Chapter XXIV: Part 24

“The feet of the Marsh Hare are admirably adapted to its aquatic habits. A thick covering of hair on its soles, like that on the other species, would be inconvenient; they would not only be kept wet for a considerable length of time, but would retard them in swimming. All quadrupeds that frequent the water, such as the Beaver, Otter, Muskrat, Mink, &c., and aquatic birds, have nearly naked palms; and it is this peculiar structure, together with the facility of distending its toes, that enables this quadruped to swim with such ease and rapidity. The track, when observed in moist or muddy situations, differs very much from that of the other species. Its toes are spread out, each leaving a distinct impression, like those of the rat.

“The Marsh Hare deposits its young in a pretty large nest, composed of a large species of rush (_Juncus effusus_) growing in a convenient situation. These appeared to have been cut into pieces of about a foot in length. I have seen these nests nearly surrounded by, and almost floating on, the water. They were generally arched, by carefully bending the rush-grass over them, admitting the mother by a pretty large hole in the side. A considerable quantity of hair was found lining the nest, but whether plucked out by the parent, or the effect of the season, (it being late in spring when these animals shed their coat) I was unable to ascertain. The young were from five to seven. They evidently breed several times in the season, but I have observed that the females usually produce their young two months later, at least, than the American Hare. Twenty-one specimens were obtained from the 9th to the 14th day of April; none of the females had produced young that season, although some of them would have done so in a very few days. On one occasion only, have I seen the young in March. These bear a strong resemblance to the adults, and may almost at a glance be distinguished from those of the last-mentioned species.

“This species possesses a strong marshy smell at all times, even when kept in confinement, and fed on the choicest food. Its flesh, however, although dark, is fully equal, if not superior, to that of the American Hare. The Marsh Hare never visits gardens or cultivated fields, confining itself throughout the year to the marshes. It is occasionally found in places overflown by salt or brackish water, but seems to prefer fresh-water marshes, where its food can be most conveniently obtained. It feeds on various grasses, gnaws off the twigs of the young sassafras, and of the pond spice (_Laurus geniculata_). I have seen many places in the low grounds dug up, the foot-prints indicating that it was the work of this species in search of roots. It frequently is found digging for the bulbs of the wild potato (_Apios tuberosa_), as also for those of a small species of Amaryllis (_Amaryllis Atamasco_).

“I possess a living animal of this species, which was sent me a few weeks ago, having been captured when full grown. It became so gentle in a few days that it freely took its food from the hand. It is fed on turnip and cabbage leaves, but prefers bread to any other food that has been offered to it. It is fond of lying for hours in a trough of water, and seems restless and uneasy when the trough is removed, scratching the sides of its tin cage until it has been replaced, when it immediately plunges in, burying the greater part of its body in the water.

“It has already shed a great portion of its summer, and resumed its winter, dress. The hairs on the upper surface, instead of becoming white at the point, as in the American Hare, have grown long and black, through which the brownish parts beneath are still distinctly visible.

“This species, like others of the genus existing in this country, as well as in the deer and squirrels, is infested with a troublesome larva of an œstrus in the summer and autumn, which, penetrating into the flesh, and continually enlarging, causes pain to the animal, and renders it lean. One of these larvæ dropped from an orifice in the throat of the hare which I have in confinement. It was of the usual cylindrical shape, but appears to differ in some particulars from the _Œstrus cuniculi_.”

EVENING GROSBEAK.

_FRINGILLA VESPERTINA_, COOPER.

PLATE CCCLXXIII. MALE.

This fine species of Grosbeak was first introduced to the notice of ornithologists by Mr WILLIAM COOPER, who published an account of it in the Annals of the Lyceum of New York. Mr SCHOOLCRAFT observed a few individuals, in the beginning of April 1823, near the Sault Sainte Marie in Michigan, from which the species was traced to the Rocky Mountains. Dr RICHARDSON mentions it as a common inhabitant of the maple groves on the Saskatchewan plains, whence “its native appellation of Sugar-bird.” The female remained utterly unknown until it was obtained by Dr TOWNSEND, who found this Grosbeak abundant about the Columbia River, and procured a great number of specimens, several of which are in my possession. The following note from him contains all the information respecting its habits that I can lay before you.

“Columbia River, May 27, 1836.—The Evening Grosbeak, _Fringilla vespertina_, is very numerous in the pine-woods at this time. You can scarcely enter a grove of pines at any hour in the day without seeing numbers of them. They are very unsuspicious and tame, and I have, in consequence, been enabled to procure a fine suite of specimens. The accounts that have been published respecting them by the only two authors to whom I have access, Mr NUTTALL and Prince BONAPARTE, are, I think, in many respects incorrect. In the first place, it is stated that they are retiring and silent during the day, and sing only on the approach of evening. Here they are remarkably noisy during the whole of the day, from sunrise to sunset. They then retire quietly to their roosts in the summits of the tall pines, and are not aroused until daylight streaks the east, when they come forth to feed as before. Thus I have observed them _here_, but will not say but that at other seasons, and in other situations, their habits may be different. They are now, however, very near the season of breeding, as the organs of the specimens I have examined sufficiently indicate. They appear fond of going in large bodies, and it is rare to see one alone in a tree. They feed upon the seeds of the pine and other trees, alighting upon large limbs, and proceeding by a succession of hops to the very extremities of the branches. They eat, as well as seeds, a considerable quantity of the larvæ of the large black ant, and it is probable that it is to procure this food that they are not uncommonly seen in the tops of the low oaks which here skirt the forests. Their ordinary voice, when they are engaged in procuring food, consists of a single rather screaming note, which from its tone I at first supposed to be one of alarm, but soon discovered my error. At other times, particularly about mid-day, the male sometimes selects a lofty pine branch, and there attempts a song; but it is a miserable failure, and he seems conscious of it, for he frequently pauses and looks discontented, then remains silent sometimes for some minutes, and tries it again, but with no better success. The note is a single warbling call, exceedingly like the early part of the Robin’s song, but not so sweet, and checked as though the performer were out of breath. The song, if it may be so called, is to me a most wearisome one: I am constantly listening to hear the stave continued, and am as constantly disappointed. Another error of the books is this,—they both state that the female is similar to the male in plumage. Now, this is entirely a mistake: she is so very different in colour and markings, that were it not for the size and colour of the bill, and its peculiar physiognomy, one might be induced to suppose it another species. The specimens in possession of Mr LEADBEATER of London, and from which Prince BONAPARTE drew up his descriptions, must have been all males.”

In the present plate you will find the figure of a male only; but in Plate CCCCXXIV. are representations of the young male and adult female, which are however here described.

FRINGILLA VESPERTINA, _Cooper_, Ann. Lyc. New York, vol. i.
p. 220.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of United States,
p. 113.

EVENING GROSBEAK, FRINGILLA VESPERTINA, _Ch. Bonaparte_,
Amer. Orn. vol. ii. pl. 14. fig. 1.

COCCOTHRAUSTES VESPERTINA, EVENING GROSBEAK, _Richards. and
Swains._ Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 269.

EVENING GROSBEAK, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. Appendix, p.
594.

Adult Male. Plate CCCLXXIII.

Bill of moderate length, extremely thick, conical, pointed; upper mandible with the dorsal line very slightly convex, the sides rounded; the edges sharp, overlapping, with a slight sinus close to the acute tip; lower mandible with the angle very short and broad, the dorsal line straight, or very slightly concave, the back very broad, the sides rounded, the edges inflected, the tip acute. Nasal sinus extremely short and broad: nostrils round, basal, concealed by short reflected bristly feathers.

Head large, roundish-ovate; neck short; body moderately full. Feet short, of moderate strength; tarsus short, compressed, with seven anterior scutella, and two plates behind forming a sharp edge; hind toe large, outer toe somewhat longer than inner; claws rather large, moderately arched, much compressed, acute.

Plumage full, soft, blended, the feathers oblong. Wings rather long, broad, abruptly pointed; the outer three primaries almost equal, the first longest; outer secondaries emarginate. Tail of moderate length, rather narrow, emarginate, of twelve rather narrow feathers.

Bill yellow; iris hazel; feet flesh-colour, claws brown. The upper part of the head and the occiput are brownish-black, bounded anteriorly by a broadish band of bright yellow across the forehead, and laterally by a streak of the same, passing over the eye; the stiff feathers over the nostrils black, as is the loral space. The cheeks, hind neck, and throat are dark yellowish-olive, and that colour gradually brightens until, on the outer edges of the scapulars, the rump, the axillars and inner lower wing-coverts, the abdomen and lower tail-coverts, it becomes pure yellow. The smaller wing-coverts, alula, primary coverts, three outer secondaries, outer web of the next, and the bases of the inner secondaries, black; as is the tail; six of the inner secondaries, inner web of the next, and inner margin of the rest, as well as their coverts, white, the basal part excepted.

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

Adult Female. Plate CCCCXXIV. Fig. 5.

The adult female, which is here figured and described for the first time, from a specimen obtained from Dr TOWNSEND, and marked “Black Hills, Female, June 3, 1834,” wants the yellow band on the forehead, the streak of the same colour over the eye, the black line along the basal margin of the upper mandible, and the large patch of white on the wings. The bill and feet are as in the male, but paler. The upper part of the head is dark brownish-olive; the cheeks lighter; the hind neck, back, and scapulars light brownish-grey, with a slight olivaceous tint, shaded into brownish-yellow on the rump. The wings are black; a portion of the edge of the wing, the tips and part of the margins of the secondary coverts, a concealed band on the basal part of the primaries, the outer three excepted, and the edges of all the quills toward the end, white, which is broader on the secondaries, and forms a band on them. Tail-coverts black, tipped with a triangular spot of white; tail-feathers also black, with a white spot on the inner web at the tip, eight-twelfths long on the outermost feather, gradually diminishing towards the central feathers, which are slightly tipped. Throat greyish-white, margined on either side by a longitudinal band of black, from the base of the lower mandible, and ten-twelfths in length; the lower parts yellowish-grey; abdomen and lower tail-coverts white, axillars and some of the lower wing-coverts yellow.

Length to end of tail 7-1/2 inches; wing from flexure 4-1/4; tail 2-10/12; bill along the ridge (9-1/2)/12.

Young Male. Plate CCCXXIV. Fig. 6.

The young male bears a considerable resemblance to the female, differing chiefly in wanting the black bands on the throat, and in having the upper parts much lighter, and the lower more yellow. Bill yellow; iris hazel; feet flesh-colour, claws dusky. Head and cheeks light greyish-brown, the rest of the upper parts of a paler tint, slightly tinged with yellow on the margins. The wings and tail are black, as in the female, and similarly spotted with white, but tinged with yellow. The lower parts are yellowish-grey, the sides of the neck and the axillars pale yellow, the abdomen and lower tail-coverts white.

The young male has been described as the adult female by Mr SWAINSON in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, and has been made a distinct species by M. LESSON, under the name of _Coccothraustes Bonapartii_. The Prince of MUSIGNANO, it is observed, has erred in stating that “no difference of any consequence is observable between the sexes; though it might be said that the female is a little less in size, and rather duller in plumage.”

BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

_FRINGILLA MELANOCEPHALA._

PLATE CCCLXXIII. MALE AND FEMALE.

The following account of this Grosbeak affords another proof of the ardent zeal of my excellent friend THOMAS NUTTALL, who, though more especially engaged with botany on his recent journey to the Columbia, has not neglected opportunities of noting many interesting facts relative to birds.

“On the central table-land of the Rocky Mountains, and on the upper branches of the Colorado of the west, we first heard the powerful song of this most delightful Finch. From thence, in the thick groves of all the streams on our western course to the borders of the Columbia, and throughout the dense forests of that river nearly to the sea, we were frequently cheered amidst the wildest desolation by the inimitable voice of this melodious bird. Jealous of all intrusion on his lonely and wild haunts, it was seldom that we had the opportunity of witnessing this almost fairy musician, which gave a charm to the saddest gloom, and made the very woods as it were re-echo to his untiring song. With the modesty of superior merit, and almost with the solicitude of the Nightingale, our favourite Finch seeks the darkest thicket of the deepest forest. The moment his eye rests on the intruding observer he flits off in haste, calls to his mate, and plunging into the thicket sits in silence till he is satisfied of the restoration of solitude, when he again cautiously mounts the twig and pours out afresh the oft-told but never-tiring tale of his affection and devotion to the joys of nature. His song, which greatly resembles that of the Red-breasted Grosbeak, is heard at early dawn, and at intervals nearly to the close of night. It is a loud, varied, high-toned and melodious fife, which rises and falls in the sweetest cadence; but always, like the song of the nightingale, leaves a sensation of pleasing sadness on the ear, which fascinates more powerfully than the most cheering hilarity. In fact, the closing note of our bird is often so querulous as to appear like the shrill cry of appealing distress: it sinks at last so faintly, yet still so charmingly on the sense. When seen, which is only by accident, he sits conspicuously on some lofty bough, below the summit of the tree, and raising his head, and swelling his throat with a rising motion, almost amounting to a flutter, he appears truly rapt in ecstacy, and seems to enjoy his own powers of melody as much as the listener. Even the cruel naturalist, ever eager to add another trophy to his favourite science, feels arrested by his appeal, and connives at his escape from the clutch of the collector.

“About the month of July, in the Rocky Mountains, I observed the female feeding her fledged young, and they also spent the summer in the thickest branches, but with the nest and eggs I am unacquainted. The song, as I have heard it, in the forests of Columbia, seems to be like the syllables _’tait_, _weet_, _teet_, _weowit_, _teet weowit_, _teet weeowit_, _verr_, and sometimes terminating _weet_, _weet_, _weet_, every note a loud tender trill of the utmost sweetness, delivered in his own “wood-notes wild,” mocking nothing, but still exulting in his powers, which, while exerted, seem to silence every songster around. The Robin seems almost his pupil in song and similarity of expression, but falls short, and after our Orpheus, seems at best but a faultering scholar.”

GUIRACA MELANOCEPHALA, _Swainson_.

Adult Male. Plate CCCLXXIII. Figs. 2, 3.

Bill rather short, very robust, bulging at the base, conical, acute; upper mandible with its dorsal outline a little convex, the sides rounded, the edges sharp, ascending from the base to beyond the nostrils, then deflected with a slight median festoon, and an obscure notch close to the tip; lower mandible with the angle short and very broad, the dorsal line straight, the back very broad at the base, the sides high and convex, the edges inflected, the tip acute. Nostrils basal, roundish, partly concealed by the feathers.

Head large, roundish-ovate; neck short; body rather full. Legs of moderate length, rather strong; tarsus anteriorly covered with seven scutella, posteriorly with two plates forming a sharp edge; toes rather large, the first stout, the lateral nearly equal, the middle toe much longer. Claws rather long, arched, much compressed, acute.

Plumage soft and blended. Wings of moderate length, broad. The first quill two-twelfths shorter than the second, which is longest, but scarcely exceeds the third, the fourth longer than the first; secondaries slightly emarginate. Tail rather long, nearly even.

Bill with the upper mandible dusky, the lower white. Iris hazel. Feet and claws wood-brown. Head, cheeks, and a small portion of the throat black; the upper parts brownish-black; the feathers on the lower part of the hind neck all round, a streak over each eye, another along the middle of the hind head, the greater part of the rump, and the lower parts generally, yellowish-red or brownish-orange; the edges of some of the feathers on the back, a broad band formed by the first row of small coverts, a narrow band formed by the tips of the secondary coverts, a band on the base of the primaries, the outer web of the first excepted, the margins of three of the primaries toward the end, and a spot on the outer web of most of the secondaries at the end; a large patch on the inner web of all the tail-feathers, excepting the two middle, and largest on the outer, pure white; the middle of the breast and abdomen, with the axillaries and lower wing-coverts, yellow.

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

Adult Female. Plate CCCLXXIII. Fig. 4.

The female is much less beautiful. The bill is of a lighter brown above, brownish-white beneath, with the edges and tip of the lower mandible light brown; the feet and claws wood-brown. The upper parts are wood-brown, the head darker, with three longitudinal bands of brownish-white; a band of reddish-white across the hind neck, the feathers of the back margined with whitish; the wings marked as in the male, but with brownish-white; the tail without white spots. The lower parts are of a much paler tint than those of the male; the axillars and lower wing-coverts yellow.

Length to end of tail 8-1/4 inches; bill along the ridge 9/12; tarsus 11/12; middle toe and claw 1-3/12.

SHARP-SHINNED OR SLATE-COLOURED HAWK.

_FALCO FUSCUS_, GMEL.

PLATE CCCLXXIV. MALE AND FEMALE.

There is a pleasure which that ornithologist only can feel who spends his days in searching for the materials best adapted for his purpose, and which arises from the contemplation of the objects he is anxious to portray and describe, as they roam in freedom over Nature’s wild domains. Another pleasure is derived from finding in different countries birds so much alike in form, colour, and habits, that they seem as if formed for the purpose of exercising our faculties of observation and comparison. But this pleasure passes into pain, or at least perplexity, when, as in the present instance, two species differ so slightly that you cannot clearly define their characters, although they yet seem to be distinct. In fact, I long felt uncertain whether the American bird described by WILSON under the names of Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Slate-coloured Hawk, was distinct from the Sparrow Hawk, _F. Nisus_, of Europe.

It is mentioned in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, that a specimen of this bird was killed in the vicinity of Moose Factory, and that it has been deposited by the Hudson’s Bay Company in the Zoological Museum of London. This specimen I have not seen, but confiding entirely in the accuracy of every fact mentioned by the authors of that work, I here adduce it as a proof of the extraordinary range of this species in America, which from the extreme north extends to our most southern limits, perhaps far beyond them, during its autumnal and winter migrations. I have met with it in every State or Territory of the Union that I have visited. In the spring of 1837, it was abundant in Texas, where it appeared to be travelling eastward. I have a specimen procured by Dr TOWNSEND in the neighbourhood of the Columbia River; and, when on my way towards Labrador, I met with it plentifully as far as the southern shores of the Gulf of St Lawrence, beyond which, however, none were observed by me or any of my party.

I never saw this daring little marauder on wing without saying or thinking “There goes the miniature of the Goshawk!” Indeed, reader, the shortness of the wings of the Sharp-shinned Hawk, its long tail, though almost perfectly even, instead of being rounded as in the Goshawk, added to its irregular, swift, vigorous, varied, and yet often undecided manner of flight, greatly protracted however on occasion, have generally impressed upon me the idea alluded to. While in search of prey, the Sharp-shinned Hawk passes over the country, now at a moderate height, now close over the land, in so swift a manner that, although your eye has marked it, you feel surprised that the very next moment it has dashed off and is far away. In fact it is usually seen when least expected, and almost always but for a few moments, unless when it has procured some prey, and is engaged in feeding upon it. The kind of vacillation or wavering with which it moves through the air appears perfectly adapted to its wants, for it undoubtedly enables this little warrior to watch and to see at a single quick glance of its keen eyes every object, whether to the right or to the left, as it pursues its course. It advances by sudden dashes, as if impetuosity of movement was essential to its nature, and pounces upon or strikes such objects as best suit its appetite; but so very suddenly that it appears quite hopeless for any of them to try to escape. Many have been the times, reader, when watching this vigilant, active, and industrious bird, I have seen it plunge headlong among the briary patches of one of our old fields, in defiance of all thorny obstacles, and, passing through, emerge on the other side, bearing off with exultation in its sharp claws a Sparrow or Finch, which it had surprised when at rest. At other times I have seen two or three of these Hawks, acting in concert, fly at a Golden-winged Woodpecker while alighted against the bark of a tree, where it thought itself secure, but was suddenly clutched by one of the Hawks throwing as it were its long legs forward with the quickness of thought, protruding its sharp talons, and thrusting them into the back of the devoted bird, while it was endeavouring to elude the harassing attacks of another, by hopping and twisting round the tree. Then down to the ground assailants and assailed would fall, the Woodpecker still offering great resistance, until a second Hawk would also seize upon it, and with claws deeply thrust into its vitals, put an end to its life; when both the marauders would at once commence their repast.

On several such occasions, I have felt much pleasure in rescuing different species of birds from the grasp of the little tyrant, as whenever it seizes one too heavy to be carried off, it drops to the ground with it, and being close by, I have forced it to desist from committing further mischief, as it fears man quite as much as its poor quarry dreads itself. One of these occurrences, which happened in the neighbourhood of Charleston, in South Carolina, is thus related in my journal.

Whilst walking one delightful evening in autumn, along a fine hedge-row formed by the luxuriant Rocky Mountain rose-bushes, I observed a male of this species alighted in an upright position on the top-bar of a fence opposite to me. I marked it with particular attention, to see what might follow. The Hawk saw me as plainly as I did him, and kept peeping now at me, and now at some part of the hedge opposite, when suddenly, and with the swiftness of an arrow, it shot past me, entered the briars, and the next instant was moving off with a Brown Thrush, _Turdus rufus_ in its talons. The Thrush, though seized by the sharp claws of the marauder, seemed too heavy for him to carry far, and I saw both falling to the ground. On running up, I observed the anxiety of the Hawk as I approached, and twice saw it attempt to rise on wing to carry off its prize; but it was unable to do so, and before it could disengage itself I was able to secure both. The Thrush must have been killed almost instantaneously, for, on examining it, I found it quite dead.

My friend THOMAS NUTTALL, Esq., tells us that in the “thinly settled parts of the States of Georgia and Alabama, this Hawk seems to abound, and proves extremely destructive to young chickens, a single one having been known regularly to come every day until he had carried away between twenty and thirty. At noon-day, while I was conversing with a planter, one of these Hawks came down, and without ceremony, or heeding the loud cries of the housewife, who most reluctantly witnessed the robbery, snatched away a chicken before us.” Again, while speaking of the wild and violent manner of this bird, he adds “descending furiously and blindly upon its quarry, a young Hawk of this species broke through the glass of the green-house, at the Cambridge Botanic Garden; and fearlessly passing through a second glass partition, he was only brought up by the third, and caught, though little stunned by the effort. His wing-feathers were much torn by the glass, and his flight in this way so impeded as to allow of his being approached.”

Whilst travelling to some distance, the Sharp-shinned Hawk flies high, though in a desultory manner, with irregular quick flappings of the wings, and at times, as if to pause for a while and examine the objects below, moves in short and unequal circles, after which it is seen to descend rapidly, and then follow its course at the height of only a few feet from the ground, visiting as it were every clump of low bushes or briar patches likely to be supplied with the smaller birds, on which it principally feeds. Again, after having satisfied its hunger, this little warrior, at times rises to a great height, and indeed now and then is scarcely discernible from the ground.

I found a nest of this Hawk in a hole of the well-known “Rock-in-cave” on the Ohio River, in the early part of the spring of 1819. It was simply constructed, having been formed of a few sticks and some grasses carelessly interwoven, and placed about two feet from the entrance of the hole. I had the good fortune to secure the female bird, while she was sitting on her eggs, which were nearly hatched, and it was from that individual that I made the figure in the plate. The eggs, four in number, were almost equally rounded at both ends, though somewhat elongated, and their ground colour was white, with a livid tinge, scarcely discernible however amid the numerous markings and blotches of reddish-chocolate with which they were irregularly covered. The second opportunity which I had of seeing a nest of this species occurred not far from Louisville in Kentucky, when I accidentally observed one of these hawks dive into the hollow prong of a broken branch of a sycamore overhanging the waters of the Ohio. Here the eggs were five in number, and deposited on the mouldering fragments of the decayed wood. The third and last opportunity happened when I was on my way from Henderson to St Genevieve on horseback. I saw a pair of these birds forming a nest in the forks of a low oak, in a grove in the centre of the prairie which I was then crossing. The young in the nest I have never seen.

This interesting species usually resorts to the fissures of rocks for the purpose of there passing the hours of repose, and generally in places by no means easy of access, such as precipitous declivities overhanging some turbulent stream. It is often not until the darkness has so much gained on the daylight as to render objects difficult to be distinguished, that it betakes itself to its place of rest, and then I have only been assured of its arrival by the few cries which it utters on such occasions. The earliness of its departure has often much puzzled me, for with all my anxiety to witness it, I have never succeeded in doing so, although on two or three occasions I have watched the spot more than half an hour before dawn, and remained patiently waiting until long after the sun had risen, when I clambered to the hole, and always found it empty.

The food of this Hawk consists chiefly of birds of various sizes, from the smallest of our warblers to the Passenger Pigeon or young chickens, the latter appearing to afford a special temptation to it, as has been above related. I am also aware that it feeds occasionally on small reptiles and insects, and I shot the male represented in the plate, on wing, whilst it held in its claws the small Shrew also represented. It is extremely expert at seizing some of our smaller snakes and lizards, and not unfrequently snatches up a frog while basking in the sun.

The difference of size observed between the males and females, as well as between individuals of the same sex, is very remarkable; and no doubt it was on account of this very great disparity that WILSON described specimens of both sexes as two distinct species. Its notes are short, shrill, and repeated in a hurried manner, when the bird is wounded and brought to the ground. It often emits cries of this kind while falling, but suddenly becomes silent when it comes to the earth, and then makes off swiftly, with long and light leaps, keeping silent until approached. Although a small bird, it possesses considerable muscular power, and its extremely sharp claws are apt to inflict severe pain, should a person lay hold of it incautiously.

FALCO FUSCUS, and DUBIUS, _Gmel._ and _Lath._

SLATE-COLOURED HAWK, FALCO PENNSYLVANICUS, _Wils._ Amer.
Ornith. vol. vi. p. 13, pl. 46, fig. 1. Adult Male.

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, FALCO VELOX, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol.
vi. p. 116, pl. 45, fig. 1. Young Female.

FALCO VELOX, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of United
States, p. 29.

FALCO FUSCUS, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Ibid. Append. p. 433.

ACCIPITER PENNSYLVANICUS, SLATE-COLOURED HAWK, _Richards. and
Swains._ Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 44.

AMERICAN BROWN or SLATE-COLOURED HAWK, _Nuttall_, Manual,
vol. ii. p. 87.

Adult Male. Plate CCCLXXIV. Fig. 1.

Bill short, with the dorsal line of the upper mandible curved from the base, so as to form nearly the fourth of a circle, the sides sloping rapidly and convex toward the end, the edges sharp anteriorly, with a broad tooth-like process or prominent festoon about the middle, the tip very acute and decurvate; the cere rather short, its margin forming a convex curve before the nostrils, which are oblique, oblongo-ovate, broader behind; the lower mandible with the angle broad and short, the dorsal line convex, the back broad at the base, the sides convex, the edges inflected, the tip obliquely truncate, rounded, with a very faint sinus behind.

Head of moderate size, broad, rather flattened above; neck very short; body very slender, remarkably attenuated behind. Legs long and very slender; tarsus rather long, extremely slender, compressed, anteriorly covered with fifteen scutella disposed in a longitudinal plate, of which the inner sharp edge projects considerably, whence the name of “Sharp-shinned” given to this species, the sides with hexagonal scales, the hind part with numerous scutella. Toes slender, the third and fourth connected at the base by a web, extending beyond the second joint of the latter, and curving forward as far as that of the former; first and second toes strongest and about equal; third extremely elongated, fourth very slender; tuberculate and papillate beneath, there being a long fleshy tubercle on the last joint of each toe, and one on the next joint of the two outer. Claws very long, arched, gradually attenuated to a fine point.

Plumage full, soft, blended, somewhat distinct on the upper parts. Wings of moderate length, reaching beyond the middle of the tail; the fourth quill longest, the fifth scarcely shorter, the third intermediate between the fifth and seventh, the second a little longer than the seventh, the first generally shorter than the outer secondary; the first five quills cut out on the outer, the first four more deeply on the inner edge. The tail is long, even, of twelve rather broad, rounded feathers.

The bill is light blue at the base, bluish-black at the end; the cere and eyelids yellowish-green; the iris bright reddish-orange; the tarsi and toes yellow; the claws black, pale bluish at the base. The general colour of the plumage on the upper parts is deep greyish-blue, or dark slate-blue, the shafts darker; the feathers on the occiput are white at the base, that colour appearing more or less as they are raised; and on each of the scapulars are two large white patches, which, however, are not seen until the feathers are raised. The outer primaries are tinged with brown; all the quills are marked on the inner web with dusky bands, between which the inner margins are white toward the base. The tail has four broad bands of blackish-brown, and is tipped with greyish-white. The cheeks are yellowish-red, and the forehead is tinged with the same colour. The throat is reddish-white; the lower parts are transversely and rather broadly barred with light red and white, there being from three to five bars or double spots of the latter colour on each feather, those on the sides with the inner web entirely red; part of abdomen and lower tail-coverts white; feathers of the legs barred like the breast; lower wing-coverts yellowish-white, barred and spotted with dusky.

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

Adult Female. Plate CCCLXXIV. Fig. 2.

The female, which greatly exceeds the male in size is generally greyish-brown tinged with blue on the upper parts, in very old individuals bluish-grey or dark bluish-grey, more or less tinged with brown. The bill, cere, iris, feet, and claws are as in the male, and the markings on the plumage are similar on the upper parts; the lower are generally of a lighter tint, but otherwise nearly the same.

Length to end of tail 14 inches; extent of wings 26; wing from flexure 8-2/12; tail 6-8/12; bill along the ridge 10/12; tarsus 2-1/12; hind toe (7-1/2)/12, its claw (7-1/2)/12; middle toe 1-11/12, its claw 6/12. Weight of an individual 7-1/2 oz., of another 8-1/4.

Young birds of either sex, when fully fledged, have the upper parts generally hair-brown, on the back darker; the feathers on the head and hind neck margined with light red; those of the rest of the upper parts also terminally edged with brownish-red; the feathers of the hind head and neck are white at the base, but to less extent, and the scapulars are also spotted with the same. The lower parts are white or yellowish-white, the throat longitudinally streaked, the rest banded with dark brown, the feathers of the sides spotted, those of the legs light reddish, obscurely marked with darker along the middle; the lower tail-coverts white. The female has the markings on the lower parts much narrower at this age.

A male bird preserved in spirits presents the following characters:—The roof of the mouth is flat, with two longitudinal ridges; the posterior aperture of the nares oblong, with a linear anterior slit, papillate on the edges. The tongue is 5 twelfths long, narrow, concave above, slightly emarginate. The œsophagus, _a b c d e_, is 3 inches 3 twelfths long; its diameter at the upper part 5 twelfths; it enlarges on the neck to a capacious crop, _c d_, 1 inch in diameter. The proventriculus, _e_, has a complete belt of small oblong glandules. The stomach, _f g_, is large, roundish, membranous, without distinct muscles, 1 inch 3 twelfths long, and 1 inch broad. The intestine, _g h i l_, is 14-3/4 inches long, its greatest diameter 2 twelfths. The rectum, _j l_, is 1 inch 9 twelfths long; its diameter at the anterior part 3 twelfths; the cœca, _j_, are exceedingly small, forming two scarcely observable sacs, about half a twelfth in depth. The trachea is 2-1/12 inches long, its rings unossified, 78 in number; the bronchi long and slender, of about 18 half rings. The contents of the crop and stomach were portions of two small birds.

On comparing several specimens, male and female, of this Sharp-shinned Hawk, with others of the European Sparrow Hawk, the proportions are found to be similar, as are the colours of the upper parts; but the American birds, especially the males, are much smaller; and the transverse bands on the lower parts of the Sharp-shinned Hawk are redder and broader than those of the Sparrow Hawk. The number of dark bands on the tail is the same in both, namely four on the middle feathers, and six on the lateral. The tail is not always precisely even, being in both European and American birds often slightly rounded, the lateral feather being sometimes a quarter of an inch shorter than the longest.

A species most intimately allied to the Sharp-shinned Hawk presents the same form and colours, but differs somewhat in its proportions, and is much larger. The bill is much higher at the base, its upper outline slopes from the commencement, and the festoon on its edge is less prominent. The tarsi and toes are proportionally stronger, the edge on the former not nearly so prominent. The first quill is a little longer than the first secondary, the fifth quill (not the fourth) is longest; and the tail is rounded, the lateral feather in a female being eight-twelfths of an inch shorter than the longest. The dimensions of a female of this species, shot by myself in South Carolina, are as follows:—

Length to end of tail 16-1/2 inches; wing from flexure 10; tail 7-10/12; bill along the ridge 1; tarsus 2-7/12; hind toe 10/12, its claw 1; middle toe 1-8/12, its claw (7-1/2)/12.

It is very probable that this is the _Accipiter Mexicanus_ of Mr SWAINSON, whose brief account of a female of that species, in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, agrees sufficiently with it. There are, however, some errors in his critical observations, at p. 44. Thus, he states that WILSON’s figure of the Slate-coloured Hawk, _Accipiter Pennsylvanicus_, is perfectly characteristic, in having the tail quite even at the end; but that TEMMINCK’s _Autour a bec sinueux_ is doubtful, the tail being represented as distinctly rounded. Now, in fact, the tail of our Sharp-shinned Hawk is when perfect a little rounded, but often when worn quite even or square. Both the figures in Plate CCCLXXIV represent it as a little rounded, and such it is in five specimens out of eight, four of these being females, and one a male; while the three specimens in which the tail may be said to be quite even are males. Again, he states that “the anterior scales on the tarsus of _A. Pennsylvanicus_ are entire, being apparently formed externally of one entire piece; whereas in _Mexicanus_, the transverse divisions are distinctly visible.” The latter part of the sentence is certainly correct, in so far as may be judged from a single very fine specimen; but the scales are equally distinct in all the younger individuals of the _A. Pennsylvanicus_, although in one, an old male, the distinctions between the greater number are obliterated, so that they resemble a single plate. There is nothing very remarkable in this, however, for the like happens to other Hawks; it having been long ago remarked with regard to the Sparrow Hawk of Europe, _Accipiter Nisus_, that “in some individuals, the anterior oblique scutella, as well as the hexagonal scales of the sides, are so indistinct, that all traces of them disappear when the parts become dry.”

_Accipiter Nisus_, _A. velox_, and _A. Mexicanus_, which are most closely allied, insomuch that it is extremely difficult to distinguish them from each other, may be characterized as follows:—

_A. Mexicanus_ is largest; has the fifth quill longest, the first primary much longer than the last, the tail distinctly rounded, the tarsi stouter, and with fifteen scales; the upper parts deep slate-blue; the lower banded with light red and white.

_A. velox_ is smallest, has the fourth quill longest, the first primary much shorter than the last, the tail even, the tarsi extremely slender, with fifteen scales; the colours exactly as in _Mexicanus_.

_A. Nisus_ is intermediate in size, never so small as _velox_, but sometimes as large as _Mexicanus_, with the fourth quill longest, the first and last primary about equal, the tail very slightly rounded or even, the tarsi very slender, with eighteen scales, the upper parts deep slate-blue, the lower narrowly banded with light red in the male, and dusky in the female.

This species was described by WILSON under the name of Sharp-shinned Hawk, _Falco velox_, and figured in Pl. XLV, a young female only being represented, although a description is given of a young male also. He afterwards figured an adult male (Pl. XLVI), and described it under the name of Slate-coloured Hawk, _Falco Pennsylvanicus_, considering it as a distinct species. It appears, however, that it had previously been described under several names. Thus _Falco fuscus_ of MILLER and GMELIN, and the American Brown Hawk of LATHAM, seem to be the same bird in the young state. _Falco dubius_ of GMELIN and LATHAM, the Dubious Falcon of the latter and of PENNANT are also synonymous. The Dusky Falcon of PENNANT and LATHAM, _Falco obscurus_ of the latter and of GMELIN, may also belong to the same species. If we consider priority of name as of paramount importance, then, in so far as can be shewn, the species ought to be named the “American Brown Hawk, _Falco fuscus_;” or, according to the newer nomenclature, _Astur_ or _Accipiter fuscus_. The names of “Sharp-shinned,” “Slate-coloured,” and “_velox_” are not more distinctive; and _Pennsylvanicus_ is out of the question, having been applied to another species.

LESSER REDPOLL.

_FRINGILLA LINARIA_, LINN.

PLATE CCCLXXV. MALE AND FEMALE.

When I was in Labrador, my young companions and my son one day (the 27th of July 1833) procured eight individuals of this species, of different sexes and ages. Next morning I went to the place where they had been shot, and found a good number remaining. The first observation I made had reference to their notes, which, instead of resembling those of the Goldfinch, as alleged by an American writer, are very similar to those of the Siskin, and are frequently uttered both when the birds are alighted and while they are on wing. They were in small parties of seven or eight, apparently formed by the members of the same family, and although several of these groups were around me, they did not intermingle until fired at, when they all simultaneously rose on wing, mixed together, and after performing several short evolutions returned to the same bushes, separated into families, and resumed their occupations. When alighted they were quite unsuspecting, and so heedless as to allow a close approach, scarcely regarding my presence, but clinging to the branches, dexterously picking out the seeds of the alder-cones, and occasionally coming to the ground after some which had dropped.

Few birds exhibit a more affectionate disposition than the Little Redpoll, and it was pleasing to see several on a twig feeding each other by passing a seed from bill to bill, one individual sometimes receiving food from his two neighbours at the same time. Occasionally, however, they shewed considerable pugnacity, and one would drive off its companion, inflicting some smart blows upon it with its bill, and uttering a low querulous chatter.

In other portions of the same country, I saw flocks composed of twenty or more individuals flying loosely at a moderate height, in the undulatory manner of the American Goldfinch and Siskin, without, however, making the deep sweeps of the former; suddenly alighting, and at once beginning to search with great expertness between the stems and leaves, picking at the embryo buds while perched over them, like Jays and Titmice.

So hardy is this species, that, according to Dr RICHARDSON, it is a “permanent resident in the Fur Countries, where it may be seen in the coldest weather, on the banks of lakes and rivers, hopping among the reeds and carices, or clinging to their stalks. Although numerous throughout the year, even in the most northern districts, a partial migration takes place, as large flocks visit Pennsylvania for a month or two in severe winters.” The migrations alluded to are of rare occurrence in that State, however, as well as in that of New York. I never saw one of these birds to the westward of the Alleghanies, and none were observed by Dr TOWNSEND or Mr NUTTALL on the Columbia River. They are abundant every cold winter in the northern parts of Massachusetts and Maine, as well as in all the British Provinces.

The food of this species consists of buds, seeds of various grasses, berries, and the small leaves of bushes and trees. I have represented a male and a female on a plant which grows abundantly in the localities in which I found it in Labrador.

The many young birds which I examined in the month of August, had the head entirely grey. The feathers of that part, and those on the breast and rump, were of the same colour nearly to the base, which is bluish-grey; and I suspect that they do not acquire any redness until the approach of spring. The old birds were moulting at the period mentioned, and from their appearance I concluded that all their red feathers are reassumed each spring. The eggs, from four to six in number, measure five-eighths in length, rather more than half an inch in diameter, and are pale bluish-green sparingly dotted with reddish-brown toward the larger end.

FRINGILLA LINARIA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 322.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. i. p. 458.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis. p.
112.

LESSER REDPOLL, FRINGILLA LINARIA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol.
iv. p. 42, pl. 30, fig. 4. Male.

LINARIA MINOR, LESSER REDPOLL, Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p.
267.

LESSER REDPOLL, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. i. 512.

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

Bill short, strong, conical, compressed toward the end, extremely acute; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, the ridge narrow, the sides convex, the edges sharp and overlapping, without notch, the tip acuminate; lower mandible with the angle short and semicircular, the dorsal line straight, the ridge broadish at the base, the sides convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip acute. Nostrils basal, roundish, covered by stiffish reversed feathers.

Head of moderate size, roundish; neck short; body moderate, Feet of moderate length, slender; tarsus compressed, anteriorly covered with a few scutella of which the upper are blended, posteriorly with two longitudinal plates meeting at a very acute angle; toes slender, the first with its claw as long as the third with its claw; the lateral toes equal. Claws large, moderately arched, much compressed, acute.

Plumage soft, rather blended, with very little gloss, unless on the red parts. Wings of ordinary length, the first three quills almost equal, but the second longest. Tail rather long, forked.

Bill yellowish, the upper mandible dusky on the ridge; iris brown; feet blackish brown. A band edging the forehead, the loral space, and the throat, brownish-black; the reversed feathers on the base of the bill yellowish; the crown of the head crimson; the hind part of the head, the neck, the fore part of the back, and the scapulars yellowish-brown, longitudinally streaked with blackish-brown, the feathers on the hind part of the back margined with whitish, and tipped with carmine; the wings and tail dusky, with yellowish-brown edges, and two transverse bands of the same on the tips of the first row of small coverts and the secondary coverts. The sides of the neck, its fore part, the breast, and flanks, rich carmine; the middle of the breast, the abdomen, and the lower tail-coverts white, tinged with rose colour; the sides longitudinally streaked with dusky.

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

Adult Female in Summer. Plate CCCLXXV. Fig. 2.

The female, which is somewhat less, has the black of the forehead and throat more brown, with less red on the head, and little or none on the rump, or on the lower parts, which are white, the breast and flanks longitudinally streaked with dusky.

TRUMPETER SWAN.

_CYGNUS BUCCINATOR_, RICHARDSON.

PLATE CCCLXXVI. YOUNG IN WINTER.

The history of the American Swans has been but very slightly traced. Few records of the habits of these majestic, elegant, and useful birds exist, on which much reliance can be placed; their geographical range still remains an unsolved problem; one species has been mistaken for another, and this by ornithologists who are said to be of the first order. The _Cygnus Bewickii_ of Great Britain has been given as a North American Swan in place of _Cygnus Americanus_ (well described by Dr SHARPLESS of Philadelphia) in the Fauna Boreali-Americana; and the latter bird has been taken for the Whistling Swan, _C. musicus_ of BECHSTEIN, by the Prince of MUSIGNANO, who says in his Synopsis, p. 379, No. 321, that it is “very numerous in winter in Chesapeake Bay.” It is possible that we may have more than two species of Swan within the limits of North America, but I am at present acquainted with only that which forms the subject of this article, and the _Cygnus Americanus_ of SHARPLESS.