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 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
Plumage compact, the feathers generally broad and rounded; those
of the head and neck narrow, and proportionally shorter, excepting
those of the crown, which are elongated. Two tufts of lanceolate,
elongated feathers on the sides of the neck, under which is an
oblong bare space on either side capable of being inflated. Lower
tibial and tarsal feathers short, soft and blended. Wings short and
curved, the primaries strong and narrow; fourth longest, third and
fifth nearly equal, second longer than sixth, first much shorter. Tail
very short, much rounded, sloping on both sides, of eighteen broad
rounded feathers.
Bill dusky, paler beneath. Iris brown. Toes dull yellow, claws greyish-
brown, the general colour of the upper parts is blackish-brown,
transversely marked with broad undulating bands of light yellowish-
red, the wing-coverts and secondaries of a lighter brown tinged with
grey, and barred with paler red, the latter only on the outer webs;
primary quills greyish-brown, with black shafts, and spots of pale
reddish on the outer webs, excepting towards the end. Tail dark
greyish-brown, narrowly tipped with dull white, the two middle
feathers mottled with brownish-red. Space from the bill to the eye, a
band from the lower mandible over the cheek and the throat, pale
yellowish-red or cream-colour; a band of blackish-brown under the
eye, including the ear-coverts, and another about an inch and a half
long on the side of the throat. Supra-ocular membrane scarlet; bare
skin of the sounding-bladder dusky orange. The long feathers of the
cervical tufts are dark brown on the outer webs, pale yellowish-red
and margined with dusky on the inner, excepting the lowest, which
are all brownish-black. The lower parts are marked with large
transverse curved bands of greyish-brown and pale yellowish-grey,
the tints deeper on the anterior parts and under the wings. Under
tail-coverts arranged in three sets, the middle feathers convex,
involute, white, with two concealed brown spots; the lateral larger,
of the same form, abrupt, variegated with dusky, red, and white, the
extremity of the latter colour, but with a very narrow terminal margin
of black. The tibial and tarsal feathers are grey, obscurely and
minutely banded with yellowish-brown.
Length 18 inches, extent of wings 27½; bill along the back 7⁄12,
along the edge 11⁄12; tarsus 1½; weight 1 lb. 13 oz.

Adult Female. Plate CLXXXVI Fig. 3.

The female is considerably smaller, and wants the crest, cervical
tufts and air-bags; but in other respects resembles the male.

The Tiger Lily.

Lilium superbum, Willd. Sp. Pl. vol. ii. p. 88. Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept. vol. i. p. 280.
—Hexandria Monogynia, Linn.—Liliaceæ, Juss.

This beautiful plant, which grows in swamps and moist copses, in

the Northern and Eastern States, as far as Virginia, as well as in the
western prairies, attains a height for four or five feet, and makes a
splendid appearance with its numerous large drooping flowers,
which sometimes amount to twenty or even thirty on a single stem.
The leaves are linear-lanceolate, three-nerved, smooth, the lower
verticillate, the upper scattered. The flowers are orange-yellow,
spotted with black on their upper surface, the petals revolute. I was
forced to reduce the stem, in order to introduce it into my drawing,
the back ground of which is an attempt to represent our original
western meadows.
 THE BOAT-TAILED GRAKLE OR GREAT CROW
BLACKBIRD.

Quiscalus major, Vieill.

PLATE CLXXXVII. Male and Female.

This elegant bird is an inhabitant of the Southern States, to the

maritime portions of which it is more particularly attached. Indeed, it
seldom goes farther inland than forty or fifty miles, and even then
follows the swampy margins of large rivers, as the Mississippi, the
Santee, the St John's, and the Savannah. It is found in Lower
Louisiana, but never ascends so far as the city of Natchez, and it
abounds in the south-eastern low grounds of the Floridas, and in
those of Georgia and South Carolina, as well as in the sea islands of
the Atlantic coasts, as far north as Carolina, beyond which none are
to be seen.
The Boat-tailed Grakles are gregarious at all seasons of the year, and
frequently assemble in very large flocks, which, however, cannot be
compared with those of the Purple Grakle, or of the Red-winged
Starling. They seek for their food amid the large salt marshes, and
along their muddy shores, and throw themselves into the rice
plantations as soon as the grain is fit for being eaten by them. In
autumn they resort not unfrequently to corn fields, and the ploughed
lands of the plantations, interspersed with ponds or marshy places,
retiring towards evening to the salt marshes, where they roost in
immense flocks amid the tall marsh grass (Spartina glabra), from
which their cries are heard until darkness comes on.
The food of this species consists principally of those small crabs
called "fiddlers," of which millions are found along the margins of the
rivers and mud-flats, as well as of large insects of all kinds, ground-
worms, and seeds, especially grain. They frequently seize on
shrimps, and other aquatic animals of a similar nature, that have
been detained at low water on the banks of racoon oysters, a kind of
shell-fish so named under the idea that they are eaten by that
quadruped. In autumn, while the rice is yet in the stack, they
commit considerable mischief by feeding on the grain, although not
so much as when it is in a juicy state, when the planters are obliged
to employ persons to chase them from the fields.
About the beginning of February, the males have already mated, and
many begin their nest at this early season. It is then that you ought
to see the Boat-tailed Grakle, for at that period its plumage displays
the richest gloss, and its tail, which, after the breeding season, is no
longer navicular, is deeply incurved towards the centre. Proud of his
elegant form and splendid plumage, he alights on the topmost
branch of some evergreen oak, droops his wings and tail, swells his
breast, and glittering in the bright rays of the sun, which call forth all
the variations of tint for which his silken plumes are remarkable,
pours forth his loud though not always agreeable song. He watches
his rivals as they pass, pursues them with ardent courage, returns to
his stand exulting, and again pours forth his song.
No sooner has he made himself sure of the attachment of a female,
than his jealous temper is subdued, and he places implicit reliance
on the fidelity of his mate, in which he might be advantageously
imitated by other beings. Many pairs now resort to a place
previously known to them, and in the greatest harmony construct
their mansions. Well do they remember the central islet of the lake,
among the thickets of which, in security and comfort, their brood
was reared in the previous season. Each pair choose their branch of
smilax, and if the former tenement has escaped the shock of the
winter winds, they repair and augment it, so as to render it fit for
the reception of their eggs. If it has been destroyed, they quickly
form a new one from the abundant materials around. The long-
fibred Spanish moss dangles from every tree; dry twigs, withered
grasses, and dead leaves lie strewn around, and the thready roots
used for the lining are found in their inaccessible island. Each female
now deposits her eggs, on which she sits in patient hope; while in
the mean time all the male birds fly off together, and leave their
mates to rear their offspring. Far away to the marshes they betake
themselves, nor are they seen any more with their young, until the
latter are able to join their neglectful fathers. Strange arrangement
and singular, when, in other instances, Nature fills the husband and
father with so much affection and solicitude! Nay, in the male Grakle
has been implanted a desire to destroy the eggs of every bird, while
at the same time he has been impelled to leave his mate, that she
may hatch her own in security! Other species are governed by laws
equally rigorous. The female Wild Turkey shuns her mate, that she
may save not her eggs only, but even her young, which he would
destroy; and, as I am not the only student of Nature who has
witnessed the extraordinary conduct of the present species of Grakle
in this respect, I am enabled to present you with some particulars
supplied by my generous friend Bachman.
"In the spring of 1832, I went with Mr Logan in a boat to the centre
of a very large pond, about four or five feet deep, and partially
overgrown with bushes. On a bush of smilax were built about thirty
nests of the Boat-tailed Grakles, from three to five feet apart, some
of them not more than fifteen inches above the surface of the water.
The nests contained mostly three eggs each, and were all quite
fresh. The old birds were not near. In about a quarter of an hour
afterwards, a flock of females appeared, sailing around us,
chattering as if distressed at our intrusion. Some of them were shot,
but the remainder still continued in the neighbourhood, unwilling to
leave their nests. It was singular to observe that no males made
their appearance. I have visited the nests of this species, when
placed on live oak-trees, where they also breed in communities,
thirty or forty feet above the ground. I watched the manners of the
old birds, the way in which they built their nests, and their young,
until fully fledged, but never found the males in the vicinity of the
nests from the time the eggs were laid. The males always kept at a
distance, and in flocks, feeding principally in the marshes, at this
season of the year, the females alone taking charge of their nest and
young. These latter are excellent eating whilst squabs. They do not
leave the nest until fully fledged, although they often stand on the
borders of it awaiting the arrival of the mother, squatting back into it
at the least appearance of danger."
The nest of the Boat-tailed Grakle is large, and composed of dry
sticks, mosses, coarse grasses, and leaves intertwined. The interior
is formed of fine grass, circularly disposed, and over this is a lining
of fibrous roots. The eggs are four or five, of a dull white colour,
irregularly streaked with brown and black. This species raises only
one brood in the season, and the young are able to follow their
mother, on wing, by the 20th of June. The period at which these
birds usually lay is about the 1st of April, but this varies according to
latitude, and I believe that the very old birds breed earlier than the
others.
When the Boat-tailed Grakles breed on the tall reeds that border
open bayous or grow on the margins of lakes, especially in Louisiana
and the Floridas, the cries of the young when they are nearly
fledged frequently attract the attention of the alligator, which, well
knowing the excellence of these birds as articles of food, swim
gently towards the nest and suddenly thrashing the reeds with their
tails, jerk out the poor nestlings and immediately devour them. One
or two such attacks so frighten the parent Grakles, that, as if of
common accord, they utter a chuck, when the young scramble away
among the reeds towards the shore, and generally escape from their
powerful enemies. This species, the Red-winged Starling and the
Crow Blackbird, ascend and descend the reeds with much celerity
and ease, holding on by their feet. In that portion of East Florida
called the "Ever Glades," the Boat-tailed Grakles frequently breed in
company with the Little Bittern (Ardea exilis), the Scolopaceous
Curlew, and the Common Gallinule; and when on trees, along with
the Green Heron.
The flight of this bird exhibits long and decided undulation, repeated
at intervals of about forty yards, it being performed at a considerable
elevation, and protracted to a great distance. It flies in loose flocks,
when it never ceases to utter its peculiar cry of kirrick, crick, crick. In
autumn, or as soon as the females and their broods associate with
the males, their movements are regular from south to north, while
returning towards their roosting places, and the reverse next
morning when going out to look for food. They seldom rise from the
rushes in compact bodies, unless they should happen to be
surprised. At the report of a gun they fly to a great distance, and are
always extremely shy and wary. The female does not carry her tail
so deeply incurved as the male. During the breeding season they
return to their stand, after a chase, with a quivering motion of the
wings, and the tail is more deeply incurved than at any other
season.
The notes of these birds are harsh, resembling loud shrill whistles,
frequently accompanied with their ordinary cry of crick, crick, cree.
In the love season they are more pleasing, being changed into
sounds resembling tirit, tirit, titiri, titiri, titireē, rising from low to high
with great regularity and emphasis. The young when first able to fly
emit a note not unlike the whistling cry of some of our frogs.
Some of these Grakles migrate from the Carolinas and Georgia,
although fully a third remain during the winter. At that season they
frequently associate with the Fish Crow, and alight on stakes in the
mud flats close to the cities, where they remain for a considerable
time emitting their cry. They are fond of the company of cattle,
walking among them in the manner of the European Starling and our
own Cow Bunting, but they never enter the woods. On the ground
they walk in a stately and graceful manner, with their tail rather
elevated, and jetting it at each cluck.
The males often attack birds of other species, driving them from
their nest, and sucking their eggs. I have seen seven or eight of
them teasing a Fish Hawk for nearly an hour, before they gave up
the enterprise. When brought to the ground wounded, they run off
at once, make for the nearest tree, assist themselves by the bushes
about it, and endeavour to get to the top branches, moving all the
while so nimbly, that it is difficult to secure them. They bite and
scratch severely, often bringing blood from the hand.
They are courageous birds, and often give chase to Hawks and
Turkey Buzzards. My friend Dr Samuel Wilson of Charleston,
attempted to raise some from the nest, having found four young
ones in two nests, and for some weeks fed them on fresh meat, but
they became so infested with insects that notwithstanding all his
care they died.
In the plate are represented a pair in full spring plumage. I have
placed them on their favourite live-oak tree.

Quiscalus major, Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 54.
Great Crow Blackbird, Quiscalus major, Ch. Bonaparte, Amer. Ornith. vol. i. p.
35. pl. 4. fig. 1. Male, fig. 2. Female.—Nuttall, Manual, part i. p. 192.

Adult Male. Plate CLXXXVII. Fig. 1.

Bill long, straight, strong, tapering, compressed from the base;
upper mandible encroaching a little on the forehead, slightly
declinate at the tip, its dorsal line almost straight, the sides convex,
the edges sharp and slightly inflected; lower mandible straight in its
dorsal outline, convex on the sides, the edges sharp and involute,
the tip acute and very slightly deflected, the gap-line slightly
deflected at the base, and reaching to beneath the eye. Nostrils
basal oval, half closed by a membrane. Head of moderate size,
flattened, neck of moderate length, body rather slender, the whole
form elegant. Feet of moderate length; tarsus compressed,
anteriorly covered with seven scutella, sharp behind; toes rather
long, scutellate above, the hind toe stronger, the lateral toes nearly
equal, the middle one much longer; claws rather long, slightly
arched, compressed, acute.
Plumage soft, blended, silky, highly glossed. Wings of ordinary
length; third quill longest, second scarcely shorter, first and fourth
about equal; the second, third, fourth, and fifth, cut out on the outer
web towards the end; secondaries abruptly rounded with an
acumen. Tail very long, graduated, broadly rounded at the end, of
twelve rounded feathers, of which the two middle have their webs
slightly bent upwards, the shafts and webs of all transversely
undulated.
Bill, feet, and claws, black. Iris pale yellow. The general appearance
of the plumage is black; but the head and upper parts of the neck all
round are splendent deep bluish-purple, the back and breast
anteriorly steel-blue, posteriorly bluish-green; the rump and tail-
coverts darker. The abdomen, and lower tail-coverts and tibial
feathers, plain black. Quills and tail black, slightly glossed with green
on the outer webs.
Length 15⅞, extent of wings 23¾; bill along the ridge 1 5⁄12, along
the edge 1¾; tarsus 1 10⁄12; tail-feathers 8½; weight 7½ ounces.

Adult Female. Plate CLXXXVII. Fig. 2.

The female is smaller. Her plumage is soft and blended, but is not
glossed beneath, and on the upper parts is so only in a
comparatively slight degree. The tail is graduated as in the male, but
much shorter. The general colour of the upper parts is dusky, with
slight tints of green and blue; the head and neck dull brown, with a
paler band over the eye; the lower parts light reddish-brown, the
tibial feathers and lower tail-coverts dusky.
Length 12⅝ inches, extent of wings 18; bill along the ridge 1 2⁄12,
along the edge 1⅜; tarsus 1 7⁄12; tail-feathers 4¾; weight 3¾
ounces.

Individuals of both sexes, but especially males, differ greatly in size,

from the time they obtain their full plumage until they are several
years old, the difference sometimes amounting to several inches in
the length of the birds, and affording an excellent opportunity of
manufacturing new species.

The Live Oak, Quercus virens, Willd. Sp. Pl. vol. iv. p. 425. Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept.
vol. ii. p. 626.—Monœcia Polyandria, Linn. Amentaceæ, Juss.

The Live Oak has already been spoken of in the article entitled "The
Live-Oakers" (p. 236). When left growing detached and free from all
other forest trees, it attains a great size, spreading out its large arms
to the distance sometimes of twenty yards, but seldom reaching to a
proportionate height. Splendid avenues of this valuable tree are
frequently seen in Georgia, South Carolina, and many of the sea
islands, leading to the planters' houses. A few miles below New
Orleans are some, probably centuries old, which are the finest I
have seen. I have not observed this tree far above the city of
Natchez on the Mississippi, nor farther eastward than the central
maritime parts of North Carolina. It prefers flat rich soils, and is
rarely found at any great distance from rivers or the sea-shore. The
leaves are evergreen, leathery, oblong-elliptical, obtuse at the base,
acute at the tip, with the edges revolute, and the lower surface
downy; the cupule is turbinate, with short scales; the acorn oblong,
sweet, and to the taste of some equal to the hazel-nut.
 THE TREE SPARROW.

Fringilla canadensis, Lath.

PLATE CLXXXVIII. Male and Female.

This species seldom if ever resorts to the Southern States during

winter, and to the westward of the Alleghany mountains scarcely
proceeds farther down the Ohio than the neighbourhood of Louisville
in Kentucky; so that it may be considered as quite a northern bird. It
reaches Massachusetts at the approach of winter, and is more
frequent in the maritime districts of that State than in the interior,
where, however, it is met with in considerable numbers. In the
beginning of October, if the weather be cold, the Tree Sparrow is
seen among the magnificent elm trees that ornament the beautiful
city of Boston and its neighbouring villages; and, like the hardy,
industrious, and enterprising people among whom it seems to spend
the severe season by choice, it makes strenuous efforts to supply
itself with the means of subsistence. Many remove as far south as
Pennsylvania, and even Maryland; but I never observed one in either
of the Carolinas. Their return to the north is marked by a lingering
disposition to wait each day for a finer and warmer morrow. They
appear, indeed, so perfectly aware of the danger to be encountered
during a forced march in the early spring, that on the least change
from mild weather to cold, they immediately return to their loved
winter quarters. By the middle of May, however, they have begun to
move regularly, and their songs announce the milder season at every
resting place at which they tarry.
The Tree Sparrow sings sweetly during the love season. I have
frequently listened to their musical festivals near Eastport, in the
State of Maine, while gazing upon them with an ardent desire to
follow them in their progress northward. Twenty or more, perched
on the same tree, often delighted me with their choruses, now and
then varied with the still clearer notes of one or two White-throated
Finches, that, like leaders of an orchestra, seemed to mark time for
the woodland choristers. Toward the close of the day their single
notes were often repeated, and sounded like those of a retreat.
They seemed to hop and dance about among the branches, mixing
with the "White-throats," and enjoying a general conversation, when
the pipings of two or three frogs would suspend their entertainment.
At early dawn they were all on the alert, and if the rising sun
announced a fine day, group after group would ascend in the air,
and, with joyful feelings, immediately proceed towards their
breeding-places in the distant north.
I followed them as far as the Magdeleine Isles, saw some in
Newfoundland, and all the countries between it and Maine, but did
not find a single individual in Labrador. On the islands above
mentioned I saw them arriving in flocks of from five to a dozen,
flying widely apart. They dived towards the ground, and at once
threw themselves among the thickest coverts of the tangled groves,
where, although I could hear their single chip, I could seldom see
them afterwards. Their flight is more elegant and elevated than that
of most of our Sparrows, and they pass through the air in rapid
undulations, more regular and continued than those of any other
bird of the genus, except the Fox-coloured Sparrow.
On opening several of these birds, I found their stomach to contain
very minute shell-fish, the remains of coleopterous insects, some
hard seeds, small berries, and grains of sand.
Many of the Tree Sparrows breed in New Brunswick, in Nova Scotia,
and, I have reasons for believing, in the northern portions of the
State of Maine. A nest given me by Professor MacCulloch, had been
found a few feet from the ground, on the horizontal branch of a fir
tree, not far from the stem. It was principally formed of rough grass,
and lined with fibrous roots, hairs of various quadrupeds, and some
from the horse. It contained five eggs, of a uniform deep blue, so
closely resembling those of the Common Chipping Sparrow, that,
had they not been much larger, I might have concluded them to be
those of that bird. I suspect that, in a country where the summer is
so short, the Tree Sparrow seldom if ever breeds more than once in
the season.
When we returned to the United States late in August, the Tree
Sparrows with their young were already moving southward. A mere
intimation of the rich chestnut colour of the head of the adult in
summer was seen. They had already tuned their pipes, which
sounded in my ear as their affectionate farewell to a country, where
these sweet little creatures had met with all of happiness that their
nature could desire.
The pair represented in the plate, and which have been placed on a
twig of the Barberry bush, were procured at Boston. The drawing
from which it has been copied was made by my youngest son.

Fringilla canadensis, Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 434.—Ch. Bonaparte, Synops.
of Birds of the United States, p. 109.
Emberiza canadensis, Tree Buntling, Swains. and Richards. Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol.
ii. p. 252.
Tree Sparrow, Fringilla arborea, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 123. pl. 16. fig. 3.
—F. canadensis, Nuttall, Manual, part i. 495.

Adult Male. Plate CLXXXVIII. Fig. 1.

Bill short, strong, conical, acute; upper mandible rather narrower
than the lower, with the dorsal outline very slightly convex, the sides
rounded, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip very slightly
declinate; lower mandible also slightly convex in its dorsal line, the
sides rounded, the edges involute; the gap-line slightly deflected at
the base. Nostrils basal, roundish, concealed by the feathers. The
general form rather robust. Legs of moderate length, slender; tarsus
compressed, anteriorly covered with a few long scutella, sharp
behind; toes scutellate above, free, the lateral ones nearly equal;
claws slender, slightly arched, that of the hind-toe considerably
larger, much compressed, acute.
Plumage soft, blended. Wings of moderate length; the third and
fourth quills longest and equal, but the second, third, fourth, and
fifth are about the same length, and slightly cut out on the outer
edge; secondaries emarginate. Tail long, emarginate, nearly straight,
of twelve rather narrow, obliquely pointed feathers.
Bill black above, reddish-yellow beneath, with the tip blackish. Iris
brown. Legs dusky-brown, the toes blackish-brown. Upper part of
the head bright bay; a band of greyish-white passes over the eye,
lighter at its commencement near the upper mandible, and gradually
shaded into ash-grey; sides of the head and neck ash-grey, the latter
with some streaks of bay, of which a short band proceeds from the
eye backwards. Middle of the back streaked with deep brown, bay,
and pale yellowish-grey; rump light yellowish-grey. Wing-coverts
similar to the back, the first row of small coverts, and the secondary
coverts broadly edged with bright bay and largely tipped with white,
of which there are thus two conspicuous bands across the wing;
quills dusky, margined the outer with dull white, the inner with pale
bay, the three inner secondaries broadly margined towards the end
with white. Tail-feathers also dusky, margined externally and
internally with greyish-white, the edge of the outermost pure white.
Fore-neck pale grey, the sides yellowish-grey, the breast and
abdomen white, tinged with cream-colour, the under tail-coverts
white. An obscure spot of dark brown on the middle of the breast;
and the feathers that cover the flexure of the wing, when closed, are
bay.
Length 6¼ inches, extent of wings 8¾; bill along the back 4⁄12,
along the edge 6⁄12; tarsus 10⁄12.
Adult Female. Plate CLXXXVIII. Fig. 2.
The female resembles the male, but is paler in its tints, and rather
smaller.
The species is very closely allied to the Field Sparrow and the
Chipping Sparrow, which are at least as much Emberizæ as
Fringillæ; but as the generic characters and affinities of species
cannot be conveniently detailed in a work like this, I must for the
present defer the grouping of these, and the numerous birds allied
to them.

The Canadian Barberry.

Berberis canadensis, Willd. Sp. Pl. vol. ii. p. 227. Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept. vol. i. p.
219.—Hexandria Monogynia, Linn. Berberides, Juss.

This species of Barberry is very abundant in Maine and

Massachusetts, as well as in the British provinces. It is an erect
shrub, from five to eight feet in height, with triple prickles, simple
obovate remotely serrated leaves, short corymbose racemes; yellow
flowers, and pendulous oblong red berries, having an agreeable acid
taste.
 THE SNOW BUNTING.

Emberiza nivalis, Linn.

PLATE CLXXXIX. Adult and Young.

As soon as the cold blasts of winter have stiffened the earth's

surface, and brought with them the first snow-clouds, millions of
these birds, driven before the pitiless storm, make their way towards
milder climes. Their wings seem scarcely able to support their
exhausted, nay almost congealed bodies, which seem little larger
than the great feathery flakes of the substance from which these
delicate creatures have borrowed their name. In compressed
squadrons they are seen anxiously engaged in attempting to
overcome the difficulties which beset them amid their perilous
adventures. They now glide low over the earth, relax the closeness
of their phalanx, and with amazing swiftness sweep over the country
in search of that food, without which they must all shortly perish.
Disappointed in their endeavours, the travellers again ascend, close
their files, and continue their journey. At last, when nearly exhausted
by fatigue and hunger, some leader espies the wished-for land, not
yet buried in snow. Joyful notes are heard from the famished
voyagers, while with relaxed flight, and wings and tail expanded,
they float as it were in broad circles, towards the spot where they
are to find relief. They alight, disperse, run nimbly in masses from
the foot of one corn stalk to the next, scratch the ground here, pick
up a dormant insect there, or nibble the small seeds of the withered
grass, mixing them with a portion of gravel. Now two meet, and
contend for the scanty morsel; the weaker gives way, for hunger, it
seems, acts on birds as on other beings, rendering them selfish and
unfeeling.
The Snow Birds enter the eastern portions of the Union sometimes
early in November, and remain in such parts as suit them best until
the month of March. They now and then alight on trees, frequently
on fences, and sometimes on the roofs of low buildings, in such
compact bodies or continued lines, as to render it easy for the
sportsman who may be inclined to shoot them, to procure a great
number at once.
This species, while in the United States, never enters the woods, but
prefers either the barreny portions of our elevated table-lands, or
the vicinity of the sea, lakes, or rivers, where much loose sand,
intermixed with small clumps of bushes and grasses, is to be found.
To such places I have thought that the Snow Birds endeavour to
return each successive winter, unless compelled by the weather to
proceed still farther south. I have seen them on the borders of Lake
Erie, and on some of the barrens of Kentucky, for several successive
seasons in the same neighbourhood. At Louisville I saw a flock each
winter, on a piece of open ground between that city and the village
of Shippingport, when their movements seldom extended beyond a
space half a mile in diameter. It was there that one morning I caught
several which were covered with hoarfrost, and so benumbed, that
they were unable to fly. At that season, they kept company with the
Shore-larks, the Lark-finches, and several species of Sparrow. They
frequently alighted on trees, particularly the sweet gum, of which
they eat the seeds.
The flight of this bird has a considerable resemblance to that of the
Shore-lark, being rapid, elevated, and greatly protracted. It glides,
as it were, through the air, in long and easy undulations, repeating a
soft whistling call-note at each of these curves. While on the ground
they run nimbly, and if wounded make off with great celerity, hiding
in the grass, where it is difficult to find them, as they lie close and
silent until danger is over.
When they first arrive, they are usually gentle and easily
approached; but as their flesh is savoury, and their appearance
attractive, they are shot in immense numbers, so that they soon
become shy and wary. During moderate weather, they become more
careless, appear to stray farther from each other, and if by the
middle of the day the sun shines out warm, the male birds sing a
few plaintive but soft and agreeable notes.
Only a single nest of this bird has been found within the limits of the
United States. It was seen by Wright Booth, Esq. of Boston, on a
declivity of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in the month of
July 1831. That gentleman described it to me as being fixed on the
ground amid low bushes, and formed like that of the Song Sparrow.
It contained young ones.
Whilst with us, these birds are found in all varieties of plumage,
excepting the pure white and black, which form their summer dress.
I have not seen any having these colours, even among those
procured late in March when they usually leave the United States. In
Labrador and Newfoundland, they are known by the name of the
"White Bird." Their food there consists of grass seeds, insects of
various kinds, and minute testaceous mollusca. They not
unfrequently alight on the wild oats growing on the borders of lakes
and ponds, to feed on its seeds, and with all these substances they
mix a proportion of fine sand or gravel.

Emberiza nivalis, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 308.—Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of

Birds of the United States, p. 103.
Emberiza (plectrophanes) nivalis, Snow Buntling, Swains. and Richards. Fauna
Boreal.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 247.
Snow Bunting, Emberiza nivalis, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. iii. p. 86. pl. 21. fig. 2.

Adult in winter. Plate CLXXXIX. Fig. 1, 2.

Bill short, robust, tapering, somewhat compressed; upper mandible
slightly convex in its dorsal line, the sides rounded, the sharp edges
inflected; the palate with a convex prominence; lower mandible
broader, with involute sharp edges; the gap-line deflected at the
base. Nostrils basal, rounded, open, partly concealed by the
feathers. The general form is rather robust. Feet of ordinary length;
tarsus compressed, anteriorly covered with a few long scutella,
sharp behind; toes scutellate above, granulate beneath, compressed,
lateral toes equal; claws slightly arched, compressed, rather obtuse,
with a short deep groove on each side at the base, the hind claw
much longer.
Plumage soft and blended, the feathers somewhat distinct on the
back only. Wings long, pointed, first quill longest, second scarcely
shorter, second and third slightly cut out on the outer edge towards
the end; secondaries emarginate. Tail of moderate length, deeply
emarginate.
Bill yellow, the tips brown. Iris brown. Feet brownish-black. Head
brownish-white, the crown and ear-coverts pale chestnut. Hind neck
greyish white, tinged with chestnut. Feathers of the back brownish,
margined and broadly tipped with light yellowish-red; the rump
feathers white, tipped with the latter colour. The whole under
surface is white, the sides of the neck and breast tinged with
reddish-brown. Wing-coverts on both sides, and six outer
secondaries, white; primary coverts white, tipped with brownish-
black, primaries brownish-black, slightly margined and tipped with
white, and having a broad band of the same extending over the
base, and enlarging inwards, inner secondaries brownish-black,
margined with pale reddish. Three outer tail-feathers on each side
white, excepting towards the end, where they are brownish-black, of
which colour are the other feathers, all being tipped and edged with
whitish; upper tail-coverts brownish-black, with a large white tip.
Length 7 inches, extent of wings 13; bill along the back nearly 5⁄12,
along the edge 7⁄12; tarsus 9½⁄12.

Young bird in winter. Plate CLXXXIX. Fig. 3.

The young bird in autumn and winter has the bill of a more rufous
tint, the legs dusky brown, the head deep reddish-brown tinged with
grey, a rufous band across the fore part of the breast, the back
streaked with blackish-brown and light red; the wing coverts dark
coloured, and the white of the quills less extended. On the lower
parts the white is also less pure.
 THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER.

Picus varius, Linn.

PLATE CXC. Male and Female.

This beautiful species returns to Louisiana and the other Southern

States, about the beginning of October. It remains there during the
winter, and takes its departure before the beginning of April, after
which period I have never observed it in these districts. It is seen in
Kentucky, and a few breed there; but the greater number return to
the middle and especially the northern parts of the Union. During
the winter months, it associates with the Hairy, the Red-bellied, and
the Downy Woodpeckers. Its notes, which are extremely plaintive,
differ widely from those of any other species, and are heard at a
considerable distance in the woods.
The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker prefers the interior of the forest
during spring and summer, seldom shewing itself near the
habitations of man at those seasons. It is a sly and suspicious bird,
spending most of its time in trees which have close branches and
dense foliage. It generally bores its nest at a considerable height,
and usually in the trunk of an undecayed tree, immediately beneath
a large branch, and on its southern side. The hole is worked out by
the male as well as the female, in the manner followed by other
species, and to the depth of from fifteen to twenty-four inches. The
aperture is just large enough to admit the birds, but the hole widens
gradually towards the bottom, where it is large and roomy. The
eggs, which are from four to six, and pure white, with a slight blush,
are deposited on the chips without any nest. The young seldom
leave the hole until they are fully fledged, after which they follow
their parents, in a straggling manner, until the approach of spring,
when the males become shy towards each other, and quarrel
whenever they meet, frequently erecting the feathers of the head
and fighting desperately.
They fly through the woods with rapidity, in short undulations,
seldom going farther at a time than from one tree to another. I
never observed one of these birds on the ground. Their food consists
of wood-worms and beetles, to which they add small grapes and
various berries during autumn and winter, frequently hanging head
downwards at the extremity of a bunch of grapes, or such berries as
those you see represented in the Plate.
I found this species extremely abundant in the upper parts of the
State of Maine, and in the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia, but saw none in Newfoundland or Labrador.
While travelling I observed that they performed their migration by
day, in loose parties or families of six or seven individuals, flying at a
great height, and at the intervals between their sailings and the
flappings of their wings, emitting their remarkable plaintive cries.
When alighting towards sunset, they descended with amazing speed
in a tortuous manner, and first settled on the tops of the highest
trees, where they remained perfectly silent for a while, after which
they betook themselves to the central parts of the thickest trees,
and searched along the trunks for abandoned holes of squirrels or
woodpeckers, in which they spent the night, several together in the
same hole. On one occasion, while I was watching their movements
at a late hour, I was much surprised to see a pair of them disputing
the entrance of a hole with an owl (Strix Asio), which for nearly a
quarter of an hour tried, but in vain, to drive them away from its
retreat. The owl alighted sidewise on the tree under its hole, swelled
out its plumage, blew and hissed with all its might; but the two
Woodpeckers so guarded the entrance with their sharp bills, their
eyes flushed, and the feathers of their heads erected, that the owner
of the abode was at length forced to relinquish his claims. The next
day at noon I returned to the tree, when I found the little nocturnal
vagrant snugly ensconced in his diurnal retreat.
This species of Woodpecker does not obtain the full beauty of its
plumage until the second spring; and the variety of colouring which
it presents in the male and female, the old and young birds, renders
it one of the most interesting of those found in the United States.

Picus varius, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 176.—Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of
the United States, p. 45.
Picus (Dendrocopus) varius, Swains. and Richards. Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p.
309.
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, Picus varius, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. i. p. 147. pl. 9.
fig. 2. Male.—Ch. Bonaparte, Amer. Ornith. vol. i. p. 75. pl. 8. fig. 1, 2,
young.—Nuttall, Manual, part i. p. 574.

Adult Male. Plate CXC. Fig. 1.

Bill longish, straight, strong, tapering, compressed towards the end,
slightly truncated and cuneate at the tip; mandibles of equal length,
both nearly straight in their dorsal outline, their sides convex,
excepting at the base. Nostrils basal, lateral, elliptical, open, covered
by the feathers, and having a sharp ridge passing over them to the
edge of the bill near the middle. Head of moderate size, neck rather
short, body rather robust. Feet rather short; tarsus compressed,
anteriorly scutellate, laterally covered with hexagonal scales, sharp
behind; two toes before, united as far as the second joint; two
behind, the first very small, the second equal in length to the third,
claws strong, much curved, compressed, with a short deep groove
on each side, very acute.
Plumage soft, rather blended, slightly glossed, that of the head
shining. Wings long, the first quill extremely small, fourth longest,
third nearly equal, second shorter than fifth; secondaries slightly
emarginate. Tail of ordinary length, cuneate, of ten pointed feathers,
having very short shafts.
Bill brownish-black. Iris brown. Feet greyish-blue. Forehead and
crown, chin and sides of the throat blood-red, the two patches
margined with greenish-black, of which colour is a broad band on
the occiput, and a large space on the lower neck and fore part of the
breast, a broad band of white from the eye margining the back of
the occiput; another from the base of the upper mandible down the
side of the neck, the interspace black. Scapulars black, tinged with
green. Wing-coverts and quills black, the first row of smaller coverts
white, excepting at the base, those of the outer secondary coverts
are white on the outer webs, and the quills, excepting the first, are
spotted on the outer and inner edges, and more or less tipped with
the same. The back is variegated with black and brownish-white.
Tail-feathers black, the outer margined with white towards the tip,
the two inner spotted with white on the inner web. Middle of the
breast yellow, sides dusky yellow, variegated with brownish-black.
Length 8½ inches, extent of wings 15; bill along the ridge 10⁄12,
along the edge 1 1⁄12; tarsus 10⁄12.

Adult Female. Plate CXC. Fig. 2.

The female resembles the male, but the throat is white, and the
yellow of the lower parts less pure.

The Wild Almond.

This plant has already been noticed at p. 340 of the present volume.
 COD-FISHING.
Although I had seen, as I thought, abundance of fish along the
coasts of the Floridas, the numbers which I found in Labrador quite
astonished me. Should your surprise while reading the following
statements be as great as mine was while observing the facts
related, you will conclude, as I have often done, that Nature's means
for providing small animals for the use of larger ones, and vice
versa, are as ample as is the grandeur of that world which she has
so curiously constructed.
The coast of Labrador is visited by European as well as American
fishermen, all of whom are, I believe, entitled to claim portions of
fishing-ground, assigned to each nation by mutual understanding.
For the present, however, I shall confine my observations to those of
our own country, who, after all, are probably the most numerous.
The citizens of Boston, and many others of our eastern sea-ports,
are those who chiefly engage in this department of our commerce.
Eastport in Maine sends out every year a goodly fleet, of schooners
and "pickaxes" to Labrador, to procure cod, mackerel, halibut, and
sometimes herring, the latter being caught in the intermediate
space. The vessels from that port, and others in Maine and
Massachusetts, sail as soon as the warmth of spring has freed the
gulf of ice, that is, from the beginning of May to that of June.
A vessel of one hundred tons or so, is provided with a crew of twelve
men, who are equally expert as sailors and fishers, and for every
couple of these hardy tars, a Hampton boat is provided, which is
lashed on the deck, or hung in stays. Their provision is simple, but of
good quality, and it is very seldom that any spirits are allowed, beef,
pork, and biscuit, with water, being all they take with them. The men
are supplied with warm clothing, waterproof oiled jackets and
trowsers, large boots, broad-brimmed hats with a round crown, and
stout mittens, with a few shirts. The owner or captain furnishes
them with lines, hooks, and nets, and also provides the bait best
adapted to ensure success. The hold of the vessel is filled with casks
of various dimensions, some containing salt, and others for the oil
that may be procured.
The bait generally used at the beginning of the season, consists of
mussels salted for the purpose; but as soon as the capelings reach
the coast, they are substituted to save expense; and in many
instances, the flesh of gannets and other sea-fowl is employed. The
wages of fishermen vary from sixteen to thirty dollars per month,
according to the qualifications of the individual.
The labour of these men is excessively hard, for, unless on Sunday,
their allowance of rest in the twenty-four hours seldom exceeds
three. The cook is the only person who fares better in this respect,
but he must also assist in curing the fish. He has breakfast,
consisting of coffee, bread, and meat, ready for the captain and the
whole crew, by three o'clock every morning, excepting Sunday. Each
person carries with him his dinner ready cooked, which is commonly
eaten on the fishing-grounds.
Thus, at three in the morning, the crew are prepared for their day's
labour, and ready to betake themselves to their boats, each of which
has two oars and lugsails. They all depart at once, and either by
rowing or sailing, reach the banks to which the fishes are known to
resort. The little squadron drop their anchors at short distances from
each other, in a depth of from ten to twenty feet, and the business is
immediately commenced. Each man has two lines, and each stands
in one end of the boat, the middle of which is boarded off to hold
the fish. The baited lines have been dropped into the water, one on
each side of the boat; their leads have reached the bottom, a fish
has taken the hook, and after giving the line a slight jerk, the
fisherman hauls up his prize with a continued pull, throws the fish
athwart a small round bar of iron placed near his back, which forces
open the mouth, while the weight of the body, however small the
fish may be, tears out the hook. The bait is still good, and over the
side the line again goes, to catch another fish, while that on the left
is now drawn up, and the same course pursued. In this manner, a
fisher busily plying at each end, the operation is continued until the
boat is so laden, that her gunwale is brought within a few inches of
the surface, when they return to the vessel in harbour, seldom
distant more than eight miles from the banks.
During the greater part of the day, the fishermen have kept up a
constant conversation, of which the topics are the pleasure of
finding a good supply of cod, their domestic affairs, the political
prospects of the nation, and other matters similarly connected. Now
the repartee of one elicits a laugh from the other; this passes from
man to man, and the whole flotilla enjoy the joke. The men of one
boat strive to outdo those of the others in hauling up the greatest
quantity of fish in a given time, and this forms another source of
merriment. The boats are generally filled about the same time, and
all return together.
Arrived at the vessel, each man employs a pole armed with a bent
iron, resembling the prong of a hay-fork, with which he pierces the
fish, and throws it with a jerk on deck, counting the number thus
discharged with a loud voice. Each cargo is thus safely deposited,
and the boats instantly return to the fishing-ground, when, after
anchoring, the men eat their dinner and begin a-new. There, good
reader, with your leave, I will let them pursue their avocations for a
while, as I am anxious that you should witness what is doing on
board the vessel.
The captain, four men, and the cook, have, in the course of the
morning, erected long tables fore and aft the main hatchway, they
have taken to the shore most of the salt barrels, and have placed in
a row their large empty casks, to receive the livers. The hold of the
vessel is quite clear, except a corner where is a large heap of salt.
And now the men having dined precisely at twelve, are ready with
their large knives. One begins with breaking off the head of the fish,
a slight pull of the hand and a gash with the knife effecting this in a
moment. He slits up its belly, with one hand pushes it aside to his
neighbour, then throws overboard the head, and begins to doctor
another. The next man tears out the entrails, separates the liver,
which he throws into a cask, and casts the rest overboard. A third
person dexterously passes his knife beneath the vertebræ of the
fish, separates them from the flesh, heaves the latter through the
hatchway, and the former into the water.
Now, if you will peep into the hold, you will see the last stage of the
process, the salting and packing. Six experienced men generally
manage to head, gut, bone, salt and pack, all the fish caught in the
morning, by the return of the boats with fresh cargoes, when all
hands set to work, and clear the deck of the fish. Thus their labours
continue until twelve o'clock, when they wash their faces and hands,
put on clean clothes, hang their fishing apparel on the shrouds, and,
betaking themselves to the forecastle, are soon in a sound sleep.
At three next morning comes the captain from his berth, rubbing his
eyes; and in a loud voice calling "all hands, ho!" Stiffened in limb,
and but half awake, the crew quickly appear on the deck. Their
fingers and hands are so cramped and swollen by pulling the lines,
that it is difficult for them to straighten even a thumb; but this
matters little at present; for the cook, who had a good nap
yesterday, has risen an hour before them, and prepared their coffee
and eatables. Breakfast dispatched, they exchange their clean
clothes for the fishing-apparel, and leap into their boats, which had
been washed the previous night, and again the flotilla bounds to the
fishing-ground.
As there may be not less than 100 schooners or pickaxes in the
harbour, 300 boats resort to the banks each day; and, as each boat
may procure 2000 cods per diem, when Saturday night comes about
600,000 fishes have been brought to the harbour. This having
caused some scarcity on the fishing-grounds, and Sunday being
somewhat of an idle day, the Captain collects the salt ashore, and
sets sail for some other convenient harbour, which he expects to
reach long before sunset. If the weather be favourable, the men get
a good deal of rest during the voyage, and on Monday things go on
as before.
I must not omit to tell you, reader, that, while proceeding from one
harbour to another, the vessel has passed near a rock, which is the
breeding place of myriads of Puffins. She has laid to for an hour or
so, while part of the crew have landed, and collected a store of
eggs, excellent as a substitute for cream, and not less so when hard
boiled as food for the fishing-grounds. I may as well inform you also,
how these adventurous fellows distinguish the fresh eggs from the
others. They fill up some large tubs with water, throw in a quantity
of eggs, and allow them to remain a minute or so, when those which
come to the surface are tossed overboard, and even those that
manifest any upward tendency, share the same treatment. All that
remain at bottom, you may depend upon it, good reader, are
perfectly sound, and not less palatable than any that you have ever
eaten, or that your best guinea-fowl has just dropped in your barn-
yard. But let us return to the cod-fish.
The fish already procured and salted, is taken ashore at the new
harbour, by part of the crew, whom the captain has marked as the
worst hands at fishing. There, on the bare rocks, or on elevated
scaffolds of considerable extent, the salted cods are laid side by side
to dry in the sun. They are turned several times a-day, and in the
intervals the men bear a hand on board at clearing and stowing
away the daily produce of the fishing-banks. Towards evening they
return to the drying grounds, and put up the fish in piles resembling
so many hay-stacks, disposing those towards the top in such a
manner that the rain cannot injure them, and placing a heavy stone
on the summit to prevent their being thrown down should it blow
hard during the night. You see, reader, that the life of a Labrador
fisherman is not one of idleness.
The capelings have approached the shores, and in myriads enter
every basin and stream, to deposit their spawn, for now July is
arrived. The cods follow them, as the blood-hound follows his prey,
and their compact masses literally line the shores. The fishermen
now adopt another method: they have brought with them long and
deep seines, one end of which is, by means of a line fastened to the
shore, while the other is, in the usual manner, drawn out in a broad
sweep, to inclose as great a space as possible, and hauled on shore
by means of a capstan. Some of the men in boats support the
corked part of the net, and beat the water to frighten the fishes
within towards the land, while others, armed with poles, enter the
water, hook the fishes, and fling them on the beach, the net being
gradually drawn closer as the number of fishes diminishes. What do
you think, reader, as to the number of cods secured in this manner
at a single haul?—thirty, or thirty thousand? You may form some
notion of the matter when I tell you that the young gentlemen of my
party, while going along the shores, caught cod-fish alive, with their
hands, and trouts of many pounds weight with a piece of twine and
a mackerel-hook hung to their gun-rods; and that, if two of them
walked knee-deep along the rocks, holding a handkerchief by the
corners, they swept it full of capelings. Should you not trust me in
this, I refer you to the fishermen themselves, or recommend you to
go to Labrador, where you will give credit to the testimony of your
eyes.
The seining of the cod-fish, I believe, is not quite lawful, for a great
proportion of the codlings which are dragged ashore at last, are so
small as to be considered useless; and, instead of being returned to
the water, as they ought to be, are left on the shore, where they are
ultimately eaten by bears, wolves, and ravens. The fishes taken
along the coast, or on fishing-stations only a few miles off, are of
small dimensions; and I believe I am correct in saying, that few of
them weigh more than two pounds, when perfectly cured, or exceed
six when taken out of the water. The fish are liable to several
diseases, and at times are annoyed by parasitic animals, which in a
short time render them lean and unfit for use.
Some individuals, from laziness, or other causes, fish with naked
hooks, and thus frequently wound the cod without securing them, in
consequence of which the shoals are driven away, to the detriment
of the other fishers. Some carry their cargoes to other parts before
drying them, while others dispose of them to agents from distant
shores. Some have only a pickaxe of fifty tons, while others are
owners of seven or eight vessels of equal or larger burden; but
whatever be their means, should the season prove favourable, they
are generally well repaid for their labour. I have known instances of
men, who, on their first voyage, ranked as "boys," and in ten years
after were in independent circumstances, although they still
continued to resort to the fishing; for, said they to me, "how could
we be content to spend our time in idleness at home!" I know a
person of this class who has carried on the trade for many years,
and who has quite a little fleet of schooners, one of which, the
largest and most beautifully built, has a cabin as neat and
comfortable as any that I have ever seen in a vessel of the same
size. This vessel took fish on board only when perfectly cured, or
acted as pilot to the rest, and now and then would return home with
an ample supply of halibut, or a cargo of prime mackerel. On
another occasion, I will offer some remarks on the improvements
which I think might be made in the cod-fisheries of the coast of
Labrador.
 THE WILLOW GROUS.

Tetrao Saliceti, Temm.

PLATE CXCI. Male, Female and Young.

Although I have not seen this beautiful bird within the limits of the
United States, I feel assured that it exists in the State of Maine, as
well as in the northern districts bordering on the great lakes.
Theodore Lincoln, Esq. of Dennisville in Maine, shot seven one day,
not many miles from that village; and the hunter who guided me to
the breeding grounds of the Canada Grous, assured me, that he also
knew where the "Red-necked Partridge" was to be found. The places
which he described as frequented by them, seemed to bear as near
a resemblance to those in which I found the species in Labrador and
Newfoundland, as the difference of latitude and vegetation could
admit. I have also seen several skins of individuals that were killed
near Lake Michigan.
The Willow Grous differs in its habits from the Canada Grous in
several remarkable circumstances. In the first place, neither myself
nor any of my party ever found the former solitary or single. The
males were always in the immediate vicinity of the nest while the
females were sitting, and accompanied them and the young, from
the time the latter were hatched until they were full-grown; and
whenever we met with them, we observed that the males and the
females manifested the strongest attachment towards each other, as
well as towards their young. In fact, so much was this the case, that
when a covey happened to come in our way, the parents would fly
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