until they are nearly full 
 grown. The flight of the Woodcock is rapid, and always is 
 accompanied by a sharp twitter. When the bird is flushed, 
 it ascends quickly to the height of the trees ; and, after 
 hovering a few seconds, it alights on the ground, within a 
 few rods of the point from which it first flew. 
 
 In the latter part of July, and during the month of 
 August, while the birds are moulting, they retire to the 
 most secluded localities ; and it is difficult to find them 
 at that season. In September, during the continuance of 
 dry weather, they frequent cornfields and ditches; and I 
 have seen them searching for worms in the mud in a sink- 
 
429 
 
 spout, within a few yards of a house. At the latter part of 
 September, and during October, they are in their prime ; 
 and I know of no more exciting sport, and one that is so 
 generally satisfactory, than fall Woodcock hunting. By 
 the 10th of November, none of these birds are to be found 
 in New England. 
 
 GALLINAGO, LEACH. 
 
 GaUinago, " LEACH, Catal. British Birds (1816)." Gray. (Type Scolopax 
 major, L.) 
 
 Lower portion of the tibia bare of feathers, scutellate before and behind, reticu- 
 lated laterally like the tarsi ; nail of hind toe slender, extending beyond the toe ; 
 bill depressed at the tip ; middle toe longer than tarsus ; tail with twelve to sixteen 
 feathers. 
 
 The more slender body, longer legs, partly naked tibia, and other features, dis- 
 tinguish this genus from Scolopax or Philohela. 
 
 GALLINAGO WILSONII. Bonaparte. 
 The Snipe ; Wilson's Snipe ; English Snipe. 
 
 Scolopax Wilsonii, Nuttall. Man., II. 185. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835)322; 
 V. (1839) 583. 76., Birds Amer., V. (1842) 339. 
 G'allinago Wilsonti, Bonaparte. List (1838). 
 Scolopax gallinago, Wilson. Am. Orn., VI. (1812) 18. Not of Linnaeus. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill long, compressed, flattened, and slightly expanded towards the tip, pustu- 
 lated in its terminal half; wings rather long; legs moderate; tail short; entire upper 
 parts brownish-black; every feather spotted and widely edged with light-rufous, 
 yellowish-brown, or ashy-white; back and rump transversely barred and spotted 
 with the same; a line from the base of the bill over the top of the head; throat and 
 neck before, dull reddish-ashy; wing feather marked with dull brownish-black; 
 other under parts white, with transverse bars of brownish-black on the sides, axil- 
 lary feathers and under wing coverts and under tail coverts; quills brownish-black; 
 outer edge of first primary white ; tail glossy brownish-black, widely tipped with 
 bright-rufous, paler at the tip, and with a subterminal narrow band of black ; outer 
 feathers of tail paler, frequently nearly white, and barred with black throughout 
 their length; bill brown, yellowish at base, and darker towards the end; legs dark- 
 brown; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, about ten and a half inches; wing, five; tail, two and a quarter; 
 bill, two and a half; tarsus, one and a quarter inch. 
 
 Hab. Entire temperate regions of North America ; California (Mr. Szabo). 
 
 The Snipe is equally well known, and as great a favorite 
 with sportsmen, as the preceding species. It arrives from 
 
430 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the South at about the same time, and has many of the 
 habits and characteristics of the other bird. It is found 
 in New England only as a spring and autumn visitor, 
 very rarely breeding here, but passing the season of incuba- 
 tion in higher latitudes. It frequents the fresh-water 
 meadows, where it usually lies concealed during the day, 
 only moving about in dark weather and in the night. In. 
 the spring, while with us, it appears to be pairing ; and, 
 although associating in small detached flocks, they are most 
 often found in pairs by themselves. It is during this 
 season that the male performs his well-known gyrations in 
 the air : he ascends to a considerable height, early in the 
 evening, and, almost in the manner of the Night-hawk, 
 described on a preceding page, dives towards the earth, 
 uttering his bleating cry, and peculiar rumbling sound. 
 This species breeds sometimes in the northern portions of 
 New England. It forms a loose nest of grass and a few 
 leaves, on the ground, in a bog or wet swampy thicket ; 
 and, about the first week in May, the female lays three or 
 four eggs. These are more pyriform in shape than the pre- 
 ceding, and average about 1.44 by 1.15 inch in dimensions. 
 Their color is an olivaceous-drab, marked with spots of 
 brown, which are, at the greater end, confluent into blotches, 
 which almost entirely hide the ground-color. 
 
 The Snipe has been known to breed in Massachusetts ; 
 but the occurrence is very rare, and can be regarded only 
 as accidental. By the 25th of August, it returns to the 
 meadows of New England in small parties of three or four ; 
 but it is not abundant much before the 10th or 15th of Sep- 
 tember, and then is not found in great numbers, unless 
 we have had two or three sharp frosts. The time when 
 sportsmen most expect to find them in numbers is after a 
 north-easterly storm, when the wind veers around to the 
 south-westward. Then the meadows are hunted diligently, 
 and generally with success. I have bagged twenty-four 
 birds in an afternoon's shooting, within ten miles of Boston, 
 
WILSON'S SNIPE. 431 
 
 and have known that number to be exceeded in favorable 
 weather. The Snipe lies close to the ground when ap- 
 proached ; and, being a bird of strong scent, as the expres- 
 sion is, is winded to a considerable distance by a good dog. 
 It is easy to imagine the excitement the sportsman experi- 
 ences, when, with a good dog, he enters a large meadow, 
 and sees him suddenly come to a point ; when, walking up 
 to the Snipe, and flushing it, the report of his gun, as he 
 shoots the bird, startles from their lurking-places perhaps 
 a dozen others, who fly but a short distance, uttering their 
 peculiar squeak or scalp, and then alight in the grass, prom- 
 ising him an abundance of shooting for the day. 
 
 The Snipe, when first flushed, rapidly doubles and twists 
 in a quick, zigzag flight, which it continues for several rods, 
 when it takes a more direct course, almost always against 
 the wind. The sportsman, knowing this habit of the bird, 
 reserves his fire until it has stopped twisting, when his aim 
 is generally successful. Sometimes two birds rise at the 
 same time, when it requires considerable coolness and expe- 
 rience to secure both. I once got three double shots in 
 succession, securing all six birds : but such an occurrence 
 and good luck are rare ; and we must be satisfied, in most 
 shooting, to get but single birds. 
 
 The Snipe, like the Woodcock, probes in the soft earth 
 for worms and animalcules, which it feeds upon : it also 
 eats the larvae of water-insects, and leeches, and occa- 
 sionally captures grasshoppers and other insects in the wet 
 grass in which it almost entirely resides. It is very diffi- 
 cult of approach in cloudy and windy weather ; but, in 
 warm, bright days in the fall, it is quiet, and lies until 
 approached quite near. It remains with us until the 
 ground is frozen in the meadow, when it moves to the 
 Southern States, where it passes the winter. 
 
432 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY HJEMATOPODIDJE. THE OYSTER-CATCHERS. 
 
 Bill as long as the head, or twice as long, compressed; culmen but little 
 indented, and the bill not vaulted beyond the nostrils, which are quite basal. 
 
 ILEMATOPUS, LINNAEUS. 
 
 Hcematopus, LINN^US, Sypt. Nat. (1735). (Type H. Ostralegus, L.) 
 Bill longer than the leg, twice as long as the head; mandibles much compressed, 
 sharp-edged, and truncate at end; hind toe wanting; legs reticulated, with five or 
 six elongated plates in a transverse series ; meshes larger anteriorly ; a basal mem- 
 brane between middle and outer toes; toes enlarged laterally by a thickened 
 membrane; tail even; first primary longest. 
 
 HJEMATOPUS PALLIATUS. Temm. 
 The Oyster-catcher- 
 
 Hosmatapus palliatus, Temm. Man., II. (1820) 532. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 
 (1835) 181; V. 580. 7J., Birds Am., V. (1842) 236. 
 
 Hcematopus ostrakgus, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 15. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill long, straight, flattened vertically; wing long; tail short; legs moderate, 
 rather robust; toes margined; outer and middle united at base; head and neck 
 brownish-black, with a slight ashy tinge in very mature specimens ; upper parts of 
 body light ashy-brown, rather darker on the rump; upper tail coverts and wide 
 diagonal band across the wing white ; quills brownish-black; tail feathers at base 
 white, with their terminating half brownish-black; under parts of body and under 
 wing coverts white; bill and edge of eyelids bright orange-red; legs pale-reddish; 
 iris bright-yellow. 
 
 Total length, about seventeen and a half inches ; wing, ten ; tail, four and a half; 
 bill to gape, three and a half; tarsus, two and a quarter inches. 
 
 % 
 
 THIS bird is of rare occurrence on the seacoast of New 
 England as a summer visitor. I am not aware that it 
 breeds here ; but it may, as it is said to be found all along 
 our coast from Maine to Florida. Wilson, in describing its 
 habits, says, 
 
 "The Oyster-catcher frequents the sandy sea-beach of New 
 Jersey, and other parts of our Atlantic coast, in summer, in small 
 parties of two or three pairs together. They are extremely shy ; 
 
THE OYSTER-CATCHER. 433 
 
 and, except about the season of breeding, will seldom permit a per- 
 son to approach within gunshot. They walk along the shore in a 
 watchful, stately manner ; at times probing it with their long, 
 wedge-like bills, in search of small shell-fish. This appears evi- 
 dent, on examining the hard sands where they usually resort 
 which are found thickly perforated with oblong holes, two or 
 three inches in depth. The small crabs, called fiddlers, that 
 burrow in the mud at the bottom of inlets, are frequently the 
 prey of the Oyster-catcher ; as are muscles, spout-fish, and a 
 variety of other shell-fish and sea insects with which those shores 
 abound. 
 
 " The Oyster-catcher will not only take to the water when 
 wounded, but can also swim and dive well. This fact I can assert 
 from my own observation, the exploits of one of them in this way 
 having nearly cost me my life. On the sea-beach of Cape May, 
 not far from a deep and rapid inlet, I broke the wing of one of 
 these birds, and, being without a dog, instantly pursued it towards 
 the inlet, which it made for with great rapidity. We both plunged 
 in nearly at the same instant ; but the bird eluded my grasp, and I 
 sunk beyond my depth : it was not until this moment that I recol- 
 lected having carried in my gun along with me. On rising to the 
 surface, I found the bird had dived, and a strong ebb current was 
 carrying me fast towards the ocean, encumbered with a gun and 
 all my shooting apparatus. I was compelled to relinquish my bird, 
 and to make for the shore with considerable mortification, and the 
 total destruction of the contents of my powder-horn. The wounded 
 bird afterwards rose, and swam with great buoyancy." 
 
 The eggs of this bird are most generally a creamy-drab 
 color, with numerous blotches and spots of blackish-brown. 
 Their form is ovoidal ; and their dimensions vary from 2.30 
 to 2.12 inch in length by from 1.62 to 1.50 in breadth. 
 
 STREPSILAS, ILLIGER. 
 
 Strepsilas, ILLTGER, Prodromus (1811). (Type Tringa interpres, L.) 
 Upper jaw with the culmen straight from the nasal groove to near the slightly 
 upward bent tip; the bill tapering to a rather blunt point; no membrane between 
 the anterior toes; hind toe lengthened, touching the ground; legs transversely 
 scutellate anteriorly; reticulated laterally and behind; tail rounded. 
 
 28 
 
434 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The nasal groove is very broad and shallow, obtuse anteriorly, and not extend- 
 ing beyond the middle of the bill; the lower edge of upper jaw ascends slightly 
 from the middle to near the tip. 
 
 STEEPSILAS INTERPRES. Hliger. 
 The Turnstone. 
 
 Tringa interpret, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 248. Wils. Am. Orn , VII. 
 (1813) 32. 
 
 Strepsilas interpres, Illiger. Prod. (1811), 263. Nutt., II. 30. Aud. Orn. Biog., 
 IV. (1838) 31. /&., Birds Am., V. (1842) 231. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts rather irregularly variegated with black, dark-rufous, and white ; 
 head and neck above generally white, with numerous spots and stripes of brownish- 
 black on the crown and occiput; space in front of the eye white, usually surrounded 
 with black; throat white, on each side of which 'is a stripe of black running from 
 the base of the bill downwards and joining a large space of the same color (black) 
 on the neck before and breast; abdomen, under wing coverts, under tail coverts, 
 back, and rump, white; quills brownish-black, with their shafts white; tail white at 
 base, with its terminal half brownish-black, and tipped with white; greater wing 
 coverts widely tipped with white, forming a conspicuous oblique bar across the 
 wing; bill black; legs orange; in winter, the black of the upper parts is more 
 apparent, and the rufous is of less extent and of lighter shade; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, about nine inches; wing, six; tail, two and a half inches. 
 
 Hab. Shores of the Atlantic and Pacific, throughout North America. One of 
 the most widely diffused of birds, being found in nearly all parts of the world. 
 
 It is only on the seacoast, and in very small numbers 
 even, that this bird is found in New England as a spring 
 and summer visitor. It occasionally is found in company 
 with some of the Sandpipers and other beach-birds; but 
 usually appears alone, or in parties of two or three, on the 
 beach, or on the shores of sandy rivers that empty into 
 the ocean, near their outlets. It is almost always actively 
 employed in turning over the pebbles and small stones with 
 its strong, sharp bill, beneath which it finds small marine 
 animals and eggs, on which it principally feeds. It also 
 eats greedily, according to Wilson, on the eggs of the 
 Horse-shoe, or King Crab, and small shell-fish, and occa- 
 sionally wades into the water for a shrimp or other small 
 animal that is left in a shallow pool by the retiring waves. 
 It breeds on the most northern sections of the continent, 
 
THE TURNSTONE. 435 
 
 building its nest in the Hudson's Bay country, early in 
 June: this nest is nothing but a slight hollow scratched 
 in the earth, and lined with a few pieces of grass or sea- 
 weed. The eggs are four in number : they are of an olive 
 color, sometimes a drab ; and are marked with spots and 
 blotches of reddish and black, chiefly at the greater end, 
 where they are confluent, and nearly cover and conceal 
 the ground-color. Their form is abruptly pyriform ; and 
 their dimensions average about 1.55 by 1.15 inch. 
 
 It is rarely that we find two specimens of this bird in the 
 full plumage, or marked alike : they exhibit all the varieties, 
 from almost entirely gray on their upper parts, to the 
 plumage described above. 
 
436 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY RECURVIROSTRID^. THE AVOSETS. 
 
 Legs covered with hexagonal plates, becoming smaller behind; anterior toes all 
 connected more or less by membrane; bill much lengthened and attenuated; the 
 groove along the side of the upper mandible not extending beyond the middle; 
 gums denticulated only at the base. 
 
 In addition to the features above mentioned, these birds are essentially charac- 
 terized by the excessive length of the legs, with a very long, slender neck and slen- 
 der elongated bill. Of the several genera assigned the family, but two belong to 
 the United States, with the following features: 
 
 RECURVIKOSTKA Hind toe present ; toes webbed to the claws ; bill recurved 
 at tip. 
 
 HIMANTOPUS. Hind toe wanting; a short web between middle and outer toes 
 at base; bill straight. 
 
 RECUR VIROSTRA, LINNAEUS. 
 
 Recurrirostra, LINN^US, Syst. Nat. (1744). Gray. (Type R. avocetta, L.) 
 Hind toe rudimentary; anterior toes united to the claws by a much emarginated 
 
 membrane; bill depressed, extended into a fine point, which is recurved; tail 
 
 covered by the wings. 
 
 RECURVIROSTRA AMERICANA. GmeKn. 
 The American Avoset. 
 
 Recurvirostra Americana, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 693. Wils. Am. Orn., 
 VII. (1813) 126. Nutt. Man., II. 78. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 168. Jb., Birds 
 Am., VI. (1843) 247. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill rather long, depressed ; wings long ; legs long ; tarsi compressed ; tail short. 
 
 Adult. Head and neck pale reddish-brown, darker on the head, and fading 
 gradually into white; back, wing coverts, and quills, black; scapulars, tips of 
 greater wing coverts, rump and tail, and entire under parts, white, the last frequently 
 tinged with reddish; bill brownish-black; legs bluish. 
 
 Young. Very similar to the adult, but with the head and neck white, frequently 
 tinged with ashy on the head and neck behind; iris carmine. 
 
 Total length, about seventeen inches; wing, eight and a half to nine; tail, three 
 and a half; bill to gape, three and three-quarters ; tarsus, three and a half inches. 
 
 THIS bird is a rare summer visitor in New England. 
 I am unacquainted with its habits, having never met 
 with one alive ; and I must avail myself of the observations 
 of others. Wilson says, 
 
THE AMERICAN AVOSET. 437 
 
 " In describing the Long-legged Avoset, the similarity between 
 that and the present was taken notice of. This resemblance 
 extends to every thing but their color. I found both these birds 
 associated together on the salt marshes of New Jersey, on the 20th 
 of May. They were then breeding. Individuals of the present 
 species were few in respect to the other. They flew around the 
 shallow pools exactly in the manner of the Long-legs ; uttering 
 the like sharp note of click, click, click ; alighting on the marsh or 
 in the water indiscriminately ; fluttering their loose wings, and shak- 
 ing their half-bent legs, as if ready to tumble over ; keeping up a 
 continual yelping note. They were, however, rather more shy, 
 and kept at a greater distance. One which I wounded attempted 
 repeatedly to dive ; but the water was too shallow to permit him to 
 do this with facility. The nest was built among the thick tufts of 
 grass, at a small distance from one of these pools. It was com- 
 posed of small twigs of a seaside shrub, dry grass, seaweed, &c., 
 raised to the height of several inches. The eggs were four, of a 
 dull-olive color, marked with large, irregular blotches of black, and 
 with others of a fainter tint. 
 
 " This species arrives on the coast of Cape May late in April, 
 rears its young, and departs again to the South early in October. 
 While here, it almost constantly frequents the shallow pools in the 
 salt marshes ; wading about, often to the belly, in search of food, 
 viz., marine worms, snails, and various insects that abound among 
 the soft, muddy bottoms of the pools." 
 
 Audubon, who found it breeding in the neighborhood of 
 Yincennes, in the State of Indiana, describes the nest and 
 eggs as follows : 
 
 "The nests were placed among the tallest grasses, and were 
 entirely composed of the same materials, but dried, and apparently 
 of a former year's growth. There was not a twig of any kind 
 about them. The inner nest was about five inches in diameter, and 
 lined with fine prairie grass, different from that found on the islets 
 of the pond, and about two inches in depth, over a bed having a 
 thickness of an inch and a half. The islets did not seem to be 
 liable to inundation ; and none of the nests exhibited any appearance 
 of having been increased in elevation since the commencement of 
 
438 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 incubation, as was the case with those described by Wilson. Like 
 those of most Waders, the eggs were four in number, and placed 
 with the small ends together. They measured two inches in length, 
 one inch and three-eighths in their greatest breadth, and were 
 exactly, as Wilson tells us, ' of a dull-olive color,' &c. To this I 
 have to add that they are pear-shaped and smooth." 
 
 MACRORHAMPHUS, LEACH. 
 
 Macr&rhamphus, "LEACH, Catal. Brit. Birds, 1816." Gray. (Scolopax grisea.) 
 Gmelin. 
 
 General appearance of Gallinago. Tarsi longer than middle toe; a short web 
 between the base of outer and middle toe. 
 
 The membrane at the base of the toes will at once distinguish this genus from 
 Gattinago, though there are other characters involved. 
 
 MACEOEHAMPHUS GEISEUS. (Gm.) Leach. 
 The Eed-breasted Snipe ; Gray Snipe. 
 
 Scolopax grisea, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 658, No. 27. 
 Scolyax Nvceboracensis, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 45. Aud. Orn. Biog., 
 IV. (1838) 285. /&., Birds Amer., VI. (1843) 10. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill long, compressed, flattened, and expanded towards the end, and, in the same 
 space, punctulated and corrugated ; wing rather long ; shaft of first primary strong ; 
 tail short; legs rather long. 
 
 Adult. Upper parts variegated with dark-ashy, pale-reddish, and black, the lat- 
 ter predominating on the back; rump and upper tail coverts white, the latter 
 spotted and barred transversely with black ; under parts pale ferruginous-red, with 
 numerous points and circular spots of brownish-black on the neck before, and 
 transverse bands of the same on the sides and under tail coverts; axillary feathers 
 and under wing coverts white, spotted and transversely barred with black ; quills 
 brownish-black; shaft of first primary white; tail brownish-black, with numerous 
 transverse bands of ashy-white, and frequently tinged with ferruginous, especially 
 on the two middle feathers : bill greenish-black ; legs dark greenish-brown. 
 
 Younger. Entire under parts dull-white, strongly marked with dull-ashy on 
 the neck in front, and transverse bands of the same on the sides; axillary feathers 
 and under wing coverts white, spotted with brownish-black; upper parts lighter 
 than in the adult. 
 
 Total length, about ten inches; wing, five and three-quarters; tail, two and a 
 quarter; bill, two and a quarter; tarsus, one and a quarter inch. 
 
 Hob. Entire temperate regions of North America. 
 
 This handsome bird is found in small numbers in the 
 marshes along our coast, in the spring and autumn migra- 
 
THE RED-BREASTED SNIPE. 439 
 
 tions. It seldom penetrates into the inland waters of New 
 England, but prefers the salt marshes. I think that it is 
 much more of a beach bird than the Common Snipe ; for it 
 is often found on the beach of the seashore, while the 
 other is never seen there, so far as my experience goes. It 
 is never found in such numbers here as Wilson speaks of 
 in the following description, but is seen in small bunches 
 of six or eight : 
 
 " The Red-breasted Snipe arrives on the seacoast of New Jer- 
 sey early in April, is seldom or never seen inland : early in May, 
 it proceeds to the North to breed, and returns by the latter part of 
 July or beginning of August. During its stay here, it flies in 
 flocks, sometimes very high, and has then a loud and shrill whistle ; 
 making many evolutions over the marshes ; forming, dividing, and 
 re-uniting. They sometimes settle in such numbers, and so close 
 together, that eighty-five have been shot at one discharge of a mus- 
 ket. They spring from the marshes with a loud, twirling whistle, 
 generally rising high, and making several circuitous manoeuvres in 
 the air before they descend. They frequent the sand-bars and mud 
 flats, at low water, in search of food ; and, being less suspicious of 
 a boat than of a person on shore, are easily approached by this 
 medium, and shot down in great numbers. They usually keep by 
 themselves, being very numerous ; are in excellent order for the 
 table in September; and, on the approach of winter, retire to 
 the South. 
 
 " I have frequently amused myself with the various action of 
 these birds. They fly very rapidly, sometimes wheeling, coursing, 
 and doubling along the surface of the marshes ; then shooting high 
 in air, there separating and forming in various bodies, uttering a 
 kind of .quivering whistle. Among many which I opened in May, 
 were several females that had very little rufous below ; and the 
 backs were also much lighter, and less marbled with ferruginous. 
 The eggs contained in their ovaries were some of them as large as 
 garden peas. Their stomachs contained masses of those small snail 
 shells that lie in millions on the salt marshes. The wrinkles at the 
 base of the bill, and the red breast, are strong characters of this 
 species, as also the membrane which unites the outer and middle 
 toes together." 
 
440 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Of the breeding habits, nest, and eggs of this species, I 
 am ignorant ; and I find no description of either in any 
 work to which I have access. 
 
 Tribe TRTNGE^E. The Sandpipers. 
 
 Bill shorter than the naked leg, widened or rather spoon-shaped at the end, with 
 the edges not bent over; roof of mouth excavated to the tip; no groove along the 
 culmen; ear behind the eye; tail without bands? 
 
 TRINGA, LTNN^US. 
 Tringa, LINN.EUS. Syst. Nat , (1735). (Type T. canutus, L.) 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Size moderate or small ; general form adapted to dwelling on the shores of both 
 salt and fresh waters, and subsisting on minute or small animals, in pursuit of 
 which they carefully examine and probe with their bills sandy or muddy deposits 
 and growths of aquatic plants, rocks, or other localities; flight rather rapid, but 
 not very strong nor long continued; bill moderate, or rather long, straight or 
 ?lightly curved towards the end, which is general!} 1 " somewhat expanded and flat; 
 longitudinal grooves, in both mandibles, distinct, and nearly the whole length of the 
 bill; wings long, pointed; the first primary longest; tertiaries long; secondaries 
 short, with their tips obliquely incised; tail short; legs moderate, or rather long, 
 slender; the lower portion of the tibia naked, and with the tarsus covered in front 
 and behind with transverse scales; hind toe very small ; fore toes rather slender, 
 with a membranous margin, scaly and flattened underneath, free at base. 
 
 This genus comprises a large number of species of all parts of the world, 
 some of which are very extensively diffused, especially during the season of their 
 southern or autumnal migration. Generally, these birds are met with in flocks, fre- 
 quenting every description of locality near water, and industriously searching for 
 the minute animals on which they feed. The species of the United States are mi- 
 grators', rearing their young in the north, and, in autumn and winter, extending to 
 the confines of the Republic and into South America. The colors of the spring and 
 autumnal plumage are different in nearly all species, though that of the two sexes is 
 very similar. 
 
 TRINGA CANUTUS. Linnasus. 
 The Gray-back; Robin Snipe. 
 
 Tringa canutus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 251. 
 
 Tringa cinerea, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 673. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 
 (1813) 86. 
 
 Tringa ulandica, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 130. 75., Birds Am., V. 
 (1842) 254. 
 
 Tringa rvfa, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 57. 
 
THE GRAY-BACK. 441 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Large; bill straight, rather longer than the head, compressed, slightly enlarged 
 at the tip; upper mandible with the nasal groove extending to near the tip; legs 
 moderate; tibia with its lower third part naked; neck moderate; wing long; tail 
 short; toes free at base, flattened beneath, widely margined ; hind toe slender, small; 
 entire upper parts light-gray, with lanceolate, linear, and irregular spots of black, 
 and others of pale-reddish ; rump and upper tail coverts white, with transverse nar- 
 row bands and crescent-shaped spots of black; under parts light brownish-red, 
 paler in the middle of the abdomen ; under tail coverts, tibial feathers, flanks, axil- 
 lary feathers, and under wing coverts white, generally with spots and transverse 
 bars of brownish-black; quills brownish-black, with their shafts white; tail light 
 brownish-cinereous (without spots or bars); all the feathers edged with white, and 
 frequently with a second sub-edging of dark-brown; bill brownish-black; legs 
 greenish-black. 
 
 Young and Winter Plumage. Upper parts brownish-ashy, darker on the back, 
 every feather having a sub-terminal edging of brownish-black, and tipped with dull 
 ashy-white; rump white, with crescents of black; under parts dull ashy-white, 
 nearly pure on the abdomen, but with numerous longitudinal lines, and small spots 
 of dark-brown on the breast and neck; sides with crescent-shaped and irregular 
 spots of brownish-black ; an obscure line of dull-white over and behind the eve. 
 
 Total length (from tip of bill to end of tail), about ten inches; wing, six and a 
 half; tail, two and a half; bill from gape, one and a half; tarsus, one and a quarter 
 inches. Female larger? 
 
 This is the largest of the Sandpipers of the United States, and appears to be 
 restricted to the shores of the Atlantic in this division of the continent of America. 
 We have never seen it from the Pacific Coast. 
 
 In the United States, this bird is known as the Red-breasted Snipe, or sometimes 
 as the Gray-backed Snipe, though we have never heard the name "Knot" applied 
 to it, which appears to be a common appellation of the same species in Europe, and 
 is given by American authors. This is one of the few species of birds which appears 
 to be absolutely identical with a species of Europe, and is of very extensive diffu- 
 sion over the world, especially in the season of southern migration. 
 
 The bird has received a variety of names, of which the very first appears to be 
 that adopted at the head of this article. 
 
 This species appears in New England only in the migra- 
 tions in spring and autumn. It is only seen on the shore, 
 and with us only in small flocks of eight or ten. I have 
 had no opportunities of observing its habits, and will give 
 the description by Wilson : 
 
 " In activity it is superior to the preceding, and traces the flow- 
 ing and recession of the waves along the sandy beach with great 
 nimbleness, wading and searching among the loosened particles for 
 its favorite food, which is a small, thin, oval, bivalve shell-fish, of a 
 white or pearl color, and not larger than the seed of an apple. 
 
442 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 These usually lie at a short depth below the surface ; but, in some 
 places, are seen at low water in heaps, like masses of wet grain, in 
 quantities of more than a bushel together. During the latter part 
 of summer and autumn, these minute shell-fish constitute the food 
 of almost all those busy flocks that run with such activity along the 
 sands, among the flowing and retreating waves. They are univer- 
 sally swallowed whole; but the action of the bird's stomach, 
 assisted by the shells themselves, soon reduces them to a pulp. If 
 we may judge from their effects, they must be extremely nutritious ; 
 for almost all those tribes that feed on them are at this season mere 
 lumps of fat. Digging for these in the hard sand would be a work 
 of considerable labor ; whereas, when the particles are loosened by 
 the flowing of the sea, the birds collect them with great ease and 
 dexterity. It is amusing to observe with what adroitness they fol- 
 low and elude the tumbling surf, while, at the same time, they seem 
 wholly intent on collecting their food. 
 
 " The Ash-colored Sandpiper, the subject of our present account, 
 inhabits both Europe and America. It has been seen in great 
 numbers on the Seal Islands, near Chatteaux Bay ; is said to con- 
 tinue the whole summer in Hudson's Bay, and breeds there. Mr. 
 Pennant suspects that it also breeds in Denmark, and says that 
 they appear in vast flocks on the Flintshire shore during the winter 
 season. With us they are also migratory, being only seen in 
 spring and autumn. They are plump birds ; and, by those accus- 
 tomed to the sedgy taste of this tribe, are esteemed excellent 
 eating." 
 
 Of the breeding habits, nest, eggs, &c., I am ignorant. 
 
 ARQUATELLA, BAIRD. 
 
 TEINGA MARITIMA. Brunnich. 
 
 The Purple Sandpiper. 
 
 Tringa maritima, Brunnich. Orn. Bor. (1764), 54. Nutt. Man., II. 115. Aud. 
 Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 558. 76., Birds Am., V. (1842) 261. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill rather longer than the head, straight, compressed; nasal groove long; jvings 
 long; tail short, rounded; legs moderate; toes free at base, flattened underneath and 
 slightly margined; hind toe small; entire head and upper parts dark smoky-brown, 
 
THE CURLEW SANDPIPER. 443 
 
 with a purple and violet tinge, strongest on the back and scapulars ; under parts 
 from the breast white, generally with longitudinal spot of dark-ashy; wing coverts 
 more or less edged and tipped with white ; quills brownish-black, edged with white ; 
 middle tail feathers brownish-black, outer feathers lighter, with their shafts white; 
 axillaries and under wing coverts white; bill yellow at base, dark at tip; legs 
 yellow. 
 
 Total length, about eight to nine inches; wing, five; tail, two and a half; bill 
 from gape, one and a quarter; tarsus, one inch; iris orange. 
 
 Hob. Eastern North America ; Europe. 
 
 This species is not uncommon on our shores during the 
 spring and autumn migrations, where they are active and 
 busy in their search for small shell-fish, and crustaceans, 
 which constitute their principal food. They have all the 
 characteristics of the Spotted Sandpiper while with us, and, 
 from 'their preference to rocky beaches and shores, are often 
 called Rock Snipes. They proceed to the most northern 
 portions of the continent to breed, where, according to Dr. 
 Richardson, they lay four eggs, which are " pyriform, six- 
 teen and a half lines long, and an inch across at their great- 
 est breadth. Their color is yellowish-gray, interspersed 
 with small irregular spots of pale brown, crowded* at the 
 obtuse end, and rare at the other." 
 
 TRINGA SUBARQUATA Temm. 
 The Curlew Sandpiper. 
 
 Tringa subarquata, Temm. Man., II. (1820) 609. Nutt. Man., II. 104. Aud. 
 Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 444. /&., Birds Am., V. (1842) 269. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill rather longer than the head, slender, compressed, slightly curved towards 
 the tip, which is somewhat expanded; both mandibles grooved; wing long, pointed; 
 tail short; legs long, slender; toes moderate, marginated and flattened underneath. 
 Upper parts brownish-black, nearly every feather edged and spotted with bright 
 yellowish-red, rump ashy-brown, upper coverts of the tail white, with transverse 
 bands of brownish- black ; wings ashy-brown, shafts of primaries white ; under parts 
 fine dark-yellowish rufous; sides, axillaries, and under tail coverts, white ; under 
 surface of wing white ; tail pale brownish-ashy, with a greenish gloss ; bill and legs 
 greenish-brown. 
 
 Young. Upper parts much more ashy, and with little of the red of the preced- 
 ing ; under parts entirely dull-white, tinged with yellowish on the breast and sides ; 
 an obscure line over the eye ashy-white ; outer feathers of the tail nearly white. 
 
444 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Total length, about eight and a half to nine inches ; wing, five ; tail, two and a 
 quarter; bill, from gape, one and a quarter to one and a half; tarsus, one to one and 
 a quarter inches ; iris hazel. 
 
 Hob. Atlantic coast of the United States, rare; Europe; Asia; Africa. 
 
 This is undoubtedly the most rare of all our shore birds. 
 I found a single specimen in a bunch of Sandpipers shot on 
 Cape Ann, in the autumn of 1865, for sale in the principal 
 market in Boston. This is the only instance that has come 
 to my own knowledge of its being found here. Audubon 
 speaks of two ; and other writers, of a few more in different 
 years. Of its breeding habits, nest, eggs, &c., I am igno- 
 rant. 
 
 TEINGA ALPINA var. AMERICANA. Cassin. 
 The Red-backed Sandpiper; Grass-bird. 
 
 Tringa alpina, Linnaus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 249. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 
 25. Nutt. Man., II. 106. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 580. 76., Birds Am., V. 
 (1842) 266. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill longer than the head, wide at base, curved, slightly widened and flattened 
 towards the end; nasal groove and another groove in the under mandible long 
 and very distinct ; wings long ; tail short, with the two middle feathers longest and 
 pointed; legs rather long and slender, lower half of the tibia naked; toes moderate, 
 free at base, flattened underneath and slightly marginated ; claws much compressed, 
 hind toe small ; upper parts yellowish-red, mixed with ashy, and every feather hav- 
 ing a lanceolate, ovate, or narrow spot in the centre, most numerous on the back and 
 rump ; front, sides of the head, and entire under parts, ashy-white ; nearly pure-white 
 on the abdomen and under tail coverts ; a wide tranverse band of black across the 
 lower part of the breast ; neck before and upper part of the breast with narrow 
 longitudinal spots of brownish -black; under wing coverts and axillary feathers 
 white; quills light ashy-brown, darker on their outer edges, with their shafts white; 
 tail feathers light ashy-brown ; middle feathers darker, outer nearly white ; bill and 
 legs brownish-black ; sexes alike ; iris dark-hazel. 
 
 Winter Plumage. Entire upper parts dark-ashy, nearly black on the rump, and 
 upper tail coverts; throat, abdomen, axillaries and under wing coverts, white; 
 breast pale-ashy, with longitudinal lines of dark-brown. 
 
 Total length, eight to eight and a half inches ; wing, five ; tail, two and a quar- 
 ter, bill, from gape, one and a half; tarsus, one inch. 
 
 Hob. Entire temperate regions of North America. 
 
 This is a rather abundant species on our shores in the 
 spring and autumn migrations. It appears here about 
 the last week in April or first week in May, and frequents 
 
THE PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 445 
 
 the beach, where it has all the habits and activity of the 
 other Sandpipers, running along the edge of the surf, and 
 gleaning in the waves and on the sands its food of small 
 marine animals. It mixes with the other species, but is 
 readily distinguished from them by the brightness of its 
 plumage. It is in best condition for cabinet preservation 
 in the vernal migration. It passes leisurely to the most 
 northern sections of the continent, where it passes the 
 breeding season. Maggillivray describes the breeding habits 
 as follows : 
 
 " The nest is a slight hollow in a dry place, having a few bits of 
 withered heath and grass irregularly placed in it. The eggs, four 
 in number, are ovato-pyriform, an inch and four-twelfths in length, 
 eleven-twelfths in breadth, oil-green or light greenish-yellow, irregu- 
 larly spotted and blotched with deep-brown ; the spots becoming 
 more numerous toward the larger end, where they are confluent. 
 The young, like those of the Golden Plover and Lapwing, leave 
 the nest immediately after exclusion, run about, and, when alarmed, 
 conceal themselves by sitting close to the ground and remaining 
 motionless." 
 
 This species, when it returns in the autumn, late in Sep- 
 tember, is very fat, and is considered delicate and palatable 
 as food. 
 
 ACTODROMAS, KAUP. 
 
 TRINGA MACULATA. Vieillot. 
 
 The Pectoral Sandpiper. 
 
 Tringa maculata, Vieillot. Nouv. Diet., XXXIV. (1819) 465. 
 Tringa pectoralis, Nuttall. Man., II. 111. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 601 ; 
 V. 582. /&., Birds Am., V. (1842), 259. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill rather longer than the head, compressed, slightly depressed and expanded at 
 the tip ; nasal groove long ; wings long ; legs rather long ; tibia with nearly its lower 
 half naked; toes free at base, flattened underneath and slightly margined; tail rather 
 short ; middle feathers pointed ; entire upper parts brownish-black ; all the feathers 
 edged and tipped with ashy and brownish -red; rump and upper tail coverts black, 
 some of the outer feathers of the latter edged with white ; line from the bill over 
 
446 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the eye ashy-white ; throat, abdomen, under wing coverts, axillary feathers, and 
 under tail coverts, white ; breast and neck before ashy-white ; all the feathers darker 
 at base, and with partially concealed lanceolate or pointed spots of brownish-black; 
 quills brownish-black; shaft of first primary white, of others brown; secondaries 
 tipped and edged with white ; tertiaries edged with dull reddish-yellow; bill and 
 feet dark greenish-black ; iris dark-hazel. 
 
 Total length, about nine inches; wing, five and a quarter; tail, two and a half; 
 bill to gape, one and one-eighth ; tarsus, one inch. 
 
 Hob. The entire coasts of North America; South America; Europe. 
 
 This well-known species is pretty abundantly distributed 
 along our coast in the spring and autumn migrations, when 
 it appears in small flocks, in May, in the former seasons, 
 and in August and September in the latter. It has all the 
 habits of the other Sandpipers, but is more often seen in 
 the marshes and meadows, particularly in the autumn, than 
 the others, where it eagerly pursues the various insects 
 which are found there, particularly the grasshoppers and 
 crickets, that furnish food for so many of our passing birds. 
 This species is best known to our gunners by the name of 
 the Grass-bird. It is a favorite with them because of its 
 fine flavor on the table ; and it is found in considerable 
 abundance in our markets, where it meets a ready sale at a 
 very remunerative price. 
 
 TRINGA BONAPARTII. Schlegel. 
 Bonaparte's Sandpiper. 
 
 Tringa Schinzii, Nuttall. Man., II. 109. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 529. 
 76., Birds Amer., V. (1842) 275. 
 
 Tringa Bmapartii, Schlegel. Rev. Crit. Ois. Eur., (1844) 89. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Smaller; bill slightly arched towards the tip, which is somewhat enlarged and 
 flattened, about the length of the head ; grooves in both mandibles long and nar- 
 row;* wings long; secondary quills obliquely incised at the ends; tail rather longer 
 than usual in this group, with the feathers broad; legs rather long and slender; toes 
 free at base; hind toe very small; upper parts light ashy-brown; darker on the 
 rump; nearly all the feathers with ovate or wide lanceolate central spots of brownish- 
 black, and many of them edged with bright yellowish-red ; upper tail coverts white ; 
 under parts white, with numerous small spots of dark-brown on the neck before, 
 breast, and sides, somewhat disposed to form transyerse bands on the last: quills 
 brownish-black, darker at the tips; shaft of outer primary white, of others light- 
 brown; middle feathers of tail brownish-black; outer feathers lighter, and edged 
 
THE LEAST SANDPIPER. 447 
 
 with ashy-white ; under wing coverts and axillaries white ; bill and feet greenish- 
 black ; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, about seven inches ; wing, four and three-quarters ; tail, two and a 
 quarter; bill, one; tarsus, rather less than an inch. 
 
 Hob. North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 This bird also is often known to sportsmen by the com- 
 prehensive name " Grass-bird." It is less abundant than 
 the preceding, but has all its habits. It appears in small 
 flocks of eight or ten, and frequents the marshes and marshy 
 shores in preference to the sandy beach. In such localities, 
 it feeds upon various insects and aquatic animals, and lar- 
 vas of aquatic insects ; and is often seen in fresh-water 
 meadows, at a considerable distance from the shore, busy in 
 search of this variety of food. Nuttall says it lays four 
 eggs, smaller than those of the T. alpina, of a yellowish- 
 gray color, spotted with olive or chestnut-brown. 
 
 TRINGA WILSONIL Nuttall. 
 The Least Sandpiper; Peep. 
 
 Trlnga pusilla, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 32. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 
 180. 76., Birds Am., V. (1842) 280. 
 
 Tringa Wilsonii, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 121. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The smallest of all known species of this group found in North America ; bill 
 about as long as the head, slightly curved towards the end, which is very slightly 
 expanded; grooves in both mandibles to near the tip; wing long; tertiaries nearly 
 as long as the primaries; tail short; middle feathers longest; outer feathers fre- 
 quently longer than the intermediate ; legs long ; lower third of the tibia naked ; 
 toes long, slender, margined, and flattened beneath; hind toe small; upper parts with 
 nearly every feather having a large central spot of brownish-black, and widely mar- 
 gined with ashy and bright brownish-red; rump and middle of the upper tail 
 coverts black ; outer coverts white, spotted with black ; stripe over the eye, throat, 
 and breast, pale ashy-white, with numerous small longitudinal spots of ashy-brown ; 
 abdomen and under tail coverts white; quills dark-brown, with the shafts of the 
 primaries white; tertiaries edged with reddish; middle feathers of the tail brownish- 
 black; outer feathers light ashy-white; under surface of wing light brownish- ashy, 
 with a large spot of white near the shoulder ; axillary feathers white ; bill and legs 
 greenish-brown, the latter frequently yellowish-green. 
 
 Total length, from tip of bill to end of tail, about five and a half to six inches; 
 wing, three and a half to three and three-quarters; tail, one and three-quarters; bill 
 to gape, three-quarters ; tarsus, three-quarters of an inch. 
 
 Hab. Entire temperate North America. 
 
448 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The Least Sandpiper or " Peep " is so well known on 
 our shores that any description is almost superfluous. It 
 makes its appearance early in May, in small parties of 
 fiv v e or six, and quickly proceeds to the most northern 
 sections of the continent, where it breeds, and then im- 
 mediately returns to our shores, where it . remains until 
 early in October, when it passes on to the South. Au- 
 dubon, in describing its breeding habits, says, " That 
 this species is naturally disposed to seek alpine sections 
 of the country for the purpose of reproduction, I obtained 
 abundant proof whilst in Labrador, where I found it plen- 
 tiful, and breeding on the moss-clad crests of the highest 
 rocks, within short distances of the sea." On finding the 
 nest, he says, 
 
 " Four beautiful eggs, larger than I had expected to see pro- 
 duced by birds of so small a size, lay fairly beneath my eye, as I 
 knelt over them for several minutes in perfect ecstasy. The nest 
 had been formed first, apparently, by the patting of the little 
 creatures' feet on the crisp moss, and in the slight hollow thus 
 produced were laid a few blades of slender, dry grass, bent in a 
 circular manner; the internal diameter of the nest being two 
 inches and a half, and its depth an inch and a quarter. The eggs, 
 which were in shape just like those of the Spotted Sandpiper, T. 
 macularius, measured seven and a half eighths of an inch in length, 
 and three-fourths of an inch in breadth. Their ground-color was a 
 rich cream-yellow tint, blotched and dotted with very dark umber/ 
 the markings larger and more numerous toward the broad end. 
 They were placed with their broad ends together, and were quite 
 fresh. The nest lay under the lee of a small rock, exposed to all 
 the heat the sun can afford in that country." 
 
 It is during the latter part of August and the greater 
 part of September that this species is most abundant in 
 New England, where it generally confines itself to the sea- 
 coast, but sometimes penetrates to the large tracts of water 
 in the interior, gleaning there its food of small shell-fish, 
 crustaceans, and insects in the pools of water and on the 
 
THE SANDERLING. 449 
 
 sands and flats. It associates in large flocks at that season, 
 and often with other birds. 
 
 CALIDRIS, CUVIER. 
 
 Calidris, CUVIER, Anat. Comp., V. in chart (1805). (Type Tringa arenaria, L.) 
 General characters of Tringa, but without hind toe ; bill straight, rather longer 
 than the head and tarsus, widened somewhat or spoon-shaped at the end; tail doubly 
 einarginate ; toes short; middle one scarcely two-thirds the tarsus. 
 
 CALIDRIS AEENARIA. Jlliger. 
 The Sanderling. 
 
 Tringa arenaria, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 251. Aud. Ora. Biog. 76., 
 Birds Am., V. (1842) 287. 
 
 Calidris arenaria, Illiger. Prod. (1811), 249. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 4. 
 
 Charadrius calldris, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 255. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 
 (1813) 68. 
 
 Charadrius rubidus. Gm., I. (1788) 688. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 129. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 No hind toe ; front toes moderate or rather long, flattened underneath ; distinct- 
 ly margined with a membrane ; bill rather longer than the head, straight, rather 
 thick ; ridge of upper mandible flattened ; nasal groove deep, and nearly as long as 
 the upper mandible, not so distinct in the lower; both mandibles widened and flat- 
 tened at the tip ; aperture of the nostril large, and covered with a membrane ; wing 
 long ; tail short, with the. middle feathers longest ; under coverts long as the tail ; 
 legs moderate ; lower third of the tibia naked ; upper parts light-ashy, with lanceo- 
 late, hastate, and ovate spots of brownish-black on the top of the head, on the back, 
 ^scapulars, and shorter quills ; rump and upper tail coverts with fine transverse lines 
 of black ; under parts pure-white ; shoulders brownish-black, without spots ; quills 
 brownish-black, with their shafts white, and much paler on their inner webs ; greater 
 wing coverts widely tipped with white; middle feathers of the tail ashy-brown, 
 edged with white ; outer feathers paler; bill and legs greenish-black; sexes alike; 
 iris brown. 
 
 In spring plumage, the head, neck, and breast are tinged with pale yellow- 
 ish-red, and spotted with dark-brown ; b/ick and scapulars edged and tipped with 
 yellowish-red ; rump and under tail coverts ashy-brown ; under parts of the body 
 pure-white. 
 
 Total length, seven and three-quarters to eight inches ; wing, five ; tail, two ; bill, 
 about one inch ; tarsus, about one inch. 
 
 Hob. Entire temperate regions of North America, South America, Europe. 
 
 An abundant species on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Republic, and 
 extending its range, in winter, into South America. We can find no reliable dis- 
 tinction between the American and the European bird, though specimens differ 
 quite materially in size and length of bill. 
 
 29 
 
450 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The Sanderling, most often called the " Beach-bird " by 
 gunners, is pretty abundant on our shores in the autumn 
 migrations. It is rarely seen in spring, but seems to move 
 by us in passing to its northern breeding-grounds. Accord- 
 ing to Mr. Hutching, it breeds on the coast of Hudson's 
 Bay, where it constructs, on the marshes, a rude nest of 
 grass, laying four dusky eggs, spotted with black, on which 
 it begins to sit about the middle of June. Early in Septem- 
 ber, sometimes by the 20th of August, it returns to our 
 shores, where it associates with the Sandpipers in small 
 flocks. It has all the habits and characteristics of these 
 birds, busily seeking in the retreating waves, and in the 
 pools on the beach, its food of small shells and crustaceans. 
 It is quite fat in the autumn, and is esteemed by many, a 
 fine-flavored bird for the table. 
 
 EREUNETES, ILLIGEE. 
 
 Ereunetes, ILLIGER. Prod. (1811), 262. 
 
 The bill of our species of Ereunetes is quite stout, and considerably expanded, by 
 which it is readily distinguished from Actodromas Wilsonii, independently of the 
 semipalmated feet ; the tarsus and middle toe are about equal ; the tibia denuded 
 anteriorly for about two-thirds the length of tarsus ; the basal membrane of toes 
 is more scolloped out interiorly than exteriorly ; the notch externally not quite as 
 deep as to the first joint, although the membrane extends beyond the second. 
 There is a tendency to hexagonal subdivision in the bare portion of tibia anteriorly. 
 The tail is doubly emarginate. 
 
 EREUNETES PETRIFICATUS. Illiger. 
 The Semipalmated Sandpiper; Peep. 
 
 Ereunetes petrificatus, Illiger. Prod. (1811), 262. (Proved identical with Tringa 
 semipalmata, Wils., by Cabanis.) 
 
 Tringa semipalmata, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 131. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. 
 (1839) 111. Jb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 277. 
 
 Tringa (heteropoda) semipalmata, Nuttall. Man., IJ. (1834) 136. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill about the length of the head, rather thicker than usual in this group; both 
 mandibles somewhat expanded and flattened at the tip, and minutely punctulated, 
 as in the genera Scolopax and Gattinago; wings long; legs moderate, rather slen- 
 der; toes united at base by a membrane, which is large, between the outer and 
 middle toes, extending to the first joint; hind toe small; tail short, with the middle 
 
THE SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. 451 
 
 feathers longest; outer feathers frequently longer than the third, presenting a doubly 
 emarginate character to the tail ; under coverts nearly as long as the tail ; upper 
 parts light brownish-ashy, with lanceolate or ovate spots of brownish-black in the 
 middle of the feathers; rump and upper tail coverts black; front, band of the eye, 
 and entire under parts, ashy-white, with small spots on the breast of ashy-brown ; 
 quills brownish-black, lighter on their inner webs, and with their shafts white; 
 middle feathers of the tail brownish-black; outer feathers pale brownish-ashy; 
 under wing coverts and axillaries white ; bill greenish-black ; feet dark, the lower 
 part of the tarsus and toes frequently tinged with yellow ; upper parts, in summer, 
 mixed with light-reddish ; iris brown. 
 
 Total length, about six and a half inches ; wing, three and three-quarters ; tail, 
 one and three-quarters ; bill, from gape, three-quarters ; tarsus, three-quarters to one 
 inch. 
 
 This abundant little species is singularly variable in the length of the bill, so 
 much so, in fact, that a student with two specimens representing extremes in this 
 particular would deem it quite impossible that they could be identical specifically. 
 
 Hob. Entire temperate regions of North America ; South America. 
 
 The Semipalmated Sandpiper is so similar in its general 
 appearance and habits with the common " Peep," that it is 
 usually confounded with that bird by all our sportsmen. It 
 appears at the same time, associates with it, and altogether 
 might easily be mistaken for it, were it not for the semi- 
 palmation of this species. It breeds in the most northern 
 localities. 
 
 Mr. Hutchins says that it arrives at Severn River, in the 
 fur countries, in great numbers, about the middle of May, 
 where it builds a loose nest of withered grass in a slight 
 hollow in the ground, early in June, and lays four white 
 eggs, spotted with black or dusky-brown. Like the " Com- 
 mon Peep," the flight of this bird is rapid and wavering, 
 almost exactly resembling that of the Snipe. It also has the 
 same soft call-note, 'tweet 'tweet, that the other has, which 
 it utters frequently, both while on the strand and when 
 flying. 
 
 Sub-Family TOTANIN.E. The Stilts. 
 
 Bill as long as the head, or longer ; the basal portion covered with soft skin ; the 
 terminal portion (generally at least half) horny, and more or less attenuated and 
 pointed in Tutanecs; the lateral grooves of bill extending to the horny terminal 
 portion; the gape of mouth extending behind the base of oilmen; toes generally 
 
452 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 connected by a basal membrane; the tail always with, distinct transverse bars in 
 North-American species, except in Heteroscelus. 
 
 This sub-family appears to differ from most Scolopacince in the less degree of sen- 
 sitiveness in the tip of the bill, which is more horny, and not covered by soft skin 
 well supplied with nerves. The toes are almost always connected at the base by a 
 membrane ; this being the rule and not the exception, as in Scolopacinai. 
 
 SYMPHEMIA, RAFINESQUE. 
 
 Symphemia, RAFINESQUE, Jour, de Phys. (1819). (Type Scolopax semipalmata, 
 Gmelin.) 
 
 Bill compressed, very thick, the culmen rounded ; the lower mandible scarcely 
 grooved ; the upper grooved to about the middle ; culmen slightly convex ; gonys 
 ascending; bill cleft but little beyond base of culmen; feathers of sides of both 
 mandibles falling short of the nostrils ; the lower rather farther forward ; chin feath- 
 ers reaching to beginning of nostrils ; bill longer than head, about equal to tarsus, 
 which is more than one and a half times the middle toe ; both toes webbed, the 
 emargination of inner web as far forward as the middle of basal joint of middle toe, 
 the outer reaching nearly to the end ; bare portion of tibia rather less than middle 
 toe without claw ; tail nearly even, or little rounded, not half the wings. 
 
 SYMPHEMIA SEMIPALMATA. HarOaub. 
 The Willet. 
 
 Scolopax semipalmatus, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 659. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 
 (1813) 27. 
 
 Totanu* semipalmaius, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 510; V. 585. Birds 
 Am., V. (1842) 324. 
 
 Totamis (catoptrophorus) semipalmatus, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 328. Nutt. 
 Man., II. (1834) 144. 
 
 Symphemia semipalmata, Hartlaub. Rev. Zool. (1845), 342. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The largest American species of this genus ; bill longer than the head, straight, 
 rather thick and strong; groove in the upper mandible extending about half its 
 length, in the lower mandible nearly obsolete; wings long; legs long, strong; toes 
 moderate, united at base by membranes, the larger of which unites the outer and 
 middle toe ; hind toe small ; tail short. 
 
 Adult. Entire upper parts dark-ash color' (without spots); the shafts of the 
 feathers brownish-black; rump and upper tail coverts white; under parts white, 
 tinged with ashy on the neck and sides; axillaries and under wing coverts brown- 
 ish-black; primary quills white at base, and tipped with brownish-black; secon- 
 daries white, spotted with brownish-black; tail ashy-white, the- two middle feathers 
 strongly tinged with ashy; others spotted with dark ashy-brown; bill dark bluish- 
 brown, lighter at base ; legs light-blue. 
 
 Founder. Entire plumage spotted, and transversely banded with brownish- 
 black ; iris brown. 
 
 Total length, about fifteen inches; wing, eight and a quarter; tail, three and a 
 quarter; bill, about two and a half; tarsus, about two and a half inches. 
 
THE WILLET. 453 
 
 This large and handsome species is easily recognized, and is abundant on both 
 the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Republic. There is very considerable differ- 
 ence of color between the adult and young birds ; but the white space on the wings 
 is a character always present and easily distinguished. It is the largest bird of this 
 group inhabiting the United States. 
 
 Hab. Entire temperate regions of North America; South America. 
 
 This bird is not very abundant on the shores of New 
 England as a summer visitor and resident ; but it is taken 
 in considerable numbers in the autumn. It occasionally 
 breeds within our limits, usually preferring a sandy island 
 to the main shore ; but it sometimes selects a locality in a 
 marsh for its nest, and has been known to breed in a rye- 
 field twenty-miles "from the seashore. 
 
 The nest is built about the last week in May. It is 
 placed in a slight hollow in the sand or in a tussock of 
 grass, and is composed of grasses and weeds, arranged in a 
 heap, sometimes three or four inches in depth. It is hol- 
 lowed an inch and a half or more, and is sometimes lined 
 with softer pieces of grass or weeds. The eggs are four in 
 number: they are pyriform in shape, and are abruptly 
 pointed from the larger end. They are of a pale-olive color, 
 sometimes greenish-drab ; and are marked with blotches of 
 two or three shades of brown, which are confluent at the 
 larger end, and sometimes almost entirely hide the ground- 
 color. 
 
 They vary in dimensions from 2.15 by 1.58 inch to 1.98 
 by 1.45 inch. When its breeding-place is approached, the 
 Willet flies to meet the intruder, and, coursing around over 
 his head, utters its shrill cries, like the syllables, 'pill-willet- 
 'tit pill willet, vociferously ; and sometimes darting down at 
 him, or alighting before him, it endeavors to lead him from 
 its nest by pretending lameness. 
 
 When the young are able to fly, the whole brood associate 
 with the parents in a flock, and frequent the pools and 
 ditches near the beach, where they busily wade about in the 
 water, searching for small shell-fish, aquatic insects, mol- 
 lusks, &c., on which they feed. When wounded, they take 
 
454 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 to the water, and swim off with great activity. They all 
 leave New England in October, when they are exceedingly 
 fat and well-flavored. 
 
 GAMBETTA, KAUP. 
 
 Gambetta, KAUP, Entw. Europ. Thierw. (1829). (Type Scolopax calidris, L. 
 Gray.) 
 
 Bill much attenuated towards and tapering to the end, the extreme tip decurved ; 
 both culmen and gonys, however, bent upwards from the middle; the lateral 
 grooves of upper bill broad, shallow, and not extending to the middle ; that of lower 
 reaching about as far; feathers on side of both mandibles extend to about the same 
 point, but fall short of nostrils ; those on chin extend as far as middle of nostril ; bill 
 nearly as long as the tarsus, which is one and a half times the length of middle toe; 
 outer toe webbed to first joint; the inner web very short; bare portion of the tibia 
 equal to the toes ; tip of tail about opposite the middle of outstretched tarsi ; legs 
 yellow. 
 
 GAMBETTA MELANOLEUCA. Bonaparte. 
 The Telltale; Stone Snipe; Greater Yellow-legs. 
 
 Scolopax melanoleucus, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 659. 
 Totanus melanoleucus Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 68. 
 Gambetta melanoleuca, Bonaparte. Comptes Rendus (Sept., 1856). 
 Scolopax wciferus, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 57. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill longer than the head, rather slender, curved towards the tip ; wings rather 
 long, first quill longest; tail short; neck and legs long; toes moderate, margined 
 and flattened underneath, connected at base by membranes, the larger of which 
 unites the outer and middle toe; hind toe small; claws short, blunt; grooves in both 
 mandibles extending about half their length; entire upper parts cinereous of various 
 shades, dark in many specimens in full plumage, generally light with white lines on 
 the head and neck, and with spots and edgings of dull-white on the other upper 
 parts; lower back brownish-black; rump and upper tail coverts white, generally 
 with more or less imperfect transverse narrow bands of brownish-black; under 
 parts white, with longitudinal narrow stripes on the neck, and transverse cres- 
 cent lanceolate and sagittate spots and stripes on the breast and sides; abdomen 
 pure-white; quills brownish-black with a purplish lustre, shaft of first primary 
 white; secondaries and tertiaries tipped and with transverse bars and spots of ashy- 
 white; tail white, with transverse narrow bands of brownish-black, wider and 
 darker on the two middle feathers; bill brownish-black, lighter at the base; legs 
 yellow; iris dark-brown. 
 
 Total length, about fourteen inches; wing, seven and a half to eight; tail, three 
 and a quarter to three and a half; bill, two and a quarter; tarsus, two and a half 
 inches. 
 
 Hob. Entire temperate regions of North America; Mexico. 
 
THE YELLOW-LEGS. 455 
 
 The Greater Yellow-legs is not common in New England. 
 In fact, it may be considered only as a straggler. 
 Nuttall, in describing its habits, &c., says, 
 
 " The Greater Yellow-shanks, or Telltale, so remarkable for its 
 noise and vigilance, arrives on the coast of the Middle States early 
 in April, and, proceeding principally by an inland route, is seen in 
 abundance as far north as the plains of the Saskatchewan, where, no 
 doubt, in those desolate and secluded marshes, far from the prying 
 eye and persecuting hand of man, the principal part of the species 
 pass the period of reproduction, re-appearing in the cooler parts 
 of the Union towards the close of August : yet so extensive is the 
 breeding range of the Telltale, that many continue to occupy 
 the marshes of the Middle States until the approach of cold 
 weather, in the month of November, breeding in their favorite 
 resorts, on the borders of bogs ; securing the nest in a tuft of rank 
 grass or sedge ; and laying four eggs, of a dingy-white, irregularly 
 marked with spots of dark-brown or black." 
 
 The vociferous vigilance of the Telltale has justly stig- 
 matized him with the present name ; for no sooner does the 
 gunner appear than his loud and shrill whistle of about four 
 rapidly repeated notes is instantly heard, as he mounts on 
 wing, and proves generally so good a warning to all the rest 
 pf his feathered neighbors, and particularly the vigilant ducks, 
 that the whole, to the frequent disappointment of the fowler, 
 at once accompany their faithful and officious sentinel. 
 
 The food of the Telltale is similar to that of our other 
 shore birds. This it obtains by wading in the pools and 
 ditches, which it is almost constantly doing ; it being seldom 
 seen in the grass or running on the beach like the Sand- 
 pipers. 
 
 GAMBETTA FLAVIPES. Bonaparte. 
 The Yellow-legs. 
 
 Scolopax flavipes, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 659. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 
 (1813) 55. 
 
 Tolanus flavipes, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 573; V. 586. 75., Birds 
 Am., V. (1842) 313. 
 
 Gambetta jlavipes, Bonaparte. Comptes Rendus (Sept., 1856). 
 
456 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill rather longer than the head, straight, slender, compressed; wing long, 
 pointed; tail short; legs long, lower half of the tibia naked; toes moderate, slen- 
 der, margined, the outer and middle united at base; rump and upper tail coverts 
 white, the latter transversely barred with ashy-brown ; other upper parts ashy, many 
 feathers having large arrowheads and irregular spots of brownish-black, and edged 
 with ashy-white ; under parts white, with numerous longitudinal lines on the neck 
 before, and arrowheads on the sides, of dark ashy-brown; axillaries and under 
 wing coverts white, with bands of ashy-brown, very indistinct in many specimens, 
 but generally well defined; quills brownish-black; tail ashy-white with transverse 
 bands of dark-brown, middle feathers darker; bill greenish-black; legs yellow; iris 
 dark-brown. 
 
 Young. Entire upper plumage tinged with reddish-brown; neck before with 
 lines much less distinct and pale-ashy. 
 
 Total length, about ten to ten and a half inches; wing, six to six and a half; 
 tail, two and a half; bill, one and a half; tarsus, two inches. 
 
 Hob. Eastern North America ; western V 
 
 The Common Yellow-legs is well known on our coast as 
 a spring and autumn visitor. It does not pause here in its 
 northern migration, but passes at once to its breeding-home. 
 This is generally in high latitudes : there, early in June, its 
 nest is built and its young are reared. I am unacquainted 
 with its breeding habits and eggs, and can find no descrip- 
 tion of them in any book that I have access to. 
 
 Early in September, it returns to New England, where it 
 frequents the muddy flats and marshes on the seacoast, and 
 penetrates into the ' interior. It is also sometimes quite 
 abundant in the fresh-water meadows and on the shores of 
 large ponds. I have killed numbers while Snipe-shooting : 
 and they are almost equally well-flavored with that bird. 
 They congregate in small flocks, fly rapidly, uttering a loud, 
 shrill whistle, which being imitated by the experienced 
 sportsmen, the whole flock is decoyed within shot ; and, as 
 they fly compactly, quite a number often fall at a single dis- 
 charge of the gun. 
 
 Like the preceding, this bird is fond of wading about in 
 pools of water, where it secures for its food larvae of insects 
 and small crustaceans. With one or two of our other 
 Waders, it has the peculiarity of keeping its wings open 
 and elevated after alighting, as if it were uncertain of the 
 
THE SOLITARY SANDPIPER. 457 
 
 firmness of its resting-place. I have sometimes thought 
 that it might be a habit caused by the bird frequenting flats 
 on which the mud was soft and yielding. This is one of 
 the handsomest of our Waders. In the autumn, it is fat, 
 and in poor plumage ; but in the spring it is in good condi- 
 tion for cabinet preservation. 
 
 RHYACOPHILUS, KAUP. 
 
 Rhyacophilus, KAUP, Sk. Entw. Europ. Th. (1829). (Type Tringa glareola, L., 
 Gray.) 
 
 Bill slender, but widening a little towards the end ; lateral grooves of both man- 
 dibles extending to the middle of bill; nostril short; feathers on side of bill extend- 
 ing to about the same point and as far as beginning of nostrils ; those of chin as 
 far as their end ; both mandibles curved upwards slightly from middle ; legs short ; 
 bill about the length of tarsus, which is equal to middle toe ; bare portion of tibia 
 about two-thirds the toes ; tail about opposite the middle of toes when outstretched. 
 
 BHYACOPHILUS SOLITAEIUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Solitary Sandpiper. 
 
 Tringa solitaria, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 53. 
 
 Totanus solitarius, Audubon. Birds Am., V. (1842) 309. 
 
 Totanus chloropygius. Nutt., II. 159. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 576; V. 583. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill rather longer than the head, straight, slender, compressed; both mandibles 
 with narrow grooves; wing long, pointed ; tail medium or rather short, rounded; 
 legs rather long, slender; lower half of the tibia naked; toes long, the outer united 
 to the middle by a small membrane, flattened underneath, marginated; upper parts 
 greenish-brown, with numerous small circular and irregular spots of ashy-white; 
 upper tail coverts darker; under parts white; breast and neck before with numerous 
 longitudinal lines of greenish-brown; sides, axillaries, and under wing coverts 
 white, with numerous transverse narrow bands of dark greenish-brown ; under tail 
 coverts white, with a few transverse bands of dark-brown ; quills brownish-black, 
 with a slight bronzed or reddish lustre on the primaries ; two middle feathers of the 
 tail greenish-brown ; other feathers of the tail pure-white, with about five transverse 
 bands of brownish-black ; bill and legs dark greenish-brown ; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, about eight to eight and a half inches ; wing, five ; tail, two and a 
 quarter; bill, one and a quarter; tarsus, one and a quarter inches. 
 
 Hob. Entire temperate regions of North America ; Mexico. 
 
 The Solitary Sandpiper is not very common in any part 
 of New England. It arrives from the South early in May 
 in pairs, and frequents the shores of our fresh-water ponds 
 
458 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 and streams in preference to those of the seacoast, where, 
 running about with great activity, it busies itself in search- 
 ing for the Iarva3 of various aquatic insects, of which its 
 food principally consists. Like the succeeding species, it 
 has the habit of nodding its head, and tipping up its body 
 and tail, which has given it the name of "Wagtail," or 
 "Teetler." Nuttall says that it is seen in Massachusetts 
 only at the commencement of cold weather. I have fre- 
 quently met with it, both on our seashores and in the 
 meadows around our fresh-water ponds, through the whole 
 summer. Several pairs reside through the season on the 
 borders of Punkapoag Pond, in Canton, Mass.; and they 
 undoubtedly breed there, although I have been unable to 
 find their nest. This species remains with us until late in 
 September. When flushed, it rises with a short, sharp 
 whistle, different from that of the Spotted Sandpiper, which 
 it resembles in almost every other respect. 
 
 TRINGOIDES, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Tringoides, BONAPARTE, Saggio di una disk, etc. (1831). (Type Tringa hypo- 
 leucus, L., Gray.) 
 
 Actitis, BOIE, Isis (1822), 560. Not of Illiger, Prodromus (1811). 
 
 Upper mandible grooved to the terminal fourth; the bill tapering and rather 
 acute ; cleft of mouth only moderate ; the culmen about five-sixths the commissure ; 
 feathers extending rather further on side of lower jaw than upper, the former reach- 
 ing as far as the beginning of the nostrils ; those of the chin to about their middle ; 
 bill shorter than the head, straight, equal to the tarsus, which is of the length of 
 middle toe and claw ; bare part of tibia half the tarsus ; outer toe webbed to first 
 joint; inner cleft about to the base; tail much rounded; more than half the wing. 
 
 TEINGOIDES MACULARIUS. Gray. 
 The Spotted Sandpiper. 
 
 Tringa macularia, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 249. Wils. Am. On., VII. 
 (1813) 60. 
 
 Totanus macularius, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 162. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. 
 (1838) 81. /&., Birds Am., V. (1842) 303. 
 
 Tringoides macularius, Gray, genera. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Small; bill rather longer than the head, straight, slender; long grooves in both 
 mandibles; wing rather long, pointed; tail medium, rounded; legs rather long; 
 
THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 459 
 
 lower third of the tibia naked; toes long, margined, and flattened underneath; 
 outer connected with the middle toe by a large membrane; inner very slightly 
 connected to the middle toe; upper parts brownish olive-green, with a somewhat 
 metallic or bronzed lustre, and with numerous longitudinal lines, and sagittate, 
 lanceolate, and irregular spots of brownish-black, having the same lustre; line 
 over the eye, and entire under parts white, with numerous circular and oval spots 
 of brownish-black, smaller on the throat, largest on the abdomen; quills brown, with 
 a green lustre; primaries slightly tipped with white, and having a white spot 
 on their inner edges; secondaries white at their bases, and tipped with white; mid- 
 dle feathers of the tail same green as other upper parts ; outer tipped with white, 
 and with irregular bars of brownish-black; bill yellowish-green, tipped with brown; 
 feet reddish-yellow ; iris hazel. 
 
 Young less bronzed above, and under parts white, without spots. 
 
 Total length, seven and a half to eight inches ; wing, four and a half; tail, two ; 
 bill, one ; tarsus, rather less than one inch. 
 
 Hob. Entire temperate North America; Oregon; Europe. 
 
 Perhaps none of our summer residents are distributed so 
 generally and so abundantly throughout New England as 
 the species now before us. Every pond and stream of 
 water has two or three pairs breeding on its shores ; and it 
 is as abundant in the most thickly settled as in the more 
 retired and secluded localities. It arrives from the South 
 about the first week in April ; and, separating into pairs, it 
 soon commences the duties of incubation. It manifests no 
 preference for a location near the seacoast to. one in the 
 interior ; and I have found it breeding as abundantly in 
 the depths of the Maine forests as on the low sandy islands, 
 or in the marshes by our seacoast. The female, about the 
 first week in April, scratches a hollow in the sandy earth 
 by some pond, or sometimes in a grain-field or garden ; and, 
 lining it with a few pieces of straw or moss, lays four 
 eggs, which she adjusts with their small ends together 
 in the middle of the nest. These eggs are usually abruptly 
 pyriform, sometimes a little more lengthened ; and are of a 
 yellowish-buff color, marked with blotches and spots of 
 umber and sienna, thickest at their greater end, where they 
 are sometimes confluent. Occasionally, the primary color is 
 of a yellowish-drab tint, when the spots are much darker 
 than on the other shade. A great number of specimens in 
 my collection from many different localities exhibit a varia- 
 
460 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 tion of size from 1.40 by 1 inch to 1.26 by .95 inch. I can 
 see no marked peculiarity in any series of specimens, except- 
 ing that those collected in the interior of Maine average 
 a little larger than those from the seacoast. 
 
 The flight of the Spotted Sandpiper is generally low, its 
 wings being kept bent at an angle beneath its body. It has 
 a peculiar note, like peet-weet, peet-weet, easily recognized. 
 
 ACTITURUS, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Actiturus, BONAPARTE, Saggio, etc., (1831). (Type Tringa Bartramia, Wil- 
 son.) 
 
 Upper mandible grooved laterally to within the terminal fourth, the lower not 
 quite so far; culmen concave to near the tip, where it is slightly decurved; gonys 
 straight ; mouth deeply cleft, almost as far back as the anterior canthus ; the culmen 
 only about two-thirds the commissure, shorter than the head or tarsus, and about 
 equal to middle toe without claw; feathers extending much further forward on the 
 upper jaw than on the lower, although those of chin reach nearly to end of nostrils; 
 tarsus one and a half times middle toe and claw; the bare part of tibia not quite 
 equal to the middle toe above; outer toe united at base as far as first joint; web of 
 inner toe very basal ; tail long, graduated, more than half the wings. 
 
 ACTITUEUS BARTRAMIUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Upland Plover ; Bartram's Sandpiper ; Field Plover. 
 
 Tringa Bartramia, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 63. Aud. Birds Amer., V. 
 (1842) 248. 
 
 Totanus Bartramius, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 24. 
 Tringa (JEuliga) Bartramia, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 168. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill about as long as the head, rather wide and flattened at base, curved at the 
 tip; nostril with a large membrane; nasal groove long; wing long; tail long for this 
 group ; legs moderate or rather long ; lower half of the tibia naked ; toes moderate, 
 the outer and middle toe united by a membrane, inner and middle free to the base, 
 hind toe small; general color of the upper parts brownish-black, with a greenish lus- 
 tre, and with the feathers edged with ashy-white and yellowish, the latter especially 
 on the wing coverts; lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail coverts, brownish- 
 black; lateral coverts of the tail yellowish-white, with arrow-heads and irregular 
 spota of black; wide stripe over the eye, and entire under parts very pale yellowish- 
 white, nearly pure- white on the abdomen; neck before with numerous longitudinal 
 lines of brownish-black; breast and sides with waved and pointed transverse narrow 
 bands of the same ; axillary feathers and under wing coverts pure-white, with nume- 
 rous nearly regular transverse narrow bands of black; quills brownish-black, with 
 numerous transverse bands of white on their inner webs, very conspicuous on the 
 under surface of the wing; shaft of first primary white; middle feathers of the tail 
 
PLATE 111. 
 
 Fig. 1. Canada Grouse, Tetrao Canadensis. Linnaeus. 
 
 2. Killdeer Plover, Aegialitis vociferus. Cassin. 
 
 3. Semipalmated Plover, Aegialitis semipalmatus. Cabanis. 
 
 4. American Woodcock, Philohela minor. Gray. 
 
 5. Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago Wilsonii. Bonaparte. 
 
 6. Upland or Field Plover, Actiturus Bartramius . Bonaparte. 
 7- Virginia Rail, Rallus Virginianus. Linnaeus. 
 
 8. Carolina Rail, Porzana Carolina. Ticillot. 
 
THE UPLAND PLOVER. 461 
 
 same greenish-brown as the back, with irregular and imperfect transverse bands of 
 black; outer feathers pale reddish-yellow, edged and tipped with white, and with 
 several irregular transverse bands and a large subterminal arrow-head of black; 
 bill greenish-yellow, with the under mandible more clear yellow towards its base, 
 tip brownish-black; legs light-yellow; toes darker; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, about twelve inches ; wing, six and a half; tail, three and a half. 
 
 Hob. Eastern North America, South America^ Europe. 
 
 Everywhere in the interior of the States on the Atlantic, this is the most abun- 
 dant and best-known species of this group. Unlike nearly all others, this bird 
 prefers plains and cultivated fields, and is one of the species which has not decreased 
 in numbers on account of the extension of cultivation and the settlement of the 
 country. On the contrary, it appears to be quite at home in the farm lands, and 
 rears its young in the fields of grass and grain in the most populous rural districts 
 of the country. 
 
 This bird, commonly known as the " Upland Plover," is 
 not abundant in New England as a summer resident. It 
 breeds sparingly in all these States, arriving in pairs about 
 the 10th of April. It is less aquatic than most of the 
 other species in this order, and frequents old pastures, 
 stubble-fields, and cornfields, in preference to meadows and 
 flats. It begins to nest about the first week in May. It is 
 quite shy at all times, and difficult of approach, and I have 
 spent half a day in one pasture before I could find the nest ; 
 both old birds keeping up their shrill whistle, and flying 
 about me always out of gunshot. The nest is placed in a 
 slight hollow in the ground, and is constructed of a few 
 loose straws and leaves, arranged in a circular manner. 
 The eggs are four in number, sometimes three. They are 
 more ovoidal in form than most of our other Waders' eggs, 
 and almost exactly resemble those of the Woodcock, but 
 average considerably larger ; varying from 1.92 by 1.31 inch 
 (from Wisconsin) to 1.70 by 1.25 (from Massachusetts). 
 The primary color of some specimens is a buff, while others 
 are of a creamy-drab: they are marked with spots of two 
 shades of brown, and obscure spots of lilac. 
 
 By the middle of August, and from then until late in 
 September, these Plovers assemble in small flocks of eight 
 or ten individuals. They then frequent hilly pastures, both 
 on the seacoast and in the interior, where they feed on 
 
462 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 grasshoppers, crickets, grains, and seeds. They are then in 
 good condition, and of delicate flavor on the table, and are 
 much pursued by sportsmen ; but, as they are swift-flying 
 birds, and very shy, it requires a more than ordinary shot to 
 bag many of them. 
 
 TRYNGITES, CABANIS. 
 
 Tringites, CABANIS, Jour, fur Orn. (1856), 418. (Type Tringa rufescens. 
 Vieillot.) 
 
 Upper mandible grooved to about the terminal fourth ; the lower not quite so 
 far; culmen and gonys about straight; mouth deeply cleft more than half-way to 
 the eye ; the culmen about two-thirds the commissure ; culmen much shorter than the 
 head, and about equal to middle toe without claw ; tarsus about one and one-sixth 
 as long as middle toe and claw ; bare part of tibia decidedly shorter than middle toe 
 without claw; toes cleft to the base, with only a very rudimentary web; upper jaw 
 feathered to the nostrils ; the side of the lower and beneath feathered much further, 
 or to the end of the nostrils ; the interspace of the rami entirely filled ; tail some- 
 what graduated, not half the wing. 
 
 TEYNGITES RUFESCENS. Cabanis. 
 The Buff-breasted Sandpiper. 
 
 Tringa rufescens, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 113. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 
 451. lb.. Birds Am., V. (1842) 264. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill about the length of the head, straight, compressed, narrow at the point; 
 nasal groove long; wings very long; first quill longest; tertiaries rather shorter; 
 tail moderate or longer than usual in this group ; legs rather long ; lower third of the 
 tibia naked; toes free at base, flattened underneath, and slightly margined ; hind 
 toe small; upper parts pale and dull ashy-brown with a yellowish tinge; every 
 feather with a large central, lanceolate, crescent-shaped, or oblong spot of black, 
 frequently with a glossy-green tinge, especially on the back and shorter tertiaries; 
 under parts light yellowish-red, or pale-fawn color; many feathers tipped with white, 
 and paler on the flanks and abdomen, on the breast with partially concealed small 
 spots of black; axillary feathers white; quills with their outer webs light-brown, 
 inner webs ashy-white, marbled with black and narrowly tipped with white ; middle 
 tail feathers brownish-black ; outer feathers lighter, with transverse waved lines of 
 black, and tipped with white; bill black; legs greenish-yellow; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, seven and a half to eight inches; wings, five and a half; tail, 
 three; bill, from gape, one; tarsus, one and a quarter inches. 
 
 Hab. All of North America, South America, Europe. 
 
 This is a little bird of rather peculiar style of form, and of remarkable and hand- 
 some plumage. Its relationship appears to be to the preceding well-known species. 
 Both this and the preceding bird more habitually frequent plains and other dry 
 localities than any of the true Sandpipers. 
 
THE MARBLED GODWIT. 463 
 
 The Buff-breasted Sandpiper, although not abundant on 
 the shores of New England, is by no means rare, in the 
 months of August and September, when it is returning 
 from its northern breeding-places. It is seldom seen here 
 in spring ; but it seems to pass over New England in its 
 northern flight. .Of its breeding habits, nest, eggs, &c., 
 we are ignorant. Audubon was of the opinion that it breeds 
 about the arctic seas, as he had seen a wing of this bird 
 that came from there ; but he knew nothing of its breeding 
 habits whatever. 
 
 In the autumn, while with us, it does not frequent the 
 beach as much as it does the marshes and flats in its vicin- 
 ity, where it is known as one of the " Grass-birds " to our 
 gunners. It feeds upon grasshoppers and other insects, 
 and becomes very fat ; so much so, that skinning it for 
 cabinet preservation, at that season, is almost an impos- 
 sibility. 
 
 Section LIMOSE^E. 
 
 Bill longer than the tarsus, curving slightly upwards towards the end, where it is 
 thickened ; both mandibles grooved for nearly the whole length ; gape of mouth 
 very short, not extending beyond the base of culmen. 
 
 LIMOSA, BRISSON. 
 
 Limosa, BRISSON, Orn. (1760). (Type Scolopax limosa, L.) 
 
 Bill lengthened, exceeding the tarsus, slender, and curving gently upwards; 
 grooved to near the tip; the tip not attenuated, but pointed; the lower almost as 
 long as the upper; culmen without any furrow; tarsus with transverse scutellae 
 before and behind, reticulated laterally; a short basal membrane between the middle 
 and outer toes ; tail short, even. 
 
 LIMOSA FEDOA. (Linn.) Ord. 
 
 The Marbled Godwit. . 
 
 Scolopax fedoa, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 30. 
 
 Limosa fedoa, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 173. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 287; 
 V. 590. 
 
464 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill long, curved upwards ; both mandibles grooved ; wings long ; tail short ; legs 
 long; tibia with its lower half naked; toes rather short, margined and flattened under- 
 neath ; the outer and middle toes united by a rather large membrane ; entire upper 
 parts variegated with brownish-black and pale-reddish, the former disposed in irregu- 
 lar and confluent bands, and the latter in spots and imperfect bands ; in many speci- 
 mens the black color predominating on the back, and the pale-red on the rump and 
 upper tail coverts ; under parts pale-rufous, with transverse lines of brownish-black 
 on the breast and sides; under wing coverts and axillaries darker rufous; outer 
 webs of primaries dark-brown, inner webs light-rufous; secondaries light-rufous; 
 tail light-rufous, with transverse bars of brownish-black; bill pale-yellowish, red at 
 base, brownish-black at the end ; legs ashy -black. 
 
 Total length, about eighteen inches ; wing, nine ; tail, three and a half; bill, four 
 to five ; tarsus, three inches ; iris, brown. 
 
 Hab. Entire temperate regions of North America; South America. 
 
 A large and handsome shore bird, well known to sportsmen as the Godwit, and a 
 great favorite for shooting. From the collections of the surveying expeditions, it 
 appears to be equally abundant in the interior and on the Pacific as on the eastern 
 coast of the United States. 
 
 It is only in the spring and autumn migrations that the 
 Great Marbled Godwit is found in New England ; and at 
 those times it makes only a short stay, particularly in the 
 spring. 
 
 They arrive from the south early in May, and pass to the 
 most northern countries, where they pass the season of 
 incubation. 
 
 Of their breeding habits I am ignorant, and I have no 
 eggs in my collection to give a description here. 
 
 In the autumn, even as early as the middle of August, 
 flocks of ten or a dozen birds appear in the marshes on the 
 seacoast.of Massachusetts; and, these flocks uniting their 
 numbers, sometimes as many as a hundred birds are found 
 together. They are called by our sportsmen " Dough " or 
 " Doe " Birds ; and, as they are in good condition and well 
 flavored, they are in great repute, and are hunted with great 
 activity. The gunners, using decoys, conceal themselves in 
 the manner described in the account of the Golden Plover 
 on a preceding page, and secure great numbers. They meet 
 with a ready sale in our markets, at very remunerative 
 prices ; and I have known of two gunners realizing sixty 
 dollars as the proceeds of one day's shooting. 
 
THE HUDSONIAN GODWIT. 465 
 
 At this season, these birds associate with other species ; 
 and it is a common occurrence to bring to the ground, a?t 
 one discharge of the gun into one of these flocks, two or 
 three different species. 
 
 By the 20th of September, they have left our shores. 
 They are most abundant about the first week in that month. 
 
 LIMOSA HUDSONICA. Swainson. 
 The Hudsonian Godwit. 
 
 Scolopax Hudsonica, Latham. Ind. Orn., II. (1790) 720. 
 
 Limosa Iludsonica. Sw. F. B. A., II. (1831) 396. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 175. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 426 ; V. 592. /&., Birds Am., V. (1842) 335. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Smaller than the preceding; bill longer than the head; both mandibles grooved, 
 slightly recurved; wings long; legs moderate; membrane uniting the outer and 
 middle toe large. 
 
 Adult. Upper parts brownish-black, with spots and transverse bars of pale- 
 reddish on the back ; rump brownish-black ; upper tail coverts white ; wing coverts 
 and shorter quills dark-cinereous ; primaries brownish-black ; under parts yellowish- 
 red, with transverse bars of brownish-black on the breast and sides and under tail 
 coverts, and frequently with the feathers on the abdomen widely tipped with white ; 
 tail black, with the base white, and narrowly tipped with white; under wing coverts 
 and axillary feathers black ; shafts of primaries white ; bill pale-yellowish at base ; 
 tip brownish-black; legs bluish-brown. 
 
 Younger. Head and upper parts cinereous, irregularly marked on the top of the 
 head, and on the back, with brownish-black: stripe before, and over the eye, white; 
 under parts dull yellowish- white ; under wing coverts and axillaries black; rump 
 black; upper tail coverts white; tail black; base and tip white; bill yellow, tipped 
 with brownish-black; legs dark-brown; iris brown. 
 
 Total length, about fifteen inches; wing, eight; tail, three; bill, two and three- 
 quarters to three and a half; tarsus, two and a half inches. 
 
 This species is less abundant than the preceding, seldom 
 more than a half-dozen specimens being taken in a season 
 on our coast. It associates with the other, and has all its 
 habits and characteristics. It is called, by the gunners, the 
 " Smaller Doe-bird." 
 
 Like the Greater Godwit, it breeds in the most northern 
 sections of the country. I have no specimen of its egg 
 by me, and can give no description of its breeding habits 
 
 here. 
 
 30 
 
466 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 NUMENIUS, LINN^US. 
 
 Numenius, LINNAEUS. Syst. Nat. (1746). (Type Scolapax arquata, L.) 
 Legs covered anteriorly with transverse scutellae, laterally and behind with small 
 hexagonal scales; bill very long, exceeding the tibia, and curved downwards for 
 the terminal half; the culmen rounded ; tip of bill expanded laterally, and club- 
 shaped; grooves of bill not reaching beyond the middle; tertials as long as pri- 
 
 NUMENIUS LONGIROSTRIS. Wilson. 
 The Long-billed Curlew; Sickle-bill Curlew. 
 
 Numenius longirostris, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 24. Nutt. Man., II. 
 (1834) 88. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 240; V. 587. Ib., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 
 
 85. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The largest American species of this genus ; bill very long, much curved ; upper 
 mandible longer than the under, somewhat knobbed at the tip ; wing rather long ; 
 legs moderate; toes united at base; entire upper parts pale-rufous, tinged with 
 ashy; every feather with transverse and confluent bands of brownish-black, most 
 numerous and predominating on the back and scapulars; secondary quills, under 
 wing coverts, and axillaries, bright-rufous ; primaries with their outer webs brownish- 
 black, and their inner webs rufous, with transverse bands of black ; under parts 
 pale-rufous, with longitudinal lines of black on the neck and sides; tail rufous, 
 tinged with ashy, transversely barred with brownish-black; bill brownish-black; 
 base of under mandible reddish-yellow; legs bluish-brown; specimens vary to some 
 extent in the shade of the rufous color of the plumage, and very much in the length 
 of the bill ; the rufous color is probably more distinct in the young ; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length, about twenty-five inches; wing, ten to eleven; tail, four; bill, five 
 to eight; tarsus, two and a quarter inches. 
 
 Hob, The entire temperate regions of North America. 
 
 
 
 This species is not very abundant on our coast in the 
 spring and autumn. Wilson, in describing its habits, 
 
 says, 
 
 " Like the preceding, this bird is an inhabitant of marshes in the 
 vicinity of the sea. It is also found in the interior, where, from 
 its long bill, and loud, whistling note, it is generally known. 
 
 " The Curlews appear in the salt marshes of New Jersey about 
 the middle of May, on their way to the north ; and in September, 
 on their return from their breeding-places. Their food consists 
 chiefly of small crabs, which they are very dexterous at probing 
 for, and pulling out of the holes with their long bills ; they also 
 feed on those small sea-snails so abundant in the marshes, and on 
 
THE SHORT-BILLED OB HUDSONIAN CURLEW. 467 
 
 various worms and insects. They are likewise fond of bramble- 
 berries, frequenting the fields and .uplands in search of this fruit, 
 on which they get very fat, and are then tender and good eating, 
 altogether free from the sedgy taste with which their flesh is usually 
 tainted while they feed in the salt marshes. 
 
 " The Curlews fly high, generally in a wedge-like form, somewhat 
 resembling certain Ducks, occasionally uttering their loud, whistling 
 note, by a dexterous imitation of which a whole flock may some- 
 times be enticed within gunshot, while the cries of the wounded 
 are sure to detain them until the gunner has made repeated shots 
 and great havoc among them." 
 
 The eggs of the Long-billed Curlew are four in num- 
 ber. They are pyriform in shape, and almost exactly 
 resemble the eggs of the Willet, but are considerably 
 larger ; their dimensions being 2.75 inch in length by 1.96 
 in breadth. 
 
 Along the shores of the northern side of Cape Cod, this 
 species is most abundant in the autumnal flight, where it 
 appears in flocks of fifteen or twenty. Like many others of 
 our shore-birds, it is taken, with the aid of decoys, by per- 
 sons concealed in pits ; and, being a delicate and well-con- 
 ditioned bird, it is in high esteem, and much sought for in 
 the markets where it is exposed for sale. 
 
 NUMENIUS HUDSONICUS. Latham. 
 The Short-billed or Hudsonian Curlew. 
 
 Scolopax boreahs, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 22. 
 
 Numenius Hudsonicus, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 97. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 
 (1835) 283; V. 589. 76., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 42. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Smaller than the preceding ; bill about twice the length of the head ; wings long ; 
 tail short; legs moderate; head above brownish-black, with a longitudinal band: 
 other upper parts brownish-black, tinged with ashy, spotted with dull yellowish- 
 white, and lighter on the rump; under parts dull yellowish-white, with longitudinal 
 narrow stripes of blackish-brown on the neck and breast ; under wing coverts and 
 axillaries pale ashy-rufous, transversely barred with black ; quills brownish-black, 
 with transverse bars of pale-rufous on the inner webs ; tail brownish-black, with 
 
468 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 transverse bars of pale ashy-brown; bill brownish-black; base of lower mandible 
 reddish-yellow; legs greenish-brown; specimens vary in the shade of the lighter 
 colors of the plumage and in the length of the bill; iris brown. 
 
 Smaller, and with the colors different from the preceding. This bird is repre- 
 sented as abundant in the northern regions of this continent, but is much less 
 frequent in the United States than the preceding. 
 
 Total length, about eighteen inches; wing, nine; tail, four; bill, three to four; 
 tarsus, two and a quarter inches. 
 
 Hob. Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America; California (Mr. Gas- 
 sidy). 
 
 This species is rare in New England. I have never met 
 with it alive, and will have to depend upon the observations 
 of others. Wilson says, 
 
 " The Short-billed Curlew arrives in large flocks on the seacoast 
 of New Jersey early in May, from the South ; frequents the salt 
 marshes, muddy shores, and inlets, feeding on small worms and 
 minute shell-fish. They are most commonly seen on mud-flats at low 
 water, in company with various other Waders ; and, at high water, 
 roam along the marshes. They fly high, and with great rapidity. 
 A few are seen in June, and as late as the beginning of July, when 
 they generally move off toward the North. Their appearance on 
 these occasions is very interesting : they collect together from the 
 marshes, as if by premeditated design, rise to a great height in 
 the air, usually an hour before sunset ; and, forming in one vast 
 line, keep up a constant whistling on their way to the north, as 
 if conversing with one another to render the journey more agree- 
 able." 
 
 
 
 Nuttall says, 
 
 " From the middle of August to the beginning of September, 
 they arrive in the vicinity of Massachusetts Bay and other parts of 
 New England, frequenting the pastures as well as marshes, and 
 fatten on grasshoppers and berries till the time of their departure, 
 about the close of September." 
 
 I know nothing of the breeding habits of this species, 
 and can give no description of the nest and eggs in this 
 volume. 
 
THE ESQUIMAUX CURLEW. 469 
 
 NUMENIUS BOREALIS. Latham. 
 The Esquimaux Curlew. 
 
 Numenius borealis, Nuttall. Man , II. (1834) 100. Aud. Oni. Biog., III. (1835) 
 69; V. 590. 76., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 45. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Much smaller than either of the preceding, but resembling N. Hudsoniciis in color; 
 bill rather longer than the head, slender; wings long; tail short; legs moderate; 
 entire upper parts brownish-black, spotted with dull yellowish-rufous; quills brown- 
 ish-black, uniform on both webs, without bars on either; under wing coverts and 
 axillaries light-rufous, with transverse stripes of brownish-black ; under parts dull- 
 white, tinged with rufous, with longitudinal narrow stripes of brownish-black on the 
 neck and breast, and transverse stripes of the same on the sides and under tail 
 coverts ; tail ashy-brown, with transverse bands of brownish-black ; bill brownish- 
 black; base of under mandible yellow; legs greenish-brown; iris dai'k-brown. 
 
 Total length, about thirteen and a half inches; wing, eight and a quarter; tail, 
 three; bill, two and a quarter to two and a half; tarsus, one and three-quarters 
 inches. 
 
 This small and interesting Curlew is merely a bird of passage in the United 
 States, to be met with in the spring and autumn. It is easily distinguished from 
 either of the preceding by its small size and its comparatively short and weak bill. 
 We have never seen it from the western countries of the United States. 
 
 It is only in the migrations that this bird visits New 
 England, and then only in small numbers. They ma,ke 
 their appearance by the last week in April, and pass to the 
 most northern sections, where they breed, and then return 
 here about the first week in September. 
 
 Says Nuttall, " On the 13th of June, 1822, Dr. Rich- 
 ardson discovered one of ^ these Curlews sitting on three 
 eggs, on the shore of Point Lake. When approached, she 
 ran a short distance from the nest, crouching near to the 
 ground, and then stopped to watch the motions of her 
 encroaching visitor. The eggs, sometimes as many as four, 
 have a pyriform shape, and a siskin-green color, clouded 
 with a few irregular spots of bright umber-brown." 
 
 On their return in autumn, this Curlew has all the habits 
 of the two preceding species: like them, "they are remark- 
 ably gregarious, each company seeming to follow some tem- 
 porary leader ; and, on starting to fly, a sort of watch-cry 
 is heard, resembling the whistling pronunciation of the 
 
470 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 word bee-lee. On their arrival from the North, they are 
 very fat, plump, and well flavored, and included, like the 
 preceding and the Marbled Godwit, under the general name 
 of Doe-birds : they are sought out by epicures, and enhance 
 the value of a table entertainment." They frequent the 
 marshes and adjoining pastures, where they feed much upon 
 grasshoppers and other insects and earthworms, which they 
 collect principally towards evening, or early in the morning. 
 
 Tribe 
 
 Species living in marshes, with elevated bodies, much compressed laterally; 
 usually with longer necks than most Snipe, with moderately long, strong, and stout 
 bills, also much compressed, and covered at tip by a horny investment ; the remaining 
 portion membranous, with elongated nasal furrow, and narrow, more or less perfor- 
 ate, nostrils ; the lores are feathered uniformly as in the Limicolce ; the rest of the 
 plumage without the spotting of the Snipes ; wings rather short, more rounded than 
 pointed, and when folded do not reach beyond the short, soft, and feeble tail, in 
 fact, seldom to its base; the outer two or three primaries generally abbreviated; the 
 toes are very long, cleft to the base, thin, and generally with very long claws; 
 the same is the case with the hind toe, which is not only much longer than in the 
 Limicolce, but is generally inserted more nearly on the same level with the anterior 
 ones, touching the ground for most of its extent. 
 
 The species pick up their food on the surface, and do not probe the soft mud in 
 search of it. 
 
 The North-American species of this tribe are few in number, though very abun- 
 dant in individuals. Their habit of close concealment among the reeds and grass 
 of marshy places renders them very difficult of detection, except when their abodes 
 are more or less submerged. 
 
 Sub-Family RALLIN^E. The Rails. 
 RALLUS, LINN^US. 
 
 Rallus, LINN^US, Syst. Nat. 
 
 Bill longer than the head, rather slender, compressed; upper mandible slightly 
 curved ; nostrils in a long groove, and with a large membrane ; wings short ; tertiary 
 quills long, frequently longer than the primaries ; tail very short ; legs moderate ; 
 tarsus shorter than the middle toe, and covered on all sides with transverse scales ; 
 toes long and rather slender; inner toe rather shorter than the outer; hind toe short 
 anu weak. 
 
 1 See Introduction. 
 
THE CLAPPER RAIL. 471 
 
 EALLUS ELEGANS. Audub&n. 
 Marsh Hen. 
 
 Rallus elegans, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1837) 27. 
 Rallus crepitans, Wilson. Am. Orii., VII. (1813). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts olive-brown, with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black, most 
 numerous on the back ; line from the base of the bill over the eye dull orange-yel- 
 low; space before and behind the eye brownish-cinereous; throat and lower eyelid 
 white; neck before and breast bright rufous-chestnut; sides and abdomen, and under 
 tail coverts, with transverse bands of brownish-black and white, the dark bands 
 being the wider; tibiae dull yellowish-white, with spots and transverse bars of ashy- 
 brown; upper wing coverts reddish-chestnut; under wing coverts black, with trans- 
 verse lines of white. Sexes alike. 
 
 Total length (from tip of bill to end of tail), about seventeen inches; wing, six 
 and fifty one-hundredths ; tail, three inches. 
 
 This beautiful bird is so exceedingly rare in New Eng- 
 land, that it can be regarded only as a straggler from its 
 southern home. It has all the habits of the following 
 species ; and its eggs exactly resemble those of the Clapper 
 Rail, but average about one-fifth larger. 
 
 EALLUS CEEPITANS. Gmelin. 
 The Clapper Eail; Mud-hen. 
 
 Rattus crepitans, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 713. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 
 (1813) 112. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 33; V. 570. Ib., Birds Am., V. (1842) 165. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Upper parts light ashy-olive, with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black, most 
 numerous on the back ; a line of dull yellowish-white from the base of the bill over 
 the eye; space before and behind the eye ashy; throat and under eyelid white; 
 neck before and breast pale reddisli-yellow, or tawny, tinged with bluish-ashy on 
 the breast ; sides, abdomen, under tail coverts, and tibiae, with transverse bands of 
 brownish-black and white, the former being the wider; upper wing coverts brown- 
 ish-olive ; under wing coverts black, with transverse lines of white ; iris pale-yellow. 
 
 Total length (to end of tail), about fourteen inches; wing, five and a half; tail, 
 two and a half inches. 
 
 This bird, so well known in the Middle and Southern 
 States, is rarely found in New England as a summer visi- 
 tor. It has been known to breed in the most southern 
 localities in these States ; but the instances are few, and it 
 can be called only an accidental species in New England. 
 
472 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 It begins to build about the 10th of May. The nest is 
 placed on the ground in a marsh, sometimes in a tussock of 
 grass or on a pile of seaweed : it is constructed of a large 
 mass of dried grasses and weeds, and is but little hollowed. 
 The eggs are from five to seven or eight in number. Their 
 form is usually ovoidal, and their primary color dull creamy- 
 drab or dirty-buff. This is marked more or less thickly with 
 spots and blotches of different shades of brown and obscure 
 spots of lilac. The nearest in resemblance to these eggs 
 are those of the Woodcock ; but, when a number of each are 
 placed side by side, the eggs of the latter may be readily 
 identified by their generally more pyriform shape. The 
 dimensions of the eggs of the Clapper Rail vary from 
 1.82 by 1.25 inch to 1.63 by 1.14 inch. The greater 
 number of spots are more of a purplish tint; and they 
 are generally rather sparingly distributed over the entire 
 
 egg- 
 
 The habits of this species are similar to those of the fol- 
 lowing ; but the Clapper Rail seems to prefer for its home 
 the marshes in the neighborhood of salt water. 
 
 RALLUS VIEGINIANUS. Linnceus. 
 The Virginia Kail. 
 
 Rallus Virginianus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 263. Wils. Am. Orn., VII. 
 (1813) 109. Nutt. Man., II. (1834)*205. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 41; V. 573. 
 76., Birds Am., V. (1842) 174. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Much smaller than either of the preceding, but resembling them in form, and 
 resembling also R. elegans in colors; upper parts olive-brown, with longitudinal 
 stripes of brownish-black; line from base of bill over the eye reddish-white; throat 
 white; neck before and breast bright-rufous ; abdomen and under tail coverts with 
 transverse bands of black and white, the former being the wider ; upper wing coverts 
 bright rufous-chestnut; under wing coverts black, with transverse lines of white; 
 iris bright-red. 
 
 Total length (from tip of bill to end of tail), about seven and a half inches; wing, 
 four; tail, one and a half inches. 
 
 This handsome species is pretty generally distributed 
 throughout New England as a summer resident. Unlike 
 
THE VIRGINIA BAIL. 473 
 
 the preceding, it locates itself in the fresh-water mead- 
 ows, where, in a tussock of grass or in a pile -of drift- 
 weed, it forms its nest. This is nothing but a pile of 
 weeds or grass, which it arranges in a compact manner, 
 and hollows to the depth of perhaps an inch or an inch and 
 a half. 
 
 The eggs are from six to ten in number, usually about 
 seven. They are ovoidal in form, and generally seem to be 
 like a miniature of those of the Clapper Rail: some speci- 
 mens, collected in Cambridge, Mass., are of a deep-buff color ; 
 but none approach the color of the Carolina Rail sufficiently 
 to be mistaken for them. They are spotted with small 
 marks of reddish and brown, and with a few obscure spots 
 of lilac. They vary in their dimensions from 1.30 by .96 to 
 1.23 by .90 inch. 
 
 This species is undoubtedly more abundant in New 
 England, particularly in its southern portions, than most per- 
 sons generally believe. It is of very retiring habits ; and as 
 it selects the almost inaccessible meadows and boggy swamps 
 for its summer home, and, when approached, quickly retreats 
 into the farthest recesses, I am not surprised that it is in 
 most cases overlooked. I have found it breeding in many 
 localities in Massachusetts, and have no hesitation in call- 
 ing it one of the commonest of our Crrallatores. It feeds 
 only during the twilight and in early dawn, and remains 
 concealed in the grass during the greater part of the day. 
 Its food consists of various insects and worms, such as are 
 abundant in the localities which it frequents. It leaves New 
 England for the South by the 10th of September. 
 
 PORZANA, VIEILLOT. 
 
 Porzana, VIEILLOT, Anal., p. 61 (1816), 61. (Type Rallus porzana, L.) 
 Bill shorter than the head, compressed, straight; nostrils in a wide groove, with 
 a large membrane ; wings moderate ; primaries longer than tertiaries ; tail short ; 
 tarsus about the length of the middle toe ; toes long ; inner toe slightly shorter than 
 the outer; general form compressed and slender; legs rather robust. 
 
474 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 POEZANA CAROLINA. 
 The Carolina Rail; Ortolan. 
 
 RaUus (Crex) Carolinus, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1825), No. 230. Nutt. Man., 
 II. (1834) 209. 
 
 Ortygvmetra Carolina, Audubon. Birds Am., V. (1842) 145. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Space around the base of the bill, extending downwards on the neck before and 
 over the top of the head, black. 
 
 Male. Upper parts greenish-brown, with longitudinal bands of black, and 
 many feathers having narrow stripes of white on their edges; behind the eye, sides 
 of the neck, and the breast, fine bluish-ashy, with circular spots and transverse 
 bands of white on the breast ; middle of the abdomen and under tail coverts white ; 
 sides and flanks with transverse bands of brownish-black and white ; bill greenish- 
 yellow; legs dark-green. 
 
 Female. Similar, but duller in colors. 
 
 Young. Without black at the base of the bill or on the neck ; throat dull-white ; 
 breast dull yellowish-ashy ; upper parts tinged with dull-yellow ; iris chestnut. 
 
 Total length, about eight and a half inches; wing, four and a quarter; tail, two 
 inches. 
 
 This species, like the Virginia Rail, is probably more 
 abundant in our fresh-water meadows than is generally sup- 
 posed. It arrives in April, about the 16th ; and, separating 
 into pairs, takes up its residence in the inland marshes, 
 where it breeds, and remains until its departure for the 
 South, about the middle of October. Early in May the sea- 
 son of incubation commences. The nest is constructed of 
 pieces of straw and weed, arranged in a large pile, and hol- 
 lowed to the depth of an inch or more : it is usually placed 
 in a tussock of grass, or beneath a piece of turf. A speci- 
 men which I found in Dedham meadows was built beneath 
 some thick cranberry-vines, and I have known of others 
 being placed in small brier patches ; but generally the 
 fabric is built in an open meadow, usually on an elevated 
 tussock in a boggy tract of ground. The eggs vary from 
 five to eight or ten in number : their form is almost always 
 an exact ovoidal. Their color is a yellow-drab, with a faint- 
 olivaceous tint, different from the color of any of our other 
 fail's eggs. They vary in dimensions from 1.35 by 1 inch 
 (Quincy, Mass.) to 1.15 by .85 inch (Albion, Wis.). The 
 
THE YELLOW RAIL. 475 
 
 average size is about 1.26 by 1.92 (Cambridge and Need- 
 ham, Mass.). 
 
 After leaving New England and other northern breeding- 
 places, this species congregates in great numbers on the 
 shores of some of the southern streams and bays, where 
 they furnish much sport to the gunners of those localities. 
 
 PORZANA NOVEBORACENSIS. 
 The Yellow Kail. 
 
 Ortygometra Noveboracensis, Audubon. Birds Am., V. (1842) 152. 
 Rallus Naceboracensis Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 251. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Entire upper parts ochre-yellow, with longitudinal wide stripes of brownish-black 
 and transverse narrow stripes of white; neck and breast reddish ochre-yellow; 
 many feathers tipped with brown; middle of abdomen white; flanks and ventral 
 region with wide transverse bands of dark reddish-brown and narrow bands of 
 white; under tail coverts rufous, with small spots of white; under wing coverts 
 white; iris hazel. 
 
 Total length (from tip of bill to end of tail), about six inches; wing, three and a 
 quarter; tail, one and three-quarters inches. 
 
 This beautiful bird is an exceedingly rare spring and 
 autumn visitor in New England. I have, in a number of 
 years' shooting, been able' to procure but two ; and have 
 not heard of more than two or three more being taken here. 
 It has all the characteristics of the other species, but prefers 
 the fresh-water meadows to the salt marshes. 1 Dr. Richard- 
 son, in his " Northern Zoology," says, " This elegant bird 
 is an inhabitant of the marshes on the coast of Hudson's 
 Bay, near the mouth of the Severn River, from the middle 
 of May to the end of September. It never flies above 
 sixty yards at a time, but runs with great rapidity among 
 the long grass near the shores. In the morning and evening, 
 it utters a note which resembles the striking of a flint and 
 steel : at other times, it makes a shrieking noise. It builds 
 no nest, but lays from ten to sixteen white eggs among the 
 grass." 
 
 1 The specimens that I procured were found in fresh-water meadows early in 
 September. 
 
476 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FULICA, LIXN^US. 
 
 Fulica, LINN^US, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type Fulica atra, L.) 
 Bill shorter than the head, straight, strong, compressed, and advancing into the 
 feathers of the forehead, where it frequently forms a wide and somewhat projecting 
 frontal plate;. nostrils in a groove, with a large membrane near the middle of the 
 bill; wings rather short, second and third quills usually longest; tail very short; 
 tarsus robust, shorter than the middle toe, with very distinct transverse scales; toes 
 long, each toe having semicircular lobes, larger on the inner side of the toe; hind 
 toe rather long, lobed. 
 
 FULICA AMERICANA. Gmelin. 
 The Coot; Poule d'eau; Mud-hen. 
 
 FuUca Americana, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 704. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 
 (1835) 291; V. 568. Ib., Birds Am., VI. (1842) 138. 
 Fulica atra, Wilson. Am. Orn., IX. (1825) 61. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head and neck glossy-black, with a tinge of ashy; under tail coverts white; 
 entire other plumage dark bluish-cinereous or slate-color, with a tinge of olive on 
 the back and darker on the rump ; edge of wing at shoulder and edge of first pri- 
 mary white; secondary quills tipped with white; rump frequently tinged with 
 brownish ; bill very pale-ye,llow or nearly white, with a transverse band of brown- 
 ish-black near the end; tip white; legs dull grayish-green. Female similar, but 
 with the tints lighter. Young like the adult, but with the under parts lighter; 
 abdomen frequently ashy-white ; back and rump dark olive-brown ; head and neck 
 lighter; iris reddish-hazel. 
 
 Total length, about fourteen inches; wing, seven; tail, two inches. 
 
 This species probably breeds in all the New-England 
 States, but not abundantly. It prefers the neighborhood of 
 some small muddy pond for its habitation ; and its nest is 
 usually built in an almost inaccessible bog. Of the charac- 
 ter of the nest, I am ignorant, but judge that it resembles 
 that of the other members of this family. 
 
 The eggs are from eight to twelve in number. Their 
 form is an elongated ovoid. Their color is a pale yellowish- 
 buff, or dirty-creanvtint ; and they are marked with fine dots 
 and spots of dark-umber and obscure fine dots of lilac. 
 In all the specimens that I have examined, these dots are 
 pretty thickly distributed or sprinkled, but are in no case 
 confluent into blotches. Their dimensions vary from 2.10 
 by 1.35 to 2 by 1.28 inch. 
 
NOTES, 477 
 
 This species is more abundant in the early spring and 
 autumn than in the rest of the season ; and I infer from 
 this, that it breeds principally in the northern countries. 
 
 Wilson describes its general habits in the following lan- 
 guage : 
 
 " This species makes its appearance in Pennsylvania about the 
 first of October. Among the muddy flats and islands of the river 
 Delaware, which are periodically overflowed, and which are over- 
 grown with the reed, or wild oats and rushes, the Coots are found. 
 They are not numerous, and are seldom seen, except their places 
 of resort be covered with water : in that case, they are generally 
 found sitting on the fallen reed, waiting for the ebb of the tide, 
 which will enable them to feed. Their food consists of various 
 aquatic plants, seeds, insects, and, it is said, small fish. The Coot 
 has an aversion to take wing, and can seldom be sprung in its 
 retreat at low water : for, although it walks rather awkwardly, yet 
 it contrives to skulk through the grass and reeds with great speed ; 
 the compressed form of its body, like that of the Rail genus, being 
 well adapted to the purpose. It swims remarkably well ; and, 
 when wounded, will dive like a duck. When closely pursued in 
 the water, it generally takes to the shore, rising with apparent 
 reluctance, like a wounded duck, and fluttering along the surface, 
 with its feet pattering on the water. It is known in Pennsylvania 
 by the name of the Mud-hen." 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 I continue Mr. Couper's valuable notes, made at Quebec, 
 Lower Canada : 
 
 ARDEA HERODIAS. The adult is never seen in this latitude. However, 
 in the fall, the young pass this way to the Atlantic States. They breed near 
 Rice Lake, in Upper Canada. 
 
 BOTAURUS LENTIGINOSUS. The Bittern breeds here, and appears to 
 be common. It prefers savannas to lakes ; and, as plenty of food is found on 
 the latter, probably this species may visit higher latitudes. 
 
 NYCTIARDEA GARDENI. Common. Breeds on the island of Orleans, 
 east of Quebec, and in the woods adjoining the St. Lawrence. This bird 
 
478 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 suits its own convenience in building in this neighborhood ; for the majority 
 of nests on the latter island are the architecture of our Common Crow. 
 
 CHARADRIUS VIRGINICUS. Common during the fall. Breeds further 
 north. This species came on board a steamship, on the Atlantic, six hun- 
 dred miles out from Europe. 
 
 JEGIALITIS SEMIPALMATUS. Uncommon. Occurs in the spring, on its 
 way north to breed. 
 
 SQUATAROLA HELVETICA. Uncommon. Occurs in spring only. 
 
 STREPSILAS INTERPRES. Uncommon. Only in spring. 
 
 PHALAROPUS HYPERBOREUS. Occasional. Common in Labrador. 
 
 PHILOHELA MINOR. Not common. A few breed. 
 
 GALLINAGO WILSONII. Abundant in the spring and fall. None breed 
 in this district : they go further north. 
 
 MACRORHAMPHUS GRISEUS, Occasional. None breed. 
 
 TRINGA CANUTUS. Occasional. None breed. 
 
 T. MARITIMA. Accidental at Quebec. 
 
 T. MACULATA. Common. None breed. 
 
 T. WILSONII. Occurs in spring. None breed. 
 
 CALIDRIS ARENARIA. Occurs in spring. Goes far north to breed. 
 
 EREUNETES PETRIFICATUS. Occurs in spring only. None breed. 
 
 GAMBETTA MELANOLEUCA. Occurs in immature plumage in the fall. 
 
 GAMBETTA FLAVIPES. Occurs in the fall. 
 
 RHYACOPHILTJS SOLITARIUS. Uncommon. Only noticed in the spring, 
 when on their way north to breed. 
 
 TRINGOIDES MACULARIUS. Common. Breeds. 
 ACTITURUS BARTRAMIUS. Rare. Occurs in the spring. 
 LIMOSA HUDSONICA. Occurs in spring and fall. 
 NUMENIUS HUDSONICUS. Occurs in the fall. 
 N. BOREALIS. Visits Quebec in the fall. 
 RALLUS VIRGINIANUS. Uncommon. 
 PORZANA CAROLINA. Uncommon. 
 
 P. NOVEBORACENSIS. This little Rail is found here in the fall, at 
 which season it is found in Snipe-grounds. There is no doubt that it breeds 
 further north than Quebec. 
 
 FULICA AMERICANA. Uncommon. 
 
NATATORES. 479 
 
 ORDER VI. NATATORES. SWIMMERS. 
 
 Toes connected by membrane to the claws ; the feet fitted for 
 swimming ; lower part of the tibia usually feathered to near the 
 joint, which is bare ; hind toe. however, usually elevated, and rather 
 small, except in Pelecanidce ; fitted for an aquatic life, swimming 
 and diving freely ; rump with well-developed oil glands. 
 
 The order Natatores, as characterized above, embraces a large 
 number of species of very varied forms, all more or less aquatic in 
 their habits. A character common to all consists in the presence 
 of a membrane between the toes, usually extending to the claws. 
 This membrane, when found in the Grattatores, is confined more 
 or less to the basal joint, unless Phcenicopterus be an exception. 
 This genus has been variously placed in both orders, and it is still 
 a question where it really belongs. The internal anatomy resem- 
 bles that of the Natatores, as well as the lamellated bill and fully 
 webbed toes ; the external form however, as well as habits, bring 
 it nearer the Grallatores. 
 
 The order Natatores of most authors has been divided by Bona- 
 parte into two, the Gavice and the Anseres : the former em- 
 bracing species which rear their young in nests, and belong to the 
 sub-class Altrices ; while the latter are Prtecoces, the young pro- 
 curing food for themselves almost from birth. 
 
 GAVI.E. Bill without lamellae, and more or less entire ; feet 
 with the toes all connected by one continuous membrane ; or the 
 hind toe free, with the anterior continuously webbed. 
 
 ANSERES. Bill with transverse lamellae along the edges ; hind 
 toe free. 
 
480 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 SUB-ORDER ANSERES. 
 
 FAMILY ANATID^. 
 
 The two jaws with transverse lamellae, alternating and fitting in each other; 
 upper mandible ending in an obtuse rounded nail; a groove running along both 
 jaws to the nail ; the feathers of the forehead extend forward on the culmen in a 
 rounded or acute outline; those on the side of lower jaw and on the chin extend 
 forward in a similar manner ; commissure straight ; legs short. 
 
 Sub-Family CYGNIN^E. The Swans. 
 CYGNUS, LIKN/EUS. 
 
 Cygnus, LINN^US, Syst. Nat. (1835). (Type Anas olor, Gm.) Gray. 
 
 Neck very long; bill longer than the head (commissure longer than the tarsus), 
 the basal portion covered by a soft skin extending to the anterior half of the 
 eye; the plane of the upper outline from eye to eye horizontal; the lateral outline 
 extending nearly straight to the commissure, or even sometimes widening slightly; 
 not half the width of the bill at tip; nostrils situated in the middle portion of 
 the bill ; lower portion of tibia bare ; the tarsus much shorter than the foot, much 
 compressed, coyered with hexagonal scales, which become smaller on the sides and 
 behind; hind toe small, much elevated; the lobe narrow; tail of twenty or more 
 feathers, rounded or wedge-shaped; sexes similarly colored. 
 
 CYGNUS AMERICANUS. Sharpless. 
 The American Swan. 
 
 Cygnus Americanus, Sharpless. Doughty's Cab. N. H., I. (1830) 185. Aud. Orn. 
 Biog., V. (1839) 133. lb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 226. 
 Cygnus ferus, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 368. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill as long as the head, broad, high at the base ; the feathers ending on the fore- 
 head in a semicircular outline; nostrils far forward, the anterior extremity consider- 
 ably more forward than half the commissure ; tail of twenty feathers. * 
 
 Adult pure-white; bill and legs black; the former with an orange or yellowish 
 spot in front of the eye ; less mature specimens with the head above tinged with 
 reddish-brown ; iris brown. 
 
 Length, fifty-five inches; wing, twenty-two; tarsus, four and twenty-five one- 
 hundredths; bill, above, four and twenty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob Continent of North America. 
 
THE AMERICAN SWAN. 481 
 
 The Common American Swan is equally abundant on both sides of the continent, 
 as well as throughout the interior; the young bird is brown instead of white; the 
 adult seldom, if ever, is without the yellow or orange space at the base of the bill, 
 which is otherwise black. 
 
 THIS beautiful bird is so extremely rare in New England 
 that it cannot properly be considered as belonging to 
 our fauna. Within a few years, perhaps three or four speci- 
 mens have been 
 taken in the waters 
 of Lake Champlain ; ^ 
 and I believe a small * 
 flock is recorded to 
 have been seen in 
 Lake Memphrema- 
 gog. These are 
 the only instances 
 known to me of its 
 occurrence in these 
 States. It retires to the most northern countries to pass 
 the season of reproduction. It nests on the ground, on 
 the islands and plains in the Hudson's Bay country. The 
 nest is constructed of a small collection of weeds and 
 dried grasses, loosely adjusted by the female. The eggs 
 are from six to eight or ten in number. They are broadly 
 ovoidal in shape, and of a pale olivaceous-green in color. 
 They vary in dimensions from 4.65 by 3 inches to 3.98 by 
 2.85 inch. 
 
 Sub-Family ANSERINE. The Geese. 
 i 
 
 ANSER, LINN^US. 
 
 Bill as long as the head, mostly red or orange-colored; the lamellae of upper 
 mandible project below the edge as conical points; nostrils opening behind the 
 middle of the commissure, the anterior edge only reaching to this point ; tip of hind 
 toe reaching to the ground. 
 
 31 
 
482 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ANSEE HYPERBOREUS. Pallas. 
 The Snow Goose. 
 
 Anser hyperboreus, Pallas. Spic. Zool., VI. (1767) 25. Nutt. Man., II. 344. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 562. 76., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 212. 
 Anas hyperborea. Gm., I. 504. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 76. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Bill and legs red; color pure-white; primary quills black towards the 
 
 end. silvery-bluish gray towards the base, where the shafts are white ; the spurious 
 quills are also bluish; inside of wings, except primary quills, white; immature birds 
 have the head washed with rusty. 
 
 Young. Head and upper part of neck white ; lower part of neck to the wings 
 dark-brown, passing on the sides of body into a more ashy shade ; rest of under 
 parts, concealed portions of the back, rump, and upper coverts, white ; the entire 
 scapular and scapular region is ashy-brown, each feather with faint reddish-brown 
 margin ; the upper surface of the wing is of a clear silvery-ash, but passing into dark- 
 brown on the ends of the quills ; the coverts, secondaries, tertials, and scapulars, 
 edged with white ; iris light-brown. 
 
 Length, about thirty inches; wing, sixteen and forty one-hundredths; tarsus, 
 three and twelve one-hundredths ; commissure, two and ten one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This is another rare species on our New-England sea- 
 coast. As a general thing, it is only seen during the winter ; 
 hut we have, in the Massachusetts State Cabinet, a fine speci- 
 men that was taken in Boston Harbor, in July, 1863. It is 
 strictly a northern species, and hardly belongs to our fauna. 
 
 Dr. Richardson, in describing its breeding habits, says, 
 "It breeds in the barren grounds of Arctic America, in 
 great numbers. The eggs, of a yellowish-white color and 
 regularly ovate form, are a little larger than those of the 
 Eider Duck; their length being three inches, and their 
 greatest breadth two. The young fly in August ; and, by 
 the middle of September, all have departed to the south- 
 ward. The Snow Goose feeds on rushes, insects, and in 
 autumn on berries, particularly those of the Empetrum 
 
 nigrum" 
 
 BERNICLA, STEPHENS. 
 
 Bernicla, STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 45. (Type Anas ber- 
 mcla, L.) 
 
 Bill about as long as head or shorter; the commissure nearly straight; the teeth 
 of upper mandible concealed, except perhaps at the base ; bill and legs black. 
 
THE CANADA GOOSE. 483 
 
 The American geese, with black bill and legs, exhibit very grea"t variations in 
 size ; so much so, indeed, as to render it very difficult to distinguish them by this 
 character alone: the variation in the shade of plumage in the same species is like- 
 wise considerable. 
 
 BEENICLA CANADENSIS. Boie. 
 The Canada Goose. 
 
 Anas Canadensis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 198. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 
 (1814) 52. 
 
 Anser Canadensis, Nuttall. Man., II. 349. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 1; 
 V. 607. lb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 178. 
 
 Bernicla Canadensis, Boie. Isis (1826) 921. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail of eighteen feathers; head, neck, bill, and feet, deep-black; a large trian- 
 gular patch of white on the cheeks behind the eye; the two of opposite sides 
 broadly confluent beneath, but not extending to the rami of lower jaw; a few 
 whitish feathers on lower eyelid; upper parts brown, edged with paler; under 
 parts light, with a tinge of purple-gray, sometimes a shade of smoky-brown ; the 
 edges of the feathers paler; the color of the body of the feathers, though similar, 
 becoming deeper on the sides, tibia, axillars, and inside of wings; the gray of the 
 belly passes gradually into white on the anal region and under coverts ; the upper 
 tail coverts are pure-white; the primary quills and rump are very dark blackish- 
 brown; the tail feathers are black; iris chestnut-brown. 
 
 Length, thirty-five inches; wing, eighteen; tarsus, three and ten one-hundredths ; 
 commissure, two and ten one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This well-known bird passes through or over New Eng- 
 land in the spring and autumn migrations, appearing in the 
 former about the first week in April, and passing in flocks 
 until the 10th of that month. In the autumn, it returns as 
 early as the last week in September ; and from then until 
 the first of December, and even later, it passes in flocks in 
 its southern migrations. The Wild Goose, as the rule, 
 breeds in the most northern portions of the continent : it 
 sometimes passes the season of incubation in the limits of 
 the United States ; but the occurrences are very few of its 
 having been found to remain in New England. I under- 
 stand that it has bred on Martha's Vineyard, south of 
 Massachusetts, several times ; and I have been told of other 
 instances, but do not consider them to be well authenti- 
 cated. The nest is located in some retired place not far 
 from the water, generally among the thickest grass, and not 
 
484 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 unfrequently under a bush. It is carelessly formed of dry 
 plants of various kinds, and is of a large size, flat, and 
 raised to the height of several inches. The eggs are usually 
 
 about six in number : they average three and a half inches 
 by two and a half, are thick-shelled, rather smooth, and of 
 a very dull yellowish-green color. The period of incuba- 
 tion is twenty-eight days. Wilson says of this bird : 
 
 <k Their first arrival on the coast of New Jersey is early in Octo- 
 ber; and their first numerous appearance is the sure prognostic 
 of severe weather. Those which continue all winter frequent the 
 shallow bays and marsh islands : their principal food being the broad, 
 tender, green leaves of a marine plant which grows on stones and 
 shells, and is usually called sea-cabbage ; and also the roots of the 
 sedge, which they are frequently observed in the act of tearing up. 
 Every few days, they make an excursion to the inlets on the beach 
 for gravel. They cross, indiscriminately, over land or water, gen- 
 erally taking the nearest course to their object ; differing, in this 
 respect, from the Brant, which will often go a great way round by 
 water, rather than cross over the land. They swim well ; and, if 
 wing-broken, dive, and go a long way under water, causing the 
 
THE BRANT. 485 
 
 sportsman a great deal of fatigue before he can kill them. Except 
 in very calm weather, they rarely sleep on the water, but roost all 
 night in the marshes. When the shallow bays are frozen, they 
 seek the mouths of inlets near the sea, occasionally visiting the 
 air-holes in the ice ; but these bays are seldom so completely frozen 
 as to prevent them from feeding on the bars. 
 
 " The flight of the Wild Geese is heavy and laborious, generally 
 in a straight line, or in two lines, approximating to a point thus, > : 
 in both cases, the van is led by an old gander, who, every now and 
 then, pipes his well-known honk, as if to ask how they come on ; 
 and the honk of ' All's well ' is generally returned by some of the 
 party. Their course is in a straight line, with the exception of 
 the undulations of their flight. When bewildered in foggy weather, 
 they appear sometimes to be in great distress, flying about in an 
 irregular manner, and for a considerable time over the same quar- 
 ter, making a great clamor. On these occasions, should they 
 approach the earth, and alight, which they sometimes do, to rest 
 and recollect themselves, the only hospitality they meet with is 
 death and destruction from a whole neighborhood already in arms 
 for their ruin." 
 
 BERNICLA BRENTA. Stephens. 
 The Brant. 
 
 Anns bernida, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 198. Wils. Am. On., VIII. 
 (1814) 131. 
 
 Anser bernida, Nuttall. Man., II. 359. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. (1831) 24, 610. 
 lb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 203. 
 
 Bernida brenta, Stephens. Shaw's Zool., XII. (1824) 46. 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill and feet, head, neck, and body anterior to the wings, primary quills, and 
 tail, black ; the secondary quills nearly black ; on each side of the middle of the 
 neck is a small white crescent, streaked with black ; the lower eyelids with a very 
 faint trace of white feathers; the black of the jugulum is abruptly defined against 
 the bluish silvery-gray of the remaining under parts, the feathers of which have the 
 basal portions bluish-gray; the axillars and insides of the wings showing a darker 
 tint of the same ; the gray of the belly passes gradually into white behind, the tail 
 being encircled all round and concealed by this color; the back and wing coverts 
 are grayish-blue, with slightly paler edges; the rump is of a similar, but darker and 
 more uniform blue ; the secondaries have some concealed whitish on the inner webs 
 towards the base ; iris dark -hazel. 
 
 Length, twenty-three and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, twelve and seventy- 
 five one-hundredths; tarsus, two and twenty -six one hundredths ; commissure, one 
 and forty one-hundredths inches. 
 
486 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The Brant is found on our coast pretty abundantly at 
 the same seasons as the Canada Goose, which it resem- 
 bles very much in its general habits. 
 
 Having had but few opportunities of observing this 
 species in its wild state, I give the description, by Wilson, of 
 its general habits : " The Brant is expected at Egg Harbor, 
 on the coast of New Jersey, about the first of October, 
 and has been sometimes seen as early as the 20th of Sep- 
 tember. The first flocks generally remain in the bay a few 
 days, arid then pass on to the South. On recommencing 
 their journey, they collect in one large body, and, making 
 an extensive spiral course, some miles in diameter, rise to a 
 great height in the air, and then steer for the sea, over 
 which they uniformly travel, often making wide circuits to 
 avoid passing over a projecting point of land. In these 
 aerial routes, they have been met with, many leagues from 
 shore, travelling the whole night. Their line of march very 
 much resembles that of the Canada Goose, with this excep- 
 tion, that frequently three or four are crowded together in 
 the front, as if striving for precedency. Flocks continue to 
 arrive from the North ; and many remain in the bay till 
 December, or until the weather becomes very severe, when 
 these also move off southwardly. During their stay, they 
 feed on the bars at low water, seldom or never in the 
 marshes ; their principal food being a remarkably long and 
 broad-leaved marine plant, of a bright-green color, which 
 adheres to stones, and is called by the country people, sea- 
 cabbage : the leaves of this are sometimes eight or ten 
 inches broad, by two or three feet in length. They also eat 
 small shell-fish. They never dive, but wade about, feeding 
 at low water. During the time of high water, they float in 
 the bay in long lines, particularly in calm weather. Their 
 voice is hoarse and honking, and, when some hundreds are 
 screaming together, reminds one of a pack of hounds in 
 full cry. They often quarrel among themselves, and witli 
 the Ducks, driving the latter off their feeding-ground. 
 
THE MALLiRD. 487 
 
 Though it never dives in search of food, yet, when wing- 
 broken, the ^Brant will go one hundred yards at a stretch 
 under water, and is considered, in such circumstances, one 
 of the most difficult birds to kill. About the 15th or 20th 
 of May, they re-appear on their way north, but seldom stop 
 long, unless driven in by tempestuous weather." 
 
 This bird nests in the most northern portions of the con- 
 tinent. The nest is similar to that of the Canada Goose. 
 The eggs are from five to eight in number : they are ovate 
 in form, sometimes nearly oval ; and of a yellowish-white 
 color, sometimes darkened into a creamy-buff. Their di- 
 mensions vary from 2.90 by 1.92 to 2.78 by 1.84 inch. 
 They are very smooth to the touch, and" the shell is thin 
 and brittle. 
 
 Sub-Family ANATIN^E. The River Ducks. 
 
 The Anatince, or River Ducks, are easily known by their having the tarsi trans- 
 versely scutellate anteriorly, and the membrane or lobe of the hind toe narrow and 
 much restricted. The legs are longer than in Fuligulince, but shorter than in the 
 
 All the North-American River Ducks agree in having the crissum black. In all, 
 excepting Querquedula, there is a tendency to waved lines on the feathers of the 
 flanks, most conspicuous in the Mallard, Gadwall, and Green-winged Teal. 
 
 ANAS, LINNAEUS. 
 
 Anas, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type Anas boschas, L., Gray.) 
 Bill longer than the head or the foot, broad, depressed ; the edges parallel to near 
 the end, which is somewhat acute ; nail less than one-third the width of the bill ; 
 nostrils reaching to end of the basal two-fifths of the commissure; feathers of fore- 
 head, chin, and cheeks, reaching about the same point; upper angle of bill about in 
 line with the lower ; tail pointed, about two-fifths the wing. 
 
 ANAS BOSCHAS. Linnaeus. 
 The Mallard; Green-head. 
 
 Anas boschas, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 205. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 
 (1814) 112. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 164. Ib., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 236. 
 
488 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Head and neck bright grass-green, with violet gloss, the top of the head 
 duller; a .white ring round the middle of the neck, below which and on the 
 forepart and sides of the breast the color is dark brownish-chestnut; under parts 
 and sides, with the scapulars, pale-gray, very finely undulated with dusky; the 
 outer scapulars with a brownish tinge; forepart of back reddish-brown; posterior 
 more olivaceous; crissum and upper tail coverts black, the latter with a blue gloss; 
 tail externally white ; wing coverts brownish-gray, the greater coverts tipped first 
 with white, and then more narrowly with black; speculum purplish-violet, termi- 
 nated with black; a recurved tuft of feathers on the rump; iris dark-brown. 
 
 Female. With the wing exactly as on the male; the under parts plain whitish- 
 ochrey, each feather obscurely blotched with dusky; head and neck similar, spotted 
 and streaked with dusky ; the chin and throat above unspotted ; upper parts dark- 
 brown, the feathers broadly edged and banded with reddish-brown, parallel with the 
 circumference. 
 
 Length of male, twenty-three inches ; wing, eleven ; tarsus, one and seventy one- 
 hundredths ; commissure of bill, two and fifty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 The Mallard is found in New England only as a wan- 
 derer, and then only in the western sections in the spring 
 and autumn seasons ; a few are seen in the waters of Lake 
 
 Champlain, and oc- 
 casionally a small 
 flock is found in the 
 Connecticut River. 
 This is the original 
 of the Common Do- 
 mestic Mallard ; and 
 its habits are so well 
 known that I will 
 give no description 
 here. 
 
 This bird breeds in all sections of the United States, 
 more abundantly, of course, in the northern than in the 
 southern ; and less often in the eastern than in the inte- 
 rior and western. In most of the Western States, it is 
 one of the most abundant of water-fowls ; and it breeds in 
 all the meadows and by the ponds and streams throughout 
 those sections. The nest is built in a tussock of high grass, 
 or in a thick clump of weeds. It is composed of pieces of 
 grass and weeds, and is lined to the depth of half an inch 
 
THE DUSKY DUCK. 489 
 
 with down and other soft material. The eggs are from ten 
 to fourteen in number : they are usually ovoidal in shape, 
 and vary in color from dirty yellowish-white to an obscure 
 olivaceous-green. Their dimensions vary from 2.42 by 1.75 
 (Albion, Wis.) to 2.26 by 1.68 (Nova Scotia). 
 
 ANAS OBSCURA. Gmelin. 
 The Dusky Duck; Black Duck. 
 
 Anas obscura, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 541. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 
 141. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 15. /&., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 244. 
 Anas (boschas) obscura, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 392. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill greenish ; feet red ; body generally blackish-brown ; the feathers obscurely 
 margined with reddish-brown ; those anteriorly with a concealed V-shaped mark, 
 more or less visible on the sides of the breast; head and neck brownish-yellow, 
 spotted with black; the top of head and nape dark-brown, with a green gloss on the 
 sides behind; wings dull-blackish, with a dull-greenish gloss; speculum violet, ter- 
 minated with black ; inner tertials hoary gray towards tip ; axillars and inside of 
 wing white; tail of eighteen feathers; iris dark-brown. 
 
 Female similar, but rather duller; the light edges to the under feathers more con- 
 spicuous; the sides of head without the greenish-gloss; the speculum bluish, with 
 less violet. 
 
 Length of male, twenty-two inches ; wing nearly twelve ; tarsus, one and eighty 
 one-hundredths ; commissure, two and fifty-six one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Atlantic region of North America; not yet detected on the Pacific, nor 
 in Europe. 
 
 This is the most plainly marked, as well as perhaps the largest, of our river 
 ducks, and excelled by none in the excellence of its flesh. 
 
 This species, generally but improperly known as the 
 Black Duck, is the most abundant of all our fresh-water 
 ducks. It breeds in all the New-England States, but is 
 found in the greatest abundance in the more northern por- 
 tions of them. The country around Lake Umbagog, Me., 
 seems to be a favorite breeding-ground with this species ; 
 almost every patch of meadow having one or more of its 
 nests. 
 
 The nest is built about the last week in April or the first 
 in May. It is placed in a secluded locality in a tussock of 
 grass, or beneath a thicket of briers or weeds ; usually in a 
 
490 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 meadow, near a pond or stream, but sometimes in a swamp 
 in which a small brook is the only water for miles around. 
 This species sometimes follows these small brooks up to 
 their sources ; and I once found one with a nest on a low 
 stump that overhung a small spring on the side of a hill, a 
 mile from any other water. The nest of this species is con- 
 structed of pieces of grass and weeds, which are neatly 
 arranged into a structure eighteen inches in diameter on 
 the outside, and three or four in depth. This is hollowed 
 for perhaps an inch and a half or two inches, and lined 
 with the down and feathers from the breast of the parent- 
 bird. The eggs are from seven to ten in number: their 
 form is usually ovoidal ; and their color varies from an 
 olivaceous-yellow to a dirty yellowish-white. If a dozen of 
 these, and an equal number of the eggs of the Mallard, 
 are placed side by side, it is almost impossible to identify 
 them, so closely do they resemble each other. The eggs 
 of the present species vary from 2.50 by 1.72 inch (Lake 
 Umbagog) to 2.26 by 1.65 (Weston, Mass.). They aver- 
 age about 2.34 by 1.74 (Nova Scotia). Early in Septem- 
 ber, the Dusky Duck gathers in flocks of fifteen or 
 twenty. It is now so difficult of approach, that the experi- 
 enced gunner seldom attempts to secure it by stalking it. 
 The method by which the greater number are killed is as 
 follows : The sportsman, knowing the localities most fre- 
 quented by these flocks, generally meadows in which 
 streams of water or small ponds are abundant, builds a 
 bower near the water, about six feet square, and five or six 
 high, of the limbs of pines and other dense foliaged trees, 
 in which he secretes himself at daybreak, armed with one or 
 two heavy double-barrelled guns, and provided with three 
 or four tame ducks. One of these ducks he anchors or 
 moors out in the water, half a gunshot from the bower. 
 The duck, soon becoming lonesome, begins to call, when, if 
 there are any wild ducks in the neighborhood, they answer 
 the call in an almost exactly similar note, and soon fly to 
 
DAFILA. 491 
 
 meet the caller. The sportsman, watching the approaching 
 flock, holds one of the other tame ducks ready to throw ; 
 and, as soon as the wild ones approach near enough to see 
 the others, he throws towards the anchored duck the one 
 held in his hand, which is secured from flying off, by a 
 strong line fastened to its legs. The bird moored in the 
 water, seeing her mate flying towards her, immediately 
 redoubles her cries, when the Dusky Ducks, after flying back 
 and forth, alight beside her. As soon as they alight, they 
 gather together in a flock away from the decoy ; and it is 
 then that the sportsman pours in his first shot: he fires 
 when the birds are rising from the water, and is often 
 enabled to get four shots at the flock before it gets out of 
 gunshot. The excitement attending this shooting is better 
 appreciated when known. I have passed many days in 
 bowers of this description, and have had my share of the 
 excitement. It is only early in the morning and late in 
 the afternoon that these birds can be shot in this manner ; 
 and, if they are much hunted, they will hardly approach one 
 of these bowers without great caution. This duck remains 
 with us through nearly the whole year, and moves south- 
 ward only in very severe winters. When the fresh ponds 
 are not frozen, it prefers them to the salt water ; but in 
 winter it is most abundant in our bays and small creeks, 
 where it feeds on small shell-fish and other marine animals. 
 In autumn it is one of the best flavored of our water- 
 fowl, but in winter is not so good, having much of the 
 fishy taste of the sea-ducks. 
 
 DAFILA, LEACH. 
 
 Dafila, "LEACH," Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 226. (Type Anas 
 acuta.) 
 
 Bill long, narrow; considerably longer than the foot; nearly linear, but widen- 
 ing a little to the end, which is truncate, rounded; nail small; nostrils small, in the 
 basal third of bill ; tail pointed ; the two middle feathers lengthened, so as nearly to 
 equal the wings. 
 
492 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DAFILA ACUTA. Jenyns. 
 The Pintail ; Sprigtail. 
 
 Anas acuta, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 202. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814). 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 214; V. 615. /&., Birds Am., VI.' (1843) 266. 
 Dajila acuta, Bonaparte. List (1838). 
 Anas (boschas) acuta, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 586. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail of sixteen feathers ; bill black above and laterally at the base ; the sides 
 and beneath blue; head and upper part of neck uniform dark-brown, glossed with 
 green and purple behind ; inferior part of neck, breast, and under parts white ; the 
 white of neck passes up to the nape, separating the brown, and itself is divided 
 dorsally by black, which, below, passes into the gray of the back ; the back anteriorly 
 and the sides are finely lined transversely with black and white; the wings are plain 
 and bluish-gray; the greater coverts with a terminal bar of purplish-buff, below 
 which is a greenish-purple speculum, margined behind by black, and tipped with 
 white; longest tertials striped with silvery and greenish-black; scapulars black, 
 edged with silvery ; crissum and elongated tail feathers black ; the former edged 
 with white. 
 
 Female with only a trace of the markings of the wing; the green of the specu- 
 lum brownish, with a few green spots; the feathers of the back are brown, with a 
 broad U or V-shaped brownish-yellow bar on each feather anteriorly ; sometimes 
 those bars appear in the shape of broad transverse lines. 
 
 Length, thirty inches ; wing, eleven ; tail, eight and sixty one-hundredths ; tarsus, 
 one and seventy-five one-hundredths; commissure, two and thirty-six one hun- 
 dredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Whole of North America, and Europe. 
 
 This beautiful bird is pretty common on our shores ; and 
 it is much pursued, both for the beauty of its plumage 
 and for the excellence of its flesh. It breeds in the most 
 northern portions of the continent, where, Nuttall says, " it 
 lays eight or nine eggs of a greenish-blue color." It is seen 
 in most abundance in the autumn on our coast, where it 
 appears by the 10th of September, and remains until the 
 last week in October. Wilson says it is a shy and cau- 
 tious bird, feeds in the mud flats, and shallow fresh-water 
 marshes; but rarely resides on the seacoast. It seldom 
 dives, is very noisy, and has a kind of chattering note. 
 When wounded, they will sometimes dive, and, coming up, 
 conceal themselves under the bow of the boat, moving round 
 as it moves ; are vigilant in giving the alarm on the approach 
 
THE GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 493 
 
 of the gunner, who often curses the watchfulness of the 
 Sprigtail. Some Ducks, when aroused, disperse in different 
 directions ; but the Sprigtails, when alarmed, cluster con- 
 fusedly together as they mount, and thereby afford the sports- 
 man a fair opportunity of raking them with advantage. They 
 generally leave the Delaware about the middle of March, on 
 the way to their native regions, the North, where they are 
 most numerous. 
 
 NETTION, KAUP. 
 
 Nettian, KAUP, Entwick (1829). Gray. (Type Anas crecca, L.) 
 
 Bill unusually narrow, longer than the foot; the sides parallel; the upper lateral 
 
 angle not extending back as far as the lower edge ; nail very narrow, linear, and 
 
 about one-fifth as wide as the bill. 
 
 NETTION CAROLINENSIS. Baird. 
 The Green-winged Teal. 
 
 Anas Carottnensis, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 533. Aud. Birds Am., VI. 
 (1843) 281. 
 
 Anas crecca, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 101. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1853) 
 219; V. 616. 
 
 Anas (boschas) crecca, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 400. Nuttv Man , II. 
 (1834) 400. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head and neck all round chestnut; chin black; forehead dusky ; region round 
 the eye, continued along the side of the head as a broad stripe, rich-green, passing 
 into a bluish-black patch across the nape; under parts white, the feathers of the 
 jugulum with rounded black spots; lower portion of neck all round, sides of breast 
 and body, long feathers of flanks and scapulars, beautifully and finely banded 
 closely with black and grayish-white ; outer webs of some scapulars, and of outer 
 secondaries black, the latter tipped with white ; speculum broad and rich-green ; 
 wing coverts plain grayish -brown, the greater coverts tipped with buff; a white 
 crescent in front of the bend of the wing; crissum black, with a triangular patch 
 of bufFy-white on each side; lower portion of the green stripe on each side of the 
 head blackish, with a dull edge of whitish below; iris brown. 
 
 Males vary in having the under parts sometimes strongly tinged with ferrugi- 
 nous-brown. 
 
 Female with the wings as in the male; the under parts white, with hidden spots 
 on the jugulum and lower neck; above dark-brown, the feathers edged with gray. 
 
 Length, fourteen inches; wing, seven and forty one-hundredths; tarsus, one and 
 fourteen one-hundredths; commissure, one and sixty-eight one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Whole of North America; accidental in Europe. 
 
 This beautiful little fowl is quite abundant in the spring 
 and autumn migrations in New England ; arriving in the 
 
494 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 former about the 10th of May, and in the latter about 
 the second week in September, and remaining until the 
 middle of October. It frequents fresh-water ponds and 
 streams in small flocks, where it feeds on various water 
 insects, their larvae, the seeds of aquatic plants, and the 
 tadpoles of the different frogs. Its flesh is well flavored, 
 and, with the next species, is one of the most popular in all 
 our markets. I have often seen individuals of this species 
 associate with the ducks in a farmer's yard or duck-pond, 
 and have known them to come to the barn-yard with the 
 tame fowls, and eat with them the corn thrown out for their 
 food. In the water, it is a graceful -bird, moving about 
 with great activity. Its flight is rapid ; and accompanied 
 with a whistling murmur different from that of most of our 
 other ducks. 
 
 This bird probably breeds in the secluded lake districts 
 of the northern portions of New England, as it is found in 
 considerable abundance in localities in Nova Scotia and 
 Canada in the same latitude. It nests early in June, some- 
 times by the 20th of May. 
 
 The nest is placed on the ground, in a thick patch or 
 tussock of grass, usually in meadows within a few feet of a 
 small pond or stream. It is constructed of, first, a thick 
 layer of soft pieces of grass and weeds, on which is placed a 
 thin covering of the down and feathers from the breast of 
 the bird. The eggs are from five to eight in number: they 
 are usually ovoidal in form, sometimes nearly oval, and vary 
 in dimensions from 1.90 by 1.32 inch (Nova Scotia) to 1.73 
 by 1.22 inch. Their color is a dirty-white, with a slight 
 greenish tint. 
 
 QUERQUEDULA, STEPHENS. 
 
 Querquedula, STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824). (Type Anas querque- 
 dula, L.) 
 
 Bill narrow, lengthened, a little longer than the foot, widening a little to the 
 end, which is obtusely rounded; the tail occupying about one-third the width; 
 the lamellae visible in the lateral profile ; the upper lateral angle at the base of 
 bill extending rather further back than the lower edge. 
 
THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL. 495 
 
 QUERQUEDULA DISCORS. Stephens. 
 The Blue-winged Teal. 
 
 Anas discors, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 74. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 
 111. lb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 287. 
 
 Querquedula discors, Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 149. 
 
 Anas (Boschas) discors, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 444. Nutt. Man., II. 
 (1834) 397. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Head and neck above plumbeous-gray; top of head black; a white cres- 
 cent in front of the eye; under parts from middle of the neck purplish-gray, 
 each feather with spots of black, which become more obsolete behind; forepart of 
 back with the feathers brown, with two undulating narrow bands of purplish-gray ; 
 feathers on the flanks banded with dark-brown and purplish-gray; back behind and 
 tail greenish-brown; crissum black; wing coverts and some of the outer webs of 
 scapulars blue; other scapulars velvet-black or green, streaked with pale reddish- 
 buff; speculum glossy-green ; the outer greater wing coverts white, as are the axil- 
 lars, the middle of under surface of the wing, and a patch on each side of the base 
 of the tail; bill black; feet flesh-colored; iris dark-hazel. 
 
 Female. With the top of head brown, and the wing coverts blue and white, as 
 in the male; base of bill, except above, chin, and upper part of the throat, dirty 
 yellowish- white; back brown, the feathers margined with paler; under parts whit- 
 ish, with rounded obscure brown spots; the jugulum darker. 
 
 Length of male, sixteen inches; wing, seven and ten one-hundredths; tarsus, 
 one and twenty one-hundredths; commissure, one and eighty-five one-hundredths 
 inches. 
 
 Hob. Eastern North America to Rocky Mountains. Not yet found on the 
 Pacific coast nor in Europe. 
 
 This species is more often found in small creeks near the 
 seashore than the Green-winged Teal ; but it prefers the 
 small fresh-water ponds and streams to the salt water, and 
 is most abundant in mill-ponds, where the water varies in 
 depth in different days ; there it searches in the little nooks 
 and pools, among the half-submerged rocks and bushes, for 
 its favorite food of aquatic insects and the seeds of aquatic 
 plants. It arrives from the South in spring, by the latter 
 part of April, sometimes earlier, and remains lingering in 
 its favorite haunts until the first week in May. It proceeds 
 slowly to the North, where it breeds ; and it then returns 
 through New England, by the middle of September, to the 
 Southern States, where it passes the winter. It sometimes 
 breeds in New England. George A. Boardman, Esq., has 
 
496 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 found it with young at Milltown, Me. ; and Giraud, in his 
 "Birds of Long Island," says that it breeds in that locality. 
 The greater number, however, pass to the more northern 
 countries, where they begin to lay early in June. The 
 nests are similar to those of the Green-winged Teal, and 
 are placed in similar localities. The eggs are from six to 
 ten in number. They vary in form from ovate to ovoidal, 
 and are sometimes nearly oval in shape : they are of a dirty 
 yellowish-white color, paler than that of the eggs of the 
 Green-winged Teal. They vary in dimensions from 1.95 
 by 1.35 inch (Wisconsin) to 1.74 by 1.30 inch (Labrador). 
 The surface of both these eggs, and those of the preceding 
 species, is covered with stains of a darker tint than the 
 primary color ; probably caused by the feet of the bird, or 
 by the decaying vegetation which forms the nests of both 
 species. 
 
 SPATULA, BOIE. 
 
 Spatula, BOIE, Isis (1822), 564. (Type Anas clypeata, L.) 
 
 Bill much longer than the head and spatulate, widening to the end, where it is 
 twice as broad as at the base; nail long and narrow; lamellae of the upper mandible 
 very close, delicate, and lengthened, projecting far below the lower edge; tail acute, 
 less than half the wing. 
 
 SPATULA CLYPEATA. Bale. 
 The Shoveller; Spoonbill. 
 
 Anas clypeata, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 200. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814). 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 241. 76., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 293. 
 Spatula clypeata, Boie. Isis (1822), 564. 
 Anns (Spathulea) clypeata, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 375. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head and neck green ; forepart and sides of the breast, with greater portion of 
 scapulars, and the sides of the base of the tail, white; rest of under parts dull pur- 
 plish-chestnut; crissum, rump, and upper tail coverts black, the latter glossed with 
 green; wing coverts blue, the posterior row brown in the concealed portion, and 
 tipped with white; longest tertials blue, streaked internally with white; others vel- 
 vet-green, streaked centrally with white; speculum grass-green, edged very nar- 
 rowly behind with black, and then with white. 
 
 Female with the wing similar, but with the blue of coverts and scapulars less 
 
THE GADWALL. 497 
 
 distinct; head and neck brownish-yellow, spotted with dusky; 'the belly with a 
 decided chestnut tinge; iris reddish-orange. 
 
 Length, twenty inches; wing, nine and fifty one-hundredths ; tarsus, one and 
 thirty-eight one-hundredths ; commissure, three and two one-hundredths inches. 
 
 The Shoveller is a rare species on the coast of New Eng- 
 land ; but two or three are taken in a season, and it is 
 rarely that one is found here in the mature plumage. It 
 is as often found in fresh-water ponds and streams as in the 
 creeks and bays near the shore. It breeds in the most 
 northern portions of the eastern coast ; but, according to 
 Mr. Audubon, it passes the season of incubation "from 
 Texas westward to the Columbia River, thence to the fur 
 countries." Says Nuttall, " Soon after March, according 
 to Baillou, they disperse through the fens in France to 
 breed, and select the same places with the Summer Teal ; 
 choosing with them large tufts of rushes, making a nest of 
 withered grass in the most boggy and difficult places 
 of access, near waters. The eggs are twelve to fourteen, 
 of a very pale greenish-yellow : the female sits twenty- 
 four or twenty-five days." 
 
 The Spoonbill feeds, like the other fresh-water ducks, on 
 various aquatic insects and tadpoles ; but, unlike the Teals, 
 eats but few seeds of aquatic plants. A specimen that I 
 examined, killed in Plymouth County, Mass., had its stom- 
 ach filled with small pieces of some aquatic roots, and one 
 or two tadpoles : there were also fragments of small crusta- 
 ceans, but so small that it was impossible to identify them. 
 
 CHAULELASMUS, GRAY. 
 
 Chaulelasmus, G. R. GRAY (1838). (Type Anas strepera, L.) 
 Bill as long as the head; the lower edge about as long as the outer toe, and 
 longer than the tarsus ; the lamellae distinctly visible below the edge of the bill. 
 
 CHAULELASMUS STREPERUS. Gray. 
 The Gadwall; Gray Duck. 
 
 Anas strepera, Linnaeus, Wilson, and others. 
 
 32 
 
498 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Head and neck brownish-white, each feather spotted with dusky; the 
 top of head tinged with reddish ; lower part of neck, with forepart of breast and 
 back, blackish, with concentric narrow bars of white, giving a scaled appearance to 
 the feathers ; interscapular region, outermost scapulars, and sides of the body, finely 
 waved transversely with black and white; middle wing coverts chestnut, the 
 greater velvet-black, succeeded by a pure-white speculum, bordered externally by 
 hoary-gray, succeeded by black; crissum and upper tail coverts black; longest ter- 
 tials hoary plumbeous-gray ; innermost scapulars with a reddish tinge ; inside of 
 wing and axillars pure-white; bill black; iris hazel. 
 
 Female. With the bill dusky, edged with reddish ; wing somewhat like that of 
 the male, but with the chestnut-red more restricted. 
 
 Length, twenty-two inches ; wing, ten and fifty one-hundredths ; tarsus, one and 
 sixty-four one-hundredths; commissure, two and four one-hundredths inches. 
 
 The Gadwall is a rare autumnal visitor in New England, 
 and is seldom seen in the spring as it is passing to its 
 northern breeding-places. Audubon, in describing its habits, 
 says, 
 
 " This species dives well on occasion, especially on being 
 wounded. At the appearance of danger, it rises on wing 
 whether from the ground or from the water at a single 
 spring, in the manner of the Mallard ; and, like it also, 
 ascends almost perpendicularly for several yards, after 
 which it moves off in a direct course with great celerity. I 
 have never seen it dive on the flash of the gun ; but, when 
 approached, it always swims to the opposite part of the 
 pond, and, when the danger increases, flies off. On being 
 wounded, it sometimes, by diving, makes its escape among 
 the grass, where it squats, and remains concealed. It walks 
 with ease, and prettily, often making incursions upon the 
 land, when the ponds are not surrounded by trees, for 
 the purpose of searching for food. It nibbles the tender 
 shoots and blades of grasses with apparent pleasure ; and 
 will feed on beech-nuts, acorns, and seeds of all kinds of 
 gramineae, as well as on tadpoles, small fishes, and leeches. 
 After rain, it alights in cornfields, like the Mallard, and 
 picks up the scattered grains of maize." 
 
 The eggs of this species are from eight to twelve in num- 
 ber. Their color is a pale-drab, with a slight olivaceous tint : 
 
THE AMERICAN WIDGEON. 499 
 
 their form is a long ovoid; and their dimensions average 
 about 2.15 inch in length by 1.50 inch in breadth. 
 
 MARECA, STEPHENS. 
 
 Mareca, STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 130. (Type Anas Pene- 
 lope, L.) 
 
 Bill shorter than the head, and equal to the inner toe claw ; the sides parallel to 
 near the end, which is rather obtusely pointed, the nail occupying the tip, and about 
 one-third as broad as the bill ; bill rather high ; the upper lateral angle at the base 
 not prominent, nor extending as far back as the lower edge; tail pointed, not half 
 the wings. 
 
 The North-American and European species of Mareca have the upper parts 
 finely waved transversely with black and gray or reddish-brown ; the under parts, 
 with the usual exceptions, snowy-white. The top of the head is uniform white or 
 cream-color; the neck more or less spotted; the middle and greater coverts are 
 white, the latter tipped with black; the speculum is green, encircled by black; the 
 tertials are black on the outer web, edged with hoary-white ; the entire outer web of 
 one of them hoary. 
 
 MARECA AMERICANA. Stephens. 
 The American Widgeon; Baldpate. 
 
 Anas Americana, Gmelin. Syst. Nat, I. (1788) 526. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 
 (1814) 86. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 337. lb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 259. 
 Mareca Americana, Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 135. 
 Anas (Boschas) Americana, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 389. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Tail of fourteen feathers ; bill blue, the extreme base and tip black ; 
 head and neck pale-buff, or faint reddish-yellow, each feather banded narrowly with 
 blackish, so as to give the appearance of spots ; the top of the head from the bill is 
 pale unspotted creamy- white ; the sides of the head from around the eye to the nape, 
 glossy-green, the feathers, however, with hidden spots, as described; chin uniform 
 dusky ; forepart of breast and sides of body light-brownish or chocolate-red, each 
 feather with obsolete grayish edge; rest of under parts pure-white; the crissum 
 abruptly black ; the back, scapulars, and rump, finely waved transversely anteriorly 
 with reddish and gray, posteriorly with purer gray, on a brown ground; a little of 
 the same waving also on the sides ; the lesser wing coverts are plain gray ; the mid- 
 dle and greater are conspicuously white, the latter terminated by black, succeeded 
 by a speculum, which is grass-green at the base, and then velvet-black; the tertials 
 are black on the outer web, bordered narrowly by black, the outermost one hoary- 
 gray, externally edged with black; the tail is hoary-brown; the upper coverts are 
 black externally; the axillars are white; iris hazel. 
 
 The blackish chin appears to be found only in very highly plumaged birds. The 
 top of the head is sometimes pure-white. 
 
 The female has the head and neck somewhat, similar, but spotted to the bill; 
 wings as in the male ; the black of tertials replaced by brown ; the gray of the lesser 
 coverts extending slightly over the middle ones ; back and scapulars with rather 
 
500 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 broad and distant transverse bars of reddish-white, each feather with two or three in- 
 terrupted along the shafts ; these are much wider and more distant than in the male. 
 
 Length, twenty-one and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, eleven ; tar- 
 sus, one and forty-two one-hundredths; commissure, one and eighty one-hundredths 
 inches. 
 
 Hob. Continent of North America. Accidental in Europe. 
 
 This beautiful bird is found in small flocks of four or five 
 individuals in the spring and fall migrations, and is more 
 often found in the fresh-water ponds and streams in the 
 interior than in the salt- water on the coast. 
 
 It breeds in the Hudson's Bay Country, early in June. 
 The nest is placed on the ground, as I am informed, in the 
 marshes and sterile plains of that country, and resembles 
 very much the nest of the common Black or Dusky Duck. 
 The eggs are from eight to twelve in number. They 
 resemble those of the Blue-winged Teal in form and color, 
 being a dirty yellowish-white. They average in dimensions 
 about 2.05 by 1.50 inch. 
 
 The food of this bird consists principally of the tender 
 leaves and roots of aquatic plants, which it obtains, when in 
 company with the Canvas-back, by stealing from that bird ; 
 the latter diving, and bringing it up from the bottom of the 
 water, and the Widgeon seizing it when he appears at 
 the surface. 
 
 AIX, BOIE. 
 
 Aix, BOIE, Isis (1828), 329. (Type Anas galericulata, L.) 
 
 Bill very high at the base, where the upper lateral angle runs back much behind 
 the lower edge of the bill ; nostrils very large, and scarcely enveloped by mem- 
 brane ; the feathers of the forehead reaching to their posterior edge ; nail very large, 
 and much hooked, occupying the entire tip of bill ; lamellae depressed, broad, and 
 distant; bill, from feathers of forehead, shorter than the head, and equal to the tar- 
 sus ; head crested ; claws short, much curved, and very sharp ; tail, about half the 
 wings, vaulted, cuneate, but truncate at the tip; the coverts nearly as long as 
 the feathers. 
 
 AIX SPONSA. Boie. 
 The Summer Duck ; Wood Duck. 
 
 Anas sponsa, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 207. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 
 97. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 52; V. 618. Jb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 271. 
 Aix tpansa, Boie. Isis (1828), 329. 
 Anat (Boschat) sponsa, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 394. 
 
THE SUMMER DUCK. 
 
 501 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head and crest metallic-green to below the eyes ; the cheeks, and a stripe from 
 behind the eye, purplish ; a narrow short line from the upper angle of the bill along 
 the side of the crown and through the crest, another on the upper eyelid, a stripe 
 starting below and behind the eye, and running into the crest paralle wilh the one 
 first mentioned, the chin and upper part of the throat sending a well-defined branch 
 up towards the eye, and another towards the nape, snowy-white ; lower neck and 
 jugulunij and sides of the base of tail, rich-purple; the jugulum with triangular 
 spots of white and a chestnut shade ; remaining under parts white, as is a crescent 
 in front of the wing bordered behind by black; sides yellowish-gray, finely lined 
 with black ; the long feathers of the flanks broadly black at the end, with a sub- 
 terminal bar, and sometimes a tip of white; back and neck above nearl}- uniform 
 bronzed-green and purple ; scapulars and innermost tertials velvet-black, glossed on 
 the inner webs with violet; the latter with a white bar at the end; greater coverts 
 violet, succeeded by a greenish speculum, tipped with white; primaries silvery-white 
 externally towards the end ; the tips internally violet and purple ; iris bright-red. 
 
 Female with the wings quite similar ; the back more purplish ; the sides of the 
 head and neck ashy ; the region round the base of the bill, a patch through the eyes, 
 and the chin, white; the purple of the jugulum replaced by brownish; the waved 
 feathers on the sides wanting. 
 
 Length, nineteen inches ; wing, nine and fifty one-hundredths ; tarsus, one and 
 forty one-hundredths ; commissure, one and fifty-four one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Continent of North America. 
 
 This, the most beautiful of all our Ducks, is pretty abun- 
 dantly distributed through New England in the breeding 
 season. Wilson's description of its habits is so much 
 better than I can give, that I make a liberal extract from 
 it. He says, 
 
 " The Summer Duck is equally well known in Mexico and many 
 of the West India 
 Islands. During the 
 whole of our winters, 
 they are occasionally 
 seen in the States 
 south of the Potomac. 
 On the 10th of Janua- 
 ry, I met with two on 
 a creek near Peters- 
 burg, in Virginia. In 
 the more northern dis- 
 tricts, however, they are migratory. In Pennsylvania, the female 
 usually begins to lay late in April, or early in May. Instances 
 
502 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 have been known where the nest was constructed of a few sticks 
 laid in a fork of the branches : usually, however, the inside of 
 a hollow tree is selected for this purpose. On the 18th of May, 
 I visited a tree containing the nest of a Summer Duck, on the 
 banks of Tuckahoe River, New Jersey. It was an old, gro- 
 tesque white oak, whose top had been torn off by a storm. It 
 stood on the declivity of the bank, about twenty yards from the 
 water. In this hollow and broken top, ana about six feet down, on 
 the soft, decayed wood, lay thirteen eggs, snugly covered with 
 down, doubtless taken from the breast of the bird. These eggs 
 were of an exact oval shape, less than those of a Hen ; the surface 
 exceedingly fine-grained, and of the highest polish, and slightly 
 yellowish, greatly resembling old, polished ivory. The egg meas- 
 ured two inches and an eighth by one inch and a half. On 
 breaking one of them, the young bird was found to be nearly 
 hatched, but dead, as neither of the parents had been observed 
 about the tree during the three or four days preceding, and were 
 conjectured to have been shot. 
 
 " This tree had been occupied, probably by the same pair, for 
 four successive years, in breeding-time : the person who gave me 
 the information, and whose house was within twenty or thirty yards 
 of the tree, said that he had seen the female, the spring preceding, 
 carry down thirteen young, one by one, in less than ten minutes. 
 She caught them in her bill by the wing or back of the neck, and 
 landed them safely at the foot of the tree, whence she afterwards 
 led them to the water. Under this same tree, at the time I visited 
 it, a large sloop lay on the stocks, nearly finished : the deck was not 
 more than twelve feet distant from the nest ; yet, notwithstanding 
 the presence and noise of the workmen, the Ducks would not aban- 
 don their old breeding-place, but continued to pass out and in, as if 
 no person had been near. The male usually perched on an adjoin- 
 ing limb, and kept watch while the female was laying, and also 
 often while she was sitting. A tame Goose had chosen a hollow 
 space, at the root of the same tree, to lay and hatch her young in. 
 
 " The Summer Duck seldom flies in flocks of more than three or 
 four individuals together, and. most commonly in pairs or singly. 
 The common note of the Drake is peet, peet ; but when, standing 
 sentinel, he sees danger, he makes a noise not unlike the crowing 
 
THE SEA DUCKS. 503 
 
 of a young cock, oe eek ! oe eek ! Their food consists principally of 
 acorns, seeds of the wild oats, and insects. Their flesh is little 
 inferior to that of the Blue-winged Teal. They are frequent in 
 the markets of Philadelphia." 
 
 The eggs of the Summer Duck are of a dirty yellowish- 
 white color. Their form varies from ovate to nearly oval ; 
 and their dimensions vary from 2.20 by 1.55 (Wisconsin), 
 to 2.10 by 1.55 (Maine), and 1.98 by 1.45 (Massachusetts). 
 
 This species is easily domesticated, and soon becomes 
 very tame. It breeds in confinement, and soon acquires all 
 the habits of the domestic Mallard, but prefers a hollow 
 tree or stump for its resting-place. 
 
 Mr. 0. Brewer, editor of the " Boston Cultivator," has, 
 at his residence in West Roxbury, Mass., a large flock of 
 these birds, which he has raised himself; and they are cer- 
 tainly the most beautiful and interesting pets that I have 
 seen. 
 
 Sub-Family FULIGULINJE. The Sea Ducks. 
 
 The chief character of the Futigulince, as compared with the Anatince, consists in 
 the greatly developed lobe or membranous flap attached to or suspended from the 
 inferior surface of the hind toe ; the feet are usually enormously large, the tarsi 
 short, the legs set far back, and the whole organization well fitted for swimming 
 and diving: many of the species live on or near the seacoast, although most of 
 them straggle more or less through the interior of the countries they inhabit. 
 
 FULIX, SUNDEVALL. 
 
 Fulix, SUNDEVALL, Kong. Vet. Ak. Hand. (1835). (As restricted.) 
 Bill longer than the tarsus, and about equal to the head, and to the middle toe 
 without the nail ; feathers of cheeks, chin, and forehead advancing but slightly, and 
 to about the same distance ; nostrils open, situated in the anterior portion of the 
 basal two-fifths of the bill, not reaching the middle ; edges of bill about parallel, 
 or widening to the tip ; profile gently concave to the nail, which is decurved ; nail 
 not one-third the width of the bill, and forming only the central portion of its tip ; 
 tarsus about half the middle toe and claw; bill as long as the feet; tail short, 
 rounded, of fourteen feathers; head and neck black. 
 
504 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FULIX MAEILA. Baird. 
 The Scaup Duck; Big Black Head; Blue Bill. 
 
 Anas marila, Linnseus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 196. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 
 84. 
 
 Fuliffula marila, Audubon. Birds Am., VII. (1843) 355. Gir. Birds L. Island, 
 (1844) 321. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head and neck all round, jugulum and shoulders, lower part of back, tail, and 
 coverts, black ; the head with a gloss of dark-green on the sides ; rest of under parts 
 white ; feathers on the lower parts of belly and on the sides, the long feathers of the 
 flanks, the interscapulum, and the scapulars, white, waved in zigzag transversely 
 with black ; greater and middle wing coverts similarly marked, but more finely and 
 obscurely; greater coverts towards the tip and the tertials greenish - black ; the 
 speculum is white, bordered behind by greenish-black ; the white extending across 
 the whole central portion of the secondaries ; outer primaries and tips of all, brown- 
 ish-black ; inner ones pale-gray ; the central line dusky ; axillars and middle of the 
 inferior surface of the wing white ; bill blue; the nail black; legs plumbeous; iris 
 yellow. 
 
 Female with the head brown ; the region all round the base of the bill white ; the 
 undulations of black and white on the feathers wanting, or but faintly indicated 
 above. 
 
 Length, twenty inches ; wing, nine ; tarsus, one and fifty-eight one-hundredths 
 inches ; commissure, two and sixteen one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Whole of North America and Europe. 
 
 This species is, although not abundant, generally met 
 with on our coast in spring and fall. It seldom penetrates 
 far inland, but prefers the bays and mouths of creeks on the 
 shore, where it has all the habits of the sea Ducks. I have 
 known of its being taken in small numbers on Punkapoag 
 Pond, Massachusetts, where it associated with the common 
 Dusky Duck. Giraud, in his "Birds of Long Island," 
 speaks of it as being very abundant on our coasts ; arriving 
 from the North from the 10th to the 20th of October in 
 large flocks. My experience has been, that it is far from 
 being an abundant species ; and that it is more often seen 
 in flocks of not more than eight or ten birds than in larger 
 parties. Its habits, however, may vary in different localities ; 
 and it may be abundant, like many other species, in some 
 sections, when it is comparatively scarce in others. 
 
 It passes to the most northern countries to spend the 
 
THE LITTLE BLACK-HEAD. 505 
 
 season of incubation on our coast ; but, in the interior, it is 
 an abundant breeder, in the lake country, in Wisconsin, 
 and other localities in similar latitudes. It nests on the 
 ground ; forming, as I am told, a nest of grass and weeds in 
 a marshy swamp, very similar to the nest of the Mallard that 
 breeds in the same localities. 
 
 The eggs are from six to ten in number : they are of an 
 ovate form, sometimes nearly oval ; and are of a dirty pale- 
 drab color, with a slight tint of olivaceous. 
 
 They vary in dimensions from 2.32 by 1.60 to 2.26 by 
 1.52 inch (both sizes from Wisconsin). 
 
 FULIX AFFINIS. Baird. 
 The Little Black-head; Blue Bill. 
 
 Fuligula marila, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 226; V. (1839) 614. Ib., 
 Birds Am., VI. (1843) 316. 
 
 Fuligula minor, Giraud. Birds L. Island (1844), 323. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill blue; the nail black; head, neck, forepart of breast, and back anterior to 
 the shoulder, lower part of back, tail and its coverts, black; the head with violet 
 purple reflections, changing occasionally to green ; the belly and sides, with axillars, 
 and central portion of inner surfaces of wings pure-white ; the lower part of the 
 belly, near the anus, undulated finely with black spots ; the interscapular region and 
 scapulars white, with transverse zigzag bands or lines of bhick, these lines much 
 further apart in the scapulars, which consequently are whiter; wings blackish ; the 
 lesser and middle coverts sprinkled with grayish; the speculum is white, edged 
 behind by greenish-black, the color also of the tertials ; the white of the speculum 
 goes across the middle of the secondaries ; iris yellow. 
 
 The female has the wing nearly similar; the black replaced by brownish; the 
 region round the base of the bill whitish ; the marbling or mottling almost entirely 
 wanting. 
 
 Length, sixteen and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eight; tarsus, one and 
 thirty-four one-hundredths ; commissure, one and ninety-four one-hundredths inch. 
 
 This species resembles the former in its general habits, 
 but is more abundant on our coast, where it is generally 
 known to our gunners by the name of " Blue-bill Coot." 
 It appears in our creeks and bays early in October, and 
 remains with us until late in November, and even later, if 
 the season is mild and open. 
 
506 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 " The food of the Scaup Duck I have found to consist of 
 small fry, cray-fishes, and a mixture of such grasses as here 
 and there grow along the beds of our rivers." AUDUBON. 
 It is an expert diver, and can remain a considerable time 
 under water. When wounded, it often dives, and, clinging 
 to the weeds or rocks at the bottom of the water, remains 
 there until dead ; and often the bird does not rise to the 
 surface until the whole warmth of it has left its body, when 
 the muscles, losing their contraction, permit the bird to float 
 off. Very often it does not come to the surface at all, when 
 thus wounded and dying, but remains like a stone on the 
 bottom until its parts become separated by the waves, or by 
 crabs or other crustaceans. Of the breeding habits and 
 nest of this bird I am ignorant. I have but a single egg in 
 my collection, from Youkon. This is ovoidal in form, of 
 a dirty pale-drab color, and is 2.25 inch in length, and 
 1.60 at its greatest breadth. 
 
 AYTHYA, BOIE. 
 
 Aythya, BOIE, Isis (1822). (Type Anas ferina, L.) 
 
 Very similar to Fuligula in general characters of shape ; the bill elongated, longer 
 than the head, and about equal to the middle toe with the claw; the bill more 
 slender in one species, the nail smaller and less decurved ; the bill higher at base, 
 and the upper outline nearly straight to beyond the end of the nostrils, which do 
 not quite reach the middle of the bill ; colors similar to those of Fuligula ; the head 
 and neck red ; tail of fourteen feathers. 
 
 ATTHYA AMERICANA. Bonaparte. 
 The Bed Head. 
 
 Alias ferina, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 84. 
 
 Fuligula ferina, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 434. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1835) 
 198. 76., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 311. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill as long as the head, broad, blue, the end black; the region anterior to the 
 nostrils dusky; head, and neck for more than half its length, brownish-red, glossed 
 above and behind with violaceous-red ; rest of neck, and body anterior to the shoul- 
 ders, lower part of back and tail coverts, black; beneath white, sprinkled with gray 
 and black anterior to the crissum ; the sides, interscapulars, and scapulars finely 
 lined with undulating black and white in nearly equal proportions, imparting a 
 
THE CANVAS-BACK DUCK. 507 
 
 general gray tint; wing coverts bluish-gray, finely sprinkled with whitish; the 
 speculum, consisting of the ends of the secondaries, hoary graj-ish-blue, lightest 
 externally, and the innermost narrowly edged externally with black ; basal portion 
 of inner primaries somewhat similar to the speculum ; tail of fourteen feathers ; iris 
 orange-yellow. 
 
 This species, with a strong resemblance to the Canvas -back, is readily dis- 
 tinguished by the shorter, broader bill, absence of brown on the head, and a greater 
 predominance of black in the waved lines ; this being equal in amount to the white, 
 instead of much less. 
 
 Female with the head, neck, and forepart of body, brownish; the region round 
 the base of the bill whitish. 
 
 Length of male, twenty and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, nine and fifty 
 orie-hundredths; tarsus, one and sixty one-hundredths; commissure, two and thirty 
 one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Whole of North America. 
 
 This handsome bird is pretty abundant on our shores, 
 where it usually prefers the small bays and estuaries of 
 creeks : it is also found in many of our large tracts of fresh 
 water, where it feeds on the tender leaves and roots of the 
 various aquatic plants, and small fish, and larvae of aquatic 
 insects. I found several specimens of both sexes in the Um- 
 bagog Lakes in June ; and I think it not impossible, that, if 
 it does not breed there, it will be found to breed in some of 
 the lake regions of northern New England. For it is ob- 
 served, in various localities, as late as the first week in June ; 
 and it can be hardly possible that all the birds thus observed 
 are barren. 
 
 The habits of this species so much resemble those of the 
 succeeding species, that the same remarks will apply to 
 both. 
 
 Of its breeding habits, nest, and eggs, I am ignorant. 
 
 AYTHYA VALLISNEEIA. Bvnaparte. 
 The Canvas-back Duck. 
 
 Anas vallisneria, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 103. 
 Fuligula valUsneria, Nuttall. Man., II. 430. 
 Aythya vallisneria, Bonaparte. List ( 1838). 
 
 Fuligula vallisneriana, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 1. Ib., Birds Am., 
 VI. (1843) 299. 
 
508 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill long, slender, and tapering; head all round and neck chestnut; the top of 
 the head and region around the base of the bill dusky-brown ; rest of neck, body 
 anterior to the shoulders, back behind, rump and tail coverts, black ; under parts 
 white ; the region anterior to the anus, the sides, the interscapulars and scapulars, 
 white, finely dotted, in transverse line, with black, the white greatly predominating; 
 speculum bluish-gray, lighter externally ; the innermost secondaries of the specu- 
 lum edged externally with black; iris carmine. 
 
 Female with the black and chestnut replaced by brown, the cheeks and chin 
 lighter, and some tinged with dull-rufous. 
 
 ' Length, twenty and ten one-hundredths ; wing, nine and thirty one-hundredths,- 
 tarsus, one and seventy one-hundredths ; commissure, two and sixty-five inches. 
 
 The Canvas-back is rarely taken in New England. I 
 have seen a few that were killed in Punkapoag Pond, Can- 
 ton, Mass. J. A. Allen speaks of its being occasionally 
 found at the western part of the State ; and I once killed 
 one in Lake Umbagog, Me. It generally passes to its 
 northern breeding-grounds, and back to its winter home, 
 through the interior of the country, seldom by the seaboard, 
 at least north of Pennsylvania ; and, when found in New 
 England, is only a wanderer from the great flight. 
 
 Wilson, in describing its habits, says, 
 
 " The Canvas-back Duck arrives in the United States from the 
 north about the middle of October : a few descend to the Hudson 
 and Delaware ; but the great body of these birds resort to the 
 numerous rivers belonging to and in the neighborhood of the 
 Chesapeake Bay, particularly the Susquehanna, the Patapsco, 
 Potomac, and James Rivers, which appear to be their general 
 winter rendezvous. Beyond this, to the south, I can find no cer- 
 tain accounts of them. At the Susquehanna, they are called 
 Canvas-backs ; on the Potomac, White-backs ; and on James 
 River, Sheldrakes. They are seldom found at a great distance up 
 any of these rivers, or even in the salt-water bay, but in that par- 
 ticular part of tide-water where a certain grass-like plant grows, on 
 the roots of which they feed. This plant, which is said to be a 
 species of vallisneria, grows on fresh-water shoals of from seven 
 to nine feet (but never where these are occasionally dry), in long, 
 narrow, grass-like blades, of four or five feet in length : the root is 
 white, and has some resemblance to small celery. This grass is in 
 
THE CANVAS-BACK DUCK. 509 
 
 many places so thick that a boat can with difficulty be rowed 
 through it, it so impedes the oars. The shores are lined with large 
 quantities of it, torn up by the Ducks, and drifted up by the winds, 
 lying, like hay, in windrows. Wherever this plant grows in abun- 
 dance, the Canvas-backs may be expected, either to pay occasional 
 visits, or to make it their regular residence during the winter. It 
 occurs in some parts of the Hudson ; in the Delaware, near Glou- 
 cester, a few miles below Philadelphia ; and in most of the rivers 
 that fall into the Chesapeake, to each of which particular places 
 these Ducks resort ; while, in waters unprovided with this nutri- 
 tive plant, they are altogether unknown. 
 
 " On the first arrival of these birds in the Susquehanna, near 
 Havre-de- Grace, they are generally lean ; but such is the abundance 
 of their favorite food, that, towards the beginning of November, 
 they are in pretty good order. They are excellent divers, and 
 swim with great speed and agility. They sometimes assemble in 
 such multitudes as to cover several acres of the river, and, when 
 they rise suddenly, produce a noise resembling thunder. They 
 float about these shoals, diving, and tearing up the grass by the 
 roots, which is the only part they eat. They are extremely shy, 
 and can rarely be approached, unless by stratagem. When wound- 
 ed in the wing, they dive to such prodigious distances, and with 
 such rapidity, continuing it so perseveringly, and with such cun- 
 ning and active vigor, as almost always to render the pursuit hope- 
 less. From the great demand for these Ducks, and the high price 
 they uniformly bring in market, various modes are practised to get 
 within gunshot of them. The most successful way is said to be 
 decoying them to the shore by means of a dog, while the gunner 
 lies closely concealed in a proper situation. The dog, if properly 
 trained, plays backwards and forwards along the margin of the 
 water ; and the Ducks, observing his manoeuvres, enticed perhaps 
 by curiosity, gradually approach the shore, until they are sometimes 
 within twenty or thirty yards of the spot where the gunner lies 
 concealed, and from which he rakes them, first on the water, and 
 then as they rise. This method is called tolling them in. If the 
 Ducks seem difficult to decoy, any glaring object, such as a red 
 handkerchief, is fixed round the dog's middle or to his tail ; and this 
 rarely fails to attract them. Sometimes, by moonlight, the sports- 
 
510 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 man directs his skiff towards a flock whose position he had previ- 
 ously ascertained, keeping within the projecting shadow of some 
 wood, bank, or headland, arid paddles along so silently and imper- 
 ceptibly as often to approach within fifteen or twenty yards of a 
 flock of many thousands, among whom he generally makes great 
 slaughter. 
 
 "Many other stratagems are practised, and, indeed, every plan 
 that the ingenuity of the experienced sportsman can suggest, to 
 approach within gunshot of these birds : but, of all the modes pur- 
 sued, none intimidate them so much as shooting them by night ; 
 and they soon abandon the place where they have been thus 
 repeatedly shot at. During the day, they are dispersed about, but, 
 towards evening, collect in large flocks, and come into the mouths 
 of creeks, where they often ride as at anchor, with their head 
 under their wing, asleep ; there being always sentinels awake, ready 
 to raise an alarm on the least appearance of danger. Even when 
 feeding and diving in small parties, the whole never go down at one 
 time, but some are still left above on the lookout. 
 
 " When the winter sets in severely, and the river is frozen, the 
 Canvas-backs retreat to its confluence with the bay ; occasionally 
 frequenting air-holes in the ice, which are sometimes made for the 
 purpose, immediately above their favorite grass, to entice them 
 within gunshot of the hut or bush, which is usually fixed at a 
 proper distance, and where the gunner lies concealed, ready to take 
 advantage of their distress. A Mr. Hill, who lives near James 
 River, at a place called Herring Creek, informs me, that, one 
 severe winter, he and another person broke a hole in the ice, about 
 twenty by forty feet, immediately over a shoal of grass, and took 
 their stand on the shore in a hut of brush, each having three guns 
 well loaded with large shot. The Ducks, which were flying up and 
 down the river, in great extremity, soon crowded to this place, so 
 that the whole open space was not only covered with them, but vast 
 numbers stood on the ice around it. They had three rounds, firing 
 both at once, and picked up eighty-eight Canvas-backs, and might 
 have collected more, had they been able to get to the extremity of 
 the ice after the wounded ones. In the severe winter of 1779-80, 
 the grass, on the roots of which these birds feed, was almost wholly 
 destroyed in James River. In the month of January, the wind 
 
BARROW'S GOLDEN EYE. 511 
 
 continued to blow from W.N.W. for twenty-one days, which caused 
 such low tides in the river, that the grass froze to the ice every- 
 where ; and, a thaw coming on suddenly, the whole was raised by 
 the roots, and carried off by the fresh. The next winter, a few of 
 these Ducks were seen ; but they soon went away again : and, for 
 many years after, they continued to be scarce ; and, even to the 
 present day, in the opinion of my informant, have never been so 
 plenty as before." 
 
 The delicacy of the flesh of this bird for food is so well 
 known that any remarks here seem superfluous ; but I will 
 say that it does not greatly excel that of the Red Head, and 
 in my own opinion is not at all superior to that of the Teals 
 or Widgeon. 
 
 The Canvas-back breeds in the most northern portions of 
 the continent. I am ignorant of its habits in the season 
 of incubation, and have but one egg in my collection to 
 describe from. This is of an ovate form, nearly oval, of a 
 pale-blue color with an olivaceous tinge, quite smooth to 
 the touch, and quite thin and brittle. Its dimensions are 
 2.54 by 1.78 inch. The locality of this egg I am ignorant 
 of, but think that it is from the Hudson's-Bay country. 
 
 BUCEPHALA, BAIRD. 
 
 Clangula, FLEMING, Philos. Zool. (1828). (Type Anas clangula, L.) Not of 
 1822, which has Anas glacialis for type, according to G. R. Gray. 
 
 Bill, from feathers of forehead, about equal to the tarsus, and shorter than the 
 head ; high at the base ; lateral outlines tapering to the tip, where the nail forms 
 only the central portion, though rather large ; nostrils situated near the middle of 
 the bill; feathers of chin and forehead extending only moderately forward, a little 
 further than those of the cheeks ; tarsus rather more than half the foot ; tail moder- 
 ately long, about half the wing, and somewhat pointed ; of sixteen feathers. 
 
 BUCEPHALA ISLANDICA. Baird. 
 Barrow's Golden Eye. 
 
 Fuliffula ( Clangula) fiarrowii, Nuttall. Man., II. 444. 
 
 Fuligula dangula, Audubon. Orn. Biog., V. (1839) 105. /&., Birds Am., VI. 
 
 (1843). 
 
512 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head and neck all round bluish-violet, occasionally with green or purplish re- 
 flection; a large white patch anterior to the eye, occupying the entire side of the bill, 
 and running up in a point on the forehead ; lower neck and under parts generall} 1 - 
 white; a narrow white patch on the middle wing coverts; the greater coverts black, 
 tipped with white, which is continuous with the white secondaries, but separated 
 from that on the middle coverts ; anterior scapulars white, edged externally with 
 black; the posterior ones black, with white central streak; rest of upper parts black, 
 as are the sides behind, and including the tibia ; long feathers of the flank white, 
 tipped and edged above with black. 
 
 Length, twenty-two and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, nine and fifty one- 
 hundredths ; tarsus, one and fifty-eight one-hundredths inches ; commissure, one and 
 eighty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hab. Iceland, and northern parts of America. In winter, not rare on the St. 
 Lawrence. 
 
 This species is found in considerable numbers on our 
 north-eastern coast, in the winter months. It breeds in the 
 arctic portions of the continent, but has all the other habits 
 of the succeeding species. 
 
 BUCEPHALA AMERICANA. Saird. 
 The Golden Eye ; Whistle Wing. 
 
 Anas clangula, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 62. 
 
 Fuligula (Clangula) clangula, Bonaparte. Syn., (1828) 393. Nutt. Man., II. 
 441. 
 
 Fuligula clangula, Audubqn. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 318. 75., Birds Am., VI. 
 (1843) 362. 
 
 Clangula Americana, Bonaparte. Comp. List (1838). Eyt. Mon. Anat. (1838) 
 167. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill black ; head and upper part of neck glossy-green ; the under surface opaque 
 velvety purplish-black ; an elliptical patch along the base of upper mandible ante- 
 rior to the eye, lower part of neck, under parts generally, and sides, middle and 
 greater wing coverts, the innermost secondaries (and tertials, except the innermost 
 three or four), white ; the white on the wing is in a continuous patch, although there 
 is a concealed black bar on the bases of the greater coverts ; the inner scapulars are 
 white, margined externally with black ; posteriorly, however, they are black, streaked 
 centrally with white ; the inner scapulars and tertials, and the whole back, rump, 
 and lesser wing coverts, are black ; the primaries and tail black, with a hoary gloss ; 
 the under side of quills and lower greater coverts are plumbeous-gray; the rest of 
 the under wing and the axillars are sooty-brown; the long white feathers of the 
 flanks are edged superiorly with black ; iris golden yellow. 
 
 Female with the head and neck above snuff-brown, without white patch; white 
 of wing less extended; the middle coverts only touched with white; there is a ten- 
 
THE GOLDEN EYE. 513 
 
 dency to a black bar across the tips of the greater coverts ; the white of the wing 
 sometimes well defined. 
 
 Length, eighteen and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, eight and fifty- 
 one-hundredths ; tarsus, one and fifty one-hundredths ; commissure, two inches. 
 
 Hab. Whole of North America. 
 
 This handsome species is a common spring and autumn 
 resident in New England ; and in mild winters is often seen, 
 both in the bays and rivers on the coast, and in the lakes 
 and ponds in the interior, when they are open. It breeds 
 in the northern portions of New England, particularly in 
 the lake country of Northern Maine. I have found it, in the 
 breeding season, in Lake Umbagog, and in the Magalloway 
 River ; but, although I searched carefully for its nest, I 
 could not find it. This might have been, and probably was, 
 owing to the nature of the nesting-place ; for I saw several 
 pairs, and the localities were those which this bird selects 
 for the purpose of incubation. 
 
 The nest of this species is built in a hole, in a tall dead 
 tree, or in the top of a tall stub, which is hollowed sufficiently 
 for its reception. The pines and hemlocks often die ; and, 
 standing for years, the bark drops off, then the limbs, until 
 the body is at last left, a single straight, smooth, white shaft, 
 often from forty to fifty feet high, and two or three feet thick 
 at its base. At last, in a fierce storm or gale, the shaft either 
 breaks off close to the ground, or at sometimes the height 
 of twenty or more feet; leaving, in the top that remains 
 standing, a huge rent, sometimes a foot or even more in 
 depth. In this the Golden Eye nests ; building of grass, 
 leaves, moss, and down from its own breast, a warm struc- 
 ture, in which she lays from six to ten eggs. These are 
 generally very rounded in form, of a greenish-blue color, 
 and average from 2.40 by 1.75 inch to 2.36 by 1.78 inch 
 in dimensions. The loud whistling of the wings of this 
 species, as it passes through the air, has given it the name 
 of the "Whistler." The bird feeds on small fish and 
 various aquatic plants, and, when living in the interior, is 
 
 33 
 
514 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 a fine-flavored fowl for the table ; but, when killed on the 
 coast, its flesh is fishy and strong. It is a bird of very 
 rapid flight, and is rather shy and difficult of approach. 
 
 BUCEPHALA ALBEOLA. Baird. 
 The Buffle-head ; Dipper; Butter-ball. 
 
 Ana$ a&eola, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 199. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 
 (1814) 61. 
 
 Fuligula ( Clangula) atbeola, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828) 394. Nutt. Man., II. 445. 
 Fuligula albeola, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 217. /&., Birds Am., VI. 
 
 (1843) 369. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Bill blue: head and neck anteriorly, dark-colored ; the region in front 
 of the eye and on the sides of the collar behind, rich-green, this color shading into 
 purplish on the upper and under surfaces of the head ; a broad patch on each side 
 of the head from the posterior border of the eye, and meeting its fellow on the nape, 
 the lower neck all round, under parts generally, wing coverts (except the lesser) 
 and most of the secondaries, and the scapulars, white ; the latter narrowly edged 
 externally with black; rest of upper parts, except as described, black; passing 
 gradually on the upper tail coverts into pale-gray; axillars and under wing coverts 
 sooty-brown, more or less tipped with white ; iris hazel. 
 
 Female. With the entire head, neck, and upper parts almost black ; an elongated 
 patch behind and below the eye (not reaching it); the outer webs of some second- 
 aries, and the under parts, white; the jugulum, sides, and anal region, plumbeous- 
 gray. 
 
 Length, fifteen inches ; wing, six and sixty-five one-hundredths ; tarsus, one and 
 twenty-five one-hundredths ; commissure, one and forty-four one-hundredths inch. 
 
 This very common and well-known bird is abundant on 
 our coast in the spring and autumn. It associates with 
 most of the other Sea Ducks in our bays and creeks, but, in 
 the interior, is seen only in pairs, or in small flocks of 
 three or four individuals. It is an expert diver ; and one 
 finds difficulty in shooting it when there are two or three 
 individuals together, from its habit of diving at the flash of 
 the gun. I have seen it at times, particularly after a severe 
 storm, in small fresh-water ponds, in the interior ; and, at 
 such times, it is quite tame and unsuspicious, or possibly 
 fatigued from its efforts in the storm. It feeds on small 
 fish and crustaceans, which it is very expert at catching. 
 When several birds are together, one always remains on the 
 
THE HARLEQUIN DUCK. 515 
 
 surface while the others are below in search of food, and, if 
 alarmed, it utters a short quack , when the others rise to the 
 surface ; and, on ascertaining the cause of the alarm, all 
 dive and swim off rapidly to the distance of several hundred 
 feet. The Buffle-head breeds in the northern portions of 
 the continent. It nests in the holes of dead trees, like the 
 preceding. The eggs are from five to eight in number. 
 
 HISTRIONICUS, LESSON. 
 
 Histrionicus, LESSON, Man. d'Ornith., II. (1828) 415. (Type Anas Mstrionica, L.) 
 Bill very small ; the culmen shorter than tarsus, tapering rapidly to the rounded 
 tip, which is entirely occupied by the nail ; nostrils small, in the anterior portion of 
 posterior half of bill; the centre about opposite the middle of commissure; a well- 
 marked angle at the postero-superior corner of the bill; the lateral outline con- 
 cave behind, the feathers on forehead extending a little beyond it; those of chin not 
 reaching further than those of the sides, and much posterior to the nostrils ; lateral 
 outline of edge of bill nearly straight; a membranous lobe at the base of the bill; 
 tertials bent outward, so as to cross the edge of the wing; tail more than half the 
 wing, considerably pointed, of fourteen feathers. 
 
 HISTRIONICUS TORQUATUS. Bonaparte. 
 The Harlequin Duck. 
 
 Anas histrionica, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1758) 127. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 
 (1814) 139. 
 
 Fuligula ( Clangula) histrionica, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 394. Nutt. Man., IL 448. 
 
 Fuligula histrionica, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 612; V. (1839) 617. /&., 
 Birds Am., VI. (1843)374. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Head and neck all round dark-blue; jugulum, sides of breast, and upper 
 parts, lighter blue, becoming bluish-black again on the tail coverts; the blue of 
 breast passes insensibly into dark bluish-brown behind ; a broad stripe along the 
 top of head from the bill to the nape, and the tail feathers, black ; a white patch 
 along the entire side of the base of bill anterior to the eye, and passing upwards 
 and backwards so as to border the black of the crown, but replaced from above the 
 eye to the nape by chestnut; a round spot on the side of the occiput; an elongated 
 one on the side of the neck ; a collar round the lower part of the neck, interrupted 
 before and behind, and margined behind, by dark-blue; a transversely elongated 
 patch on each side the breast, and similarly margined ; a round spot on the middle 
 wing coverts, a transverse patch on the end of the greater coverts, the scapulars in 
 part, a broad streak on the outer web of tertials, and a spot on each side the rest of 
 the tail, white; sides of body behind chestnut-brown; secondaries with a metallic 
 speculum of purplish or violet-blue; inside of wing, and axillars, dark-brown; iris 
 reddish-brown. 
 
516 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Female. With the head and body above, dark-brown ; the chin more plumbeous ; 
 the lower part of neck, breast, and under parts generally, except the central region 
 (which is white), duller and lighter brown; a whitish patch in front of the eye, and 
 a rounded spot just behind the ear. 
 
 Length, seventeen and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, seven and seventy 
 one-huudredths; tarsus, one and forty-eight one-hundredths; commissure, one and 
 fifty-four one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Northern seacoast of northern hemisphere. 
 
 The Harlequin Duck is very rare in Southern New Eng- 
 land, and is seldom met with here south of the most north- 
 ern portions on its coast. There it is pretty abundantly 
 seen as a winter visitor. It greatly resembles the following 
 in its general characteristics. I know nothing of its breed- 
 ing habits. 
 
 " The nest is composed of dry plants of various kinds, arranged 
 in a circular manner to the height of three or four inches, and lined 
 with finer grasses. The eggs are five or six, rarely more, measure 
 two inches and one-sixteenth by one inch and four and a half 
 eighths, and are of a plain greenish-yellow color. After the eggs 
 are laid, the female plucks the down from the lower parts of her 
 body, and places it beneath and around them." 
 
 HARELDA, LEACH. 
 
 " Harelda, LEACH (1816)," Gray. (Type Anas glacialis, L.) 
 Bill shorter than the head and tarsus, tapering laterally to the end; the nail 
 very broad, occupying the entire tip ; lateral profile of lower edge of upper mandi- 
 ble straight to near the end, then rising suddenly to the prominent decurved nail ; 
 nostrils large, in the posterior half of the bill, their centre about opposite the middle 
 of the commissure; tertials long, lanceolate, and straight; tail pointed, of fourteen 
 feathers, the central feathers very long, equal to the wings ; bill with almost no pos- 
 terior lateral upper angle ; the feathers of the sides advancing obliquely forwards ; 
 feathers of chin reaching beyond the middle of the commissure, or almost to the 
 anterior extremity of nostrils ; tail of fourteen feathers. 
 
 HAEELDA GLACIALIS. Leach. 
 The South Southerly ; Old Wife ; Long-tail. 
 
 Anas glacialis, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 93, 96. 
 Fuliffula (Harelda) glacialis, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 453. 
 Fuligula glacialis, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 103. Ib., Birds Am., VI. 
 (1843) 379. 
 
THE SOUTH SOUTHERLY. 517 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male in summer. Bill black, orange-yellow towards the tip ; head, neck, and 
 breast, very dark blackish-brown; the head above, back, rump, and middle tail 
 feathers, black ; the whole side of the head from the bill and to behind the eyes and 
 the sides of the body, pale bluish-gray ; the portion of the cheek patch immediately 
 around and behind the eye with a longitudinal streak each side the occiput ; the 
 under parts generally, and the more external tail feathers, white; feathers on the 
 fore part of the back, with the scapulars, broadly edged with light reddish-brown ; 
 under wing coverts and axillars brownish-chocolate; no white whatever on the 
 wing. 
 
 Male in winter. Differs from summer dress in having the head and neck white 
 to the jugulum and interscapular region; the gray of the cheeks persistent, and a 
 broad patch of black on the sides of the neck behind this ; the scapulars are pale 
 pearl-gray ; iris white. 
 
 Female. Lacks the long points to the tail and scapulars ; the head and neck 
 dusky, with a whitish patch around the eye and on the sides of the neck behind. 
 
 Length, twenty and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wing, eight and ninety 
 one-hundredths ; tail, eight ; tarsus, one and thirty-eight one-hundredths ; commis- 
 sure, one and sixty-two one-hundredths inches. 
 
 The Long-tailed Duck, so common in Massachusetts Bay 
 in the fall and spring migrations, breeds in the most north- 
 ern portions of the continent. 
 
 Audubon, in describing the nest and eggs, says, 
 
 " The nest was placed under an alder-bush, among rank weeds, 
 not more than eight or nine feet from the edge of the water, and 
 was formed of rather coarse grass, with an upper layer of finer 
 weeds, which were neatly arranged, while the down filled the bot- 
 tom of the cavity. [This was on the 28th of July, 1833. The 
 young birds had left this nest.] The number of young broods in 
 sight induced me to search for more nests ; and in about an hour 
 I discovered six more, in one of which I was delighted to find two 
 unhatched eggs. They measured two inches and one-eighth long, 
 by one and four and a half eighths broad ; were of a uniform pale 
 yellowish-green, and quite smooth." 
 
 In the months of September and October, this bird is 
 most abundant in New England. It gathers in immense 
 flocks, and frequents the bays and inlets on the shore, 
 where, keeping up its peculiar cry or chatter, the noise 
 of the flock is sometimes to be heard at the distance of 
 a mile. It is in this season, that the gunner, with his 
 
518 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 sail-boat or float, pursues these birds with great activity. 
 On approaching one of these large flocks, it is customary to 
 steer the boat to the windward of it ; for they, like most 
 other fowls, always rise to the windward. When, therefore, 
 the gunner arrives within gunshot, he fires into the flock 
 while it is in the water ; and when it rises, and flies to the 
 windward, often directly over his boat, he pours into it 
 sometimes three or four other charges before it gets out 
 of shot. It is a difficult bird to kill ; and, when wounded, it 
 always dives and clings to the bottom, where it dies. I once 
 brought down seven birds out of a flock at one discharge, 
 when they dove, and I did not secure one. Its flesh is oily 
 and strong, and is in no repute for the table. 
 
 MELANETTA, BOIE. 
 
 Feathers extending nearly as far forward on the sides of the bill as the nostril, 
 leaving the edges only free from the base ; bill very broad ; nail broad and almost 
 truncate. 
 
 MELANETTA VELVETINA. Beard. 
 The Velvet Duck; White-winged Coot. 
 
 Anas fusca, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 137. 
 
 Fuligula (Oidemia) fusca, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 390. Nutt. Man., II. 
 (1834) 419. 
 
 Fuligula fusca, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 354. 7k, Birds Am., VI. 
 (1843) 332. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Bill very broad, wider towards the tip than at the base ; feathers extend- 
 ing far along the side of the bill, and on the forehead, for nearly half the commissure, 
 running in an obtuse point about as far forward as the lower corner of the outline of 
 feathers on the side, both reaching nearly to the posterior border of the large, open, 
 nearly rounded nostrils ; culmen horizontal a little beyond the frontal feathers, then 
 abruptly bent downwards, nearly perpendicularly, to the much-depressed, nearly 
 horizontal portion; a sharp indented ridge along the base of culmen, ending in a 
 trihedral tubercle; color black; a white elongated patch around and a little behind 
 the eye, and a large white speculum on the wing, composed of white secondaries 
 and tips of greater coverts; bill black at base and lateral edges; red elsewhe're; iris 
 bright-yellow. 
 
 Female. Somewhat similar, but lighter beneath ; a large whitish patch on the 
 sideof the head behind the eye, but none around it; wings with white speculum, 
 somewhat as in the male ; bill also similar, but less swollen and elevated at base. 
 
THE VELVET DUCK. 519 
 
 Length, twenty-one and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eleven and thirty 
 one-hundredths ; tarsus, two and eight one-hundredths ; commissure two and 
 eighty-two one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hah. Along both coasts of North America to the north. 
 
 The Velvet Duck, or " White-winged Coot," as it is com- 
 monly called on our coast, is a very abundant species, in the 
 autumn and through the greater part of the winter, in 
 the bays and inlets along our whole shores. It is one of the 
 Sea Ducks ; and, although occasionally found in small num- 
 bers in the large bodies of water in the interior, it is sel- 
 dom seen in large flocks in any other localities than the 
 salt waters of the seacoast. There it is taken in abun- 
 dance from the first week in October until the middle of 
 December. The sportsmen, with decoys made of wood, 
 painted to resemble these fowls, anchor their small boats 
 in localities where the Coots are known to pass ; and, from 
 early dawn until late in the forenoon, and from late in the 
 afternoon until night, keep up a constant fusillade on 
 the swiftly moving flocks. I have known two gunners to 
 secure, in one day's shooting, thirty pairs of these birds; 
 and this large number is often exceeded. 
 
 The "Coots" are hunted more for the excitement of the 
 thing than for the sake of their flesh ; for, living as they do, 
 entirely on fish and a few mollusks, their flesh is strong 
 and oily, and far from pleasant. This species breeds in 
 Labrador and other northern localities. " The nests are 
 placed within a few feet of the borders of small lakes, 
 a mile or two distant from the sea, under the low boughs 
 of the bushes of the twigs of which, with mosses and 
 various plants matted together, they are formed. They 
 are large, and almost flat, several inches thick, with some 
 feathers of the female, but no down, under the eggs, 
 which are usually six in number, 2f inches in length by 
 1 in breadth, and of a uniform pale-cream color tinged 
 with green." 
 
520 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 PELIONETTA, KAUP. 
 
 Feathers not extending on sides of the bill; nail pointed anteriorly; colors black, 
 with a triangular white patch on the top of head and another on nape ; bill red, 
 with a rounded black lateral spot at base. 
 
 PELIONETTA PEESPICILLATA. Kavp. 
 The Surf Duck ; Sea Coot ; Butter-bill Coot. 
 
 Anas perspidllata, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 49. 
 
 Fuligula (Oidemia) perspicillata, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 389. Nutt. Man., 
 II. 416. 
 
 Fuligula perspicillata, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 161. /&., Birds Am., 
 VI. (1843) 337. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Tail of fourteen feathers; bill but little longer than the head, the feathers 
 extending forward half-way from the base to the tip, and opposite the posterior border 
 of the nostril ; the bill abruptly decurved or gibbous anterior to the end of the 
 feathers; nostrils open, nearly semicircular or stirrup-shaped, the straight portion of 
 the outline antero-inferior ; sides of bill swollen at the base so as to be further apart 
 above than below; color, entirely black throughout, with a greenish lustre above, 
 duller beneath ; a triangular white patch on the top of head, the base extending 
 between the posterior outline of the eye and reaching forward to a point a little 
 beyond the posterior line of the bill, the outlines rounded laterally and anteriorly; 
 the patch is separated from the eye by a narrow superciliary black space ; there is a 
 second triangular white patch beginning on the nape as a straight line the width of 
 the other patch, and running backwards for more than two inches; these triangular 
 spaces are thus base to base; iris yellowish-white. 
 
 Female. Bill as long as that of the male, but not swollen at the base, where the 
 sides approach each other above ; the feathers of forehead do not extend one-third 
 the distance from base to tip of bill ; the middle of nostril not quite as far as the 
 middle of the bill; nostrils linear, acutely pointed anteriorly; color brown; lighter 
 on the neck ; sides and beneath the under surface of the body whitish ; an obscure 
 whitish patch at the base of the bill, and another on the side of the head behind 
 the eyes. 
 
 Length of male, nineteen inches ; wing, nine and forty one-hundredths ; tarsus, 
 one and sixty-three one-hundredths; commissure, two and thirty-seven one-hun- 
 dredths inches. 
 
 Hob. On and near seacoast of North America, quite far south in winter; acci- 
 dental in Europe. 
 
 The Surf Duck, or " Butter-bill Coot," as it is usually 
 called on the coast, is equally abundant with the preceding. 
 Like all the Sea Ducks, this bird is an expert diver. I have 
 followed a flock of Sea Coots for hours in a small yacht, 
 with a good breeze, and have been unable to get within 
 
THE SCOTER. 521 
 
 gunshot of them, and without their taking wing even at that. 
 As soon as I arrived within two or three gunshots' distance, 
 the whole flock sank beneath the surface like so many 
 stones ; and, swimming under water for almost a quarter 
 of a mile, appeared at the surface in a locality where I least 
 expected to see them : sometimes immediately astern of my 
 boat ; at others, in a direction at right angles to the course 
 which I supposed they had taken. 
 
 Audubon, in describing a nest that he found in a boggy 
 marsh near the Gulf of St. Lawrence, says, 
 
 " The nest was snugly placed amid the tall leaves of a bunch 
 of grass, and raised fully four inches above its roots. It was 
 entirely composed of withered and rotten weeds, the former being 
 circularly arranged over the latter ; producing a well-rounded 
 cavity, the borders of which were lined with the down of the bird, 
 in the same manner as the Eider Duck's nest ; and in it lay five 
 eggs, which were two inches and two and a half eighths in length, 
 by one inch and five-eighths in their greatest breadth. They were 
 more equally rounded at both ends than usual, the shell perfectly 
 smooth, and of a uniform pale-yellowish or cream color." 
 
 OIDEMIA, FLEMING. 
 
 Oidemia, FLEMING, " Philos. Zool. (1822)." (Type Anas nigra, L.) 
 Bill much swollen at base, the terminal portion much depressed and very broad; 
 nail broad, occupying the terminal portion of the bill; nostrils situated anterior to 
 the middle of the commissure ; feathers of the chin running forwards as far as the 
 nostrils; color black with or without small patches of white. 
 
 OIDEMIA AMERICANA. Swainson. 
 The Scoter. 
 
 Anas nigra, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 135. 
 
 Fuligula Americana, Audubon. Orn. Biog., V. (1839) 117. Ib., Birds Am., VI. 
 (1843) 343. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Male. Tail of sixteen feathers ; bill much swollen on the basal third ; the basal 
 portion of culmen convex, and rapidly descending; the terminal portion of bill 
 much depressed ; the anterior extremity of nostrils half-way from the lateral or upper 
 feathers at the base of bill to the tip ; the swelling at base of bill divided by a fur- 
 row along the median line; the frontal feathers extend slightly forward in an obtuse 
 
522 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 point; bill of female not TOIT dissimilar, lacking the swelling at the base; color 
 entirely black all over, without any white; bill black along the edges and tip; the 
 swollen basal portion red to beyond the nostrils. 
 
 Female. Brown; lighter on sides of head, throat, and under surface of body, 
 
 where the feathers have each an obscure dusky spot. 
 
 Length, twenty-three and eighty one-hundredths inches ; wing, nine and twenty 
 one-hundredths ; tarsus, one and seventy-eight one-hundredths; commissure, two 
 and fourteen one-hundredths inches. 
 
 This species is also known on the coast by the name of 
 Coot. It is far less abundant than the other, but has all 
 the habits of that bird. It also associates with it, and is a 
 very expert diver ; sinking beneath the surface of the water, 
 at the flash of a gun, before the shot reaches it. I know 
 nothing of its breeding habits, and have no eggs by me for 
 description. 
 
 SOMATERIA, LEACH. 
 
 Somateria, LEACH, in Fleming's Philos. Zool. (1822). (Type Anas mottissima, L.) 
 Bill much compressed, tapering to the tip ; the nail enormously large, and forming 
 the terminal portion of the bill, and much decurved; the feathers of forehead 
 advancing forward in an acute long point, separating on each side a frontal exten- 
 sion or linear process, or the feathers of the cheek may be said to extend a 
 considerable distance along the commissural edge of the bill; nostrils situated 
 anterior to the middle of the commissure; tail rather pointed, but short, of fourteen 
 feathers. 
 
 SOMATEBIA MOLLISSIMA. Leach. 
 The Eider Duck. 
 
 Anas mollissima, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 122. 
 
 Fuligula (Somateria) mollissima, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 388. Nutt. Man., II. 
 (1834) 407. 
 
 Fuligula mollissima, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 344; V. 611. 76., Birds 
 Am., VI. (1843) 349. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Tail of fourteen feathers ; prevailing color white ; the under surface and sides of 
 body, hinder part of back, rump, and tail, black ; wings white on both surfaces, 
 except the quills, which are black; narrow margin inferiorly of the frontal process 
 of bill and the forehead violet-black, this color bifurcating opposite the middle of the 
 eye, and continued broadly on each side the head to the nape, the color extend- 
 ing a little below the eye; the white below and behind the black glossed with trans- 
 parent emerald-green ; the interspace white; iris brown. 
 
 Length, twenty-six inches ; wing, eleven and twenty-four one-hundredths ; tar- 
 sus, one and eighty -two one-hundredths ; commissure, two and fifty-three one-hun- 
 dredths inches. 
 
THE KING EIDER. 
 
 523 
 
 This is another of our Sea Ducks that is very abundant 
 in the bays and inlets of our coast during the fall and win- 
 ter months, and until April in the spring. 
 
 The history of its 
 habits and distri- 
 bution is so well 
 known, that any ac- 
 count here is hard- 
 ly needed. 
 
 It breeds in abun- 
 dance in Labrador 
 and other northern 
 portions of the con- 
 tinent, and a few pass the season of incubation on the 
 islands in the Bay of Fundy ; this being the nearest point 
 to our coast that it breeds in at present, although it is said 
 to have formerly reared its young on the islands off Cape 
 Ann in Massachusetts, and off the coast of Maine. 
 
 The nest is placed on the ground beneath the shelter of 
 a low bush or thick bunch of weeds or grass. It is con- 
 structed, first, of a thin layer of grasses and weeds, on 
 which the female deposits a thick layer of down, which she 
 pulls from her breast. This is deeply hollowed ; and in this 
 warm receptacle, the eggs, from six to eight or ten in num- 
 ber, are deposited. These are of a dirty pale-green color, 
 and their form is varied from ovate to a sharply pointed 
 ovoidal. Their dimensions vary from 3.22 by 2.10 inches 
 to 2.82 by 1.98 inch. 
 
 SOMATERIA SPECTABILIS. Lead. 
 The King Eider. 
 
 Anas spectabilis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 195. Gm., I. 567. 
 
 Fuligula (Somateria) spectabilis, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 389. Nutt. Man., II. 
 (1834) 414. 
 
 Fuligula spectabilis, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 523. lb., Birds Am., VI. 
 (1843) 347. 
 
524 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Body and wings black; the portion anterior to the shoulder joint, interscapular 
 region in part, most of neck and throat, white; the jugulum with a creamy tinge; a 
 narrow border to the frontal processes of the bill and their interspace ; small space 
 round the eye and a V-shaped mark on the chin black; top of head and nape 
 bluish-ash, slightly spotted with black ; middle wing coverts, tips of secondaries, 
 axillars, and most of under surface of wing, with a patch on each side of the rump, 
 white; sides of head glossed with transparent emerald-green; the scapulars have 
 the black tinged with slate. 
 
 Length, twenty-one and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, ten and seventy one- 
 hundredths; tarsus, one and eighty-six one-hundredths; commissure, two and 
 fifty-three one-hundredths inches. , 
 
 The King Ejder is a rare species on our coast in the 
 winter months. It is a more northern species than the pre- 
 ceding, and seldom reaches as far south as the coast of 
 Massachusetts. It is of similar habits with the other Sea 
 Ducks, and breeds in the most northern sections of the 
 country. The eggs found by Captain James Clark Ross, 
 R.N., measure 2f inches by 1|, have a smooth shell, and are 
 of a uniform dull-greenish color. 
 
 Sub-Family ERISMATURIN^E. 
 
 The most prominent character of the Erismaturince is found in the very rigid tail 
 feathers with the much abbreviated coverts, which leave the greater portion of the 
 tail exposed. There are peculiarities in the nail at the end of the bill in Erismatura 
 not found in the other sub-families. 
 
 ERISMATURA, BONAPARTE. 
 
 Eriimatura, BONAPARTE, Saggio, etc. (1832). 
 
 Bill broad, rather high at the base, much depressed, and bent upwards; upper 
 lateral angle of bill running back on the forehead some distance, farther than the 
 lower edge of the bill; nostrils reaching to the middle of the bill, rather small; por- 
 tion of nail seen from above very narrow and linear; bent abruptly downwards and 
 backwards at the tip, so as to be invisible from the upper surface; tarsi very short, 
 scarcely more than one-third the long feet; tail very stiff, of eighteen feathers; 
 the coverts above and below very much abbreviated, so as to expose the greater 
 part of the tail; the feathers narrow, linear; the shafts very large, and channelled 
 on the under surface near the base; wings very short, and incurved at the end. 
 
THE RUDDY DUCK. 525 
 
 ERISMATURA RUBIDA. Bonaparte. 
 The Ruddy Duck ; Dipper Duck. 
 
 Anas rubida, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 128, 130. 
 Anas (Fuligula) rubida, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1825), 268. 
 Fuligula ( Gymnura) rubida., Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 426. 
 Fuligula rubida, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 455. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. 
 (1838) 326. /&., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 324. 
 Eri&matura rubida, Bonaparte. List (1838). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill grayish-blue; top of head and nape black; sides of head below the eyes, 
 with the chin, pure opaque-white; lower part of neck all round, and the entire upper 
 parts, with upper portion of sides, chestnut-red ; under parts generally lustrous gray- 
 ish-white, with an occasional brownish tinge; crissum pure-white; wings brown, 
 without speculum, finely and almost inappreciably sprinkled with gray ; tail nearly 
 black ; iris hazel. 
 
 Female with the entire upper parts dark -brown ; the back and wing coverts finely 
 sprinkled with grayish ; the under parts brownish-white, tinged with greenish-brown 
 across the lower part of neck ; the brown of the head comes down below the level 
 of the eye, and there is an obscure dusky stripe parallel with its lower outline, from 
 the commissure. 
 
 The continuity of the white of the under parts is interrupted by the occasional 
 appearance of the basal brown of the feathers, owing to the shortness of the white 
 tip, which thus gives rise to the appearance of dusky transverse bands. 
 
 Length, sixteen inches ; wing, five and eighty one-hundredths ; tarsus, one and 
 twenty-six one-hundredths ; commissure, one and eighty one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hab. Whole of North America; abundant throughout the interior. 
 
 This pretty little Sea Duck is not very common on our 
 coast. It visits us only late in the autumn, and remains 
 until early spring, frequenting the bays and inlets along the 
 shore, where it feeds on small fish and mollusks, which it 
 obtains by diving. It is so expert a diver that sportsmen 
 recognize it by the name of " Ruddy Diver " and " Dipper ; " 
 and all attest to the difficulty with which it is shot. 
 
 Of its breeding habits, nest, and eggs, I am ignorant. 
 
 Sub-Family MERGING. The Sheldrakes. 
 
 Bill very slender, narrow, compressed, terminated by a conspicuous nail ; edges 
 much serrated, the serrations projecting; tarsi much compressed; the scales anteri- 
 orly large and transverse, becoming smaller and smaller on the sides and behind; 
 tail feathers eighteen in North-American species. 
 
526 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 The Merginas, or Fishing Ducks, are represented in the United States by three 
 well-established species, placed by modern systematists in as many genera. Two 
 of these, however, are so nearly alike that I prefer to consider them as the same: the 
 third is sufficiently distinct 
 
 MERGUS, LINN,EUS. 
 
 Mergus, LINN^US, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type M. castor, L.) 
 
 Bill longer than the head, mostly red ; serrations conical, acute, recurved ; crest 
 occipital, pointed, or depressed ; tarsus about two-thirds the middle toe ; tail about 
 half the length of wings. 
 
 MEEGUS SERRATOR. Linnaeus. 
 The Red-breasted Merganser. 
 
 Mergus serralor, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 208. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 
 (1814) 81. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 463. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. (1839) 92. /&., Birds 
 
 Am., VI. (1843) 395. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Feathers of the forehead extending on the bill in a short obtuse angle, and fall- 
 ing far short of the end of those on the sides ; the outline of the latter sloping rapidly 
 forwards, and reaching half-way from the posterior end of the lower edge of bill to 
 the nostrils, and far beyond those on the side of lower jaw; nostrils narrow, pos- 
 terior; their posterior outline opposite the end of basal third of commissure. 
 
 Male. Head with conspicuous pointed occipital crest ; head and upper part of 
 neck, all around, dark-green; under parts reddish-white; jugulum reddish-brown, 
 streaked with black; sides conspicuously barred transversely with fine lines of black ; 
 feathers anterior to wing white, margined with black ; white of wing crossed by two 
 bars of black ; iris red. 
 
 Female. Head with compressed occipital crest; chestnut-brown; body above 
 ash ; beneath reddish-white ; the black at base of secondaries exposed ; outer tertials 
 white, edged with black. 
 
 Length, twenty-three and twenty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, eight and 
 sixty one-hundredths; tarsus, one and eighty one-hundredths; commissure, two 
 and seventy-six one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hab. Whole of North America and Europe. 
 
 This species is quite abundant on our coast in the autumn 
 and winter months. It does not appear to be gregarious to 
 a great extent ; for seldom more than three or four individu- 
 als are observed together. It is an expert diver, swimming 
 to a great distance beneath the water at the least alarm, 
 and, when appearing at the surface, usually only thrusting 
 its head out to reconnoitre. I have seen it swimming, with 
 only the bill and upper part of its head above water, in the 
 
THE GOOSANDER. 527 
 
 wake of a boat from which it had been wounded : and it 
 actually followed for a considerable distance before it was 
 discovered. I have noticed, in other Sea Ducks, this trait 
 of following behind a boat, and conclude that it is done for 
 concealment. 
 
 I am not aware that this species breeds in New Eng- 
 land. It breeds in localities in the same latitude with 
 the most northern sections of these States ; but I am 
 inclined to think that it is less of a southern species than 
 the succeeding. 
 
 It is described as selecting for its nesting-place a small 
 island, usually in the neighborhood of the sea, sometimes 
 in the interior. " The nest is very large ; at times raised 
 seven or eight inches on the top of a bed of all the dead 
 weeds which the bird can gather in the neighborhood. 
 Properly speaking, the real nest, however, is not larger 
 than that of the Dusky Duck, and is rather neatly formed 
 externally of fibrous roots, and lined round the edges with 
 the down of the bird." There are usually about eleven 
 eggs. These are generally nearly oval in shape, sometimes 
 ovoidal. They are of a pale yellowish-drab color, much 
 darker than those of the Sheldrake. They vary in dimen- 
 sions from 2.63 by 1.82 inch to 2.48 by 1.75 inch. 
 
 MERGUS AMERICANUS. Cassin. 
 Tne Goosander ; Sheldrake ; Fish Duck. 
 
 Mergus merganser, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 68. Nutt. Man., IL..(1834) 
 460. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 261. Ib., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 387. 
 Mergus Americanus, Cassin. Pr. A. N. Sc. (1853), 187. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Feathers of the forehead extending on the bill in an acute angle for half the dis- 
 tance between those on the sides and the nostril ; outline of those on the sides nearly 
 vertical, and reaching only a little beyond the beginning of lower edge of bill, but as 
 far as those on the side of lower jaw; nostril large, far forward, its middle opposite 
 the middle of the commissure. 
 
 Male. Head without conspicuous crest ; head and neck green ; forepart of back 
 black; beneath salmonKiolor ; wings mostly white, crossed by one band of black; 
 sides scarcely barred transversely ; iris carmine. 
 
528 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Female. Head with a compressed occipital crest; head and neck chestnut, 
 above ashy; beneath salmon-colored; white of greater coverts with a terminal bar 
 of ashy (sometimes wanting); the black of base of secondaries entirely concealed; 
 outer tertials ash. 
 
 Head without conspicuous crest, though one is visible in life. Head and most of 
 neck all round very dark green; rest of neck and the body generally, except the 
 upper part, creamy-white, deepening to salmon-red beneath. Lower part of back, 
 rump, and tail feathers, plumbeous; forepart of back, interscapular region, and inner 
 scapulars, black. 
 
 Length, twenty-six and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eleven; tarsus, one 
 and eighty-four one-hundredths ; commissure, two and ninety one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Although this species is found on our coast through the 
 autumn and winter months, where it has all the habits of 
 the other Sea Ducks, it breeds in the neighborhood of fresh- 
 water lakes and streams far in the interior. It is one of 
 the most abundant summer residents in the lake region 
 of Northern Maine, and about the Umbagog Lakes and Rich- 
 ardson Lakes it is the most common Duck. 
 
 There, in the top of some tall stump, or in a high forked 
 branch of a dead pine, it builds its nest. In many localities 
 on the borders of these lakes, the spring inundations or 
 some other causes have destroyed whole acres of gigantic 
 hemlocks, which, standing for years, become, in consequence 
 of the bark falling off, perfectly smooth and difficult of 
 ascent. When such trees are broken at the height of thirty 
 or forty feet from the ground, leaving a jagged top, no better 
 nesting-place can be found ; because it not only secures the 
 bird and eggs from the attacks of predaccous animals, but 
 it guarantees to the nest a perfect security from any inunda- 
 tions that may arise. This nest is built of leaves, moss, and 
 pieces of grass, which are arranged in a deep layer, on which 
 a thin covering of down from the breast of the bird is placed. 
 This is hollowed to the depth of two or three inches, and it 
 is ready for the eggs. These are from seven to twelve in 
 number. Their form is almost always exactly oval. Their 
 color is a pale creamy-white; sometimes a little darker, 
 almost a very pale buff. They vary in dimensions from 
 2.80 by 1.80 inch (Milltown, Me.) to 2.50 by 1.70 inch. 
 
THE HOODED MERGANSER. 529 
 
 LOPHODYTES, REICHART. 
 
 Lophodytes, REICHART, Syst. Av. (1852). 
 
 Bill shorter than the head, black; serrations compressed, low, short, inserted 
 obliquely on the edge of bill ; the point truncated, and not recurved nor acute ; tail 
 more than half the wings; tarsi short, half the feet; head with a much compressed, 
 vertical, circular, and erect crest. 
 
 But a single species of this genus is known to naturalists. 
 
 LOPHODTTES CUCULLATUS. Reicharl. 
 The Hooded Merganser. 
 
 Mergus cucullatus, Linnseus. Syst, Nat., I. (1766) 207. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 
 79. Nutt. Man., II. 465. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 246; V. 619. Jb., Birds 
 Am., VI. (1843) 402. 
 
 Lophodytes cucullatus, Reichart. Syst. Av. (1852). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Head with an elongated, compressed, semicircular crest; anterior extremity of 
 nostril reaching not quite as far as the middle of commissure ; frontal feathers ex- 
 tending nearly as far as half the distance from lateral feathers to nostril ; the latter 
 much beyond the feathers on side of lower mandible ; bill shorter than head. 
 
 Male. Bill black; head, neck, and back, black; under parts and centre of 
 crest white ; sides chestnut-brown, barred with black ; white anterior to the wing, 
 crossed by two black crescents ; lesser coverts gray ; white speculum with a basal 
 and median black bar; black tertials streaked centrally with white; iris yellow. 
 
 Female. With a shorter and more pointed crest ; the head and neck reddish- 
 brown ; the back without pure-black ; the sides without transverse bars ; the white 
 of wings less extended. 
 
 Length, seventeen and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, seven and ninety one- 
 hundredths ; tarsus, one and twenty one-hundredths ; commissure, one and ninety- 
 eight one-hundredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Whole of North America. 
 
 This beautiful bird is less common than either of the 
 other Mergansers on our coast and in our bays and inlets, 
 in autumn, winter, and early spring. In the summer, it 
 resides in the interior, where it breeds by the lakes and 
 other bodies of fresh water ; building its nest in holes in 
 high dead trees, or on the tops of stubs, thirty or forty feet 
 from the ground, exactly like the Sheldrake. The eggs are 
 from nine to twelve or fourteen in number, usually about 
 ten. They are of a clear-white color, although their surface 
 is, in some specimens, stained by the moisture from the 
 
 34 
 
530 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 feet of the bird. They are very thick-shelled, and, when 
 struck together, sound almost like balls of ivory. They are 
 more spherical in form than the eggs of any other duck that 
 I have seen, and are but little more pointed at one end than 
 at the other. Their dimensions vary from 2.30 by 1.75 
 inches (the longest and narrowest specimen in a large num- 
 ber in my collection) to 2.10 by 1.80 inches (the shortest 
 and broadest specimen in the same) : the usual size is, on 
 the average, about -2.13 by 1.70 inches. I am not aware 
 that any nest of this bird has been found south of Lake 
 Umbagog. 
 
 When the nest of this species is approached, the female 
 remains quiet, and flies off only when alarmed by blows on 
 the trunk of the tree on which her nest is built. She then 
 flies silently, and alights in the lake, near which the nest is 
 usually built, and watches the intruder from a safe distance, 
 without making any outcries or disturbance. If the tree is 
 surrounded by undergrowth so thick that she cannot see the 
 intruder from the water, she flies silently over and around 
 him, always at a safe distance. The male never shows him- 
 self on such occasions ; and I think it likely that he separates 
 from his mate at the commencement of the period of in- 
 cubation, and remains by himself until the young are able 
 to provide for themselves. 
 
 When living in the neighborhood of fresh water, this bird 
 has many of the habits of the other Mergansers, and then 
 feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, and is an expert 
 fisher and diver. 
 
 When the female is suddenly surprised, while with her 
 young in a stream or pond, she gives a guttural, chattel ing 
 cry, when the whole brood dives and swims off under water 
 to the shore, where they conceal themselves in the aquatic 
 herbage. While they are thus retreating, the mother simu- 
 lating lameness, almost exactly like some of the shore-birds 
 on the beach, flutters before the intruder, using every arti- 
 fice to decoy him from the neighborhood of her young, 
 
THE HOODED MERGANSER. 
 
 531 
 
 when she takes wing, and flies off. If, however, she have 
 sufficient notice of the approach of a person before he 
 reaches gunshot she swims rapidly off, with her whole brood 
 paddling behind her, 
 until she turns a 
 point or neck in 
 the pond or stream 
 where she happens 
 to be, when, silently 
 creeping into shore, 
 she, with her brood, 
 hides herself in the 
 herbage on the land 
 until the danger is 
 past. When about two-thirds grown, these young Mer- 
 gansers, like the young of most of the other fowls, are 
 excellent eating. They are called " Flappers," because of 
 their habit of flapping their wings on the water to aid their 
 escape from pursuers. 
 
 This species, in passing with its young from one body of 
 water to another, often, while flying, carries them singly in 
 its mouth ; and I have been told, that even after it has been 
 shot and has fallen to the ground, it not unfrequently holds 
 the chick. Mr. George A. Boardman informs me that the 
 female of the Summer Duck often encroaches on the nest 
 of this Merganser ; and he once witnessed an attempt of the 
 latter to drive the other from her domicile, of which she 
 had taken possession, and in which she was engaged in the 
 duties of incubation. He watched them, and noticed, that, 
 when the Wood-duck left the nest, the Merganser took 
 possession of it ; and, when she left it, the other did the 
 same. 
 
532 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 TRIBE TOTIPALMI. 1 
 
 FAMILY SULIDJE. THE GANNETS. 
 
 Bill rather long, straight, sides compressed, very strong, tapering to the point, 
 which is a little decurved; nostrils hardly observable; wings very long; tail long 
 and cuneate; toes long, and all joined by full webs; gular sac moderate. 
 
 SULA, BRISSON. 
 
 Sula, BRISSON, Ornith. (1760). (Type Pekcanus bassanus.) 
 
 Bill rather longer than the head, straight, stout at the base, with the sides com- 
 pressed, grooved near the tip, which is a little curved, the cutting edges serrated 
 irregularly; nostrils basal and scarcely perceptible ; wings lengthened; tail rather 
 long and much graduated; tarsi short and stout; toes long, and joined together by 
 full webs; claws moderate, the middle one serrated; gular sac rather moderate. 
 
 These birds usually frequent almost inaccessible rocky islands, where they con- 
 gregate in great numbers during the season of reproduction, at other times migrat- 
 ing along the coast. Their flight is rapid, powerful, and long-continued. 
 
 SULA BASSANA. Brisson. 
 The Common Gannet; Solan Goose. 
 
 Pekcanus bassanus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. (1766), 217. 
 
 Sula bassana, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 495. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 222. 
 75., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 44. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 General color of the plumage white; bill bluish-gray; bare space around the eye 
 and on the throat blackish-blue ; primaries brownish-black, first longest. 
 
 Adult. The color of the plumage generally is white, the head and hind neck 
 being of a fine buff-yellow ; alula and primaries brownish-black ; shafts white for 
 about two-thirds their length from the base, thence gradually becoming dark-brown ; 
 bill pale bluish-gray, greenish at the base, the lines on the upper mandible blackish- 
 blue; bare space in the region of the eye, and down the centre of the throat 
 blackish-blue ; iris white ; tarsi, toes, and their webs, blackish-brown ; the lines of 
 scutellse on the tarsi and toes green; claws bluish- white. The female resembles the 
 male, but is rather smaller. The young have the head, neck, and upper plumage 
 dark-brown, each feather terminating with a triangular white spot ; under plumage 
 grayish-white, the feathers broadly margined with grayish-brown. 
 
 1 See Introduction. 
 
THE COMMON GANNET. 533 
 
 Length, thirty-eight inches ; wing, nineteen and fifty one-hundredths ; tarsi, two, 
 and twenty-five one-hundredths ; tail, ten inches. 
 
 Hob. Atlantic coast, from Labrador to the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 The Gannet breeds in almost incredible numbers on some of the rocky islands 
 near the coast of Labrador. When the breeding season is over, it wanders as far 
 south as the Gulf of Mexico. Its mode of flight is powerful, and at times graceful. 
 Its food consists of fish, principally herrings ; these are obtained by plunging from 
 on high, often remaining under water for a minute or more at a time. 
 
 THIS species is quite common on our coast in the autumn 
 and spring, and through the greater part of the winter. 
 Audubon, in describing its breeding habits, says : 
 
 " The newly finished nest of this bird is fully two feet high, and 
 quite as broad externally. It is composed of seaweeds and mari- 
 time grasses, the former being at times brought from considerable 
 distances. Thus, the Gannets breeding on the rocks in the Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence carry weeds from the Magdalene Islands, which are 
 about thirty miles distant. The grasses are pulled or dug up from 
 the surface of the breeding-place itself, often in great clods, con- 
 sisting of roots and earth, and leaving holes not unlike the 
 entrances to the burrows of the Puffin. The nests, like those of 
 Cormorants, are enlarged or repaired annually. The single egg, 
 of a rather elongated oval form, averages 3^ inches in length, 
 by 2 inches in its greatest breadth ; and is covered with an 
 irregular roughish coating of white calcareous matter, which, on 
 being scraped off, leaves exposed the pale greenish-blue tint of the 
 under surface." 
 
534 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY GRACUL1DJE. THE CORMORANTS. 
 
 Bill rather moderate, culmen concave, tip much hooked and acute ; nostrils not 
 perceptible; wings moderate and pointed; tail rather short and rounded; tarsi 
 short; toes long and all joined by full webs; gular sac capable of considerable 
 expansion. 
 
 GRACULUS, LINN.EUS. 
 
 Graculus, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type Pelecanus carbo, L.) 
 Bill rather slender, of moderate length, with the culmen concave, hooked at the 
 tip, the sides compressed and grooved; nostrils not visible in the adult; wings mod- 
 erately long and pointed, second and third primaries longest ; tail moderate and 
 graduated at the end ; tarsi short and much compressed ; toes long and full-webbed ; 
 a leathery pouch at the base of the lower mandible, which can be much distended. 
 
 These birds exist abundantly in all parts of the globe. They are mostly found 
 on the seacoast, breeding on rocky ledges difficult of access, and also on trees. 
 They are exceedingly expert in catching fish ; being very active in the water, and 
 capable of remaining under its surface for a great length of time. 
 
 GRACULUS CARBO. Gray. 
 The Common Cormorant. 
 
 Phalacrocorax carlo, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 479. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 
 (1835) 458. /&., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 412. 
 Graculus carbo, Gray. Gen. of Birds (1845). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bluish-black; feathers on middle of occiput and hind neck elongated; gular sac 
 yellow, at the base of which is a broad band of white; linear feathers on the head 
 and neck white ; a patch of white on the sides ; third primary longest ; tail of four- 
 teen feathers. 
 
 Adult. Plumage in general black, glossed with greenish-blue ; the feathers of the 
 upper part and sides of the back and wing coverts are dark-ash, with bronzed reflec- 
 tions, and bordered with greenish-black; primaries and tail feathers grayish-black, 
 secondaries grayish-brown ; bare space around the eye dull-olive, under the eye red ; 
 the gular sac yellow, encircling the lower part of which is a broad band of white; 
 numerous linear filamentous white feathers are distributed over the head and neck ; 
 on the side, over the thigh, is a patch of elongated linear white feathers ; upper man- 
 dible grayish-black, with the edges yellowish-white, lower duskv vellowish-white at 
 the base; iris bluish-green; eyelids with dusky margins; tarsi, feet, and claws 
 grayish-black. 
 
 The bill is strong and powerful, the ridge is smooth, but the sides of both mandi- 
 bles are rugose. 
 
 Length, thirty-seven inches; wing, fourteen ; bill, three and fifty one-hundredths ; 
 tail, six and fifty one-hundredths inches. 
 
THE DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT. 535 
 
 The female resembles the male, but is smaller. 
 
 Hob. Labrador, and along the coast as far south as New Jersey in winter. 
 
 These birds are abundant on the coast of Labrador, where large numbers assem- 
 ble for the purpose of reproduction, forming their nests upon the inaccessible ledges 
 of rocky cliffs. 
 
 Their mode of flight is swift and strong. Their food is obtained by diving and 
 pursuing it beneath the surface, where they make rapid progress by the aid of their 
 wings. 
 
 THIS species is pretty common on our coast in the latter 
 part of autumn and during the winter. It is not gre- 
 garious, but is seen singly or, at most, in pairs. It is shy, 
 and difficult of approach, and seems ever on the alert for 
 danger. The Grand Menan is the most southern breeding- 
 place of this bird in our neighborhood. There it builds a 
 large nest of seaweeds on shelves of steep cliffs or in crev- 
 ices of the rocks. The eggs are usually three in number. 
 They are of a bluish-green color which is covered, over 
 nearly their whole surface, with a calcareous deposit. They 
 are of an elongated ovate form, and average in dimensions 
 about 2.90 by 1.75 inch. They are, in their various sizes, 
 impossible of identification from the succeeding species. 
 
 GEACULUS DILOPHUS. Gray. 
 The Double-crested Cormorant. 
 
 Phalacrocorax dtiophus, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 483. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 
 (1835) 420; V. (1839) 628. /&., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 423. 
 Graculus dikphus, Gray. Gen. of Birds (1845). 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Greenish-black; behind each eye a recurved crest of. loose feathers ; gular sac 
 orange; second quill longest; tail of twelve feathers. 
 
 Adult. The plumage of the head, neck, lower part of the back and entire under 
 surface is greenish-black, the feathers of the upper part of the back, the wing- 
 coverts, the scapularies and tertiaries, grayish-brown or dark-ash, the margins of 
 which are greenish-black; primaries blackish-brown, lighter on the inner webs; the 
 secondaries dark grayish-brown; tail black, as are also the shafts; running from 
 the bill over the eye is a line of white filamentous feathers, there are also a few of 
 the same character sparsely distributed over the neck ; behind each eye is a tuft of 
 rather long slender feathers, erect and curving forwards; bare space in the region 
 of the eye, and gular sac, orange; upper mandible blackish-brown, with the edges 
 yellowish ; lower yellow, marked irregularly with dusky ; iris bright-green : legs, 
 feet, and claws black, claw of the middle toe pectinated. 
 
536 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Length, thirty-three inches; wing, thirteen ; tail, six and seventy-five one-hun- 
 dredths inches. 
 
 Hob. Atlantic coast from Labrador to Carolina ; fur countries ; Pacific coast 
 from Washington Territory to California. 
 
 This species resorts in large numbers to the low islands off the coast of Labrador, 
 which are their breeding stations : they construct their nests on the surface of the 
 rocks, not on the shelves of precipices. 
 
 I once witnessed a large migrating flight of these birds to the South, along our 
 seacoast. They passed in great flocks, which succeeded each other frequently during 
 the entire day: each flock formed a widely extended front, the individuals being 
 side by side. Their mode of flight was by alternate flapping of the wings, and their 
 sailing for a short distance, the effect of which was peculiar and striking. GEORGE 
 W. LAWRENCE. 
 
 I think that this species is more northern in its habits 
 than the preceding, as it is seldom seen on the coast of New 
 England except in the winter months, and then only in 
 small numbers. Unlike the preceding, it does not breed 
 south of the coast of Labrador ; and, in nesting, does not 
 frequent high precipices, but prefers low rocky islands. The 
 nest is similar to that of the other : and the eggs, although 
 averaging smaller, are hardly recognizable from those of 
 the Common Cormorant; an ordinary large one of the 
 present being of similar form and size with the other. 
 
THE SKUA-GULLS. 537 
 
 FAMILY LARIDJE. THE GULLS. 
 
 Bill generally shorter than the head, straight at the base, and more or less curved 
 at the end; nostrils linear; head ovate; neck short; body rather full and compact; 
 wings long and pointed; legs of moderate length, strong, and covered anteriorly 
 with transverse scales ; feet fully webbed, the hind toe small and elevated. 
 
 Birds of this family frequent the shores of the ocean, but often wander to great 
 distances from land; they are incapable of diving, but swim buoyantly. Their food 
 consists principally of fish and Crustacea; but some of the larger species feed occa- 
 sionally on the flesh of cetaceous animals, and devour the young and eggs of some 
 species of sea-birds. 
 
 The family of Laridce is divisible into four sub-families, with the following char- 
 acters : 
 
 LESTRIDIN.E. Basal half of upper jaw with a horny covering, distinct from the 
 tip, and under which the nostrils open considerably beyond the middle of the bill ; 
 bill abruptly and much decurved at the tip ; tail cuneate ; body full, stout. 
 
 LARINJE. Covering of the bill continuous ; anterior extremity of nostrils gen- 
 erally reaching to the middle of the bill ; culmen considerably decurved towards the 
 tip; body robust; tail generally even. 
 
 STERNESLE. Covering of bill continuous ; nostrils opening in the basal third of 
 the bill; culmen gently curved to the tip of the lengthened and attenuated bill; 
 body rather slender ; wing lengthened ; tail usually deeply forked. 
 
 RHYNCHOPINJE. Bill excessively compressed, like the blade of a knife; lower 
 jaw much longer than the upper; the point obtuse; body slender; tail forked. 
 
 Sub-Family LESTRIDIN./E. The Skua -Gulls ; the Jaegers. 
 
 Bill strong and much curved at the end, the base covered with a membranous 
 cere; wings lengthened; tail cuneate, with the two central feathers projecting. 
 
 These hardy birds inhabit the high latitudes of both hemispheres. There are 
 four Arctic species found both in Europe and North America. They are piratical in 
 their habits, appearing to derive their subsistence mainly from the labors of others. 
 They chase and harass various species of Gulls, compelling them to disgorge a por- 
 tion of their food, which they dart after, and seize before it reaches the water. 
 
 STERCORABIUS, BKISSON. 
 
 Stercorarius, Brisson. Ornithologie (1760). 
 
 Bill rather strong ; the culmen straight, and covered at the base with a smooth 
 cere, the end curved ; nostrils linear, and more open anteriorly ; wings pointed ; first 
 quill longest; tail of moderate length; the two middle feathers elongated; tarsi 
 strong, and covered with prominent scales; claws sharp and much curved; feet 
 fully webbed; hind toe short, and but little elevated. 
 
538 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 STERCORARIUS POMARINUS. Temminck. 
 The Pomarine Skua. 
 
 Lestrispomarinus, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 315. Aud. Birds Am., VII. (1844) 
 
 186. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Front, crown of the head, back, wings, and tail, blackish-brown; sides 
 and back part of the neck bright-yellow ; throat and entire under plumage white, 
 with a band of brown spots extending across the upper part of the breast ; sides 
 and lower tail coverts barred with brown ; shafts of quills and tail feathers white ; 
 bill greenish-olive, black at the tip; legs and feet black; the middle tail feathers 
 extend beyond the others for about two inches ; they are rounded at the end, and of 
 a uniform breadth throughout. 
 
 Young birds have the plumage of the upper parts blackish-brown ; of the lower, 
 grayish-brown, with the feathers of the abdomen and lower tail coverts margined 
 with dull-ferruginous ; tarsi and base of the toes and webs yellow. 
 
 Length, twenty inches ; wing, fourteen ; tail, eight to nine ; bill, one and three- 
 quarters ; tarsus, two inches. 
 
 THIS species is not uncommon on our north-east coast in 
 the autumn and winter months. " It subsists on putrid 
 and other animal substances thrown up by the sea, and 
 also on fish and other matters which the Gulls disgorge 
 when pursued by it. It also devours the eggs of sea-birds." 
 It breeds in the Hudson's Bay country and other northern 
 localities ; nesting " in elevated spots in the marshes, or 
 upon rocks ; making a coarsely interlaced nest of the sur- 
 rounding moss and herbage ; laying two or three very 
 pointed eggs, of a grayish-olive, marked with a small num- 
 ber of blackish spots." NUTTALL. 
 
 STERCORARIUS PARASITICUS. Temminck. 
 The Arctic Skua. 
 
 Lartu parasiticus, Linnseus. Syst. Nat., I. (1756) 226. 
 Stercorarius parasiticus, Temminck. Man. d'Orn., II. (1820) 796. 
 Lestris Michardsonii, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 319. Aud. Birds Am., VII. 
 (1844) 190. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Upper part of the head blackish-brown; nape and sides of the neck 
 yellowish -white; remainder of upper plumage blackish -brown; wings and tail 
 darker; shafts of the primaries white; under plumage white; bill bluish at the base, 
 black at the point; tarsi and feet black; the central tail feathers extend beyond the 
 
THE GULLS. 539 
 
 others about three inches ; they taper slightly, varying but little in breadth until near 
 the end, where they are abruptly acuminated, differing in this particular from all the 
 other species. 
 
 Length, twenty to twenty-two inches ; wing, thirteen and a half; tail, eight and 
 a half; bill, one and four-twelfths ; tarsi, one and three-quarter inches. 
 
 Hob. Arctic America; breeds in the Barren Grounds; coast of the United 
 States from New York northward. 
 
 This species is much more common on our coast in 
 winter than the other. Its habits are the same, and its 
 breeding-place is also in the far north. Its eggs are three 
 in number. They are broadly ovoidal in ferm, and much 
 resemble the eggs of the Laughing Gull. Their primary 
 color varies from a greenish-drab to the predominating 
 olivaceous-green. This is marked with spots and blotches 
 of various shades of brown, thickest at the greater end, 
 and some spots of obscure-purple. The dimensions vary 
 from 2.25 by 1.60 inch to 2.18 by 1.54. 
 
 Sub-Family LARINJE. The Gulls. 
 
 Bill differing considerably in strength and form; generally straight, with the 
 sides compressed; the culmen straight at the base, with the end curved; nostrils 
 lateral and oblong; wings long and pointed; tail usually even, in two or three cases 
 pointed or forked ; tarsi rather strong ; fore-toes united by a web ; hind toe short and 
 elevated. 
 
 These birds vary much in size, some being quite small, while others rank among 
 the largest of marine birds. They are not peculiar to any region, but are found 
 abundantly over the world. They congregate in great numbers on the sand-bars at 
 the entrance of inlets and large bays. In winter they migrate in search of food, 
 frequenting harbors and ascending rivers. 
 
 The above general descriptions of the habits of our Gulls 
 are so comprehensive and terse that I will add nothing at 
 length to them here. They feed on fish (which they often 
 seize in their bills in the water), various aquatic animals, 
 and dead animal matter thrown up on the shores or floating 
 on the waves. They attack and kill wounded birds, and 
 eat them, and also drive aquatic birds from their eggs and 
 
540 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 young, which they eat. They are, in the water, almost pre- 
 cisely what the Crows and Jays are on the land. 
 
 LARUS MARINUS. Linnaeus. 
 The Great Black-backed Gull. 
 
 Larus marinus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 225. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 308. 
 Aud. Birds Am., VII. (1844) 172. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. The head, neck, entire under plumage, upper tail coverts, and tail 
 are pure-white; the back and wings are of a dark-slate color; the primaries are deep 
 black, largely tipped with white, as are the extremities of most of the quills ; the 
 bill is gamboge-yellow, with an orange-red spot near the end of the lower mandible ; 
 legs and feet pale-yellow ; iris white. 
 
 Young. Head, rump, and under plumage graj'ish-white, with streaks of light- 
 brown; back and wings mottled with brownish-ash and grayish-white; primaries 
 blackish-brown, having the tips edged with white ; tail white, spotted with brown, 
 and having a broad subterminal band of the same color ; bill brownish-black, yel- 
 lowish at the base ; legs and feet yellow. 
 
 Length, about thirty inches ; wing, twenty; tail, nine; bill, two and ten-twelfths; 
 tarsus, two-twelfths of an inch. 
 
 Hob. North Atlantic, Labrador; as far south as Florida in winter. 
 
 The Black-backed Gull is of frequent occurrence on our 
 coast in the autumn and winter months ; and, according to 
 Mr. George A. Boardman, a few breed as far south as the 
 islands in the Bay of Fundy. Audubon describes its 
 breeding habits as follows : 
 
 " The nest of this species is usually placed on the bare rock of 
 some low island, sometimes beneath a projecting shelf, sometimes 
 in a wide fissure. In Labrador, it is formed of moss and seaweeds 
 carefully arranged, and has a diameter of about two feet ; being 
 raised on the edges to the height of five or six inches, but seldom 
 more than two inches thick in the centre, where feathers, dry grass, 
 and other materials, are added. The eggs are three, and in no 
 instance have I found more. They are two inches and seven- 
 eighths in length by two inches and one-eighth in breadth ; broadly 
 ovate ; rough, but not granulated ; of a pale earthy greenish-gray 
 color, irregularly blotched and spotted with brownish-black, dark- 
 umber, and dull-purple." 
 
THE HERRING GULL. 541 
 
 LABUS ARGENTATUS. Briinnich. 
 The Herring Gull ; the Silvery Gull. 
 
 Larus argentatus, Briinnich. Orn. Bor. (1764), 44. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 304. 
 Aud. Birds Am w VII. (1844) 163. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Head, neck, under parts, rump, and tail, pure-white; back and wings 
 light pearl-blue ; the first six primaries are marked towards their ends with black, 
 which begins on the first at about half its length from the end, and is rapidly les- 
 sened on the others until it becomes only a subterminal bar on the sixth; the pri- 
 maries all tipped with white; on the first quill it is about an inch and a half in 
 extent, crossed near the end with a black bar, on the second quill there is a round 
 white spot on the inner web near the end ; secondaries and tertiaries broadly ending 
 with white ; bill bright-yellow, with an orange-red spot near the end of the lower 
 mandible ; legs and feet flesh-colored ; iris white. 
 
 Young. Mottled with light grayish-brown and dull- white ; primaries blackish- 
 brown; bill brownish-black, yellowish at the base. 
 
 Length of male, twenty-three inches ; wing, eighteen ; tail, seven and a half: bill, 
 along ridge, two and a half; depth at angle, thirteen-sixteenths ; tarsus, two and 
 a half. Female a little smaller than the male, but similar in plumage. 
 
 Hob. Atlantic coast from Texas to Newfoundland; Western States; Ohio and 
 Mississippi Rivers. 
 
 This species is abundant on our coast in the autumn, 
 winter, and until late in spring, and many individuals are 
 seen through the whole summer. I found several appar- 
 ently breeding about the Umbagog Lakes, in Maine ; and 
 have no doubt that it incubates in various localities in New 
 England, both on the coast and in the interior. It breeds 
 in the greatest abundance in Labrador and other northern 
 countries, where it nests like the preceding, and sometimes 
 in trees. The birds which I saw about Lake Umbagog prob- 
 ably had nests in trees, as they frequented a tract of dead 
 pines and hemlocks inaccessible to me on account of inun- 
 dation, and they frequently alighted in their tops. The 
 eggs of the Herring Gull are so different in form, color, and 
 markings, that hardly any description can be intelligible. 
 A great number of specimens in my collection vary in 
 form from abruptly ovate to a lengthened ovoidal. Their 
 color varies from a pale-cinereous to an olivaceous-drab ; 
 and their markings from thickly spattered blotches of 
 
542 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 black to different browns and obscure - purples. Their 
 dimensions vary from 2.85 by 2.05 inch to 2.65 by 1.85 
 inch. Large specimens of this species cannot be distin- 
 guished from small ones of the preceding. 
 
 CHROICOCEPHALUS, EYTON. 
 
 Chroicocephalus, EYTON, Cat. Brit. Birds (1836). 
 
 Bill moderate, rather slender, much compressed ; upper mandible straight at base, 
 more or less curved at the end; nostrils lateral and longitudinal; wings long,. nar- 
 row, and pointed; tail moderate, usually even; tarsi rather slender; feet webbed; 
 liind toe small and elevated. 
 
 These Gulls are of medium or small size : in their spring attire, the head is 
 clothed with a dark-colored hood ; but in the winter it becomes white, with a dusky 
 spot behind the ear. These birds are very handsome, the dark and light colors of 
 their plumage forming a beautiful contrast. 
 
 CHROICOCEPHALUS ATRICILLA. Lawrence. 
 The Laughing Gull. 
 
 Larus atricilla, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 225. Bon. Syn. (1828), No. 294. 
 Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 291. Aud. Birds Am., VII. (1844) 136. 
 Larus ridibundus. Wils., IX. (1824) 89. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Head and upper part of neck blackish lead-gray, extending lower in 
 front; upper .and lower eyelids white posteriorly; lower part of neck, entire under 
 plumage, rump, and tail, pure-white; in spring, a beautiful roseate tint exists on the 
 breast and abdomen; back and wings grayish-lead color; the first six primaries are 
 black, beginning on the first at about two-thirds of its length from the point, and 
 regularly becoming less on the others, until, on the sixth, it is reduced to two spots 
 near the end; tips in some specimens white, and in others black to their points; bill 
 and inside of the mouth dark-carmine ; iris bluish-black ; legs and feet deep-red ; in 
 winter the head becomes white, intermixed on the crown and hind neck with brown- 
 ish-gray. 
 
 Length, seventeen inches; wing, thirteen; tail, five; bill, one and three-fourths; 
 tarsus, two inches. 
 
 Hob. Texas to Massachusetts. 
 
 This handsome bird is a resident on our coasts through 
 the year, but is not at all abundant. It nests in the 
 marshes, making only a loose structure of a few pieces of 
 seaweeds or grasses, which it places in a sandy, elevated 
 spot, where the tides do not reach. The eggs are three in 
 number. Their form is usually ovoidal, sometimes ovate. 
 
PLATE IV 
 
 Fig. 1 Herring Gull, Larus argentatus. Brunnich. 
 
 ,. 2. Laughing Gull, Chroicocephalus atricilla. Linnaeus. 
 
 ., 3 Kitti wake Gull, Eissa tridactyla. Bonaparte. 
 
 ,. 4. Wilson's Tern, Sterna Wilsonii. Bonaparte. 
 
 ., 5. Least Tern, Sterna frenata. Gambel. 
 
BONAPARTE'S GULL. 543 
 
 Their color is an olivaceous-drab, sometimes a grayish- 
 green. This is covered, more or less thickly, with blotches 
 and spots of different shades of brown and purple, and 
 obscure markings of the same. 
 
 Their dimensions vary from 2.28 by 1.65 inch to 2 by 1.50 
 inch. Some specimens have numerous irregular streaks 
 of umber-brown over the surface at the greater end, and 
 others have large confluent blotches of the same color. 
 
 . CHROICOCEPHALUS PHILADELPHIA. Lawrence. 
 Bonaparte's Gull. 
 
 Larus Sonqpartei, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 294. Aud. Birds Am., VII. (1844) 
 131. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Head and upper part of neck grayish-black, this color extending rather 
 lower on the throat than on the neck behind; lower part of neck, under plumage, 
 rump, and tail, white; back and wings clear bluish-gray; first primary black on the 
 outer web ; inner web of the first primary, both webs of the second, and the outer 
 web of the third, white ; the inner web of the third, and all the other primaries, are 
 o^ the same color as the back ; the six outer primaries have their ends black for the 
 extent of about an inch on the central ones, but less on the first and sixth, they 
 are all slightly tipped with white ; shoulders, anterior borders of the wings, and outer 
 webs of the primary coverts white ; bill deep black ; inside of mouth carmine ; iris 
 hazel ; legs and feet orange, with a reddish tinge. 
 
 The young have the head white, intermixed on the occiput and hind neck with 
 dark-gray ; a round spot of dark-plumbeous behind the eye ; the smaller wing 
 coverts brown ; the outer webs of several of the primaries, and a subterminal band 
 on the tail, black. 
 
 Length, fourteen and a half inches; wing, ten and a half; tail, four and a quar- 
 ter; bill, one and one-eighth; tarsus, one and five-sixteenths inch. 
 
 Hob. Texas to Nova Scotia, Mississippi .River, fur countries, Pacific coast of 
 North America. 
 
 This species is pretty common on our coast, and is often 
 found in the neighborhood of large tracts of water in the 
 interior. 
 
 1 am ignorant of its breeding habits, and have no egg to 
 describe here. 
 
 KISS A, LEACH. 
 
 Rissa, LEACH, Steph. Gen. Zool., XIII. (1825) 180. (Type Laras iridactylw, L.) 
 Bill rather long, strong, and much compressed ; culmen straight at base, curved 
 
544 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 from the nostrils to the tip ; nostrils lateral and longitudinal ; wings long and 
 pointed; tail even; tarsi rather short; toes slender and united by a full web; hind 
 toe rudimentary or very small. 
 
 EISSA TRIDACTYLA. Bonaparte. 
 The Kittiwake Gull. 
 
 Larus trMactylus, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 224. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 
 298. Aud. Birds Am., VII. (1844) 146. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Head, neck, entire under plumage, rump, and tail, white; back and 
 wings light bluish-gray; the ends of the five outer primaries, and the outer web of 
 the first, black; the fourth and fifth have small white tips; bill greenish yellow ; iris 
 reddish-brown ; legs and feet brownish-black, with a green tinge. 
 
 Young. The head is white, marked on the hind head and neck with bluish- 
 gray : a spot of the same color over the ears ; a narrow crescent of black in front of 
 the eye; wings and shoulders marked with black; primaries black; tail white, with 
 a subterminal black band; bill black; rest of the plumage same as in the adult. 
 
 Length, about seventeen inches; wing, twelve ; tail, five and three-quarters; 
 bill, one and a half; tarsus, one and three-eighths inches. 
 
 flub. Fur countries; Labrador; southern coast in winter. 
 
 This species is rather common on our coast through the 
 year. In some seasons, but few are seen ; in others, they are 
 pretty abundant. Audubon says it breeds as far south as 
 the island of Grand Menan, off the entrance of the Bay 
 of Fundy ; and it probably also incubates on other islands 
 off the coast of Maine. The nest is composed of sea- 
 weeds, which are arranged in a large pile, and placed on 
 a ledge of rock in a crevice, or on a jutting shelf. This nest 
 is occupied for successive years ; and it receives additions in 
 every season. The eggs are three in number. Their form 
 is usually ovoidal : their color varies from a creamy-drab, 
 with a very slight olivaceous tint, to a delicate gray. On 
 this are scattered blotches of different shades of brown, 
 and obscure spots and blotches of lilac. Of these eggs 
 as of all the eggs of Gulls and Terns it is difficult to 
 give descriptions by which specimens could be identified. 
 The above description, however, answers for all the eggs 
 of this species in my collection. The dimensions vary from 
 2.20 by 1.60 inch to 2.04 by 1.55. 
 
THE MARSH TERN. 545 
 
 Sub-Family STERNIN^E. The Terns. 
 
 Bill rather long, usually slender, straight, sometimes with the upper mandible 
 curved at the tip, which is acutely pointed; nostrils linear and pervious; wings 
 elongated ; primaries long and pointed, secondaries of moderate length ; tail rather 
 long and in most species forked; tarsi slender; anterior toes have their webs emar- 
 ginate, hind toe small ; claws moderate, curved and acute. 
 
 These birds are mostly found on the seacoast and neighboring bays, occasionally 
 on rivers and lakes: they assemble in large numbers on the sand bars and points at 
 the mouth of inlets, are much on the wing, and are remarkable for their buoyant 
 and easy flight. Their food consists of small fishes and Crustacea, which they 
 obtain by hovering over and suddenly darting down upon : although they thus seize 
 their prey while in the water, they only occasionally swim or rest upon its surface. 
 
 STERNA, 
 
 Sterna, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. (1748). 
 
 Bill more or less strong, about the length of the head ; the upper mandible slightly 
 curved to the tip, which is narrow and acute, the lower straight, with the junction 
 of the crura about the middle ; the nostrils lateral and linear, with the frontal feath- 
 ers extending to the opening; wings long, primaries narrow and tapering, the outer 
 quill longest ; tail rather long and more or less forked ; tarsi short ; toes small and 
 slender, with the webs emarginate; hind toe short; claws slightly arched and acute. 
 
 STERNA AEANEA. Wilson. 
 The Marsh Tern. 
 
 Sterna aranea, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 143. 
 
 Sterna Anglica, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 269. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. (1839) 127. 
 Ib., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 81. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Upper part of the head, occiput, and sides of the head upon a line with 
 the lower eyelid, black; back and wings light bluish-gray; primaries hoary on the 
 outer webs and ashy-gray on the inner, becoming lighter towards the base ; tail 
 same color as the back, but paler, and with the outer feather nearly white; a line at 
 the base of the upper mandible, neck in front and entire under plumage, pure-white; 
 bill deep-black ; iris brown ; legs and feet black. 
 
 Length, thirteen and three-quarters inches; wings in extent thirty-four, from 
 flexure ten and a half; tail, four; bill, one and three-eighths; tarsus, one inch. 
 
 Hob. Coast of the United States as far north as Connecticut. 
 
 I include this species in our New-England Terns on the 
 above authority. I have not met with it myself, and know 
 nothing of its habits. Wilson says, 
 
 35 
 
546 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 " This species I first met on the shores of Cape May, particularly 
 over the salt marshes, where it was darting down after a kind of 
 large black spider, plenty in such places. This spider can travel 
 under water, as well as above, and, during summer at least, seems 
 to constitute the principal food of the present Tern. In several 
 which I opened, the stomach was crammed with a mass of these 
 spiders alone : these they frequently pick up from the pools, as well 
 as from the grass, dashing down on them in the manner of their 
 tribe. Their voice is sharper and stronger than that of the Com- 
 mon Tern; the bill is differently formed, being shorter, more 
 rounded above, and thicker ; the tail is also much shorter, and less 
 forked. They do not associate with others, but keep in small 
 parties by themselves. 
 
 " This species breeds in the salt marshes. The female drops her 
 eggs, generally three or four in number, on the dry drift grass, 
 without the slightest appearance of a nest : they are of a greenish- 
 olive, spotted with brown." 
 
 STEENA CASPIA. Pallas. 
 The Caspian Tern. 
 
 Sterna Caspia, Pallas. Nov. Com. Petr., XIV. 582. Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y., 
 V. (1851) 37. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Forehead, crown, sides of the head, and occiput, black, glossed with 
 green; this color extends below the eye, under which is a narrow white line; back 
 and wings light bluish-ash ; the six outer primaries dark slate-gray on their inner 
 webs ; quill shafts strong and white ; tail and its upper coverts grayish-white ; neck 
 and entire under plumage pure white ; bill and inside of mouth bright vermilion ; 
 legs and feet black; bill very stout; tail not deeply forked. 
 
 In the young, the back, wing coverts, and tail, are mottled and barred with black- 
 ish-brown. 
 
 Length, twenty-one and a half inches; extent of wings, fifty-one; from flexure, 
 sixteen and three-quarters; bill, from base, two and seven-eighths; tail, six inches. 
 
 Hob. Coast of New Jersey northward. 
 
 I include this species on the above authority. Its habits 
 are unknown to me. 
 
 STEENA WILSONII. Bonaparte. 
 
 Wilson's Tern. 
 
 Sterna kirundo, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 76. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 271. 
 Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 74. /&., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 97. 
 
WILSON'S TERN. 547 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Upper part of the head and hind neck deep-black, tinged with brown 
 on the front part of the head ; back and wings light grayish-blue ; first primary 
 with the outer web black, on the inner web grayish-black next the shaft, this color 
 increasing in extent towards the end, where it covers the entire web for about one 
 inch, rest of inner web white ; the next five primaries are hoary on their outer webs, 
 and blackish-gray on the inner next the shaft, occupying the entire web at the end ; 
 margin of the inner webs white ; central tail feathers very pale bluish-gray, the others 
 white on the inner webs and dusky-gray on the outer webs, deepening in color from 
 the central feathers until it becomes blackish-gray on the lateral ones ; sides of the 
 head, throat, rump, and under tail coverts, white ; breast and abdomen clear pearl- 
 gray ; bill coral-red, black near the end with the tip yellow ; iris hazel ; legs and 
 feet coral-red, not so dark as the bill ; claws brownish-black. 
 
 Length, fourteen and three-quarters inches ; wing, ten and three-quarters ; tail, 
 five and three-quarters; bill, one and three-eighths; tarsus, three-quarters of an 
 inch. 
 
 Hob. Texas to Labrador. 
 
 This is by far the most common species we have in New 
 England. It breeds in great abundance all along our coast, 
 both on the beach, on the mainland, and on the rocky and 
 sandy islands off our shores. In some localities, it is so 
 abundant that I have collected in the space of two hours, 
 in the area of about thirty acres, a half-bushel of eggs. In 
 most localities, it forms no nest, but drops its eggs on the 
 sand or on the bare rock. On the island of Muskegeet, I 
 found that it invariably scooped out a hollow of two or three 
 inches in the sand, in which it laid three or four eggs, 
 arranged them with their small ends together in the middle, 
 and built around them a loose nest of seaweeds and grass. 
 These eggs are so varied in color and markings, that no 
 description of them can be given by which they may be recog- 
 nized. In a great number in my collection, the predominat- 
 ing color is a reddish-drab, which is marked with numerous 
 spots and confluent blotches of different shades of brown, 
 and obscure blotches of cinereous. Many specimens are an 
 olivaceous-gray, with the same markings ; and others are a 
 creamy-buff. Their form is usually exactly ovoidal, and 
 their dimensions average about 1.55 by 1.25 inch. 
 
 This species is very irregular in its period of depositing 
 its eggs. I have found them as early as the last week in 
 
548 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 May, and as late as the 12th of July. I have seen, in the 
 space of a square rod, eggs, in which the chicks were about 
 ready to break the shell, and others that were apparently 
 but just laid ; and, close beside them both, were squatting 
 young birds almost fully grown and feathered. 
 
 About the 15th of June is the period when the eggs of 
 this species are in the best condition in New England for 
 cabinet preservation ; the young then being, as a general 
 thing, scarcely formed. 
 
 Early in October, these birds begin to be scarce in our 
 latitude, and they spend the winter on the shores of the 
 southern gulf. 
 
 STERNA MACROURA. Naumann. 
 The Arctic Tern. 
 
 Sterna macroura, Naumann. Isis (1819, 1847). 
 
 Sterna Arctica, Temm. Man. d'Orn., II. (1820) 742. Bon. Syn. (1828), No. 
 287. Sw. and Rich. F. B. A., II. (1831) 414. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 275. And. 
 Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 366. 76., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 107. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Aduh. Upper part of the head and hind neck black; back and wings light 
 grayish-blue; first primary deep-black on the outer web, dusky-gray on the inner 
 next the shaft, and over the entire web at the end, inner margin of inner web white ; 
 the next five primaries are bluish-gray on the outer web and on the inner web next 
 the shaft, this color extending over the entire web at the end, where it is blackish- 
 gray on the inner margin, the remaining part of inner web white; central tail 
 feathers and inner webs of the others white, the outer web of the outer tail feather 
 blackish-gray, the outer webs of the two next pale bluish-gray; rump, sides of the 
 head, and under tail coverts, white; under plumage bluish-gray, of a lighter shade 
 than the back; bill deep-carmine; iris brown; legs and feet dark-crimson. 
 
 Length, fourteen and a half inches; wing, ten and a half; tail, six and a half 
 inches. 
 
 Hob. Coast of the New-England States to Arctic seas ; fur countries. 
 
 This species is almost, if not equally, as abundant on our 
 shores in summer as the preceding. It breeds, in our lati- 
 tude, in the same localities and at the same time as the 
 other ; and its eggs are so exactly similar, that any descrip- 
 tion of either is impossible, by which they can be identified. 
 The only method that I know of to obtain authentic speci- 
 mens of each is, either to visit localities in which either 
 
THE LEAST TERN. 549 
 
 species is found by itself, or to wait until late in the season, 
 and, after finding a nest, observe carefully the bird that 
 hovers over it, and shoot her. It is a well-known habit 
 of these species to hover over 
 their eg^s after being driven 
 from them : but this is generally 
 confined to the close of the sea- 
 son of incubation, or very dark 
 or wet weather ; and the student, 
 to/ avail himself of it, must be 
 ori^the spot at the proper time. 
 The moment a person approach- 
 es one of their breeding places, 
 the whole colony leave their eggs 
 or young, and fly to meet the 
 intruder. I have been on an 
 island of not more than thirty 
 acres area, where thousands of 
 these birds of both species, and also the following, were 
 breeding ; and their cries, 'kree 'kree 'kree, were so loud that 
 my companions within twenty feet of me had to shout at 
 their loudest to make their words intelligible. 
 
 The Arctic Tern, like all the others, leaves its eggs in 
 warm sunny days for several hours, depending on the sun 
 to assist in incubation. When one bird is shot, the others, 
 instead of flying off, only redouble their outcries, darting 
 down at the intruder within a few feet of his head ; and the 
 noise and confusion are so great, that one is almost bewil- 
 dered, and can hardly keep his wits about him sufficiently 
 to secure and properly identify his specimens. 
 
 STERNA FRENATA. Gambel. 
 The Least Tern. 
 
 Sterna minuta, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 80. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 
 175. Ib., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 119. 
 
 St&rna argentea, NuttalJ. Man., II. (1834) 280. 
 
550 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. On the forehead is a triangular white spot extending to the eye ; crown, 
 occiput, and a line from the eye to the upper mandible, deep-black ; entire upper 
 plumage and wings clear bluish-gray ; first two primaries with the outer web and 
 half the inner next the shaft, grayish-black, ends of the same color, inner margins 
 white, the shafts o these two quills are black; the other primaries same color as the 
 back, with the inner margins white; tail same color as the back, except the outer 
 margin of the exterior feather, and the inner webs of the others at the base, where 
 they are white; entire under plumage silvery-white; bill pale orange-yellow; iris 
 hazel; legs and feet light orange-red. 
 
 Length, eight and three-quarters inches; wing, six and three-quarters; tail, three 
 and a half inches. 
 
 Hob. Texas to Labrador; western rivers. 
 
 This handsome little bird is of similar habits, and is 
 almost as abundant as the preceding. It breeds in the same 
 localities, and, like the others, nests on the beach or bare 
 rocks. The eggs are three in number. They are a rounded 
 ovoidal in form, and a grayish-cream tint in color : they are 
 marked with spots and confluent blotches of different shades 
 of brown and obscure-lilac, and vary in dimensions from 
 1.25 by .90 inch to 1.15 by .91 inch. A large number of 
 specimens from both the Southern and Northern States 
 exhibit no appreciable difference either in size or markings. 
 
 HYDROCHELIDON, BOIE. 
 
 ffydrochelidan, BOIE, Isis (1822), 563. 
 
 Bill rather short, strong, the upper mandible curving slightly to the tip ; nostrils 
 basal, lateral, and longitudinal, the frontal feathers reaching nearly to the opening; 
 wings very long and pointed; tail moderate and emarginate; legs short; the ante- 
 rior toes slender, with the webs deeply indented; hind toe small; claws slender and 
 acute. 
 
 HTDROCHELIDON PLUMBEA. Wilson. 
 
 The Short-tailed Tern. 
 Sterna plumbea, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 83. 
 
 V nt^r/f a '^ UttalL Man '' IL < 1834 > 282 Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 535; 
 V. (1889) 642. lb., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 116. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 A/^.-Head, neck, breast, sides, and abdomen, black ; lower tail coverts white: 
 r covering of wings ashy-gray; back and wings dark plumbeous-gray ; the 
 
THE SHORT-TAILED TERN. 551 
 
 first four primaries grayish-black, with their shafts white ; bend of the wing edged 
 with white ; tail same color as the back ; bill brownish-black ; iris brown ; legs and 
 feet reddish-brown. 
 
 Young. Back, wings, and tail, light-plumbeous, with the feathers of the back 
 margined with brown; top of the head and around the eye brownish-black; front 
 and under plumage white; tail short, and but slightly forked. 
 
 Length, nine and a half inches ; wing, eight and a half; tail, three and a half 
 inches. 
 
 Hah. Texas to the New-England States, Mississippi River, and tributaries ; fur 
 countries. 
 
 This species is included on the above authority. Wilson 
 describes its habits as follows : 
 
 " I examined upwards of thirty individuals of this species by 
 dissection, and found both sexes alike in color. Their stomachs 
 contained grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, &c., but no fish. The 
 people on the seacoast inform me, that this bird comes to them 
 only in the fall, or towards the end of summer, and is more fre- 
 quently seen about the mill-ponds and fresh-water marshes than 
 in the bays ; and add, that it feeds on grasshoppers and other 
 insects, which it finds on the meadows and marshes, picking them 
 from the grass, as well as from the surface of the water. They 
 have never known it to associate with the Lesser Tern, and 
 consider it altogether a different bird. This opinion seems con- 
 firmed by the above circumstances, and by the fact of its greater 
 extent of wing, being full three inches wider than the Lesser 
 Tern, and also making its appearance after the others have 
 gone off." 
 
 Audubon describes the bird as placing its nest on the top 
 of a broken tussock of the rankest grasses, of which the fabric 
 is itself composed ; it is of a flattish form, and about two 
 inches thick. It is enlarged or renewed every year, some 
 nests being found to be from four to six inches in height. 
 The eggs, laid early in June, are four in number, 1-| by 1 
 inch in dimensions, and are of nearly an elliptical form, 
 being but slightly pointed at one end : their ground-color is 
 greenish-buff, spotted and dashed with reddish-umber and 
 black, more abundantly towards the middle. 
 
552 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 SUB-ORDER GAYLE. 1 
 
 FAMILY PROCELLARIDJE. THE PETRELS. 
 
 Bill more or less lengthened, compressed, and deeply grooved, appearing to be 
 formed of several distinct parts ; the tip is strong, much hooked, and acute ; the nos- 
 trils open from distinct tubes, either single or double, and are situated at the base of 
 the upper mandible. 
 
 All the birds embraced in this family are strictly oceanic, some of the smaller 
 species only being observed in bays near the ocean during or after a storm. They 
 vary greatly in size, some being quite diminutive, while others are equal in dimen- 
 sions to the largest known birds of flight. 
 
 Two sub-families, namely, Diomedeince and Procellarince, constitute this family, 
 the distinguishing characters of which are as follows : 
 
 DIOMEDEIN.E. Bill very strong, curved, and acute at the end ; nostrils short, 
 tubular, and situated on the sides of the upper mandible near the base. 
 
 PROCKLLARIN^E. Bill more or less strong, curved at the end, and pointed; 
 nostrils tubular, situated on the culmen, near the base, and opening forwards. 
 
 Sub-Family PRO CELLARING. The True Petrels. 
 
 The bill more or less strong, compressed, tip much hooked and pointed ; the nos- 
 trils tubular, to a greater or less extent, and situated on the basal part of the culmen; 
 generally of medium or small size, wandering in their habits, and capable of sus- 
 taining themselves on wing for a great length of time. 
 
 THALASSIDROMA, VIGORS. 
 
 Thalassidroma, Vigors, Zool. Jour. (1825). 
 
 Bill shorter than the head, slender and weak, the tip curved and acute, the sides 
 compressed and moderately grooved; nostrils at the base of the culmen tubular 
 and prominent; wings long and narrow, the second quill longest; tail forked or 
 emarginate; legs slender and very long ; tibia bare for a considerable space; ante- 
 rior toes rather short and slender, united by an indented web; a short spur in place 
 of the hind toe. 
 
 THALASSIDROMA LEACHII. - Bonaparte. 
 
 Leach's Petrel. 
 
 ProceUaria Leachii, Temm. Man., II. (1820) 812. 
 
 Thalauidrvma Leachii, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 326. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 
 (1835) 434. /&., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 219. 
 
 1 See Introduction. 
 
WILSON'S STORMY PETREL. 553 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The plumage generally is sooty-brown, darker on the crown ; primaries and tail 
 brownish-black; wing coverts and inner secondaries ashy-gray; rump, feathers of 
 the sides adjoining it, and outer lower tail coverts, white ; bill black ; iris dark-brown ; 
 tarsi and feet black. 
 
 The female differs only in being rather smaller. 
 
 This is larger than Wilson's Petrel, and has a much stronger bill : it may be 
 readily known from it by its forked tail, and the interdigital webs being entirely 
 black. 
 
 Length, eight inches; wing, six and a half; tail, three; bill, two-thirds of an 
 inch ; tarsus, one inch. 
 
 rilHIS species is the most abundant of our Petrels. It is, 
 JL in fact, the only one that breeds here ; and all others 
 may be regarded as wanderers. About the first week in 
 June, in the latitude of the islands on the north-eastern coast 
 of Maine, it pairs. Breeding in communities, it soon begins 
 its nest. This is composed of weeds, short grasses, and 
 small pebbles, which are arranged in a flat structure, at the 
 end of a burrow constructed by the birds, or in the fissures 
 and crevices of rocks on the islands off our northern coast. 
 In this a single egg is deposited, which is of a pure-white 
 color, with an obscure lilac ring around one end, consisting 
 of fine confluent dots. It is nearly oval in form, and 
 averages in dimensions about 1.30 inch in length and .96 
 inch in breadth. A large number of specimens in my col- 
 lection exhibit a variation of from 1.35 to 1.24 inch in 
 length, and from 1 inch to .80 inch in breadth. These eggs 
 soon become discolored and dirty, from the nature of the 
 nest and the habits of the bird ; but originally they are pure- 
 white. Their shell is exceedingly fragile, and a little rough 
 to the touch, like that of the eggs of all birds of this class. 
 
 THALASSIDBOMA WILSONII. Bonaparte. 
 Wilson's Stormy Petrel. 
 
 Procellana pelagica, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1808) 90. 
 
 Thalassidroma Wilsonii, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), No. 308. Nutt. Man., II. 
 (1834) 324. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 486 ; V. (1839) 645. /&., Birds Am., VII. 
 (1844) 223. 
 
 Oceanites Wilsonii, Bonaparte. Cons. Av. II. (1855) 199. 
 
554 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The general color of the plumage is dark sooty-brown ; primaries and tail black- 
 ish-brown, the latter white at the base; some of the outer secondaries and the 
 secondary coverts grayish-ash, ending with grayish-white; rump, sides of the abdo- 
 men and exterior lower tail coverts, white ; bill black ; iris dark-brown ; tarsi and 
 feet black, with the webs yellow except at the margin. 
 
 This species is somewhat smaller than T. Leachii, and more delicate in form ; the 
 bill is much weaker: it may readily be distinguished by the greater proportion of 
 white on the under tail coverts and on the sides at the base of the tail, together with 
 its much longer tarsi and yellow webs ; tail nearly even. 
 
 Length, seven and one-fourth inches; wing, six; tail, three-quarters; bill, seven- 
 twelfths inch ; tarsus, one and three-eighths inch. 
 
 Hob. Off the Atlantic coast from the Gulf of Mexico to Baffin's Bay. 
 
 This species is rare on our coast, and, to my knowledge, 
 does not breed within the limits of New-England shores. 
 Audubon says, 
 
 " Wilson's Petrel breeds on some small islands situated off the 
 southern extremity of Nova Scotia, called * Mud Islands,' but which 
 are formed of sand and light earth, scantily covered with grass. 
 
 Thither the birds re- 
 sort in great numbers 
 about the beginning of 
 June, and form bur- 
 rows of the depth of 
 two or two and a half 
 feet, in the bottom of 
 which is laid a single 
 white egg ; a few bits 
 of dry grass, scarcely 
 deserving the name of 
 The egg measures an 
 
 a nest, having been placed for its reception. 
 
 inch and a half in length by seven-eighths of an inch in breadth ; 
 is almost equally rounded at both ends. ... On wing, this 
 species is more lively than the Forked-tailed, but less so than the 
 common Stormy Petrel. Its notes are different from that of the 
 Forked-tailed Petrel, and resemble the syllables kee-re-kee-kee. 
 They are more frequently emitted at night than by day." 
 
 
THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 555 
 
 FAMILY COLYMBID^E. THE DIVERS. 
 
 Bill more or less long and compressed; the nostrils are linear or rounded, and 
 situated in a lateral groove ; tail rudimentary or short ; tarsi much compressed ; an- 
 terior toes long, with the interdigital membrane more or less full, the outer longest; 
 hind toe short, free, with a hanging lobe ; claws broad, depressed, buried in the 
 body. 
 
 The species are remarkable for their powers of swimming and diving : their ease 
 and gracefulness on the water is in strong contrast with their awkwardness on land, 
 
 The following are the characters of the two sub-families, Colymbince and Podi- 
 cipince ; 
 
 COLYMBIX.E. Bill long, rather strong, much compressed, with the point acute; 
 nostrils basal, linear; tarsi much compressed; toes long and webs full; tail short; 
 lores feathered. 
 
 PomciPiNjE. Bill generally long and rather slender, compressed and pointed; 
 nostrils situated in a groove, oblong and narrow ; tarsi compressed ; toes long and 
 broadly lobed ; tail wanting, or very rudimentary ; lores naked. 
 
 Sub-Family COLYMBINJE. The Loons. 
 
 Bill about the length of the head, rather stout, much compressed, and acute ; 
 nostrils basal, linear, and pervious; wings of medium size, narrow and pointed, first 
 quill the longest, reaching far beyond the scapulars; tail short and rounded; tarsi 
 very much compressed; entire tarsi and base of toes reticulated; toes long, the 
 anterior ones united by regular webs, the claw of the middle twice as long as broad ; 
 hind toe short, edged with a narrow membrane. 
 
 These birds excel all others in their rapidity of diving, and the great progress 
 they are able to make under water. Only one genus in this sub-family is recognized 
 by authors. 
 
 COLYMBUS, LINN^US. 
 
 Colymbus, LINN^US, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type C. articus.) 
 
 As the characters of the sub-family include those of the single genus Colymbus, it 
 is not necessary to repeat them. 
 
 They are abundant during summer in the high northern latitudes, both on the 
 seacoast and on inland lakes ; in winter, they migrate to the South. They are soli- 
 tary in their habits, keen-sighted, and very difficult of approach : their flight is 
 strong, rapid, and direct. 
 
 COLYMBUS TORQUATUS. Briinnich. 
 The Great Northern Diver ; the Loon. 
 
 Colymbus glacialis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 221. Wils. Am. Orn., IX. 
 (1824) 84. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 513. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 43. lb., Birds 
 Am., VII. (1844) 282. 
 
556 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill compressed, strong and tapering, outline of upper mandible nearly straight, 
 very slightly curved; the lower mandible has a groove underneath, running from 
 the junction of the crura towards the point; the tail consists of twenty feathers. 
 
 Adult. The head and neck are dark bluish-green, the upper part and sides of 
 the head glossed with purple ; there is a small transverse mark on the throat, com- 
 posed of white feathers of a quill-like form, distinct from each other, and placed lon- 
 gitudinally on each side of the neck ; lower down are larger patches of white, of the 
 same peculiar form, and running in the same direction ; these almost meet behind, 
 and in front are about one inch apart; the effect of these pure-white feathers, re- 
 lieved by the dark color of the neck, is very beautiful ; the upper plumage and wing 
 coverts are deep glossy-black, beautifully marked with pure-white spots, placed in 
 regular transverse rows, slightly curving downwards ; these spots, on the upper part 
 of the back, are small and nearly round, but, as they descend lower on the back, 
 increase in size, and become quadrangular in form, being largest on the scapularies ; 
 on the lower part of the back, upper tail coverts, and sides (which are black), the 
 spots are small and round ; the sides of the neck, near the shoulder, are beautifully 
 lineated with black and white ; the primaries, secondaries, and tail, brownish-black ; 
 the under surface glossy-white, with a narrow band of dusky feathers crossing the 
 lower part of the abdomen, and marked with small white spots ; lower tail coverts 
 blackish-brown, tipped with white ; bill black; iris deep bright-red; tarsi and feet 
 grayish-blue externally, tinged on the inside with pale-yellowish red ; webs brownish- 
 black; claws black. 
 
 Young. The plumage above is grayish-black, the feathers of the back mar- 
 gined with grayish-white, the under plumage pure-white ; bill yellowish, with the 
 ridge of the upper mandible dusky. 
 
 Length, thirty-one inches; wing, fourteen; tarsus, three and a quarter; bill, 
 three; height at base, one inch. 
 
 Hob. Very generally distributed ; it is abundant on the Atlantic coast, in the 
 lakes of the interior, and the fur countries. 
 
 THE Great Loon is a rather common species on our coast 
 in the autumn and winter. It passes the season of re- 
 production in the neighborhood of large tracts and ponds of 
 fresh water in the interior, where it nests, about the middle 
 of June, on some low island, or in meadows, bordering the 
 lakes where it collects a large pile of grasses, sods, and 
 weeds, in which it forms a hollow of from fourteen to six- 
 teen inches in diameter, and four or five in depth ; lining it 
 with a few softer grasses and pieces of moss, if such are 
 obtainable. The eggs are two or three in number. They 
 vary in shape from almost exactly oval, usually about ovate 
 and occasionally very much lengthened, as will be seen b'y 
 the following dimensions of four specimens from different 
 
THE RED-THROATED DIVER. 557 
 
 localities in Maine : 3.67 by 2.35, 3.85 by 2.15, 3.50 by 
 2.25, 3.50 by 2.25 inches. Their color is an olivaceous- 
 brown , sometimes an olivaceous-drab ; and one specimen is 
 of a reddish-brown, with but a slight olivaceous tint. This 
 primary color is sparingly marked with small spots and a 
 few larger blotches of blackish or very dark-brown. The 
 Umbagog Lakes, in Maine, are a favorite breeding locality 
 of this species ; and sometimes several pairs may be found, 
 within a hundred rods of each other, engaged in the duties 
 of incubation. When the nest is approached, the sitting 
 bird silently leaves it ; and, gliding through the grass, drops 
 into the water ; and, diving, swims below the surface to a 
 considerable distance from the shore, where, appearing 
 above it, she attentively watches the intruder. 
 
 The nest is built only a short distance from the water, 
 and is approached in different directions by paths through 
 the grass, beaten by the birds, or sometimes by muskrats 
 in their approaches to their winter homes. I once heard of 
 one of these Loons forming its nest in the top of an aban- 
 doned muskrat's nest, and of another that placed it in the 
 top of a low stump of a pine. Usually, it is laid on the mud 
 or earth, in thick grass or weeds. 
 
 COLYMBUS SEPTENTRIONALIS. Linmeus. 
 The Red-throated Diver. 
 
 Colymbus Septentrionalis, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 519. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 
 (1838) 20; V. (1839) 625. Ib., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 299. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Front, sides of the head, upper part of the throat, and sides of the heck, 
 clear bluish-gray ; upper part of the head of the same color, intermixed with black- 
 ish spots; the hind neck streaked longitudinally with white on a greenish-black 
 ground, the white feathers being raised above the others; on the forepart of the 
 neck is a large longitudinal patch of deep reddish-brown; upper plumage brownish- 
 black,' slightly tinged with green, and on the upper part of the back and lower part 
 and sides of the neck streaked and mottled with white; wings and tail brownish- 
 black; under plumage pure-white, with a band across the hind-part of the abdomen, 
 and the lower tail coverts, brownish-gray; bill bluish-black; iris bright-red ; tarsi 
 and feet brownish-black externally, on the inside pale flesh-color; claws yellowish 
 at the base, dusky at the end. 
 
558 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 Young. Upper part of the head and hind-neck dull-gray, streaked with grayish- 
 white ; back and wings blackish-gray, profusely marked with oval-shaped white 
 spots, there being two on each feather, smallest on the upper part of the back and 
 largest on the tertiaries ; quill feathers and tail blackish-brown, the latter edged 
 with white; sides of the neck white, speckled minutely with gray; under plumage 
 silky-white, crossed on the lower part of the abdomen by a dusky band; bill bluish- 
 gray, dusky on the ridge and flesh-colored at the base. 
 
 Length, twenty-seven inches ; wing, eleven and a half; tail, two and a half; bill, 
 two and a quarter ; tarsus, two and three-quarters inches. 
 
 Hob. During the winters as far south as Maryland; inhabits as far north as the 
 arctic seas ; found also on the Pacific coast. 
 
 This bird, although pretty common on our coast during 
 the winter, is much more northern in its breeding habits 
 than the Loon ; seldom passing the season of incubation 
 south of Labrador, where it begins to lay early in June. 
 The nests are placed on small islands in fresh-water ponds, 
 a short distance from the sea. " These nests consist merely 
 of a few blades of rank grasses loosely put together, and 
 are quite flat, without any down to warm or conceal the 
 eggs at any period of incubation." They are placed within 
 a few feet of the water, and are approached by well-beaten 
 paths, like those of the preceding. The eggs are usually 
 three in number. They exactly resemble those of the 
 Loon in form, color, and markings, but are much smaller ; 
 varying from -3 to 2.65 inches in length, and from 1.90 
 to 1.75 inch in breadth. 
 
 Sub-Family PODICIPIN^E. The Grebes. 
 
 Bill generally long, compressed on the sides, and pointed; lores usually naked; 
 nostrils placed in a groove, oblong and narrow. Wings short, the second quill 
 longest, shorter than the scapulars; the tail is represented by a tuft of downy feath- 
 ers; tarsi much compressed and rather short; toes long, the outer longest, broadly 
 and evenly lobed, most so on the inner side; claws short, broad, and obtuse; tarsi 
 with plates on the sides, in front with a single, behind with a double, longitudinal 
 series of projecting scales; toes and their lobes plated above. 
 
 The plumage is very soft, and on the under surface silky: they are remarkably 
 active on the water, and when alarmed remain below the surface, exposing only 
 
THE RED-NECKED GREBE. 559 
 
 PODICEPS, LATHAM. 
 
 Podiceps, LATHAM, Ind. Ornith. (1790), 780. (Type Colymbus cristatus, L.) 
 Bill long, slender, tapering, and pointed; nostrils situated in a groove, small, 
 linear, and pervious; wings short and narrow, second primary a little the longest, 
 emarginate near the ends ; tail a tuft of loose feathers ; tarsi short, much compressed, 
 the edges covered with small scutellae, and the sides with broad transverse scutellae ; 
 toes long, the outer longest, flattened, with the sides lobed, the most on the inner 
 side, and at the base united by webs ; hind toe short and broadly lobed, claws small, 
 depressed, and obtuse. 
 
 These birds mostly frequent the fresh-water rivers and interior lakes ; but they are 
 also found near the seacoast. They are very expert swimmers, but make progress 
 with great difficulty on land ; their flight is rapid and direct. In the breeding season, 
 the head is ornamented with ruff's and elongated tufts, which disappear when they 
 assume their winter garb. 
 
 PODICEPS GRISEIGENA. Gray. 
 The Red-necked Grebe. 
 
 Podiceps rubricolUs, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 253. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 
 617; V. (1839) 520. /&., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 312. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Upper plumage blackish-brown, with the upper part of the head and 
 hind-neck black ; primaries ashy-brown, secondaries mostly white, a few of the inner 
 ones dark-ash ; cheeks and throat ash-gray ; a white line extends from the lower 
 mandible under and beyond the eye; forepart and sides of the neck rich brownish- 
 red; lower parts silvery- white, with the sides dusky; bill black, paler at the end, 
 and bright-yellow at the base ; iris carmine ; tarsi and feet externally greenish-black, 
 internally yellow. 
 
 Yuung. The upper plumage is blackish-brown, darker on the head ; throat and 
 abdomen white; sides of the head and forepart of neck brownish-ash; abdomen 
 silky-white; sides dark brownish-ash ; bill bright-yellow. 
 
 Length about eighteen inches ; wing, seven ; bill, one and three-quarters ; tarsi, 
 two inches. 
 
 Hob. Fur countries and in the Atlantic States, as far south as Pennsylvania, in 
 winter. 
 
 The Red-necked Grebe is common on our coast in winter, 
 where it is commonly called " The Diver," from its habit of 
 diving at the flash of a gun. It feeds, like all other birds 
 of this family, on small fishes and^marine animals, which it 
 obtains by diving ; and such is its expertness and powers 
 of endurance in this respect, that I have known it to remain 
 certainly a minute beneath the surface, if not longer. It is 
 
560 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 shy, and difficult of approach ; and, .when apprehending 
 danger, it immerses its body, and swims with nothing but 
 its head above the surface. This trick I have noticed in 
 other allied species ; and it is, I think, common in all birds 
 of this class. It breeds in the most northern portions of 
 the continent, where it forms the same kind of nest " as 
 that of the Crested Grebe, and lays three or four eggs." 
 Audubon describes an egg in his possession as being two 
 inches in length by one and a quarter inch in breadth, and 
 of a uniform pale greenish- white. 
 
 PODICEPS CRIST ATUS. Latham. 
 The Crested Grebe. 
 
 Podiceps cristatus, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 250. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 
 595. /&., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 308. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adidt. Front, upper part of the head, and long occipital tufts dark umber- 
 brown, the base of the tufts brownish-red; the ruff is bright brownish-red on the 
 upper portion immediately under the tufts and anteriorly, on the hind-part brownish- 
 black ; upper plumage dark umber-brown ; humeral feathers white ; primaries umber- 
 brown; secondaries mostly white; throat and sides of the head white; forepart 
 and sides of the neck adjoining the ruff brownish-red ; under plumage silvery-white ; 
 sides dusky, tinged with reddish-brown; bill blackish-brown, tinged with carmine; 
 bare loral space dusky-green; iris bright-carmine; tarsi and feet greenish-black 
 externally, greenish-yellow internally ; webs grayish-blue. 
 
 Young. Upper part of head dark-brown; hind-neck brownish-gray; back and 
 wings brownish-black ; humeral feathers white ; primaries dark umber-brown on the 
 outer webs, paler on the inner; lower parts silvery-white, sides brown; upper man- 
 dible brownish-black, pale at the end, and yellow on the sides at the base ; lower 
 mandible yellow, with the sides dusky. 
 
 Length, twenty-three and one-half inches; wing, seven and three-quarters; bill, 
 two and one-sixteenth ; tarsus, two and a half inches. 
 
 This is not uncommon as a summer resident in northern 
 New England ; and, according to Mr. George A. Boardman, 
 it breeds about the lakes in the neighborhood of Calais, 
 Me. The nest is placed in a retired spot, in a swamp or 
 marsh, near the water; and is construe. ed, according to Dr. 
 Richardson, of " a large quantity of grass, placed among 
 the reeds and carices." The eggs are generally four in 
 
THE HORNED GREBE. 561 
 
 number. They are, when first laid, of a white color ; but 
 they quickly become dirty and stained by the habits of the 
 bird and the nature of the nest. They are of an ovoidal 
 form, and average about 2.16 by 1.48 inch in dimensions. 
 
 
 
 PODICEPS CORNUTTJS. Latham. 
 The Horned Grebe. 
 
 Podkeps cornutus, ISTuttall. Man., II. (1834) 254. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 
 429; V. (1839) 623. Ib., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 316. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Upper part of the head, cheeks, throat, and ruff, glossy-black ; a broad 
 band running from the bill over the eyes, and the elongated occipital tufts behind 
 them, yellowish-red, deepest in color adjoining the bill ; upper surface brownish-black ; 
 the feathers margined with gray; primaries brownish-ash; secondaries mostly white, 
 some of the outer one dark-ash ; the fore -neck and upper part of the breast bright 
 chestnut-red, sides of the same color, intermixed with dusky; abdomen silky-white; 
 bill bluish-black, yellow at the tip ; loral space bright-carmine ; iris carmine, with an 
 inner circle of white ; tarsi and feet dusky-gray externally, dull-yellow internally, 
 and on both edges of the tarsus. 
 
 Young. The whole upper plumage grayish-black, darkest on the head, feathers 
 of the back with gray margins; throat, sides of the head, a broad space on the sides 
 of the neck, nearly meeting behind, breast, and abdomen, silvery- white ; sides and 
 lower part of abdomen dusky. 
 
 Length, about fourteen inches; wing, five and three-quarters; bill, one; tarsi, 
 one and three-quarters inch. 
 
 Hob. Generally distributed from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. 
 
 The Horned Grebe is not uncommon in our lakes and 
 rivers, and in the waters on our coast, in the spring and 
 autumn. It breeds in more northern localities than New 
 England, but is not invariably an arctic breeder. Audubon 
 says, 
 
 " Although the greater number of these birds go far 
 northward to breed, some remain within the limits of the 
 United States during the whole year ; rearing their young on 
 the borders of ponds, particularly in the northern parts of 
 the State of Ohio, in the vicinity of Lake Erie. Two nests 
 which I found were placed at a distance of about four yards 
 from the water's edge, on the top of broken-down tussocks 
 
 36 
 
562 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 of rank weeds ; the materials of which they were com- 
 posed of the same nature, and rudely interwoven to a 
 height of upwards of seven inches. They were rather 
 more than a foot in diameter at the base ; the cavity only 
 four inches across, shallow, but more finished with finer 
 plants, of which a quantity lay on the borders, and was 
 probably used by the bird to cover the eggs when about to 
 leave them. There were five eggs in one nest, seven in 
 the other. They measured one inch arid three-quarters 
 in length by one inch and two and a half eighths. Their 
 shell was smooth, and of a uniform yellowish-cream color, 
 without spots or marks of any kind." 
 
 A single egg in my collection, from Wisconsin, is of an 
 ovoidal form ; measures 1.85 by 1.20 inch in dimensions. 
 It is of a dirty-white color, the shell being covered by a 
 calcareous deposit. On scraping this, the shell is of a 
 bluish-white tint. 
 
 PODILYMBUS, LESSON. 
 
 Podilymbus, LESSON, Traite d'Ornith. (1831), 595. (Type Colymbus podi- 
 ceps, L.) 
 
 Bill shorter than the head, snout much compressed ; the culmen much curved to 
 the tip, which is acute ; nostrils situated in the anterior part of a broad groove, oval 
 and pervious; wings short, second quill longest, the outer quills emarginate at the 
 end; tail a tuft of downy feathers; tarsi short, and very much compressed; anterior 
 toes long, flattened, the outer longest, and broadly margined, the inner sides the 
 most, hind toe short and moderately lobed; claws small, depressed, oblong, and 
 obtuse. 
 
 PODILYMBUS PODICEPS. Lawrence. 
 The Pied-bill Grebe. 
 
 Colymbus podiceps, Linnaeus. S. N. (1766), 223. 
 
 Podiceps Carolinensis, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 259. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 
 869; V. (1839) 624. 76., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 324. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Adult. Upper plumage very dark brown; primaries dark-ash; secondaries ash 
 on the outer webs, and white on the inner; bill pale-blue, dusky on the ridge of the 
 upper mandible, both mandibles crossed with a broad black band, including the nos- 
 trils; chin and throat marked with a conspicuous black patch nearly two inches in 
 eeks and sides of the neck brownish-gray; lower part of the neck, upper 
 
THE PIED-BILL GREBE. 563 
 
 part of the breast, and the sides, dull rusty-brown, spotted and rather indis- 
 tinctly barred with brownish-black; lower part of breast and abdomen grayish- 
 white, mottled with dusky spots; iris brown; tarsi and feet grayish-black. 
 
 Young. The throat is white and the bill without the transverse black band, the 
 under plumage more silvery- white ; in other respects the same as the adult ; some 
 specimens, probably the birds of the year, have whitish lines on the sides of the 
 head. 
 
 Length, fourteen inches; wing, five and a quarter; bill, seven-eighths; tarsus, 
 one and a half inch. 
 
 Hob. Atlantic States generally; Texas and New Mexico; California and 
 Oregon. 
 
 This is the most common Grebe in New England, where 
 it is a summer resident. It undoubtedly breeds in all these 
 States, as it is frequently taken in the breeding season ; but 
 its nest, owing to the secluded habits of the bird, is very 
 rarely found. It is described as being similar to that of the 
 preceding species. The eggs, five in number, are covered 
 with a calcareous deposit, which gives them a dirty yellow- 
 ish-white color : on scraping this off, the shell beneath has 
 a bluish-white tint. The form of the egg is exactly ovoidal. 
 Specimens in my collection, from Illinois, measure about 
 
 2.17 inches in length by 1.45 inch in their greatest breadth. 
 Another, from Wisconsin, is only 1.95 inch in length, and 
 
 1.18 inch at its greatest breadth. 
 
564 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 FAMILY ALCID^E. 
 
 Bill without lamellae along the edges; usually shorter than the head, compressed, 
 and pointed; anterior toes connected fully by a continuous membrane; hind toe 
 often entirely wanting; the outer as large as the middle; the claws higher than 
 broad; legs inserted far back; wings short, concave. 
 
 The Alcidas are readily distinguished from the Colymbi&z by the absence of hind 
 toe, the continuous webbing of the toes, the compressed claws, and other characters. 
 The species are all exclusively marine, usually arctic, only coming southward in 
 winter. Owing to their boreal residence, they are little known ; and several species 
 doubtless yet remain to be discovered. 
 
 Sub-Family ALCIN^:. The Auks. 
 ALGA, LINNJEUS. 
 
 Alca> LINN.EUS, Syst. Nat. (1758). 
 
 General form short, broad, and strong; wings short; tail short; bill about as 
 long as the head, feathered at base, much flattened laterally, wider, and somewhat 
 hooked at the end; upper mandible with oblique transverse grooves; wings short 
 and feeble; tail short, pointed; legs and feet short and strong; toes fully webbed. 
 
 ALGA TORDA. Linnaeus. 
 The Razor-billed Auk. 
 
 Alca torda, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1758) 130. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 
 112; V. 428. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Much smaller than the preceding; general form short and heavy; bill rather 
 long, densely feathered at base, flattened laterally ; upper mandible with three to five 
 curved transverse grooves ; under mandible with three or four transverse grooves ; 
 feathers on side of upper jaw reaching far beyond the middle of the commissure, and 
 nearly as far as those of the lower jaw; wing moderate, pointed; tail short, gradu- 
 ated, with the middle feathers longest and pointed ; legs short, strong ; a narrow 
 but very distinct line of white on each side from the base of the upper mandible to 
 the eye; head and entire upper parts brownish-black, more clearly brown on the 
 throat and neck in front, and darker on the back ; secondary quills narrowly tipped 
 with white; entire under parts white; bill black, with a single transverse band of 
 white on both mandibles; feet black. 
 
 Total length, about seventeen inches; wing, eight to eight and a half; tail, three 
 and a half; bill to gape, two and a half inches. 
 
 Hnb. North-eastern coast of America ; Newfoundland, Labrador, and south in 
 winter to New Jersey; also, arctic regions of Old World. 
 
THE RAZOR-BILLED AUK. 565 
 
 This well-known species is very abundant on the north-eastern coasts of North 
 America, and appears to be quite identical with the bird of the northern regions of 
 the Old World. It, wanders southwardly in the winter, and is occasionally noticed 
 on the coasts of the Middle States on the Atlantic. This bird may always be recog- 
 nized by the conspicuous white line in front of the eye, which is present in all ages 
 and stages of plumage. 
 
 THIS species visits our coasts, in small numbers only, in 
 the winter months. It breeds in the most northern por- 
 tions of the continent, the nearest breeding-place to New 
 England being the islands in the Bay of Fundy. Audu- 
 bon, in describing the breeding habits of this bird, says, 
 
 " When the Auks deposit their eggs along with the Guillemots, 
 which they sometimes do, they drop them in spots from which the 
 water can escape without injuring them : but when they breed in 
 deep fissures, which is more frequently the case, many of them lie 
 close together ; and the eggs are deposited on small beds of pebbles 
 or broken stones, raised a couple of inches or more to let the water 
 pass beneath them. When they lay their eggs in such a horizontal 
 cavern, you find them scattered at the distance of a few inches 
 from each other : and there, as well as in the fissures, they sit flat 
 upon them, like Ducks, for example; whereas, on an exposed 
 rock, each bird stands almost upright upon its egg. Another thing, 
 quite as curious, which I observed, is that, while in exposed situa- 
 tions, the Auk seldom lays more than one egg ; yet, in places of 
 greater security, I have, in many instances, found two under a sin- 
 gle bird. The eggs measure at an average 3^ by 2 inches, and 
 are generally pure-white, greatly blotched with dark-brown or 
 black ; the spots generally forming a circle towards the larger end. 
 They differ considerably from those of the Common and Thick- 
 billed Guillemots, being less blunted at the smaller end." 
 
 It is a matter of great difficulty to distinguish the eggs 
 of this species from those of the Murre and Foolish Guille- 
 mot. In a large number of each in my collection, I can 
 discover no characteristic peculiar to either so persistent 
 as to distinguish it. The exception noted by Audubon, of 
 the small end being less sharpened than the others, is 
 
566 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 the principal ; yet this is not invariable, and it cannot be 
 depended upon as a sure means of identification. 
 
 MORMON, ILLIGER. 
 
 3/braow, ILLIGER, Prod. (1811), 283. 
 
 General form short and heavy, and adapted to swimming and diving with great 
 facility, and to limited power of flight; bill short, entirely horny, much flattened 
 laterally, and nearly as high as long; measured on the side obliquely rugose and 
 laminated; a portion at the base punctulated; nostril in the edge of and in the 
 second lamina of the upper mandible; wing moderate or rather weak, first quill 
 usually longest; tail short; legs short; toes, three only, directed forwards, rather 
 long, fully webbed; claws large, curved; plumage very compact. 
 
 MORMON ARCTICA. llliger. 
 The Puffin. 
 
 Aka arctica, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 211. 
 
 Mormon arctica, llliger. Prod. (1811). Aud. Orn. Biog., III. 105. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Smaller than either of the preceding, but much resembling the two last species 
 in form and color; a short, blunt process over each eye, and a narrow transverse 
 process under it; bill much flattened laterally, horny; upper mandible composed of 
 two parts, that at the base narrow, and covered with minute spots or granulations, 
 terminal part with about four curved ridges at its base, and two or three curved 
 descending grooves near the end ; under mandible smooth at base, and with about 
 three grooves near its end ; wing rather short and weak ; tail short ; legs and feet 
 strong ; throat black, uniting with the same color of the upper parts of the body ; 
 large space on each side of the head and entire under parts, from the throat, white, 
 frequently tinged with ashy about the eyes; entire upper parts (and throat) brown- 
 ish-black, darker, and frequently clear black on the back; head above frequently 
 dark-ash} r , separated by a well-defined line from the black of the other upper parts ; 
 bill and feet orange-yellow ; sides, under the wings, ashy-black ; iris light-blue. 
 
 Total length, about twelve and a half inches ; wing, seven and a half; tail, two 
 and three-quarters inches. 
 
 This bird is not uncommon on the coast of northern New 
 England as a winter visitor, and a few breed on the islands 
 about Grand Menan. The nest is placed in a burrow in the 
 earth, dug by the birds. " In all the burrows that commu- 
 nicate with each other, a round place is scooped out on one 
 side of the avenue in the form of an oven ; while, in those 
 which are single, this ovenlike place is found at the end. 
 All the passages are flattish above and rounded beneath, as 
 
THE GUILLEMOT. 567 
 
 well as on the sides. In many instances, two birds are 
 found sitting each on its egg in the same hole. Both birds 
 work in digging the hole, using their bills and feet: they 
 also sit alternately on their egg, although the female engages 
 more industriously in this occupation, while the male labors 
 harder at the burrow. But one egg is laid : this is at first 
 pure-white ; but it soon becomes soiled and stained, and 
 appears to be a dirty yellowish-white. Its form is a pure 
 ovoidal. A number of specimens in my collection are from 
 2.48 to 2.30 inches in length, and from 1.70 to 1.65 inch in 
 their greatest breadth. Some specimens are marked with 
 spots and blotches of brownish-red, the proportion of 
 marked ones being about two in five. 
 
 Sub-Family URIN^:. The Guillemots. 
 
 URIA, MOEHRING. 
 
 Uria, MOERHING, Av. Gen. (1752). (Type Colymbus grytte, L.) 
 General form short and robust; head moderate; bill rather long, straight, some- 
 what compressed, pointed, angle of the under mandible distinct ; nostrils in a groove 
 at base of upper mandible, the membrane of which is covered with short velvet-like 
 feathers; wings short, pointed ; tail short; legs short and robust ; tarsus shorter than 
 the middle toe, compressed ; toes rather long, fully webbed ; claws rather strong, 
 curved. 
 
 URIA GRILLE. Latham. 
 The Guillemot. 
 
 Alca grylle, Linnams. Syst. Nat., I. (1758) 130. 
 
 Una grylle, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 148; V. 627. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill straight, pointed; wing rather short, weak; first quill longest; tail short; 
 a large oval transverse space on the wing white, which is also the color of the under 
 wing coverts and axillary feathers, outer edge of the wing and shoulder brownish- 
 black ; all other parts of the plumage brownish-black, with a greenish tinge, and 
 darker on the back; bill black ; feet red. 
 
 Younger. Under parts, neck, and rump, white ; head above and back dark- 
 brown; large space of white on the wing. 
 
 Total length, about thirteen inches ; wing, six and half; tail, two inches. 
 
568 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 This species is pretty abundant on our coasts ; and it is 
 said to breed on rocky islands, from Mount Desert eastward. 
 It. can therefore be considered as a resident of north-eastern 
 New England through the year. It is found all along 
 our shores in the winter, but not in any great abundance ; 
 and it is less common on the shores of Massachusetts, than 
 on those of Maine. Like the other Auks and Guillemots, 
 it is an expert diver ; and it obtains its food by diving and 
 swimming beneath the surface of the water : this food, as 
 with the others, consists principally of fish, which it seizes 
 in its bill, and swallows whole. It also eats various small 
 marine animals and their eggs ; and, like the others, picks 
 up such floating garbage as may conle in its way. 
 
 The eggs, three in number, are placed on the bare rock 
 or earth, usually in fissures of cliffs or almost inaccessible 
 ledges. These are exactly ovoidal in form, and vary in 
 color from a pale greenish-white to a pure pearl-white. 
 This is covered irregularly with spots and blotches of dif- 
 ferent shades of brown and black, thickest at the great end, 
 where they are usually almost confluent into a ring around 
 the whole egg. Besides these spots, there are others of an 
 obscure-purple scattered over the egg, that appear as if they 
 were beneath the outside of the shell. The dimensions of 
 the eggs of this species vary from 2.40 by 1.60 inch to 2.25 
 by 1.50 inch. 
 
 UEIA LOMVIA. Briinnich. 
 The Foolish Guillemot; the Murre. 
 
 Uria lomvia, Briinnich. Orn. Bor. (1764), 27. 
 Colymbug troile, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 220. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Bill rather long, pointed, compressed ; from the lateral feathers longer than the 
 tarsus, or than the inner toe and claw; a narrow line under and behind the eye 
 dark-brown; head above, and entire other upper parts, brownish-black; sides of the 
 head, and entire under parts, white ; sides of the body under the wing with trans- 
 verse stripes of ashy-brown ; under wing coverts white, secondary quills tipped with 
 white; bill blackish-brown, paler at base ; tarsi and feet dark greenish-brown ; sum- 
 
THE FOOLISH GUILLEMOT. 569 
 
 mer plumage, with the entire hind and upper parts of body, dark sooty-brown; 
 under parts white ; head and orbital region dusky, without white stripes. 
 
 Total length, about fifteen inches; wing, seven and a half; tail, two inches. 
 
 Hah, Northern coasts of America ; Northern Europe and Asia. 
 
 This bird is rather common on our coast in the winter 
 months, and is said to breed in small numbers about the 
 Bay of Fundy. As a general thing, however, it passes the 
 season of incubation in more northern localities, and is very 
 abundant on the coast of Labrador, where, on the low 
 islands, it breeds, laying a single egg, like the Razor-billed 
 Auk, on the bare rock or gravel. It is impossible to de- 
 scribe the egg of this species in a manner that will lead to 
 its being distinguished -from that of the Murre or Razor- 
 billed Auk. 
 
 Audubon makes the following observations, which are, of 
 course, of more value to the collector than to the student, 
 who has no opportunities of visiting the breeding-grounds 
 of these birds. He says : 
 
 " The Foolish Guillemot lays only a single egg, which is the 
 case with the Thick-billed Guillemot also. The Razor-billed Auk 
 lays two, and the Black Guillemot usually three. This is confirmed 
 by the fact, that the Foolish Guillemot, which lays only one egg, 
 plucks the feathers from its abdomen, which is thus left bare over 
 a roundish space, just large enough to cover its single egg. The 
 Thick-billed Guillemot does the same. The Auk, on the contrary, 
 forms two bare spots, separated by a ridge of feathers. The Black 
 Guillemot, to cover her three eggs, and to warm them all at once, 
 plucks a space bare quite across her belly." 
 
 One peculiarity which I notice in the eggs of this species 
 and those of the Murre is, that they are generally some- 
 what pyriform in shape : but this is not persistent ; and the 
 same rock may contain a deep-green egg with brown spots 
 and blotches, a light-blue one with hardly any marks, and 
 cream-colored ones, drab, reddish-white, and bluish-white, 
 some with only a few spots and blotches, and others thickly 
 marked. It may also have pyriform eggs, ovoidal, ovate, 
 
570 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 and almost oval ones. The only means of perfect identi- 
 fication of either of these species is to visit their breeding- 
 places, and secure the parent birds on their nests. 
 
 The dimensions vary from 3.50 by 2.15 inches to 2.95 by 
 by 1.78 inch. 
 
 UEIA EINGVIA. Brunmch. 
 The Murre. 
 
 Uria ringvia, Briinnich. Orn. Bor. (1764) 28. 
 Uria troile, Audubon. Orn. Bor., III. (1835) 142. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 About the size of, or rather larger than, the preceding; bill rather long, pointed, 
 compressed ; from the lateral feathers, longer than the tarsus, or than the inner toe and 
 claw; wings rather short: tail very short; a narrow line of white encircling and run- 
 ning backwards behind the eye and over the ear ; head and entire upper parts dark- 
 brown, with a tinge of ashy; under parts white; sides with transverse stripes of 
 ashy-brown; under wing coverts white; bill black; feet greenish-black; winter 
 plumage, with the throat and all other under parts, white; the white line behind the 
 eye frequently wanting, and different in length in specimens. 
 
 Total length, about seventeen inches; wing, seven and a half to eight inches; 
 tail, two inches. 
 
 Hob. Northern America, Northern Europe, and Asia. 
 
 The same remarks are applicable to this as to the Foolish 
 Guillemot. It is northern in its habits, and is more abun- 
 dant on the coast of Maine than farther south. 
 
 MERGULUS, RAY. 
 
 Mergulus, RAY, Syn. Av. (1713), 125. 
 
 Small; general form short and heavy ; head rather large ; bill short, thick ; upper 
 mandible curved, slightly lobed on its edge ; membrane of the rounded nostril large ; 
 wings moderate or rather short, pointed; first quill longest; tail short; feet rather 
 short. 
 
 MERGULUS ALLE. Linnaus. 
 The Little Auk ; the Sea Dove ; Dovekie. 
 
 Aka atte, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 211. 
 Uria atte, Audubon. Orn. Bor., IV. (1838) 304. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Small; head, breast, and entire upper parts, brownish-black, inclining to fuligi- 
 nous on the head and breast; under parts from the breast white; a narrow line of 
 white over the eye; secondaries tipped with white; scapulars edged with white; 
 
THE LITTLE AUK. 571 
 
 under wing coverts dark-ashy; flanks with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black; 
 bill black ; feet pale-reddish ; webs of toes dark ; winter plumage and young, with 
 the throat and other under parts, white, extending somewhat on the sides of the 
 neck. 
 
 Total length, about seven and a half inches ; wing, four and a half; tail, one and 
 a quarter inch. 
 
 One of the most abundant of the sea-birds of northern America and Europe, 
 straying south in the winter occasionally to the coasts of the Middle States. 
 
 This curious little bird is not uncommon on our coast in 
 winter. In severe storms, it is occasionally blown far 
 inland ; and it has been killed in the Umbagog Lakes, in 
 the north-western part of Maine. I know but little of its 
 habits. Wilson says : 
 
 " The Little Auk is said to be but a rare visitant of the 
 British Isles. It is met with in various parts of the North, 
 even as far as Spitzbergen ; is common in Greenland, in 
 company with the Black-billed Auk, and feeds upon the 
 same kind of food. The Greenlanders call it the Ice-bird, 
 from the circumstance of its being the harbinger of ice. It 
 lays two bluish- white eggs, larger than those of the Pigeon. 
 It flies quick, and dives well, and is always dipping its bill 
 into the water while swimming or at rest on that element ; 
 walks better on the land than others of the genus. It grows 
 fat in the stormy season, from the waves bringing plenty of 
 crabs and small fish within its reach. It is not a very crafty 
 bird, and may be easily taken." 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 I conclude herewith Mr. Couper's notes on the foregoing 
 species, made at Quebec, Lower Canada : 
 
 ANSER HYPERBOREUS. Common on the St. Lawrence in the fall. 
 
 BERNICLA CANADENSIS. This is our most common species. It goes 
 north and west to breed. They breed abundantly in the swamps of Illinois. 
 A few breed in Anticosti ; and I believe they are to be found breeding in 
 Labrador. 
 
572 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
 
 ANAS BOSCHAS. Uncommon. 
 
 A. OBSCURA. This duck is very common here. It is truly a northern 
 species. It breeds in the swamps adjacent to this city. 
 
 DAFILA ACUTA. Common in spring : a few visit us in the fall. 
 NETTION CAROLINENSIS. Common. Breeds. 
 QUERQUEDULA DISCORS. Uncommon. 
 SPATULA CLTPEATA. Uncommon. 
 
 MARECA AMERICANA. The adult bird is seldom seen in this latitude. 
 AIX SPONSA. Sometimes common. Breeds. 
 
 FULIX MARILA. The young are abundant on the St. Lawrence during 
 autumn. They breed north-west of Quebec. 
 
 F. AFFINIS. Occasional specimens are shot at Sorel and Three Rivers. 
 It is more abundant in Western Canada. 
 
 F. COLLARIS. Occasional. 
 ATTHTA AMERICANA. Occasional. 
 
 BUCEPHALA AMERICANA. Very common in spring and fall. Breeds 
 in Canada. 
 
 B. ISLANDICA. Adult birds are occasionally shot on the lakes. The 
 young are abundant on the St. Lawrence during the early part of winter. I 
 have seen the adult on Lac a ia Philip in July. 
 
 B. ALBEOLA. Common in spring and fall. 
 
 HISTRIONICUS TORQUATUS- Common on the north shore of the St. 
 Lawrence. A beautiful adult male was shot in the spring, on the Montmo- 
 renci River, near Quebec. 
 
 HARELDA GLACIALIS. Occasional near Quebec. Common on the 
 upper lakes in spring and fall. 
 
 PELIONETTA PERSPICILLATA. Very common in the fall at Mille 
 Vaclies, lower St. Lawrence. 
 
 SOMATERIA MOLLISSIMA. Common on the north shore of the St. 
 Lawrence. Breeds on islands in the river below the Saguenay. 
 
 MERGUS AMERICANUS. Common. Breeds. 
 M. SERRATOR. Common in spring and fall. 
 
 LOPHODYTES CUCULLATUS. Adult is occasionally seen. Young visit 
 the St. Lawrence in the fall. Breeds on the margins of northern lakes. 
 
 LARUS ARGENTATUS. Common on the St. Lawrence in spring and 
 fall. Breeds on our mountain lakes. 
 
NOTES. 573 
 
 LARUS DELAWAEENSIS. The young are occasionally seen hovering 
 over the river, opposite the city, in autumn. Breeds in Labrador. 
 
 CHROICOCEPHALUS PHILADELPHIA. The young of this Gull are com- 
 mon in the St. Lawrence during autumn. Adult rare. They are supposed 
 to breed on the islands of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 STERNA WILSONIL The young are common in the autumn. Adult 
 birds are occasionally seen on their way to the upper lakes. 
 
 COLYMBUS TORQUATUS. Common on all our northern lakes. Breeds. 
 
 URIA LOMVIA. This species makes an occasional foolish visit to the fresh 
 waters of the St. Lawrence.' In the fall of 1866, hundreds were destroyed 
 by the inhabitants, who sold them to hucksters to exhibit on the market as 
 an article of food. 
 
INDEXES. 
 
INDEX OF COMMON NAMES. 
 
 A. 
 
 American Avoset, 436. 
 
 Bittern, 405. 
 
 Creeper, 190. 
 
 Goldfinch, 288. 
 
 Osprey, 55. 
 
 Raven, 355. 
 
 Swan, 480. 
 
 Widgeon, 499. 
 
 Woodcock, 426. 
 Auk, Little. 570. 
 
 Razor-billed, 564. 
 Avoset, American, 436. 
 
 B. 
 
 Bald Eagle, 51. 
 Baldpate Duck, 499. 
 Baltimore Oriole, 348. 
 Barrow's Golden-eye Duck, 511. 
 Belted Kingfisher, 125. 
 Bittern, American, 405. 
 
 Least, 403. 
 Blackbird, Cow, 339. 
 
 Crow, 352. 
 
 Bed-winged, 341. 
 
 Rusty, 350. 
 Bluebird, 175. 
 Blue Jay, 364. 
 
 Snowbird, 314. 
 Bobolink, 335. 
 Brant, 485. 
 
 Bull -head Plover, 413. 
 Bunting, Black-throated, 327. 
 Bunting, Cow, 339. 
 
 Henslow's, 306. 
 Snow, 296. 
 Butcher-bird, 268. 
 Buzzard Hawks, 34. 
 
 c. 
 
 Canada Flycatcher, 247. 
 Goose, 483. 
 Grouse, 378. 
 Jay, 366, 372. 
 
 Canvas-back Duck, 507. 
 Carolina Dove, 375. 
 Cat-bird, 172. 
 Cedar-bird, 265. 
 Chat, Yellow-breasted, 209. 
 Chatterer, Bohemian, 264. 
 Chewink, 332. 
 Chick-a-dee, 182. 
 Chimney Swallow, 116. 
 Coot, American, 476. 
 
 Butter-billed, 520. 
 White-winged, 518. 
 Cormorant, Common, 534. 
 
 Double-crested, 535. 
 Cow Blackbird, 339. 
 Creeper, American, 190. 
 
 Black and White, 201. 
 Crossbill, Red, 291. 
 
 White-winged, 293. 
 Crow Blackbird, 352. 
 Crow, Common, 357. 
 
 Fish, 363. 
 Cuckoo, Black-billed, 85. 
 
 Yellow-billed, 83. 
 Cuckoos, 82. 
 Curlew, Esquimaux, 469. 
 
 Hudsonian, 467. 
 
 Long-billed, 466. 
 
 Short-billed, 467. 
 Curlew Sandpiper, 443. 
 
 D. 
 
 Dipper, 525. 
 
 Diver, Great Northern, 555. 
 
 Red-throated, 557. 
 Dove, Carolina, 375. 
 Dovekie, 570. 
 Ducks, River, 487. 
 
 Sea, 503. 
 Duck, Baldpate, 499. 
 
 Barrow's Golden-eye, 511. 
 
 Big Black-head, 504. 
 
 Black, 28, 489. 
 
 Buffle-head, 514. 
 
 Butter-ball, 514. 
 
 Canvas-back, 507. 
 
 37 [577] 
 
578 
 
 INDEX OF COMMON NAMES. 
 
 Duck, Dipper, 514, 525. 
 Dusky, 28, 489. 
 Eider, 522. 
 Gadwall, 497. 
 Golden-eye, 512. 
 Harlequin, 515. 
 King Eider, 523. 
 Little Black-head, 505. 
 Long-tailed, 516. 
 Mallard, 487. 
 Old Wife, 516. 
 Pintail, 492. 
 Red Head, 506. 
 Ruddy, 525. 
 Scaup, 504. 
 Scoter, 521. 
 South Southerly, 516. 
 Spoonbill, 496. 
 Sprigtail, 492. 
 Summer, 500. 
 Surf, 520. 
 Velvet, 618. 
 Whistle-wing, 512. 
 Wood, 500. 
 
 E. 
 
 Engles, 49. 
 Eagle, Bald, 51. 
 
 Golden, 49, 81. 
 
 Gray, 51. 
 
 White-headed, 51. 
 
 F. 
 
 Falcons, 7. 
 Finches, 283. 
 Finch, Bay-winged, 303. 
 (,r;i>s, 303. 
 I'ine, 290. 
 Purple, 285. 
 Sea-side, 308. 
 Sharp-tailed, 307. 
 Flicker, 105. 
 
 Flycatcher, Acadian, 143. 
 Canada, 247. 
 Great-crested, 131. 
 Green-crested, 143. 
 Least, 141. 
 Olive-sided, 135. 
 Pewee, 133. 
 Traill's, 140. 
 Wilson's Black-cap, 246. 
 Wood Pewee, 137. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gannet, Common, 632. 
 Godwit, Hudsonian, 465. 
 
 Marbled, 463. 
 Goldfinch, American, 288. 
 Goosander, 627. 
 Goose, Canada, 483. 
 
 Goose, Snow, 482. 
 Solan, 532. 
 Goshawk, 22. 
 Grebe, Carolina, 562. 
 Crested, 560. 
 Horned, 561. 
 Pied-billed, 562. 
 Red-necked, 559. 
 Greenlets, 270. 
 Grosbeak, Pine, 283. 
 
 Rose-breasted, 328. 
 Ground Robin, 332. 
 Grouse, Canada, 378. 
 Pinnated, 380. 
 Ruffed, 388. 
 Spruce, 378. 
 Guillemot, Common. 567. 
 
 Foolish, 568. 
 Gull, Bonaparte's, 543. 
 
 Great Black-backed, 540. 
 Herring, 541. 
 Kittiwake, 544. 
 Laughing, 542. 
 
 H. 
 
 Harrier, 46, 81. 
 Hawk, Black, 45. 
 
 Broad-winged, 40, 81. 
 
 Cooper's, 27. 
 
 Duck, 7, 16. 
 
 Fish, 55, 81. 
 
 Gos, 22, 81. 
 
 Great-footed, 7, 16. 
 
 Marsh, 46, 81. 
 
 Night, 122. 
 
 Pigeon, 16, 80. 
 
 Red-shouldered, 37. 
 
 Red-tailed, 35. 
 
 Rough-legged, 43, 81. 
 
 Sharp-shinned, 31, 81. 
 
 Sparrow, 19, 80. 
 Heron, Great Blue, 401. 
 
 Green, 406. 
 
 Night, 409. 
 
 Snowy, 398. 
 
 Hooded Merganser, 529. 
 Humming-bird, Ruby-throated, 111. 
 
 Indigo^bird, 330. 
 
 I. 
 
 J. 
 
 Jay, Blue, 364. 
 Canada, 366. 
 
 K. 
 
 King-bird, 128. 
 Kingfisher, Belted, 125. 
 Kites, 46. 
 
INDEX OF COMMON NAMES. 
 
 579' 
 
 L. 
 
 Lapland Longspur, 300. 
 Lark, Meadow, 343. 
 
 Tit, 200. 
 
 Lesser Redpoll, 294. 
 Loon, Great Northern, 555. 
 
 Red-throated, 557. 
 
 M. 
 
 Mallard Duck, 487. 
 Marsh Hen, 471. 
 Martin, Purple, 260. 
 Maryland Yellow-throat, 205. 
 Meadow Lark, 343. 
 Mealy Redpoll, 295. 
 Merganser, Red-breasted, 526. 
 Mocking-bird, 167. 
 Murre, 568, 570. 
 
 N. 
 
 Night Hawk, 409. 
 
 Notes, by William Couper, 80, 368, 396, 
 
 477, 571. 
 Nuthatch, Red-bellied, 188. 
 
 White-bellied, 187. 
 
 o. 
 
 Oriole, Baltimore, 348. 
 
 Orchard, 346. 
 Osprey, 55. 
 Oven-bird, 218. 
 Owls, 60. 
 Owl, Acadian, 75, 81. 
 
 Barred, 73, 81. 
 
 Great Gray, 72, 81. 
 
 Great Horned, 60, 81. 
 
 Hawk, 79, 81. 
 
 Long-eared, 68, 81. 
 
 Mottled, 64. 
 
 Red, 64. 
 
 Saw-whet, 75, 81. 
 
 Screech, 64. 
 
 Short-eared, 70, 81. 
 
 Snowy, 77, 81. 
 Oyster-catcher, American, 
 
 P. 
 
 Partridges, 393. 
 Passenger Pigeon, 373. 
 Peep, 447, 450. 
 Petrel, Leach's, 552. 
 
 Wilson's, 553. 
 Pewee, 133. 
 Pewee, Wood, 137. 
 Phalarope, Northern, 424. 
 Pigeon, Wild, 373. 
 
 Pine Finch, 290. 
 
 Grosbeak, 283. 
 Plover, Bartram's. 460. 
 
 Black-bellied, 422. 
 
 Field, 460. 
 
 Golden, 413. 
 
 Kill-deer, 415. 
 
 Piping, 421. 
 
 Semipalmated, 419. 
 
 Wilson's, 418. 
 
 Upland, 460. 
 Puffin, Arctic, 566. 
 Purple Finch, 285 
 
 Q. 
 
 Qua-bird, 409. 
 Quail, Virginia, 393. 
 
 R. 
 
 Rail, Carolina, 474. 
 
 Clapper, 471. 
 
 Marsh, 471. 
 
 Virginia, 472. 
 
 Yellow, 475. 
 Raven, American, 355. 
 Red Start, 249. 
 Redpoll, Lesser, 294. 
 Mealy, 295. 
 Ring-neck, 419. 
 Robin, 154. 
 
 s. 
 
 Sanderling, 449. 
 Sandpiper, Bartram's, 460. 
 
 Bonaparte's, 446. 
 
 Buff-breasted, 462. 
 
 Curlew, 443. 
 
 Gray-back, 440. 
 
 Least, 447, 478. 
 
 Pectoral, 445. 
 
 Purple, 442. 
 
 Red-backed, 444. 
 
 Semipalmated, 450. 
 
 Solitary, 457. 
 
 Spotted, 458. 
 Scarlet Tanager, 251. 
 Sea Dove, 570. 
 Seed-eaters, 283. 
 Sheldrake, American, 527. 
 Shore Lark, 280. 
 Shoveller Duck, 496. 
 Shrike, Great Northern, 268. 
 Skua-gulls, 537. 
 Skua, Arctic, 538. 
 
 Pomarine, 538. 
 Skylarks, 280. 
 Snipe, English, 429. 
 
 Red-breasted, 438. 
 Robin, 440 
 Wilson's, 429. 
 Snowbird, 314. 
 
580 
 
 INDEX OP COMMON NAMES. 
 
 Snow Bunting, 296. 
 Sparrow, Chipping, 320, 372. 
 
 Field, 319. 
 
 Fox-colored, 325. 
 
 Savannah, 301. 
 
 Snow, 314. 
 
 Song, 321. 
 
 Swamp, 323. 
 
 Tree, 317. 
 
 White-crowned, 309. 
 
 White^throated, 811. 
 
 Yellow-winged, 305. 
 Stake-driver, 405. 
 Starlings, 335. 
 Summer Duck;, 500. 
 Swallow, Bank, 258. 
 
 Barn, 254. 
 "Chimney, 116. 
 
 Cliff, 256. 
 
 Eave, 256. 
 
 White-bellied, 257. 
 Swan, American, 480. 
 
 T. 
 
 Tanager, Scarlet, 251. 
 Teal, Blue-winged, 495. 
 
 Green-winged, 493. 
 Tell-tale, 454. 
 Tern, Arctic, 548. 
 Caspian, 546. 
 Least, 549. 
 Marsh, 545. 
 Short-tailed, 550. 
 Wilson's, 546. 
 Thistle-bird, 288. 
 Thrasher, Brown, 163. 
 Thrush, Mrown, 163. 
 
 Golden-crowned, 218. 
 Hermit, 148. 
 Olive-backed, 152. 
 Song, 146. 
 Swninson's, 152. 
 Tawny, 150. 
 Water, 220. 
 Wilson's, 150. 
 Titlark, 200. 
 Titmice, 182 
 Titmouse, Blackcap, 182. 
 
 Hudson's Hay, 185. 
 Towhee Bunting, 332. 
 Turnstone, 434. 
 Tyrant Flycatchers, 128. 
 
 V. 
 
 Virginian Partridge, 393. 
 Vireo, Blue-headed, 277. 
 
 Red-eyed, 270. 
 
 Solitary, 277. 
 
 Vireo, Warbling, 273. 
 White-eyed, 275. 
 Yellow-throated, 278. 
 
 w. 
 
 Warblers, 199. 
 Warblers, Wood, 201. 
 Warbler, Bay-breasted, 228. 
 Blackburnian, 227. 
 Blackpoll, 233. 
 Black-throated Blue, 224. 
 Black-throated Green, 266. 
 Black and Yellow, 238. 
 Blue Yellow-backed, 203. 
 Blue-winged Yellow, 212. 
 Cape May, 240. 
 Chestnut-sided, 231. 
 Connecticut, 208. 
 Golden- winged, 214. 
 Hooded, 245. 
 Magnolia, 238. 
 
 Maryhjhd Yellow-throat, 205. 
 Mourning, 207. 
 Nashville, 215. 
 Oven, 218. 
 Pine-creeping, 229. 
 Prairie, 241. 
 Tennessee, 217. 
 Worm-eating, 211. 
 Yellow, 237. 
 Yellow Redpoll, 240. 
 Yellow-rumped, 226. 
 Whippoorwill, 119. 
 Widgeon, American, 499. 
 Willet, 452. 
 
 Woodcock, American, 426. 
 Wood Pewee, 137. 
 Woodpecker, Banded Three-toed, 95. 
 
 Black-backed Three-toed, 
 
 94. 
 
 Downy, 89. 
 Golden-winged, 105. 
 Hairy, 87. 
 Pileated, 99. 
 Red-headed, 102. 
 Yellow-bellied, 96. 
 Wren, Golden-crested, 179. 
 House, 195. 
 
 Long-billed Marsh, 192. 
 Ruby-crowned, 178. 
 Short-billed Marsh, 194. 
 Winter, 177. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Yellow-bird, 288. 
 Yellow-breasted Chat, 209. 
 Yellow-throat, Maryland, 205. 
 Yellow-legs, Common, 455. 
 Yellow-legs, Greater, 454. 
 
INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES. 
 
 Accipiter Cooperii, 27. 
 
 fuscus, 31, 81. 
 
 Actiturus Bartramius, 460, 478. 
 jEgialites melodus, 421. 
 
 semipalmatus, 419, 47? 
 
 vociferus, 415. 
 
 Wilsonius, 418. 
 JEgiothus canescens, 295. 
 
 linaria, 294, 371. 
 Agelaius Phoeniceus, 341, 372. 
 Aix sponsa, 500, 572. 
 Alaudidfe, 280. 
 Alca torda, 564. 
 Ammodromus caudacutus, 307. 
 maritimus, 308. 
 Ampelis cedrorum, 265, 371. 
 
 garrulus, 264, 370. 
 Anas boschas, 487, 572. 
 
 obscura, 28, 489, 572. 
 Anseres, 479, 480. 
 Anser hyperboreus, 482, 571. 
 Anthus Ludovicianus, 200, 369. 
 Antrostomus vociferus, 119, 368. 
 Aquila Canadensis, 49, 81. 
 Archibuteo lagopus, 43, 81. 
 
 Sancti Johannis, 45. 
 Ardea herodias, 400, 477. 
 Ardetta exilis, 403. 
 Astur atricapillus, 22, 81. 
 Aythya Americana, 506, 572. 
 vallisneria, 507. 
 
 B. 
 
 Bernicla Canadensis, 483, 571. 
 
 brenta, 485. 
 
 Bonasa umbellus, 388, 396. 
 Botaurus lentiginosus, 405, 477. 
 Brachyotus Cassinii, 70. 
 Bubo Virginianus, 60, 81. 
 Bucephald albeola, 514, 572. 
 
 Americana, 512, 572. 
 islandica, 511, 572. 
 Buteo borealis, 35. 
 lineatus, 37. 
 Pennsylvanicus, 40, 81. 
 Butorides vifescens, 406. 
 
 C. 
 
 Calidris arenaria, 449, 478. 
 Carpodacus purpureus, 285, 371. 
 Certhia Americana, 190, 371. 
 Ceryle alcyon, 125, 369. 
 Chaetura pelasgia, 116, 368. 
 Charadrius Virginicus, 413, 478. 
 Chiiulelasmus streperus, 497. 
 Chordeiles popetue, 122, 368. 
 Chroicocephalus atricilla, 542. 
 
 Philadelphia, 543, 573. 
 Chrysomitris pinus, 290. 371. 
 tristis, 290, 371. 
 Circus Hudsonius, 46, 81. 
 Cistothorus palustris, 192. 
 stellaris, 194. 
 Clamatores, 5, 125. 
 Coccygus Americanus, 83. 
 
 erythrophthalmus, 85. 
 Colaptes auratus, 105. 
 Collyrio borealis, 268, 371. 
 Colymbus septentrionalis, 557. 
 torquatus, 555, 573. 
 Contopus borealis, 135. 
 
 virens, 137, 369. 
 Corvus Americanus, 357, 372. 
 carnivorus, 355, 372. 
 ossifragus, 363. 
 Coturniculus Henslowi, 306. 
 
 passerinus, 305. 
 Cotyle riparia, 258, 370. 
 Cupidonia Cupido, 380. 
 Curvirostra Americana, 291, 371. 
 leucoptera, 293, 371. 
 Cyanospiza cyanea, 330, 372. 
 Cyanurus cristatus, 364, 372. 
 Cygnus Americanus, 480. 
 
 D. 
 
 Dafila acuta, 492, 572. 
 Dendroica 8estiva, 237, 370. 
 
 Blackburniae, 227, 369. 
 
 Canadensis, 224, 369. 
 
 castanea, 228, 370. 
 
 coronata, 226, 369. 
 
 discolor, 241. 
 
 maculosa, 238, 370. 
 
 [581] 
 
582 
 
 INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES. 
 
 Dendroica palmarum. 240. 
 
 Pennsylvanica, 231, 370. 
 pinus,*229, 370. 
 striata, 233, 370. 
 tigrina, 240. 
 virens, 222, 369. 
 
 E. 
 
 Ectopistes migratpria, 373, 396. 
 Empidonax Acadicus, 143. 
 
 minimus, 141. 
 
 Traillii, 140. 
 
 Eremophila cornuta, 280, 371. 
 Ereunetes petrificatus, 450, 478. 
 Erisinatura rubida, 525. 
 Euspiza Americana, 327. 
 
 F. 
 
 Falco anatum, 7. 
 Eulica Americana, 476, 478. 
 Fulix affinis, 505, 572. 
 marila, 504, 572. 
 
 G. 
 
 Galeoscoptes Carolinensis, 172. 
 Gallinago Wilsonii, 429, 478. 
 Gambetta flavipes, 455, 478. 
 
 melanoleuca, 454, 478. 
 Garzetta candidissima, 398. 
 Geothlypis Philadelphia, 207. 
 
 trichas, 205, 369. 
 Grallatores, 6, 397. 
 Graculus carbo. 534. 
 
 dilophus, 535. 
 Guiraca Ludoviciana, 328, 372. 
 
 H. 
 
 Haematopus palliatus, 432. 
 Halia>tus leucocephalus, 51. 
 Harelda glacialis, 516, 572. 
 Harporhvnchus rufus, 163. 
 Helminthophaga chrysoptera, 214. 
 
 peregrin a, 217. 
 
 pinus, 212. 
 
 ruficapilla, 215. 
 Helmitherus vermivorus, 211. 
 Hirundo bicolor, 257, 370. 
 
 horreorum, 254, 370. 
 lunifrons, 254, 370. 
 Histrionicus torquatus, 515, 572. 
 Hydrochelidon plumbea, 550. 
 Hylatomus pileatus, 99. 
 Hypotriorchis columbarius, 16, 80. 
 
 I. 
 
 Icteria viridis, 209. 
 Icterus Baltimore, 348. 
 
 Icterius spurius, 346. 
 Insessores, 108. 
 
 J. 
 
 Junco hyemalis, 314, 371. 
 
 Larus argentatus, 541, 572. 
 
 marinus, 540. 
 Limosa fedoa, 463. 
 
 Hudsonica, 465. 
 Lophodytes cucullatus, 529, 572. 
 
 M. 
 
 Macrorhamphus griseus, 438, 478. 
 Mareca Americana, 499, 572. 
 Melanerpes erythrocephalus, 102. 
 Melanetta velvetina, 518. 
 Melospiza melodia, 321, 372. 
 palustris, 323, 372. 
 Mergus Americanus, 527, 572. 
 
 serrator, 526, 572. 
 Mergulus alle, 570. 
 Mimus polyglottus, 167. 
 Mniotilta varia, 201, 369. 
 Molothrus pecoris, 339. 
 Mormon arctica, 566. 
 Myiarchus crinitus, 131. 
 Myiodioctes Canadensis, 247. 
 
 mitratus, 245. 
 
 pusillus, 246. 
 
 N. 
 
 Natatores. 5, 479. 
 
 Nettion Carolinensis, 493, 572. 
 
 Numenius borealis, 469, 478. 
 
 Hudsonius, 467, 478. 
 
 longirostris, 466. 
 Nyctale Acadica, 75, 81. 
 
 Richardsonii, 75, 81. 
 Nyctea nivea, 77, 81. 
 Nyctiardea gardeni, 409, 477. 
 
 o. 
 
 Oidemia Americana, 521. 
 Oporornis agilis, 208. 
 Ortyx Virginianus, 393. 
 Oscines, 5, 145. 
 Otus Wilsonianus, 68, 81. 
 
 P. 
 
 Pandion Carolinensis, 55, 81. 
 Parula Americana, 203. 
 Parus atricapillus, 182, 371. 
 Hudsonicus, 185, 371. 
 Passerculus Savanna, 301. 
 Passerella iliaca, 323, 372. 
 
INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES. 
 
 583 
 
 Pelionetta perspicillata, 520, 572. 
 Perisoreus Canadensis, 366, 371. 
 Phalaropus hyperboreus, 424, 478. 
 Philohela minor, 426, 478. 
 Picoides arcticus, 94. 
 
 hirsutus, 95. 
 Picus pubescens, 89. 
 
 villosus, 87. 
 
 Pinicola Canadcnsis, 283, 371. 
 Pipilo erythrophthalmus, 332. 
 Plectrophanes lapponicus, 300. 
 nivalis, 296, 371. 
 Podiceps cornutus, 561. 
 
 cristatus, 560. 
 
 griseigena, 559. 
 Podilymbus podiceps, 562. 
 Poocaetes gramineus, 303. 371. 
 Porzana Carolina, 474, 478. 
 
 Noveboracensis, 475, 478. 
 Progne purpurea, 260, 370. 
 Pyranga rubra, 251, 370. 
 
 Q- 
 
 Querquedula discors, 495. 
 Quiscalus versicolor, 352, 372. 
 
 R. 
 
 Rallus crepitans, 471. 
 
 elegans, 471. 
 
 Virgimanus, 472, 478. 
 Raptores, 4, 6. 
 Rasores, 5, 378. 
 Recurvirostra Americana, 436. 
 Regulus calendula, 178, 369. 
 
 satrapa, 179, 369. 
 Rhyacophilus solitarius, 457, 478. 
 Rissa tridactyla, 544. 
 
 s. 
 
 Sayornis fuscus, 133. 
 Scansores, 4, 82. 
 
 Scolecophagus ferrugineus, 350, 372. 
 Scops asio, 64. 
 
 Seiurus aurocapillus, 218, 369. 
 Noveboracensis, 220. 
 Setophaga ruticilla, 249, 370. 
 Sialia sialis, 175, 369. 
 Sitta Canadensis, 188, 371. 
 
 Carolinensis, 187. 
 Somateria mollissima, 522, 572. 
 
 spectabilis, 523. 
 Spatula clypeata, 496, 572. 
 Sphyrapicus varius, 96. 
 Spizella monticola, 317, 371. 
 
 pusilla, 319, 371. 
 
 socialis, 320, 371. 
 Squatarola Helvetica, 422, 478. 
 
 Stercorarius parasiticus, 538. 
 pomarinus, 538. 
 Sterna aranea, 545. 
 
 Caspia, 549. 
 
 frenata, 549. 
 
 macroura, 548. 
 
 Wilsonii, 546, 573. 
 Strepsilas interpres, 434, 478. 
 Strisores, 4, 110. 
 Sturnella magna, 343. 
 Sula bassana, 532. 
 Surnia ulula, 79, 81. 
 Symphemia semipalmata, 452. 
 Syrnium cinereum, 72. 81. 
 nebulosum, 73, 81. 
 
 T. 
 
 Tetrao Canadensis, 378, 396. 
 Thalassidroma Leachii, 552. 
 
 Wilsonii, 553. 
 
 Tinnunculus sparverius. 19, 80. 
 Tringa Alpina, var. Americana, 444. 
 
 Bonapartii, 446. 
 
 canutus, 440, 478. 
 
 maculata, 478. 
 
 maritima, 442, 478. 
 
 subarquata, 443. 
 
 Wilsonii, 447, 478. 
 Tringoides macularius, 458, 478. 
 Trochilus cnlubris, 111, 368. 
 Troglodytes aedon, 196. 
 
 hyemalis, 197, 371. 
 Tryngites rufescens, 462. 
 Turdus fuscescens, 150, 369. 
 
 migratorius, 154. 
 
 mustelinus, 146. 
 
 Pallasii, 148, 369. 
 
 Swainsonii, 152. 
 Tyrannus Carolinensis, 128, 369. 
 
 u. 
 
 Uria grylle, 567. 
 
 lomvia, 568, 573. 
 ringvia, 570. 
 
 V. 
 
 Vireo flavifrons, 278. 
 gilvus, 273. 
 Noveboracensis, 275. 
 olivaceus, 270, 371. 
 solitarius, 277. 
 
 z. 
 
 Zenaidura Carolinensis, 375, 396. 
 Zonotrichia albicollis, 311, 371. 
 leucophrys, 309, 371. 
 
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