Chapter XXVII: Part 27

I was sadly disappointed at not finding them breeding on any part of the coast of Labrador which I visited, the more so because Dr RICHARDSON says they are abundant on the shores of Hudson’s Bay, where they breed. He gives no description of the nest or localities on which they deposit their eggs, which are said to be “pyriform, 16-1/2 lines long, and an inch across at their greatest breadth. Their colour is yellowish-grey, interspersed with small irregular spots of pale brown, crowded at the obtuse end, and rare at the other.”

TRINGA MARITIMA, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of the
United States, p. 318.—_Swains. and Richards._ Fauna Bor.
Amer. part ii. p. 382.

PURPLE SANDPIPER, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 115.

Adult in summer. Plate CCLXXXIV. Fig. 1.

Bill longer than the head, almost straight, subulate, compressed at the base, flexible; upper mandible with the dorsal line almost straight, being slightly deflected towards the end, the ridge narrow and convex, towards the end broader, the sides sloping, the edges rather obtuse. Nostrils basal, lateral, linear; nasal groove extending to near the end of the bill. Lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line beyond it slightly concave, the sides sloping upwards with a narrow groove, the tip rounded.

Head rather small, oblong, compressed. Neck shortish. Body full. Feet of moderate length, slender; tibia bare for a short space; tarsus rather short, compressed, anteriorly covered with scutella, laterally reticulated; toes of moderate length, excepting the first, which is very small, third longest and including the claw longer than the tarsus, fourth slightly longer than second; fore toes scutellate above, without webs at the base, the middle one with an inner thickish margin, the lateral each with an outer one; claws considerably curved, compressed, obtuse, that of hind toe very small, of middle toe largest, with a dilated thin inner edge.

Plumage soft, blended, on the back rather compact, the feathers rounded. Wings rather long, pointed; primaries tapering, rounded, the first longest, the second slightly shorter; outer secondaries short, obliquely truncate, inner elongated and tapering. Tail short, rounded, the central feathers elongated.

Bill deep orange, towards the end dusky. Edges of eyelids grey, iris orange. Feet light orange, claws dusky. Head greyish-brown tinged with purple, its sides and those of the neck deep purple; back and wings brownish-black, with purple reflections, the margins of the feathers white; quills brownish-black, their shafts, the tips of all the secondaries, and the greater part of the middle ones, white; middle tail-feathers brownish-black, tinged with purple, the lateral shaded into ash-grey. Upper part of throat greyish-white, fore neck grey; breast, sides, and abdomen white.

Length to end of tail 9-1/2, to end of wings 9-4/12, to end of claws 10; extent of wings 14-3/4; wing from flexure 5, tail 2-1/2; bill along the back 1-5/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-5/12; tarsus 11/12; middle toe 11/12, its claw 5/12. Weight 3-1/4 oz.

Adult in Winter. Plate CCLXXXIV. Fig. 2.

The principal differences in the winter plumage are, that the lower parts are pale grey, while the upper have the purple tints much fainter, the white edgings substituted by dull grey.

THE FORKED-TAILED GULL.

_LARUS SABINI_, SABINE.

PLATE CCLXXXV. MALE.

On my return from Labrador, I had the pleasure of seeing this interesting little Gull flying over the harbour of Halifax in Nova Scotia. It was in company with our Common American Gull. Although I have not observed it on our eastern shores or farther south on the coast, it is not improbable that it rambles there in winter along with other species which, like itself, breed far north. Its flight in some measure resembles that of the Common Tern, although it is more decided, and, consequently, more like that of the smaller species of its own genus. In the course of a voyage from Pictou in Nova Scotia to Hull in England, lately performed by my friend Mr THOMAS MACCULLOCH, he saw great numbers of this species when more than a hundred miles off Newfoundland. They flew around the ship in company with an almost equal number of Ross’s Gull.

Dr RICHARDSON gives the following account of the Forked-tailed Gull, in the Fauna Boreali-Americana. “This interesting species of Gull was discovered by Captain EDWARD SABINE. It was first seen on the 25th of July at its breeding station on some low rocky islands lying off the west coast of Greenland, associated in considerable numbers with the Arctic Tern, the nests of both birds being intermingled. It is analogous to the Tern not only in its forked tail, and in its choice of a breeding place, but also in the boldness which it displays in the protection of its young. The parent birds flew with impetuosity towards persons approaching their nests, and when one was killed, its mate, though frequently fired at, continued on the wing close to the spot. They were observed to get their food on the sea-beach, standing near the water’s edge, and picking up the marine insects which were cast on shore. A solitary individual was seen in Prince Regent’s Inlet, on Sir EDWARD PARRY’s first voyage, and many specimens were procured in the course of the second voyage on Melville Peninsula. Captain SABINE also killed a pair at Spitzbergen, so that it is a pretty general summer visitor to the Arctic Seas, and is entitled to be enumerated amongst the European as well as the American birds. It arrives in the high northern latitudes in June, and retires to the southward in August. Specimens procured in June and July corresponded exactly with the one described below. When newly killed, they all had a delicate pink blush on their under plumage. The eggs, two in number, are deposited on the bare ground, and are hatched in the last week of July. They are an inch and a half in length, and have an olive colour with many brown blotches.”

At the approach of autumn, it frequently happens that several species of gulls associate together, and at times congregate in great numbers on the outer margins of sand-bars and in the large estuaries. There they keep up a constant cackling, run about, dress their plumage, and await the rising of the waters. If disturbed at such times, they shew greater shyness than perhaps at any other. One of the oldest birds sounds an alarm, and all simultaneously take to wing, disperse, and gradually rise to a great elevation, flying in wide circles, and moving seaward. I have thought it remarkable that these birds seldom shun the fishermen, while towards any one bearing the semblance of a gunner they act with extreme caution. Although loquacious when congregated, they are when separated quite silent, especially when on wing. In squally and rainy weather they skim low over the water or the land, always against the wind. They are very tenacious of life, and often, when wounded, revive after you had considered them incapable of breathing. The instant they are caught they are wont to mute and eject the contents of their stomach, as well as when suddenly compelled to take to wing, or when pursued by predaceous birds. In particular states of the weather they appear at a distance much larger than they really are, and, on such occasions, they also seem much nearer, so that the gunner is greatly deceived, and may shoot at them when too far off.

LARUS SABINI, _Sabine_, (J.) Linn. Trans, vol. xii. p. 520.
pl. 29.

LARUS SABINII, FORK-TAILED GULL, _Swains. and Richards._
Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 428.

FORK-TAILED GULL, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 295.

Adult Male. Plate CCLXXXV. Fig. 1.

Bill rather shorter than the head, nearly straight, rather slender, compressed. Upper mandible with its dorsal line straight to the middle, then curved and declinate, the ridge convex, the sides slightly convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip rather obtuse. Nasal groove rather long and narrow; nostrils in its fore part, longitudinal, submedial, linear, pervious. Lower mandible with a slight prominence at the end of the angle, which is long and narrow, the dorsal line then straight or slightly concave, the ridge convex, the sides nearly flat.

Head of moderate size. Neck short. Body rather slender. Wings very long. Feet of moderate length, rather strong; tibia bare below for a short space, covered behind with narrow scutella; tarsus compressed, anteriorly covered with numerous scutella and three inferior series of transverse scales, laterally with rounded scales, posteriorly with oblique scutella. Toes slender, scutellate above; first extremely small, second much shorter than fourth, third longest, anterior toes connected by reticulated webs, the outer and inner slightly marginate; claws small, compressed, obtuse, that of middle toe with an expanded inner edge.

Plumage close, soft, blended. Wings very long and pointed; primaries tapering and rounded, first longest, second almost equal, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries obliquely pointed, the rounded extremity extending beyond the tip of the shaft, which is exterior to it, the inner feathers more elongated. Tail of moderate length, forked, of twelve feathers.

Bill black at the base for more than half its length, the rest pure yellow. Edges of eyelids vermilion, as is the inside of the mouth. Feet black. Head and upper part of neck all round blackish-grey, that colour terminated below by a ring of pure black encircling the neck. Lower neck all round, the whole lower surface, the upper tail-coverts and the tail, pure white. The back and wings are bluish-grey, excepting a large terminal portion of the secondaries, and the tips of the primaries, which are white, the primaries themselves being black, with their shafts brownish-black. The first quill of the specimen figured had no white on the tip, but some individuals differ in this respect.

Length to end of tail 13 inches, to end of wings 14-3/4; extent of wings 33; wing from flexure 10-3/4; tail 5; bill along the ridge 1, along the edges 1-1/4; tarsus 1-5/12; middle toe 1, its claw 2/12. Weight 7 oz.

The Female is rather less than the male, but in other respects similar.

THE LOST PORTFOLIO.

While I was at Natchez, on the 31st of December 1820, my kind friend NICHOLAS BERTHOUD, Esq. proposed to me to accompany him in his keel-boat to New Orleans. At one o’clock, the steam-boat Columbus hauled off from the landing, and took our bark in tow. The steamer was soon ploughing along at full speed, and little else engaged our minds than the thought of our soon arriving at the emporium of the commerce of the Mississippi. Towards evening, however, several inquiries were made respecting particular portions of the luggage, among which ought to have been one of my portfolios containing a number of drawings made by me while gliding down the Ohio and Mississippi from Cincinnati to Natchez, and of which some were to me peculiarly valuable, being of birds previously unfigured, and perhaps undescribed. The portfolio was nowhere to be found, and I recollected that I had brought it under my arm to the margin of the stream, and there left it to the care of one of my friend’s servants, who, in the hurry of our departure, had neglected to take it on board. Besides the drawings of birds, there was in this collection a sketch in black chalk, to which I always felt greatly attached while from home. It is true the features which it represented were indelibly engraved in my heart; but the portrait of her to whom I owe so much of the happiness that I have enjoyed was not the less dear to me. When I thought during the following night of the loss I had sustained in consequence of my own negligence, imagined the possible fate of the collection, and saw it in the hands of one of the numerous boatmen lounging along the shores, who might paste the drawings to the walls of his cabin, nail them to the steering-oars of his flat-boat, or distribute them among his fellows, I felt little less vexed than I did some years before when the rats, as you know, devoured a much larger collection.

It was useless to fret myself, and so I began to devise a scheme for recovering the drawings. I wrote to Mr GARNIER and my venerable friend CHARLES CARRÉ. Mr BERTHOUD also wrote to a mercantile acquaintance. The letters were forwarded to Natchez from the first landing place at which we stopped, and in the course of time we reached the great eddy running by the Levee or artificial embankment at New Orleans. But before I present you with the answers to the letters sent to our acquaintances at Natchez, allow me to offer a statement of our adventures on the Mississippi.

After leaving the eddy at Natchez, we passed a long file of exquisitely beautiful Bluffs. At the end of twenty hours we reached Bayou Sara, where we found two brigs at anchor, several steamers, and a number of flat-boats, the place being of considerable mercantile importance. Here the Columbus left us to shift for ourselves, her commander being anxious to get to Baton Rouge by a certain hour, in order to secure a good cargo of cotton. We now proceeded along the great stream, sometimes floating and sometimes rowing. The shores gradually became lower and flatter, orange-trees began to make their appearance around the dwellings of the wealthy planters, and the verdure along the banks assumed a brighter tint. The thermometer stood at 68° in the shade at noon; butterflies fluttered among the flowers, of which many were in full blow; and we expected to have seen alligators half-awake floating on the numberless logs that accompanied us in our slow progress. The eddies were covered with ducks of various kinds, more especially with the beautiful species that breeds by preference on the great sycamores that every now and then present themselves along our southern waters. Baton Rouge is a very handsome place, but at present I have not time to describe it. Levees now began to stretch along the river, and wherever there was a sharp point on the shore, negroes were there amusing themselves by raising shrimps, and now and then a cat-fish, with scooping-nets.

The river increased in breadth and depth, and the sawyers and planters, logs so called, diminished in number the nearer we drew towards the famed city. At every bend we found the plantations increased, and now the whole country on both sides became so level and destitute of trees along the water’s edge, that we could see over the points before us, and observe the great stream stretching along for miles. Within the levees the land is much lower than the surface of the river when the water is high; but at this time we could see over the levee from the deck of our boat only the upper windows of the planters’ houses, or the tops of the trees about them, and the melancholy looking cypresses covered with Spanish moss forming the back ground. Persons rode along the levees at full speed; pelicans, gulls, vultures, and carrion crows sailed over the stream, and at times there came from the shore a breeze laden with the delicious perfume of the orange-trees, which were covered with blossoms and golden fruits.

Having passed Bayou Lafourche, our boat was brought-to on account of the wind, which blew with violence. We landed, and presently made our way to the swamps, where we shot a number of those beautiful birds called Boat-tailed Grakles. The mocking birds on the fence-stakes saluted us with so much courtesy and with such delightful strains, that we could not think of injuring them; but we thought it no harm to shoot a whole covey of partridges. In the swamps we met with warblers of various kinds, lively and beautiful, waiting in these their winter retreats for the moment when Boreas should retire to his icy home, and the gentle gales of the south should waft them toward their breeding places in the north. Thousands of swallows flew about us, the cat-birds mewed in answer to their chatterings, the cardinal grosbeak elevated his glowing crest as he stood perched on the magnolia branch, the soft notes of the doves echoed among the woods, nature smiled upon us, and we were happy.

On the fourth of January we stopped at Bonnet Carré, where I entered a house to ask some questions about birds. I was received by a venerable French gentleman, whom I found in charge of about a dozen children of both sexes, and who was delighted to hear that I was a student of nature. He was well acquainted with my old friend CHARLES CARRÉ, and must, I thought, be a good man, for he said he never suffered any of his pupils to rob a bird of her eggs or young, although, said he with a smile, “they are welcome to peep at them and love them.” The boys at once surrounded me, and from them I received satisfactory answers to most of my queries respecting birds.

The sixth of January was so cold that the thermometer fell to 30°, and we had seen ice on the running boards of our keel boat. This was quite unlooked for, and we felt uncomfortable; but before the middle of the day, all nature was again in full play. Several beautiful steamers passed us. The vegetation seemed not to have suffered from the frost; green pease, artichokes and other vegetables were in prime condition. This reminds me that on one of my late journeys, I ate green pease in December in the Floridas, and had them once a-week at least in my course over the whole of the Union, until I found myself and my family feeding on the same vegetable more than a hundred miles to the North of the St John’s River in New Brunswick.

Early on the seventh, thousands of tall spars, called masts by the mariners, came in sight; and as we drew nearer, we saw the port filled with ships of many nations, each bearing the flag of its country. At length we reached the Levee, and found ourselves once more at New Orleans. In a short time my companions dispersed, and I commenced a search for something that might tend to compensate me for the loss of my drawings.

On the 16th of March following, I had the gratification of receiving a letter from Mr A. P. BODLEY, of Natchez, informing me that my portfolio had been found and deposited at the office of “the Mississippi Republican,” whence an order from me would liberate it. Through the kindness of Mr GARNIER, I received it on the 5th of April. So very generous had been the finder of it, that when I carefully examined the drawings in succession, I found them all present and uninjured, save one, which had probably been kept by way of commission.

THE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE.

_ANSER ALBIFRONS_, BECHST.

PLATE CCLXXXVI. MALE.

Neither WILSON nor NUTTALL seem to have been aware of the regularity with which this species migrates through the United States. When I shewed a drawing of it to the first of these authors, he pronounced it to be a young Snow Goose, although I described to him its peculiar notes. During the whole of my residence in Kentucky, a winter never passed without my seeing a good number of them; and at that season they are frequently offered for sale in the markets of New Orleans. An English gentleman, who was on his way to the settlement of Birkbeck in the Prairies west of the Ohio, and who spent a few weeks with me at Henderson, was desirous of having a tasting of some of our game. His desire was fully gratified, and the first that was placed before him was a White-fronted Goose. I had killed seven of these birds, the evening before, in a pond across the Ohio, which was regularly supplied with flocks from the beginning of October to the end of March. He pronounced it “delicious,” and I have no reason to dissent from his opinion. From the numbers seen high on the Arkansas River, I presume that many winter beyond the southern limits of the United States. They are exceedingly rare, however, along our Atlantic coast. In Kentucky they generally arrive before the Canada Goose, betaking themselves to the grassy ponds; and of the different species which visit that country they are by far the least shy. The flocks seldom exceed from thirty to fifty individuals. Their general appearance is that exhibited in the plate, and which I consider as their winter plumage, feeling pretty confident that in summer the lower part of the body becomes pure black.

The flight of the White-fronted is very similar to that of the Canada Goose, being firm and well sustained. When travelling, these birds pass at a considerable height, arranged in the same angular order, and apparently guided by one of the older Ganders. They walk with ease, and can run with considerable speed when wounded. In feeding they immerse their necks, like other species; but during continued rains they visit the cornfields and large savannahs. While in Kentucky they feed on the beech nuts and acorns that drop along the margins of their favourite ponds. In the fields they pick up the grains of maize left by the squirrels and racoons, and nibble the young blades of grass. In their gizzards I have never found fishes or water lizards, but often broken shells of different kinds of snails.

They leave us a fortnight sooner than the Canada Geese, and start along with the Snow Geese, but keep in separate flocks. In this order they have been observed travelling over the fur countries by Dr RICHARDSON, who informs us that they breed in the woody districts skirting Mackenzie’s River to the north of the sixty-seventh parallel, and also on the islands of the Arctic Sea; but that they are not common about Hudson’s Bay. The egg of this Goose measures two inches and three-quarters in length, by one and three-quarters in breadth. The shell is smooth, of a dull yellowish-green, with indistinct patches of a darker tint of the same colour.

ANAS ALBIFRONS, _Gmel._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 509.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 842.

ANSER ALBIFRONS, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of the
United States, p. 376.—_Swains. and Richards._ Fauna Bor.
Amer. part ii. p. 456.

WHITE-FRONTED OR LAUGHING GOOSE, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol.
ii. p. 346.

Adult Male. Plate CCLXXXVI. Fig. 1.

Bill shorter than the head, much higher than broad at the base, somewhat conical, depressed towards the end, rounded at the tip. Upper mandible with the dorsal line sloping, the ridge broad and flattened, but slightly convex, the sides sloping, the edges with twenty-eight oblique lamellæ, the unguis circular, convex, obscurely denticulate along the edge. Nasal groove oblong, parallel to the ridge, filled by the soft membrane of the bill; nostrils medial, lateral, longitudinal, narrow-elliptical, open, pervious. Lower mandible nearly straight, with the angle very long and rather narrow, the edges soft and obtuse, with about forty oblique, slightly recurved lamellæ.

Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Neck rather long and slender. Body full, slightly depressed. Feet rather short, strong, placed rather behind the centre of the body; legs bare a little above the joint; tarsus rather short, a little compressed, covered all round with angular reticulated scales, which are smaller behind; hind toe very small, with a narrow membrane; third toe longest, fourth considerably shorter, but longer than second; all the toes reticulated above at the base, but with narrow transverse scutella towards the end; the three anterior connected by a reticulated membrane, the outer having a thick margin, the inner with the margin extended into a two-lobed web; claws small, arched, rather compressed, obtuse, that of the middle toe bent obliquely outwards and depressed, with a curved edge.

Plumage close, full, compact above, blended on the neck and lower part of the body, very short on the head. Feathers of the head and neck very narrow, on the latter part disposed in oblique series separated by grooves, of the back very broad and abrupt, of the breast and belly broadly rounded. Wings rather long, broad; primaries incurved, broad, towards the end tapering, the second longest, first and third about equal, first and second sinuate on the inner web, second and third on the outer; secondaries long, very broad, rounded. Tail very short, rounded, of sixteen broad rounded feathers.

Bill carmine-red, the unguis of both mandibles white. Edges of eyelids dull orange; iris hazel. Feet orange, webs lighter; claws white. Head and neck rich greyish-brown, the upper part of the former darker; a white band, margined behind with blackish-brown on the anterior part of the forehead along the bill. The general colour of the back is deep grey, the feathers of its fore part broadly tipped with greyish-brown, the rest with greyish-white; the hind part of the back pure deep grey. Wings greyish-brown, but towards the edge ash-grey, as are the primary coverts, and outer webs of the primaries; the rest of the primaries and the secondaries are greyish-black, the latter with a narrow edge of greyish-white, the former edged and tipped with white. Breast, abdomen, lower tail-coverts, sides of the rump and upper tail-coverts, white, but the breast and sides patched with brownish-black; on the latter intermixed with greyish-brown feathers.

Length to end of tail 27-1/4 inches, to end of wings 26, to end of claws 28-7/8; extent of wings 60; wing from flexure 14-1/2; tail 4-3/4; bill along the back 1-8/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-7/12; tarsus 2-1/4; middle toe 2-4/12, its claw 5/12. Weight 5-1/4 lb.

Adult Female. Plate CCLXXXVI. Fig. 2.

The Female, which is somewhat smaller, resembles the male; the white margins of the wing-feathers not so distinct. Weight 4 lb. 4 oz.

The gizzard is very large, its muscular coat an inch and a half thick at the lower extremity, the cuticular lining thick, very hard, and denticulate on one side. The intestine seven feet long, the cœca twelve inches and placed at the distance of one foot from the anus.

THE IVORY GULL.

_LARUS EBURNEUS_, PHIPPS.

PLATE CCLXXXVII. ADULT AND YOUNG.

Having ascertained that this beautiful species visits the southern coast of Labrador and Newfoundland every winter, I have thought it probable that it occasionally extends its rambles as far as our eastern shores, and therefore determined to include it in my Illustrations. The figures in the plate were taken from two specimens procured by Captain JAMES CLARK ROSS, one of which was an adult male, the other a young bird in its second year. Captain SABINE says that the Ivory Gulls are attracted in considerable numbers by whale blubber, are therefore usually found in company with the _Procellaria glacialis_, and are easily killed, being by no means shy. Dr RICHARDSON informs us that they were observed breeding in great numbers on the high perforated cliffs which form the extremity of Cape Parry, in latitude 70°.

LARUS EBURNEUS, _Phipps’s Voyage_, p. 187.—_Lath._ Ind.
Ornith. vol. ii. p. 816.—_Swains. and Richards._ Fauna
Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 419.

IVORY GULL, _Lath._ Synops. vol. vi. p. 377.—_Nuttall_,
Manual, vol. ii. p. 301.

Adult Male. Plate CCLXXXVII. Fig. 1.

Bill shorter than the head, robust, nearly straight, compressed. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight at the base, arched and declinate towards the end, the ridge convex, the sides slightly so, the edges sharp, a little inflected, somewhat arched, the tip rather obtuse. Nasal groove rather long and narrow; nostrils in its fore part, lateral, longitudinal, linear, wider anteriorly, pervious. Lower mandible with a prominence at the end of the angle, which is long and narrow, the dorsal line slightly concave and ascending, the sides flattened, the edges sharp and inflected.

Head rather large. Neck of moderate length, strong. Body rather full. Feet of moderate length, stout; tibia bare below; tarsus somewhat compressed, covered before with numerous scutella, on the sides and behind with series of small angular scales; the hind toe very small and elevated, the fore toes of moderate length, the fourth much longer than the second, the third longest, the hind one with a single scutellum and three transverse series of scales, the rest scutellate above and connected by reticulate membranes having a concave margin, the lateral toes margined externally with a narrow membrane. Claws stout, rather large, arched, compressed, rather obtuse, that of middle toe with an enlarged inner edge.

The plumage in general is close, full, elastic, soft and blended, on the back rather compact. Wings very long, rather broad, acute, the first quill longest, the other primaries rapidly graduated; secondaries broad and rounded, the inner tapering but rounded. Tail of moderate length, even, of twelve rather broad rounded feathers.

Bill bright yellow, greenish dusky at the base. Iris brown, edges of eyelids vermilion. Feet and claws black. The whole of the plumage is pure white.

Length to end of tail 19 inches, to end of wings 20-1/2; extent of wings 41; wing from flexure 13-1/2; tail 6-1/4; bill along the back 1-5/12, along the edge of lower mandible 2; tarsus 1-7/12; middle toe 1-2/12, its claw (5-1/2)/12. Weight 20 oz.

Young of the second year, killed in September. Plate CCLXXXVII. Fig. 2.

After the second moult, the bill is pale yellow at the end, dusky at the base for two-thirds of its length; the edges of the eyelids vermilion, the iris brown, the feet black. The plumage is white; the forehead and sides of the head mottled with leaden-grey; most of the wing-coverts have towards the end a spot of greyish-black, and the quills, large coverts, and tail-feathers are similarly marked, the markings on the tail forming a subterminal bar.

THE YELLOWSHANK.

_TOTANUS FLAVIPES_, VIEILL.

PLATE CCLXXXVIII. MALE.

The Yellowshank is much more abundant in the interior, or to the westward of the Alleghany Mountains than along our Atlantic coast, although it is also met with in the whole extent of the latter, from Florida to Maine. It exceeds the Tell-tale Godwit in numbers on the shores of the Ohio, as well as on the margins of the numerous ponds and lakes in the vicinity of the Mississippi, from the mouth of the river just mentioned to New Orleans, and beyond that city southward. In early autumn, when the sand-bars of the Ohio are left uncovered, these active birds are seen upon them in small flocks, formed each apparently of a single family, busily employed in searching for food, and wading in the water up to the feathered part of their legs. When the water is high, they resort to ponds and damp meadows intersected by small rivulets. In the Carolinas and the Floridas they are pretty numerous, in the former betaking themselves to the rice-fields, and in the latter to the wet savannahs. They are equally fond of frequenting the shores of our estuaries that are bordered by salt marshes, on the muddy edges of which they find their food. I have also met with them on the margins of clear streams in the interior of the States, and indeed should hardly be able to mention a district in which the species is not to be seen, from the beginning of September until May, when the greater number retire northward, although some remain and breed, even in our Middle States, as NUTTALL says they are seen in the neighbourhood of Boston in the middle of June. I found a few on the coast of Labrador, but did not succeed in discovering their nests, which was the more surprising that these birds, according to my friend THOMAS MACCULLOCH, breed in considerable numbers about Pictou. He describes the nest as placed among the grass on the edges of the rivers and large ponds of the interior.

The flight of the Yellowshank is very similar to that of the Tell-tale Godwit. They generally run to some distance before they take to wing, stop as if to discover your intention, vibrate their body backwards and forwards, intimate by their cries the knowledge they have of the nature of the weapon you carry, and, as if convinced that you are bent on mischief, spring up, rise obliquely to some height, emit louder notes, and with continued flappings pass around you, or remove to some distant place. Their long yellow legs, which are stretched out behind, are quite conspicuous when they are on wing. Should you bring one to the ground wounded, it walks off leisurely, vibrates its body, and emits plaintive cries; and should one fall into the water under similar circumstances, it paddles its way towards the nearest shore with considerable speed. If you approach it, it may immerse its head, but it cannot dive to any depth.

In very dry weather, I have observed this species on the uplands searching for grasshoppers and insects. It has been alleged that when one is wounded, its companions hover around so as to be easily shot; but this I have never observed, for although they are perhaps less shy than the Tell-tales, on such occasions, I never found one of them to remain; they seemed, on the contrary, to be well aware of the danger, and would fly quite out of sight, rising high in the air, and pursuing a direct course, emitting cries at intervals.

Along the shores of the sea, they are now and then seen in company with other species, although they cannot be said actually to associate with them. In autumn they become fat, and by many are considered good eating, although they always have a kind of fishy taste not at all agreeable to my palate. Their food consists of diminutive fishes, shrimps, worms, and aquatic insects.

I have represented one of these birds on the fore ground of a little piece of water a few miles distant from Charleston in South Carolina, on the borders of which, in the company of my kind friend JOHN BACHMAN and others, I have spent many a pleasant hour, while resting after fatiguing rambles in the surrounding woods.

SCOLOPAX FLAVIPES, _Lath._ Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 723.—_Ch.
Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of the United States, p. 324.

YELLOWSHANKS SNIPE, SCOLOPAX FLAVIPES, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith.
vol. vii. p. 55. pl. 58. fig. 4.

TOTANUS FLAVIPES, YELLOWSHANKS TATLER, _Swains. and
Richards._ Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 390.

YELLOWSHANKS TATLER, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 152.

Adult Male in Summer. Plate CCLXXXVIII. Fig. 1.

Bill a little longer than the head, very slender, subcylindrical, straight, flexible, compressed at the base, the point rather depressed and obtuse. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, the ridge convex, broader at the base, slightly depressed towards the end, the sides sloping, towards the end convex, the edges soft and obtuse, the tip slightly deflected. Nasal groove long and narrow, extending to a little beyond the middle of the bill; nostrils basal, linear, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very long and extremely narrow, the dorsal line straight, the sides convex, with a slight groove in their basal half.

Head small, oblong, anteriorly narrowed. Eyes large. Neck rather long and slender. Body slender. Feet very long, slender; tibia bare for half its length, scutellate before and behind; tarsus also scutellate before and behind; hind toe very small and elevated; fore toes of moderate length, very slender, connected at the base by webs, of which the outer is much larger; second or inner toe considerably shorter than fourth, third longest; all scutellate above, flat and marginate beneath. Claws small, slightly arched, much compressed, obtuse, that of middle toe much larger, with the inner edge enlarged.

Plumage very soft, blended, on the fore part of the head very short. Wings long, narrow, pointed; primaries narrow and tapering, first longest, second a little shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries short, broad, incurved, obliquely rounded, the inner elongated and tapering. Tail short, rounded, of twelve rounded feathers.

Bill black. Iris dark brown; edges of eyelids dark grey. Feet bright yellow, claws brownish-black. Upper part of the head, lores, cheeks, neck, and sides of the neck deep brownish-grey, the edges of the feathers greyish-white; a white line from the bill to the eye and over it; upper part of throat white; fore neck greyish-white, streaked with brownish-grey, as are the sides, the rest of the lower parts white, the lower tail-coverts slightly marked with grey. The general colour of the back and scapulars is olivaceous brown tinged with grey, the feathers edged with small dusky and white spots. The wing-coverts and inner secondary quills are similar, the marginal spots on the latter forming bands; primary quills blackish-brown, the shaft of the outer brownish-white, of the rest dark brown, the edges of the inner, and of the middle secondaries white; hind part of back grey, upper tail-coverts white, the larger obscurely barred with grey.

Length to end of tail 10-3/8 inches, to end of wings 11-2/12 to end of claws 13-2/12, extent of wings 20; wing from flexure 6-9/12; tail 2-1/2; bill along the back 1-5/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-5/12; bare part of tibia 1-4/12; tarsus 1-11/12, middle toe 1-2/12, its claw (2-1/2)/12. Weight 2-1/2 oz.

SOLITARY SANDPIPER.

_TOTANUS CHLOROPYGIUS_, VIEILL.

PLATE CCLXXXIX. MALE.

The only nest of this bird that I ever met with was placed in an elevated part of the woods near Bayou Sara, on the margin of a small pond scarcely ten yards broad, overgrown with low bushes, and cumbered with fallen branches of trees. It was formed of grass and withered leaves, arranged without much care, and contained three eggs. Both birds were greatly disconcerted, ran round me, and frequently alighted on the twigs and branches with all the nimbleness of land birds, constantly throwing their heads forward and vibrating their body and tail in the manner of the Louisiana Water Thrush. The eggs measured one inch one eighth and a half in length, seven and a half eighths in breadth; the colour was greenish-yellow, with spots and patches of umber, more abundant around the crown, where the larger marks formed a conspicuous circle. I carried one of the eggs home, and, on returning a few days after to the spot, found one of the birds sitting, which proved to me that the great anxiety shewn at my first visit was chiefly because the female was about to lay her last egg. The male was absent, nor did it shew itself during my stay. About a fortnight after I found the wings of one of the birds near the place; the eggs also were gone; and I concluded that some quadruped, probably a racoon, had committed the havock. No bird of this species was in the neighbourhood.

In the Fauna Boreali-Americana, Dr RICHARDSON says that in high northern latitudes these birds deposit their eggs on the bare sand, which is another proof in addition to the many already given, that great differences as to the mode of nestling may exist in the same species in different parts of the country. Indeed, almost all the habits of this curious bird differ according to the locality. In the Southern States, they are particularly fond of low flat lands among deep woods and cane brakes, and rarely approach ponds of any great extent, but prefer those which are small and most secluded. In the Middle Districts I have found them along the Leighhigh, and in watery places both on low and on elevated ground. In the State of Maine they frequented similar localities. In the prairies of Indiana I have seen them in early spring, during rainy weather, wading and running through the water, on the very foot-path before me, for eight or ten yards at a time. When flushed, they would fly in a semicircle close over the ground, and re-alight at the distance of a hundred yards or so on the same path. Not one of the species was observed in Labrador or Newfoundland by my party; and my friend THOMAS MACCULLOCH informs me that only a few single birds are seen near Pictou, and that in autumn, when they keep in marshy grounds in the neighbourhood of the sea.

The flight of the Solitary Sandpiper is swift and protracted. It moves in a zigzag manner, and at times makes its way through the woods with surprising ease, seldom leaving the starting place without uttering a clear and pleasant tweet. In re-alighting it pitches downwards like the Common Snipe. On the ground they are very active, and at times so indifferent to the approach of man, that they will merely fly across or around a small pond for a considerable time, and, if shot at and not touched, they will be sure to be found in the same place a few hours after. Its alighting on trees has often appeared to me as singular as that of Bartram’s Snipe and the Semipalmated species. The Solitary Snipe is, however, the most expert at catching insects on the wing, especially the smaller kinds of dragon-flies, which it chases from the sticks on which they alight, and generally seizes before they have flown across the little ponds, which are the favourite place of resort of this species. I have found their stomachs filled with aquatic insects, caterpillars of various kinds, and black spiders of considerable size.

I consider this bird to be a constant resident in the United States, although it ranges over a great space in summer and winter. Scarcely any difference is observable in the sexes; and I am of opinion that the young acquire their full plumage the first spring.

TOTANUS CHLOROPYGIUS, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds
of the United States, p. 325.—_Swains. and Richards._ Fauna
Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 393.

SOLITARY SANDPIPER, TRINGA SOLITARIA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith.
vol. vii. p. 53. pl. 58. fig. 3.

GREEN-RUMP TATLER, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 159.

Adult Male. Plate CCLXXXIX. Fig. 1.

Bill a little longer than the head, very slender, subcylindrical, straight, flexible, compressed at the base, the point rather depressed and obtuse. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, the ridge convex, broader at the base, slightly depressed towards the end, the sides sloping, towards the end convex, the edges soft and obtuse, the tip very slightly deflected. Nasal groove long and narrow, extending to a little beyond the middle of the bill; nostrils basal, linear, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very long and extremely narrow, the dorsal line straight, the sides convex, with a slight groove in their basal half.

Head small, oblong, anteriorly narrowed. Eyes large. Neck rather long and slender. Body slender. Feet long and slender; tibia bare nearly half its length, scutellate before and behind; tarsus also scutellate before and behind; hind toe very small and elevated; fore toes rather long, very slender, connected at the base by webs, of which the outer is much larger; second or inner toe considerably shorter than fourth, third longest; all scutellate above, flat and marginate beneath. Claws small, slightly arched, much compressed, rather obtuse, that of middle toe much larger, with the inner edge enlarged.

Plumage very soft, blended, on the fore part of the head very short. Wings long, narrow, pointed; primaries rather narrow and tapering, first and second equal, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries short, broad, incurved, obliquely rounded, the inner elongated and tapering. Tail rather short, slightly rounded, of twelve rounded feathers.

Bill greenish-black. Iris brown; edges of eyelids dark grey. Feet greenish-grey, claws brownish-black. Upper part of the head, lores, cheeks, hind neck and sides of the neck deep brownish-grey, the edges of the feathers brownish-white; a dull white line from the bill to the eye; upper part of throat greyish-white; fore-neck of the same colour, streaked with brownish-grey, as are the sides; the rest of the lower parts greyish-white. The general colour of the back and scapulars is deep greenish-brown, the feathers edged with a few small spots of white and dusky, those on the inner secondaries more numerous. Wing-coverts similar, excepting those along the edge of the wing, which with the alula and primary coverts are deep brownish-black; primary quills brownish-black, secondaries greyish-brown; lower wing-coverts mottled with brownish-black and white, the axillar feathers barred with greyish-white and dusky, as are the upper tail-coverts and the tail-feathers, of which the two middle are merely spotted with white on the edges.

Length to end of tail 8-1/2 inches, to end of wings 9, to end of claws 10; extent of wings 16-1/2; wing from flexure 5-1/4; tail 2; bill along the back 1-2/12 along the edge of lower mandible 1-(2-1/2)/12; tarsus 1-2/12; middle toe 11/12, its claw (2-1/2)/12 Weight 1-3/4 oz.

Adult Female. Plate CCLXXXIX. Fig. 2.

There is no decided difference between the sexes in the colouring, but the female is somewhat larger. From the only instance in which I found this species in the act of depositing its eggs, I conclude that it generally forms its nest on the higher grounds or along the declivities of hills.

THE RED-BACKED SANDPIPER.

_TRINGA ALPINA_, LINN.

PLATE CCXC. MALE IN SUMMER, AND ADULT IN WINTER.

In autumn and winter, this species is abundant along the whole range of our coast, wherever the shores are sandy or muddy, from Maine to the mouths of the Mississippi; but I never found one far inland. Sometimes they collect into flocks of several hundred individuals, and are seen wheeling over the water near the shores or over the beaches, in beautiful order, and now and then so close together as to afford an excellent shot, especially when they suddenly alight in a mass near the sportsman, or when, swiftly veering, they expose their lower parts at the same moment. On such occasions a dozen or more may be killed at once, provided the proper moment is chosen.

There seems to be a kind of impatience in this bird that prevents it from remaining any length of time in the same place, and you may see it scarcely alighted on a sand-bar, fly off without any apparent reason to another, where it settles, runs for a few moments, and again starts off on wing. When searching for food they run with great agility, following the retiring waves, and retreating as they advance, probing the wet sands, and picking up objects from their surface, ever jerking up the tail, and now and then uttering a faint cry, pleasant to the ear, and differing from the kind of scream which they emit while on wing.

When I was in the Floridas in winter, I found this species abundant, and my party shot a great number of them, on account of the fatness and juiciness of their flesh. They all appeared to have their plumage greyer than those shot in the Carolinas at the same season, and not one exhibited the least redness on the back, although that colour is so conspicuous in spring before they leave us for the north. They usually take their departure from the south about the first of April, reach the Middle Districts by the fifteenth of that month, and in a few days assume their summer plumage. I have observed that at this season the male birds are frequently in the habit of raising their wings and running in that position for a few steps, when they close them, and nod to the nearest female. None of the other sex, however, seemed to take the least notice of this homage. On our way to Labrador we saw flocks of these birds passing, but we found none breeding in that country. My friend Mr MACGILLIVRAY has given me the following account of the habits of this species during the breeding season.

“About the middle of April, the Purres betake themselves to the moors, in the northern parts of Scotland, and in the larger Hebrides, where they may be found scattered in the haunts selected by the Golden Plovers, with which they are so frequently seen in company that they have obtained the name of Plovers’ Pages. In the Hebrides, from this season until the end of August, none are to be found along the shores. 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, irregularly 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. If at this period, or during incubation, a person approaches their retreats, the male especially, but frequently the female also, flies up to meet the intruder, settles on a tuft near him, or runs along and uses the same artifices for decoying him from the nest or young as the Plover or Ring Dotterel. When the young are fledged, the birds gather into small flocks, which often in the evenings unite into larger, and join those of the Golden Plover. They rest at night on the smoother parts of the heath, and both species, when resting by day, either stand or lie on the ground. When one advances within a hundred yards of such a flock, it is pleasant to see them stretch up their wings as if preparing for flight, utter a few low notes, and immediately stand on the alert, or run a few steps. At this season, however, they are not at all shy. Towards the end of August, the different colonies betake themselves to the sandy shores. On a large sand-ford in Harris, I have at this season seen many thousands at once, running about with extreme activity in search of food. This place seemed a general rendezvous, and after a few weeks the host broke up and dispersed, few if any remaining during the winter.”

TRINGA CINCLUS, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 251.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 335. Winter plumage.

TRINGA ALPINA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 429.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 736.—Summer plumage.

TRINGA VARIABILIS, _Temm._ Man. d’Ornith. part ii. p. 612.

TRINGA ALPINA, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synops. of Birds of the
United States, p. 317.

RED-BACKED SANDPIPER, TRINGA ALPINA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith.
vol. vii. p. 5. pl. 56. fig. 2. Summer.

PURRE, TRINGA CINCLUS, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol. vii. p.
39. pl. 57. fig. 3. Winter.

TRINGA ALPINA, THE AMERICAN DUNLIN, _Swains. and Richards._
Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 383.

DUNLIN OR OX-BIRD, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 106.

Adult Male in Summer. Plate CCXC. Fig. 1.

Bill longer than the head, slender, subcylindrical, nearly straight, being slightly curved towards the end, compressed at the base, the point rather depressed and obtuse. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, slightly sloping at the base, and slightly decurved towards the end, the ridge narrow, towards the end flattened, at the point convex, sides sloping, edges rather blunt and soft. Nasal groove long, extending to near the point; nostrils basal, linear, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line slightly concave, the sides sloping outwards, towards the end convex.

Head rather small, oblong, compressed. Eyes rather small. Neck of moderate length. Body rather full. Feet slender, of moderate length; tibia bare a considerable way up, anteriorly and posteriorly scutellate, as is the compressed tarsus; hind toe very small and elevated, anterior toes of moderate length, slender; inner toe slightly shorter than outer, middle toe considerably longer; all scutellate above, marginate with prominent papillæ, and free. Claws small, slightly arched, extremely compressed, blunt; edge of middle claw dilated and thin.

Plumage very soft, blended; on the back the feathers rather distinct. Wings long and pointed; primaries tapering, obtuse, the first longest, the second a little shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries rather short, obliquely cut at the end with a recurved blunt point, the inner elongated and tapering. Tail rather short, even, but with the two middle feathers considerably longer, of twelve feathers.

Bill and feet black. Iris dark brown. The upper part of the head, the back and the scapulars, are chestnut-red, each feather brownish-black in the centre, and the scapulars barred with the same colour. The wing coverts greyish-brown, as are the quills, the bases and tips of the secondaries and part of the outer webs of the middle primaries white. Tail light brownish-grey, the two middle feathers darker. Forehead, sides of the head and hind neck, pale reddish-grey, streaked with dusky; fore neck and anterior part of breast greyish-white, streaked with dusky; on the breast a large patch of brownish-black; abdomen and lower tail-coverts white, the latter with dusky markings.

Length to end of tail 8-1/2 inches, to end of wings 8-7/12; extent of wings 15, wing from flexure 4-10/12; tail 2-5/12; bill along the ridge 1-7/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-6/12; tarsus 1; middle toe 10/12, its claw (2-1/2)/12. Weight 3 oz.

Adult in Winter. Plate CCXC. Fig. 2.

The bill, feet and eyes as above; the general colour of the upper parts is brownish-grey, varying in different individuals in intensity of tint. The wings and tail are as in summer. Throat greyish-white, sides of the head and neck, and fore part of the latter, pale brownish-grey, faintly streaked with darker, as are the sides; the rest of the lower parts white, with a few streaks on the breast.

LABRADOR.