Chapter XIV: Part 14

The trachea, 10-1/2 inches long, has at first a diameter of 4 twelfths, dilates gradually to 8 twelfths, then contracts to 4 twelfths, enlarges a second time to 7 twelfths, and gradually contracts to 3 twelfths. In this space the rings, 146, are strong, broad, and osseous. At its lower part is an enormous dilatation composed of numerous united rings, bulging irregularly on the right side and behind, and on the left expanded into a case having two large spaces filled by membrane; the greatest diameter of this tympanum is 2 inches and 2 twelfths. The bronchi come off at the distance of nearly an inch from each other, and are short, but wide, with about 25 half-rings. The lateral or contractor muscles are very strong, give off a pair of cleido-tracheals from the second enlargement, and at the commencement of the labyrinth the sterno-tracheals, which are also very large; but there are no other inferior laryngeal muscles.

The intestine of a male in the first winter is 6 feet 8 inches long, its greatest diameter half an inch, wider towards the rectum than at the upper part, where the diameter is 4 twelfths. Rectum 4-1/2 inches long, exclusive of the cloaca. Cœca 2-1/4 inches. Contents of stomach, remains of fishes and a great quantity of quartz fragments.

An adult Female. Œsophagus 10-1/2 inches long; stomach 2 inches long; intestine 5 feet 3 inches; rectum 4-1/2; cœca 2-2/12. The trachea 9 inches long, of uniform diameter, 4 twelfths, with a very slight dilatation toward the lower part, and at the lower larynx contracted to 3 twelfths; the last ring is very large, laterally dilated, but symmetrical; the bronchi come off at the distance of 5 twelfths from each other, and are composed of 25 rings. The tracheal rings 150.

With respect to their digestive organs, the Mergansers are perhaps more allied to the Divers than to the Ducks. In this, as in other respects, they seem to be placed on the limits of the two families.

PIED DUCK.

_FULIGULA LABRADORA_, GMEL.

PLATE CCCXXXII. MALE AND FEMALE.

Although no birds of this species occurred to me when I was in Labrador, my son, JOHN WOODHOUSE, and the young friends who accompanied him on the 28th of July 1833 to Blanc Sablon, found, placed on the top of the low tangled fir-bushes, several deserted nests, which from the report of the English clerk of the fishing establishment there, we learned to belong to the Pied Duck. They had much the appearance of those of the Eider Duck, being very large, formed externally of fir twigs, internally of dried grass, and lined with down. It would thus seem that the Pied Duck breeds earlier than most of its tribe. It is surprising that this species is not mentioned by Dr RICHARDSON in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, as it is a very hardy bird, and is met with along the coasts of Nova Scotia, Maine, and Massachusetts, during the most severe cold of winter. My friend Professor MACCULLOCH of Pictou has procured several in his immediate neighbourhood; and the Honourable DANIEL WEBSTER of Boston sent me a fine pair killed by himself, on the Vineyard Islands, on the coast of Massachusetts, from which I made the drawing for the plate before you. The female has not, I believe, been hitherto figured; yet the one represented was not an old bird.

The range of this species along our shores does not extend farther southward than Chesapeake Bay, where I have seen some near the influx of the St James River. I have also met with several in the Baltimore market. Along the coast of New Jersey and Long Island it occurs in greater or less number every year. It also at times enters the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, and ascends that stream at least as far as Philadelphia. A bird-stuffer whom I knew at Camden had many fine specimens, all of which he had procured by baiting fish-hooks with the common mussel, on a “trot-line” sunk a few feet beneath the surface, but on which he never found one alive, on account of the manner in which these Ducks dive and flounder when securely hooked. All the specimens which I saw with this person, male and female, were in perfect plumage; and I have not enjoyed opportunities of seeing the changes which this species undergoes.

The Pied Duck seems to be a truly marine bird, seldom entering rivers unless urged by stress of weather. It procures its food by diving amidst the rolling surf over sand or mud bars; although at times it comes along the shore, and searches in the manner of the Spoonbill Duck. Its usual fare consists of small shell-fish, fry, and various kinds of sea-weeds, along with which it swallows much sand and gravel. Its flight is swift, and its wings emit a whistling sound. It is usually seen in flocks of from seven to ten, probably the members of one family.

ANAS LABRADORA, _Lath._ Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 859.

PIED DUCK, ANAS LABRADORA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol. viii.
p. 91, pl. 69, fig. 6. male.

FULIGULA LABRADORA, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of
United States, p. 391.

PIED DUCK, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 428.

Adult Male. Plate CCCXXXII. Fig. 1.

Bill nearly as long as the head, rather broader than high at the base, the sides nearly parallel, but at the end enlarged by soft membranous expansions to the upper mandible. The latter has the dorsal outline at first straight and declinate, then direct and slightly convex, at the extremity decurved; the ridge broad at the base, convex toward the end; the sides sloping at the base, then convex, the extremity broad and rounded, the unguis broadly obovate; the margins soft, expanded toward the end, and with about 50 lamellæ, of which the anterior are inconspicuous. Nasal groove oblong, nostrils linear-oblong, sub-basal near the ridge. Lower mandible flattened, curved upwards, with the angle very long and narrow, the dorsal line very short, and nearly straight, the nearly erect edges with about 30 large and prominent lamellæ; the unguis very broad.

Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Eyes small. Neck rather short and thick. Body full, depressed. Feet very short, strong, placed rather far behind; tarsus very short, compressed, with two anterior series of rather small scutella, the sides and back part reticulated with angular scales. Hind toe very small, with a free membrane beneath; outer anterior toes double the length of the tarsus, and nearly equal, the inner much shorter, and with a broad marginal membrane. Claws small, slightly arched, compressed, rather acute.

Plumage dense, soft, blended; feathers of the head and neck small, oblong; those on the lower part of the cheeks very stiff, having the terminal filaments more or less united into a horny plate. Wings short, of moderate breadth, concave, acute; primary quills curved, strong, tapering, the second very slightly longer than the first, the rest rapidly graduated; secondary quills broad and rounded, the inner elongated and tapering. Tail very short, much rounded, of fourteen tapering feathers.

Bill with the basal space between the nostrils running into a rounded point in the middle, pale greyish-blue; the sides of the base, and the edges of both mandibles for two-thirds of their length, dull pale orange; the rest of the bill black. Iris reddish-hazel. Feet light greyish-blue, webs and claws dusky. Head and upper half of neck white, excepting an elongated black patch on the top of the head and nape. Below the middle of the neck is a black ring, from the hind part of which proceeds a longitudinal band of the same colour, gradually becoming wider on the back and rump; below the black ring anteriorly is a broad band of white, passing backwards on each side so as to include the scapulars. All the under parts black, excepting the axillaries and lower wing-coverts. Upper wing-coverts and secondary quills white, some of the inner quills with a narrow external black margin; alula, primary coverts, and primary quills, brownish-black. Tail brownish-black, tinged with grey, the shafts black; upper tail-coverts dusky, minutely dotted with reddish-brown.

Length to end of tail 20 inches, to end of claws 22-1/2, to end of wings 18-1/4; extent of wings 30; wing from flexure 9-1/4; tail 3-5/8; bill along the ridge 1-3/4, along the edge of lower mandible 2-3/8; tarsus 1-1/2; middle toe 2-3/8, its claw 3/8, hind toe 4-(1/2)/8, its claw (1-1/2)/8; outer toe and claw slightly longer than middle: inner toe 1-7/8, its claw (2-1/2)/8. Weight 1 lb. 14-1/2 oz.

Female. Plate CCCXXXII. Fig. 2.

The female is less than the male. The bill, iris, and feet are coloured as in the male; sides of the forehead white (not in the figure, it having been taken from a young bird). The general colour is brownish-grey, darker on the head, cheeks, back, rump, and abdomen, of a lighter tint approaching to ash-grey, on the throat, breast, wing-coverts, and inner secondaries, which are margined externally with black; seven or eight of the secondary quills white; the primaries and tail-feathers as in the male.

Length to end of tail 18-1/4 inches, to end of claws 19-3/8, to end of wings 17; extent of wings 29; wing from flexure 9; tail 3-1/2; bill along the ridge 1-5/8, along the edge of lower mandible 2-1/8; tarsus 1-1/2; hind toe and claw 3/4; middle toe and claw 2-1/2. Weight 1 lb. 1 oz.

GREEN HERON.

_ARDEA VIRESCENS_, LINN.

PLATE CCCXXXIII. MALE AND YOUNG.

This species is more generally known than any of our Herons, it being very extensively dispersed in spring, summer, and early autumn. It ranges along our many rivers to great distances from the sea, being common on the Missouri and its branches, from which it spreads to all such localities as are favourable to its habits. To the north of the United States, however, it is very seldom seen, it being of rare occurrence even in Nova Scotia. At the approach of winter it retires to the Florida and Lower Louisiana, where individuals, however, reside all the year, and many remove southward beyond the limits of our country. I have observed their return in early spring, when arriving in flocks of from twenty to fifty individuals. They would plunge downwards from their elevated line of march, cutting various zigzags, until they would all simultaneously alight on the tops of the trees or bushes of some swampy place, or on the borders of miry ponds. These halts took place pretty regularly about an hour after sun-rise. The day was occupied by them, as well as by some other species, especially the Blue, the Yellow-crowned, and Night Herons, all of which at this period travelled eastward, in resting, cleansing their bodies, and searching for food. When the sun approached the western horizon, they would at once ascend in the air, arrange their lines, and commence their flight, which, I have no doubt, continued all night. You may therefore, good Reader, conclude that Herons are not only diurnal habits when feeding, but also able to travel at night when the powerful impulse of migration urges them from one portion of the country to another. But although on their northward journey, the Green Herons travel in flocks, it is a curious fact, that, unlike our smaller Waders, Ducks, Geese, and Cranes, they usually return southward at the approach of winter, singly or in very small flocks.

Stagnant pools or bayous, and the margins of the most limpid streams, are alike resorted to by this species for the purpose of procuring food. It is little alarmed by the presence of man, and you may often see it close to houses, on the mill-dams, or even raising its brood on the trees of gardens. This is often the case in the suburbs of Charleston in South Carolina, where I have seen several nests on the same live oak in the grounds of the Honourable Joel Poinset, as well as in those of other cities of the Southern States. The gentleness, or as many would say, the stupidity of this bird is truly remarkable, for it will at times allow you to approach within a few paces, looking as unconcernedly upon you as the House Sparrow is wont to do in the streets of London.

Although they not unfrequently breed in single pairs; they also associate, not only forming communities of their own kind, but mingling with the larger species of their tribe, and with the Boat-tailed Grakles, and other birds. On the 23d May 1831, I found two nests of the Green Heron on one of the Florida Keys, close to some of _Ardea rufescens_ and _A. cœrulea_. Now and then a dozen or more of their nests are found on a bunch of vines in the middle of a pond, and placed within two or three feet of the water; while in other cases, they place their tenements on the highest branches of tall cypresses. In our Middle Districts, however, and especially at some distance from the sea, it is very seldom that more than a single nest is seen in one locality.

The nest of the Green Heron, like that of almost every other species of the tribe, is flat and composed of sticks, loosely arranged, among which are sometimes green twigs with their leaves still attached. The eggs are three or four, seldom more, an inch and three-eighths in length, an inch and one-eighth in breadth, nearly equally rounded at both ends, and of a delicate sea-green colour. According to the locality, they are deposited from the middle of March to the beginning of June. In the Southern States, two broods are frequently reared, but in the Middle and Northern Districts, seldom more than one.

The young, which are at first of a deep livid colour, sparingly covered here and there, and more especially about the head, with longish tufts of soft hair-like down, of a brownish colour, remain in the nest until nearly able to fly; but if disturbed, at once leave their couch, and scramble along the branches, clinging to them with their feet, so as not to be easily drawn off.

After the spring migration is over, the flight of this species is rather feeble, and when they are passing from one spot to another, they frequently use a stronger flap of their wings at intervals. On such occasions, they scarcely contract their neck; but when travelling to a considerable distance, they draw it in like all other species of the tribe, and advance with regular and firm movements of their wings. When alighting to rest, they come down with such force, that their passage causes a rustling sound like that produced by birds of prey when pouncing on their quarry, and on perching they stretch up their neck and jerk their tail repeatedly for some time, as they are also wont to do on any other occasion when alarmed.

The Green Herons feed all day long, but, as I think, rarely at night. Their food consists of frogs, fishes, snails, tadpoles, water lizards, crabs, and small quadrupeds, all of which they procure without much exertion, they being abundant in the places to which they usually resort. Their gait is light but firm. During the love-season they exhibit many curious gestures, erecting all the feathers of their neck, swelling their throat, and uttering a rough guttural note like _qua_, _qua_, several times repeated by the male as he struts before the female. This note is also usually emitted when they are started, but when fairly on wing they proceed in silence. The flesh of this species affords tolerable eating, and Green Herons are not unfrequently seen in the markets of our Southern cities, especially of New Orleans.

The young attain their full beauty in the second spring, but continue to grow for at least another year. The changes which they exhibit, although by no means so remarkable as those of _Ardea rufescens_ and _A. cœrulea_, have proved sufficient to cause mistakes among authors who had nothing but skins on which to found their decisions. I have given figures of an adult in full plumage, and of an immature bird, to enable you to judge how carefully _Nature_ ought to be studied to enable you to keep free of mistakes.

ARDEA VIRESCENS, _Linn._ Syst Nat. vol i. p. 238.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 684.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of
Birds of United States, p. 307.

GREEN HERON, ARDEA VIRESCENS, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol.
viii. p. 97, pl. 61, fig. 1.—_Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p.
63.

Adult Male. Plate CCCXXXIII. Fig. 1.

Bill longer than the head, straight, rather slender, tapering to a very acute point, higher than broad at the base, compressed towards the end. Upper mandible with its dorsal line very slightly arched, the ridge broad and rather flattened at the base, narrowed towards the end, the sides sloping, erect towards the edges, which are sharp and direct, the tip acute. Nasal depression long, with a groove extending to near the point; nostrils basal, linear, longitudinal. Lower mandible with the angle very long and narrow, the dorsal line sloping upwards, the sides sloping outwards and nearly flat, the edges sharp, the tip acuminate.

Head oblong, much compressed. Neck long. Body very slender, much compressed. Feet rather long, moderately stout; tibia bare for about an inch; tarsi of moderate length, covered with hexagonal scales of which some of the anterior are much larger and scutelliform. Toes rather long and slender, with numerous scutella above; hind toe stout, second and fourth nearly equal, third much longer; claws rather long, slender, arched, compressed, acute, that of middle toe expanded and serrated on the inner edge.

A large space extending from the bill to behind the eye bare. Plumage very soft, loose, and blended; feathers of the hind head elongated and erectile, as are those of the neck generally, but especially of its hind and lower anterior parts; of the fore part of the back much elongated and acuminate, scapulars very large. Wings short, very broad, rounded; second and third quills equal and longest, first and fourth equal and but slightly shorter, the rest slowly graduated; secondaries broad and rounded. Tail very short, even, of twelve, broad, soft feathers.

Bill greenish-black above, bright yellow beneath. Iris and bare part about the eye also bright yellow. Feet, greenish-yellow, claws dusky. Upper part of the head and nape glossy deep green. Neck purplish-red, tinged with lilac behind, and having anteriorly a longitudinal band of white, spotted with dusky-brown; a similar white band along the base of lower mandible to beyond the eye. Elongated feathers of the back greyish-green, in some lights bluish-grey, with the shafts bluish-white; the rest of the back similar; the upper tail-coverts and tail bluish-green; the lateral feathers slightly margined with white. Scapulars, wing-coverts, and inner secondaries, deep glossy green, bordered with yellowish-white; primary quills and outer secondaries greyish-blue tinged with green. Lower parts pale purplish-brown tinged with grey; axillary feathers purplish-grey, as are some of the lower wing-coverts; lower tail-coverts greyish-white.

Length to end of tail 17-3/4 inches, to end of wings 17-1/2, to end of claws 24, to carpal joint 11-1/4; extent of wings 27; wing from flexure 7-5/8; tail 3-3/4; bill along the ridge 2-1/4, along the edge of lower mandible 3-1/4; bare part of tibia 10/12; tarsus 2; hind toe 7/8, its claw 1/2; middle toe 1-1/8, its claw (2-1/2)/8; inner toe 1-5/8, its claw 1/4; outer toe 1-3/8, its claw 1/4. Weight 7-1/2 oz.

The Female is considerably smaller, but otherwise similar.

Length to end of tail 17 inches, to end of wings 17, to end of claws 21-3/4; extent of wings 25. Weight 6-1/4 oz.

Young fully fledged. Plate CCCXXXIII.

The bill dull greyish-green, the lower mandible lighter: bare space around the eye greenish-blue, with the exception of a streak of yellow at the upper part. Iris yellow. Feet greenish-yellow, duller than in the adult. The hind neck light brownish-red, the fore part of the neck and all the under parts white, longitudinally streaked with brownish-red, some of the long feathers on the sides of the neck also white. At this age there are no elongated feathers on the back, which is greenish-blue, as well as the scapulars, and tail-feathers. Wing as in the adult, but the smaller feathers on its anterior part more red, the coverts with a small triangular tip of white, and the quills narrowly tipped and margined with the same.

Length to end of tail 17-1/2 inches, to end of wings 17, to end of claws 23; extent of wings 25. Weight 6-1/2 oz.

The roof of the mouth is anteriorly a little concave, with a median prominent line; the palate convex; the lower jaw with a kind of joint about an inch from the base, its intercrural membrane or skin very extensile. The tongue is 1-7/12 inch long, very slender, trigonal, emarginate at the base, with a groove along the middle, and pointed. Posterior apertures of nares linear, 1/2 inch long. Œsophagus, _a_, _b c_, 10 inches long, its walls delicate, its diameter at the upper part 1-1/4 inch, gradually contracting to 1/2 inch at its entrance into the thorax. The lobes of the liver unequal, the right 1 inch 5 twelfths long, the left 11 twelfths; the gall-bladder large, 7 twelfths long. The stomach, _c_, _d_, is membranous, of an oblong form, 9 twelfths long, 10 twelfths in breadth; its tendons elliptical, twelfths by 3 twelfths. The proventriculus, _c c_, 9 twelfths long, with a complete belt of oblong glandules. There is a small roundish pyloric lobe _e_. Intestine, _f_, _g_, 2 feet 11 inches long, its diameter uniform, 1 twelfth, or about the thickness of a crow’s quill. Rectum enlarged to 3 twelfths, and 3-1/4 inches long, its cœcal extremity rounded, and only one-twelfth long.

The trachea is 7-1/4 inches long, of nearly uniform diameter, averaging 2 twelfths; the rings 160, nearly circular and ossified. The bronchial half-rings about 18. The lateral muscles are very inconspicuous; sterno-tracheals; and a pair of inferior laryngeal, going to the first bronchial rings.

The Herons generally differ from the other Grallæ in having the œsophagus much wider and similar to that of the fish-eating palmipedes; the stomach in a manner membranous, like that of the rapacious land-birds, without lateral muscles or strung epithelium; the intestine extremely slender, and the anterior extremity of the large intestine or rectum furnished with a single cœcum, in place of two, as in almost all other birds.

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.

_CHARADRIUS HELVETICUS_, WILSON.

PLATE CCCXXXIV. MALE IN SUMMER, YOUNG, AND ADULT IN WINTER.

This beautiful bird makes its appearance on our southern coasts in the beginning of April, as I had many opportunities of observing in the course of my journey along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, in the spring of 1837. Instead of being congregated in large flocks, as is the case during their southward migration in autumn, they are seen coming in small numbers, but at short intervals, so as almost to form a continuous line. They travel chiefly by night, and rest for a great part of the day along the margins of the sea, either reposing on the sands in the sunshine, or searching the beaches for food. After dusk their well-known cries give note of their passage, but by day they remain silent, even when forced to betake themselves to flight. On such occasions they generally wheel over the waters, and not unfrequently return to the spot which they had at first selected. I have traced this species along the whole of our eastern coast, and beyond it to the rugged shores of Labrador, where my party procured a few, on the moss-covered rocks, although we did not then find any nests, and where some young birds were obtained in the beginning of August.

Individuals of this species spend the summer months in the mountainous parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, where they breed. I found their nests near the waters of the Delaware and the Perkioming Creek, when I resided in the first of these States, and in the same localities as those of _Totanus Bartramius_, as well as in ploughed fields. The nest is merely a slight hollow with a few blades of grass. The eggs are four, an inch and seven and a-half eighths in length, an inch and three-eighths in their greatest breadth; their ground-colour yellowish-white, tinged with olivaceous, and pretty generally covered with blotches and dots of light brown, and pale purple, the markings being more abundant toward the small end. Their form is similar to that of the egg of the Guillemot, that is, broadly rounded at the large end, then tapering, with the sides nearly straight, and the narrow end rounded. When sitting, these birds will remain until they are almost trodden upon. On being started, they fly off a few yards, alight running, and use all the artifices employed on such occasions to induce the intruder to set out in pursuit. The young leave the nest almost immediately after they are hatched, and should one approach them the parents become very clamorous, and fly around until they are assured of the safety of their brood, when they take a long flight, and disappear for a time. Unless during the breeding season, they are exceedingly shy; but their anxiety for their young renders them forgetful of the danger which they incur in approaching man. The young, when two or three weeks old, run with great celerity, and squat in perfect silence when apprehensive of danger. When they are able to fly, several families unite, and betake themselves to the sea-shore, where other flocks gradually arrive, until at length, on the approach of cold weather, almost all of them begin to move southward. Although the great body of these Plovers pass beyond the limits of the United States, some remain on the shores of the Floridas during winter. In their habits they are more maritime than the Golden Plovers, which, when migrating, generally advance over the land.

The flight of this bird is swift, strong, and well sustained. When roaming over large sand-bars, they move in compact bodies, whirling round, and suddenly veering, so as alternately to exhibit their upper and lower parts. At this time old and young are intermixed, and many of the former have lost the black so conspicuous on the neck and breast in summer. During winter, or as long as they frequent the sea-shore, they feed on marine insects, worms, and small shell-fish; and when they are in the interior, on grasshoppers and other insects, as well as berries of various kinds, on which they fatten so as to become tolerably good eating.

This species is known in Pennsylvania by the name of Whistling Field Plover, suggested by the loud and modulated cries which it emits during the love-season. In the Eastern States, as well as in Kentucky, it is called the Bull-head; but in the South its most common appellation is Black-bellied Plover. I have seen it, though sparingly, along the shores of the Ohio, probably during its passage from the north.

As its habits agree with those of the Plovers generally, and its form is similar to that of the Golden Plover and other species, the only difference being the presence of a rudimentary hind toe, it was scarcely necessary to distinguish it generically from _Charadrius_, as many recent authors have done.

TRINGA HELVETICA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 250.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 728.

TRINGA SQUATAROLA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 252.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 729.

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, CHARADRIUS HELVETICUS, _Wils._ Amer.
Ornith. vol. vii. p. 41, pl. 59, fig. 4. Summer.

CHARADRIUS HELVETICUS, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of
United States, p. 298.

GREY LAPWING, VANELLUS MELANOGASTER, _Richards. and Swains._
Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 370.

BLACK-BELLIED or SWISS PLOVER, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p.
26.

Adult Male in summer. Plate CCCXXXIV. Fig. 1.

Bill as long as the head, straight, somewhat compressed, stout. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight and slightly sloping for more than half its length, then bulging a little and arched to the tip, which is rather acute, the sides flat and sloping at the base, convex towards the end, where the edges are sharp and inclinate. Nasal groove extended to a little more than half the length of the mandible; nostrils sub-basal, linear, open and pervious. Lower mandible with the angle rather long and narrow, the sides at the base erect and nearly flat, the dorsal line ascending and slightly convex, the edges sharp and involute towards the narrow tip.

Head of moderate size, roundish, the forehead much rounded. Eyes large. Neck rather short. Body ovate, rather full. Feet rather long, slender; tibia bare for a considerable space; tarsus rather compressed, covered all round with reticulated hexagonal scales; toes of moderate length, slender; the first extremely diminutive, with an equally minute claw; the second shorter than the fourth, which is much exceeded by the third; the anterior toes are rather broadly marginate, the web between the third and fourth extending to the second joint of the latter, that between it and the second smaller. Claws small, compressed, slightly arched, acute.

Plumage soft, blended, the feathers broad and rounded. Wings long and pointed, primary quills tapering, the first longest, the second a quarter of an inch shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries, short, broad, obliquely rounded; the inner tapering and elongated. Tail rather short, slightly rounded, of twelve rounded feathers.

Bill and claws black. Iris and feet greyish-black. Forehead yellowish-white, the rest of the head and the hind neck greyish-white, spotted with dusky. The upper parts are variegated with black, yellowish-brown, and white, the feathers being tipped with the latter. The hind part of the rump, the upper tail-coverts, and the tail-feathers, white, transversely barred with brownish-black, the tail tipped with white, and having four dark bars on the middle feathers, and seven or eight on the outer webs of the rest. Alula, primary coverts, and primary quills brownish-black, the coverts terminally margined with white; shafts of the primaries about the middle, and part of the inner web towards the base, white; the inner six with a white patch on the outer web towards the base, and margined with white externally; the outer secondary feathers white at the base and margined with the same; the inner dusky, with marginal white triangular spots. A narrow ring round the eye, and a broad longitudinal band on the side of the neck white; loral space, cheeks, fore part of neck, breast, and axillar feathers, black; the rest of the lower parts white, the lower primary coverts grey towards the end.

Length to end of tail 11-3/4 inches, to end of wings 12-1/2, to end of claws 14; extent of wings 25; wing from flexure 8-1/4; tail 3-1/4; bill along the ridge 1-1/4, along the edge of lower mandible 1-1/4; bare part of tibia 3/4; tarsus 2; hind toe (1-1/2)/8; middle toe 1-1/8, its claw 1/4; outer toe and claw 1-1/8; inner toe 1. Weight 6-1/2 oz.

The Female resembles the male, but has the black of the lower parts of a less deep tint.

Young about a week old. Plate CCCXXXIV. Fig. 2.

Bill and feet dull greenish-brown. Iris brown. The general colour is pale brownish-yellow, mottled with dusky; a whitish ring round the eye; tail with a black band, rump whitish, primary quills dusky, the outer edges of the secondaries whitish.

The young in autumn.

Bill greyish-black; feet bluish-grey. The upper parts brownish-black, spotted with white, some of the spots yellow; the wings and tail as in the adult, but the latter tinged with grey, and having eight dark bars on all the feathers. The fore part and sides of the neck, and the sides of the body, greyish-white, mottled with brownish-grey; axillary feathers brownish-black; the rest of the lower parts white.

Adult in winter. Plate CCCXXXIV. Fig. 3.

The adult in winter has the upper parts light greyish-brown, the margins of the feathers much lighter; the sides and fore parts of the neck pale grey, with dark grey streaks and spots; lower parts white. In other respects the colours are as in summer.

In an adult male of this species, there is a double row of papillæ on the roof of the mouth. The tongue is 1 inch long, slender, tapering, emarginate and papillate at the base, grooved above, horny on the back. The œsophagus _a_, is 5 inches long, at its upper part 4 twelfths in diameter, enlarged to 1/2 inch on the lower part of the neck. The proventriculus, _b_, oblong, its greatest diameter 8 twelfths, its glandules oblong and about a twelfth in length. The stomach, _c_, _d_, _e_, _f_, is a very powerful gizzard of an irregular roundish form, 1 inch 5 twelfths long, 1 inch 3-1/2 twelfths in breadth; its lateral muscles very large and distinct, the right _d_, 4 twelfths thick, the left, _e_, 3 twelfths, the tendons large; the epithelium thick, longitudinally rugous, and of a reddish colour. The intestine _g_, _h_, _i_, is 2 feet 2 inches long, its diameter about 2 twelfths; the cœca 2 inches 2 twelfths long, their diameter at the base half a twelfth, toward the end 2 twelfths; the rectum 3 twelfths in diameter, and 2-1/2 inches long.

In the stomach were several shrimps. The lobes of the liver very unequal, the right being 2-1/4 inches in length, the other 1-4/12. No gall-bladder.

The trachea is wide, flattened, membranous, 4 twelfths broad at the upper part, gradually diminishing to 2 twelfths, its rings which are very slender, about 100. The lateral muscles exceedingly thin, but becoming more distinct towards the lower part; the sterno-tracheal slender. Bronchi of moderate length, of about 20 half-rings.

RED-BREASTED SNIPE.

_SCOLOPAX NOVEBORACENSIS_, GMEL.

PLATE CCCXXXV. ADULT IN SUMMER AND WINTER.

On our arrival at the mouths of the Mississippi, on the first of April 1837, I observed large flocks of this species on their way eastward. They were still in their winter plumage, and it was pleasing to see in how short a period that garb was changed, as we had opportunities of observing during our progress. At Grande Terre, on the 4th, several having reddish feathers scattered over their lower parts were procured. On the 13th, at Cayo Island, the change of colour was very considerable in some specimens, which I found to be old birds, while the younger were quite grey above, and white beneath. At Derniere Isle on the 16th, several were shot in as fine plumage as that represented in my plate, and few, even of the younger birds, were without some of the markings peculiar to the summer dress. Their numbers were exceedingly great, and continued without diminution until we reached Galveston Bay in Texas, on the 26th of the same month. How far they proceed beyond that place to spend the winter I am unable to say; but their range over North America is known to be very extensive, as they have been found on the Columbia River on the western coast, on the borders of the great northern lakes, and over the whole extent of the Fur Countries, from the time of their appearance in spring until that of their return southward in autumn.

Although much more abundant along the coast, and in its vicinity, the Red-breasted Snipe is not uncommon in many parts of the interior, especially in autumn, and I have procured many individuals along the muddy margins of lakes, more than three hundred miles in a direct line from the sea. Its migratory movements are performed with uncommon celerity, as many are observed along the coast of New Jersey early in April, and afterwards on the borders of the arctic sea, in time to rear young, and return to our Eastern and Middle Districts before the end of August.

This bird exhibits at times a manner of feeding which appeared to me singular, and which I repeatedly witnessed while at Grande Terre in Louisiana. While watching their manner of walking and wading along sand-bars and muddy flats, I saw that as long as the water was not deeper than the length of their bills, they probed the ground beneath them precisely in the manner of the American Snipe, _Scolopax Wilsoni_; but when the water reached their bodies, they immersed the head and a portion of the neck, and remained thus sufficiently long to satisfy me that, while in this position, they probed several spots before raising their head to breathe. On such grounds as are yet soft, although not covered with water, they bore holes as deep as the soil will admit, and this with surprising rapidity, occupying but a few moments in one spot, and probing as they advance. I have watched some dozens at this work for half an hour at a time, when I was completely concealed from their view. Godwits, which are also borers, probe the mud or moist earth often in an oblique direction, whilst the Woodcock, the Common Snipe, and the present species, thrust in their bills perpendicularly. The latter bird also seizes many sorts of insects, and at times small fry, as well as the seeds of plants that have dropped into the water. Dr RICHARDSON informs us that “individuals killed on the Saskatchewan plains had the crops filled with leeches and fragments of coleoptera.”

The flight of this bird is rapid, strong, and remarkably well-sustained. When rising in large numbers, which they usually do simultaneously, they crowd together, are apt to launch upwards in the air for a while, and after performing several evolutions in contrary directions, glide towards the ground, and wend their way close to it, until finding a suitable place, they alight in a very compact body, and stand for a moment. Sometimes, as if alarmed, they recommence their meandering flight, and after a while return to the same spot, alighting in the same manner. Then is the time when the gunner may carry havoc amongst them; but in two or three minutes they separate and search for food, when you must either put them up to have a good shot, or wait the arrival of another flock at the same place, which often happens, for these birds seldom suffer any of their species to pass without sending them a note of invitation. It is not at all uncommon to shoot twenty or thirty of them at once. I have been present when 127 were killed by discharging three barrels, and have heard of many dozens having been procured at a shot. When wounded and brought to the water, they try in vain to dive, and on reaching the nearest part of the shore, they usually run a few steps and squat among the grass, when it becomes difficult to find them. Those which have escaped unhurt often remain looking upon their dead companions, sometimes waiting until shot at a second time. When they are fat, they afford good eating, but their flesh is at no time so savoury as that of the common American Snipe.

The cry of this species when on wing is a single and rather mellow _weet_. When on the ground I have heard them emit a continued guttural rolling sound, such as is on certain occasions given out by the species last mentioned. Their call-note resembles the soft and pleasing sound of a whistle; but I have never heard them emit it while travelling. Nothing is known respecting their breeding, and yet there can be little doubt that many of them must rear young within the limits of the Union.

By the Creoles of Louisiana the Red-breasted Snipe is named “Becassine de Mer,” as well as “Carouk.” In South Carolina it is more abundant in the autumnal months than in spring, when I should think they fly directly across from the Floridas toward Cape Hatteras, as my friend Dr BACHMAN informs me that he never saw one of them in spring in the vicinity of Charleston.

SCOLOPAX NOVEBORACENSIS, _Gmel._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p.
658.—_Lath._ Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 723.

SCOLOPAX GRISEA, _Gmel._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 658.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 724.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of
Birds of United States, p. 330.

RED-BREASTED SNIPE, _Wilson_, Amer. Ornith. vol. vii. p. 48,
p. 58, fig. 2. Summer.

SCOLOPAX NOVEBORACENSIS, NEW YORK GODWIT, _Richards. and
Swains._ Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 398.

BROWN or RED BREASTED SNIPE, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p.
181.

Adult Male in summer. Plate CCCXXXV. Fig. 1.

Bill twice as long as the head, subulate, straight, compressed for more than half its length, depressed towards the end. Upper mandible with the dorsal line declinate at the base, then straight, at the end slightly arched, that part being considerably enlarged, the ridge convex, towards the end flattened, the sides with a narrow groove extending to near the tip, the edges soft and obtuse or flattened, the tip narrowed but blunt. Nostrils basal, linear, very small. Lower mandible with the angle extremely long and narrow, the sides nearly erect, with a longitudinal groove, the edges flattened and directly meeting those of the upper mandible, the extremity enlarged, the tip contracted and rather blunt.

Head rather small, oblong, narrowed anteriorly, the forehead elevated and rounded. Neck rather short. Body rather full. Legs of moderate length, slender; tibia bare below, scutellate before and behind; tarsus with numerous scutella before, smaller ones behind, and reticulated sides; toes very slender, free, with numerous scutella above, flattened and slightly marginate beneath; first very small and elevated, third with its claw scarcely so long as the tarsus, lateral toes nearly equal, the outer connected with the middle by a web. Claws small, slightly arched, compressed, rather acute.

Plumage very soft, blended, rather dense, on the fore part of the head very short. Wings long, narrow, pointed; primaries rather broad, tapering to an obtuse point, the first longest, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries broad, obliquely terminated, with the inner web projecting beyond the outer; the inner much elongated, one of them reaching to half an inch of the tip of the wing when it is closed. Tail moderate, nearly even, the middle feathers a little longer, of twelve rounded feathers.

Bill dark olive. Iris reddish-hazel. Feet light yellowish-olive, claws black. Upper parts brownish-black, variegated with light brownish-red, the feathers being margined and the scapulars obliquely barred with that colour. Hind part of back, upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers, light reddish-buff, obliquely barred with black, the bars on the tail seven or eight, and its tip white. Wing-coverts and secondaries greyish-brown, margined with greyish-white; the secondary coverts tipped with white, the quills tipped and obliquely banded with the same; alula, primary coverts and quills brownish-black, the shaft of the first quill white. From the base of the bill to the eye, and surrounding it, a dull reddish-white band; loral space dusky;. All the lower parts dull orange-red, with streaks and spots of black, more numerous along the sides, and on the tail-coverts.

Length to end of tail 10-1/4 inches, to end of wings 10, to end of claws 11-1/2; extent of wings 18-1/8; wing from flexure 6-1/8; tail 2-1/2; bill along the ridge 2-(1-1/2)/8; along the edge of lower mandible (2-1/2)/8; bare part of tibia 1/2; tarsus 1-(2-1/2)/8; middle toe and claw 1-(1-1/2)/8; hind toe and claw (3-1/2)/8. inner toe and claw 1; outer toe and claw (7-1/2)/8. Weight 3-1/4 oz.

Adult in Winter. Plate CCCXXXV. Fig. 2.

The bill, iris, and feet as in summer. Upper part of head and hind neck dusky grey, with which the feathers of the fore part of the back, scapulars and wing-coverts are margined, their central parts being brownish-black. A white band from the bill over the eye; margins of eyelids also white. Hind part of back and tail barred with dusky as in summer. Quills as in summer, the inner marked with grey in place of brownish-red. Loral space, cheeks, and sides of the neck, pale grey; throat and lower parts white; the sides, axillary feathers, and lower tail-feathers, barred with dusky; lower wing-coverts dusky, edged with white, and having a central streak of the same. Individuals exhibit great differences in the length of the bills and tarsi.

On the upper mandible internally are three series of minute papillæ which become larger on the palate. While the upper mandible is flat beneath, the lower is deeply concave, and its crura elastic and capable of being separated near the base to the distance of three-fourths of an inch. The tongue, which is 2-1/4 inches long, and of a slender form, carinate beneath, with the tip pointed, lies in the deep hollow of the lower mandible, and being deeply concave above, leaves a vacant space, by which, when the bill is immersed in the mud and the tips separated, the food-passes along. The œsophagus is 4-3/4 inches long, 1/4 inch in diameter, and nearly uniform. The proventriculus, _a_, _b_, _c_, is bulbiform, its diameter 6 twelfths. The stomach, _c_, _d_, _e_, _f_, is an oblong gizzard of moderate strength, with the lateral and inferior muscles decided, the tendons large, its length 1 inch, its breadth 8 twelfths. The epithelium is dense, tough, with numerous longitudinal rugæ, and of a reddish colour. The contents of the stomach were very small hard hemispherical seeds and vegetable fibres. The intestine, _f_, _g_, _h_, 19-1/2 inches long, its diameter 3 twelfths in its upper part; the cœca 1-3/4 inch long, and from 1 to 2 twelfths in diameter, with the extremity obtuse.

The trachea is wide, flattened, 3-1/2 inches long, 2-3/4 twelfths broad at the top, gradually diminishing to 2 twelfths; the rings about 130. The contractor muscles are very thin, the sterno-tracheal slender; and there is a pair of inferior laryngeal. The bronchial half rings are about 25.

YELLOW-CROWNED HERON.

_ARDEA VIOLACEA_, LINN.

PLATE CCCXXXVI. ADULT AND YOUNG.

The Yellow-crowned Heron, which is one of the handsomest species of its tribe, is called “Cap-cap” by the Creoles of Lower Louisiana, in which country it is watched and shot with great eagerness, on account of the excellence of its flesh. It arrives about New Orleans toward the end of March, and departs in the middle of October. On arriving, they throw themselves among the thickets along the bayous, where they breed. Like the Night Heron, this species may be enticed near by imitating its cries, when it approaches, cutting many curious zigzags in the air, and alights close by. It is a curious circumstance that when passing over several gunners placed on the watch for them, they dive toward the ground if shot at and missed, and this they do several times in succession, according to the number of shots. It is in the evening and at dawn that they are chiefly obtained. They are said not to travel in boisterous weather, or when there is thunder; and I have heard the same stated with regard to the Night Heron.

In some parts of the Southern States, this species is quite abundant, while in the intermediate tracts it is seldom or never met with. Thus, in the Floridas, I found great numbers on a bayou near Halifax River, but afterwards saw none until I reached one of the keys, more than two hundred miles distant, and farther south, where it was breeding in society. The first of these flocks I saw in winter, the other on the 22d of May. Again, while proceeding toward the Texas, we saw a few on an island in Bay Blanche, but met with none afterwards until we reached Galveston Island, where they were plentiful. They seldom advance eastward far beyond North Carolina, and I am not aware of any having been seen farther than New Jersey. On the other hand, they are not generally found on the Mississippi beyond Natchez, although stragglers may sometimes be seen farther up.

This species is by no means entirely nocturnal, for I have seen it searching for food among the roots of mangroves at all hours of the day, and that as assiduously as any diurnal bird, following the margins of rivers, and seizing on both aquatic and terrestrial animals. Whilst at Galveston, I frequently saw a large flock similarly occupied. When they had satisfied their hunger, they would quietly remove to some safe distance toward the middle of an island, where, standing in a crouching posture on the ground, they presented a very singular appearance. That they are able to see to a considerable distance on fine clear nights, I have no doubt, as I am confident that their migratory movements are usually performed at such times, having seen them, as well as several other species, come down from a considerable height in the air, after sun-rise, for the purpose of resting and procuring food.

The flight of the Yellow-crowned Heron is rather slow, and less protracted than that of the Night Heron, which it however somewhat resembles. When in numbers, and surprised on their perches, they usually rise almost perpendicularly for thirty or forty yards, and then take a particular direction, leading them to some well-known place. Whenever I have started them from the nest, especially on the Florida Keys, they would sneak off on wing quite low, under cover of the mangroves, and fly in this manner until they had performed the circuit of the island, when they would alight close to me, as if to see whether I had taken their eggs or young.

When on the ground, they exhibit little of the elegance displayed by the Louisiana, the Reddish, the Blue, or the White Herons; they advance with a less sedate pace, and seldom extend their neck much even when about to seize their food, which they appear to do with little concern, picking it up from the ground in the manner of a domestic fowl. Nor are they at all delicate in the choice of their viands, but swallow snails, fish, small snakes, crabs, crays, lizards, and leeches, as well as small quadrupeds, and young birds that have fallen from their nests. One which was killed by my friend EDWARD HARRIS, Esq., on the 19th of April 1837, on an island in the Bay of Terre Blanche, about 4 o’clock in the evening, was, when opened next morning, found to have swallowed a terrapin, measuring about an inch and a half in length, by one in breadth. It was still alive, and greatly surprised my companions as well as myself by crawling about when liberated.

This species places its nest either high or low, according to the nature of the place selected for it, and the abundance of food in the neighbourhood. In the interior of swampy woods, in Lower Louisiana, I have found the nests placed on the tops of the loftiest cypresses, and on low bushes, but seldom so close together as those of many other Herons. On the Florida Keys, where I have examined more of these tenements than in any other part, I found them either on the tops of mangroves, which there seldom attain a greater height than twenty-five feet, or on their lowest branches, and not more than two or three feet from the water. In the Carolinas, they usually resort to swamps, nestling on the bushes along their margins. The nest is similar to that of other Herons, being formed of dry sticks loosely put together, a few weeds, with at times a scanty lining of fibrous roots. The eggs are generally three, never, in as far as I have seen, more, of a pale blue colour, inclining to green, thin-shelled, and averaging two inches in length by an inch and three and a half eighths in their greatest breadth. The young seldom remain in the nest until able to fly, as is the case with those of some other species, but usually leave it to follow their parents along the shores. If scared from the nest, they scramble along the branches with considerable agility, and hide whenever an opportunity occurs. I have given the figure of a young bird procured in October.

The differences between the periods at which this bird breeds in different latitudes, correspond with those observed with respect to other species of the same tribe. Thus, eggs and young may be procured on the Florida Keys six weeks sooner than in South Carolina, although two broods are usually raised in both districts, the birds frequently removing from one place to another for the purpose. The beautiful slender plumes on the head and back generally fall off soon after incubation commences, although I have on a few occasions found the male still bearing these ornaments when the female was sitting on her second set of eggs. When the young are just able to fly I have found them good eating, but the old birds I never relished.

When wounded, the Yellow-crowned Heron defends itself vigorously with its claws, the scratches inflicted by which are severe, and also strikes with the bill. If not brought to the ground, in a place where the trees are close and thickly branched, it is difficult to obtain them without a second shot, for they scamper quickly from one twig to another, and are very soon out of reach.

WILSON complains that the name “Yellow-crowned” should be given to this species, and this would almost induce me to suppose that he had never seen one in the breeding season, when the white of the head is strongly tinged with yellow, which however disappears at the approach of autumn, when the bird might with all propriety be named the White-crowned Heron.