Chapter XXVII: Part 27

Wherever, throughout the United States, sand-banks or artificial excavations occur, there is found the Bank Swallow during the breeding season, in greater or smaller numbers, according to the advantages presented by the different localities, not only along the shores of our rivers and lakes, but also on the coasts of the Atlantic, and not unfrequently in inland situations, at some distance from any water. High banks, composed of softish sandy earth, on the shores of rivers, lakes, or other waters, suit them best, and in such situations their colonies are far more numerous than elsewhere. The banks of the Ohio, and some parts of those of the Mississippi, called “Bluffs” have appeared to me to be more resorted to by this species in our western and southern districts, although I have met with considerable numbers in every State of the Union.

In Louisiana this species begins to breed early in March, and generally rears two, sometimes three broods in a season. In our Middle Districts it commences about a month later, or about the period at which it lays in Kentucky, and there produces two broods. In Newfoundland and Labrador, it rarely begins to breed before the beginning of June, and lays only once. Dr RICHARDSON states, that he saw “thousands of these Swallows near the mouth of the Mackenzie, in the sixty-eighth parallel, on the 4th of July,” and from the state of the weather at that period supposed that they had arrived there at least a fortnight prior to that date, but no specimens were brought to England, and the description given in the Fauna Boreali-Americana is a mere transcript of that which in itself is quite imperfect. Indeed, there is not in any work with which I am acquainted an account of the Sand Swallow, sufficiently minute and accurate to characterize in an adequate manner that very common species.

The sociability and gentleness of these birds, the lightness and vigour with which they perform their various evolutions, the low and unobtrusive twittering of their voice, in short, all their actions and economy, are delightful to contemplate. Their flight is exceedingly graceful, light, yet firm, and capable of great continuance. They seem indeed as if created for the purpose of spending their time on wing, for they alight less often to rest when full grown than any other of our species, when not sitting on their eggs, and are seen abroad searching for food later in the dusk, retiring for the night as late, I think, as our Swift, _Cypselus Americanus_. As they procure their food more commonly than the other species along the margins or over the surface of pools, lakes, rivers, or even the sea, their flight is generally performed at a small elevation, which is the case with others only when the wind blows smartly, or the atmosphere is damp and chill. The movements of their wings are those common to the family of Swallows, which flap these members less frequently than perhaps any other small land birds. The wings act on the hinge formed by the carpal joint, opening and closing like the blades of scissors. Their sailings, though frequent, are not extensive, and their tail appears to be of great service to them, as you observe that on the least deviation from a straight course, it becomes suddenly more or less closed or inclined upward, downward, or sideways; and when you see some hundreds of pairs about their breeding places, passing, repassing, and crossing each other in various ways, you almost wonder that they never come into collision with each other. The slightest movement in any direction seems sufficient to enable them to overtake and secure their prey; and they less frequently than any other species follow an insect upward to any great distance. Like all other Swallows, they drink and bathe on wing.

Their migrations are performed by day, although perhaps continued by night, and their movements are more desultory and rather slower than those of other Swallows. It is rare to observe them in great flocks at that time, their associations not being apparently formed until they reach the countries in which they spend the winter months. Their flight, when they are thus travelling, is continued rather low over the land or the water; and as in America they retire to a less distance southward than our other Swallows, they are not unfrequently seen to linger behind the rest. In South Carolina, indeed, I have seen some in November.

In summer and autumn they roost in the holes excavated for their nests; but in winter, at least in the Floridas, they always repose at night among the tall grass of the salt marshes, making choice of situations sheltered by the winds and not liable to be overflowed. At this time they keep together in large bodies while searching for food. I have several times accidentally crossed their roosting places, which I at once recognised by the quantity of their dung attached to the blades, and lying on the ground, and from which I infer that they rest clinging to the plants.

At the first appearance of spring they leave their winter quarters in pairs, or singly, or in very small flocks; but they follow each other so closely in this manner as to form an almost continued line of march. I had the pleasure of observing this to be the case with the Barn Swallow also, whilst I was proceeding toward the Texas, when that species was advancing in a contrary direction.

Although small, the Sand Swallow is a rather hardy bird: for I observed that the transient cold weather that at times occurs in the Florida at night, seldom forces them to remove farther south. On one occasion, however, when the ice was about the thickness of a dollar, many were found dead along the shores, as well as floating on the water, whilst the rest appeared in great perturbation, wending their way in a hurried manner toward the warmer parts of the country, and taking advantage of every spot that afforded them more warmth, such as the borders of woods, and high banks of streams. I am, however, of opinion that the inclemency of the weather at times proves to be the greatest evil these birds have to encounter, especially when in early spring they are moving northward, and occasionally meet with a sudden change from temperate to cold. Even in the places selected for their summer residence, great numbers die in their holes, and many have been found there in a state bordering on torpidity.

Their food, which consists of small insects, principally of the hymenopterous kind, even during winter in the Floridas, is procured on wing. They very seldom approach walls or the trunks of trees to seize them, but frequently snatch them from the tops of grasses or other plants on which they have alighted. They also seize small aquatic insects; but, although, I suspect that they disgorge in pellets the harder parts of these, I have no proof, obtained from actual observation, that they do so.

The holes perforated by this species for the purpose of breeding require considerable exertion and labour. They are usually bored at the distance of two or three feet from the summit of the bank or surface of the ground, to the depth of about three feet, but sometimes to that of four or even five. They are near each other or remote, according to the number of pairs of swallows that resort to the place, and the extent of the bank. In one situation you may find not more than a dozen pairs at work, while in another several hundreds of holes may be seen scattered over some hundreds of yards. On the bluffs of the Ohio and the Mississippi there are many very extensive breeding-places. While engaged in digging a sand-bank on the shore of the Ohio, at Henderson, for the purpose of erecting a steam-mill, I was both amused and vexed by the pertinacity with which the little winged labourers continued to bore holes day after day, whilst the pickaxes and shovels demolished them in succession. The birds seemed to have formed a strong attachment to the place, perhaps on account of the fine texture of the soil, as I observed many who had begun holes a few hundred yards off abandon them, and join those engaged in the newly opened excavation. Whether the holes are frequently bored horizontally or not I cannot say, but many which I examined differed in this respect from those described by authors, for on introducing a gun-rod or other straight stick, I found them to have an inclination of about ten degrees upwards. The end of the hole is enlarged in the form of an oven, for the reception of the nest, and the accommodation of the parents and their brood.

When the birds have for a while examined the nature of the bank, they begin their work by alighting against it, securing themselves by the claws, and spreading their tails considerably so as, by being pressed against the surface, to support the body. The bill is now employed in picking the soil, until a space large enough to admit the body of the bird is formed, when the feet and claws are also used in scratching out the sand. I have thought that the slight ascent of the burrow contributed considerably to enable the bird to perform the severe task of disposing of the loose materials, which are seen dropping out at irregular intervals. Both sexes work alternately, in the same manner as Woodpeckers; and few ornithological occupations have proved more pleasing to me than that of watching several hundred pairs of these winged artificers all busily and equally engaged, some in digging the burrows, others in obtaining food, which they would now and then bring in their bills for the use of their mates, or in procuring bits of dry grass or large feathers of the duck or goose, for the construction of their nests.

So industrious are the little creatures that I have known a hole dug to the depth of three feet four inches, and the nest finished in four days, the first egg being deposited on the morning of the fifth. It sometimes happens that soon after the excavation has been commenced, some obstruction presents itself, defying the utmost exertions of the birds; in which case they abandon the spot, and begin elsewhere in the neighbourhood. If these obstructions occur and are pretty general, the colony leaves the place; and it is very seldom that, after such an occurrence, any swallows of this species are seen near it. I have sometimes been surprised to see them bore in extremely loose sand. On the sea coast, where soft banks are frequent, you might suppose that, as the burrows are only a few inches apart, the sand might fall in so as to obstruct the holes and suffocate their inmates; but I have not met with an instance of such a calamitous occurrence. Along the banks of small rivulets I have found these birds having nests within a foot or two of the water, having been bored among the roots of some large trees, where I thought they were exposed to mice, rats, or other small predaceous animals. The nest is generally formed of some short bits of dry grass, and lined with a considerable number of large feathers. They lay from five to seven eggs for the first brood, fewer for the next. They are of an ovate, somewhat pointed form, pure white, eight-twelfths of an inch long, and six-twelfths in breadth

The young, as soon as they are able to move with ease, often crawl to the entrance of the hole, to wait the return of their parents with food. On such occasions they are often closely watched by the smaller Hawks, as well as the common Crows, which seize and devour them, in spite of the clamour of the old birds. These depredations upon the young are in fact continued after they have left the nest, and while they are perched on the dry twigs of the low trees in the neighbourhood, until they are perfectly able to maintain themselves on wing without the assistance of their parents.

In Louisiana, or in any district where this species raises more than one brood in the season, the males, I believe, take the principal charge of the young that have left the nest, though both sexes alternately incubate, all their moments being thus rendered full of care and anxiety respecting both their offspring and the sitting bird. The young acquire the full brown plumage of the adult by the first spring, when there is no observable difference between them; but I am induced to think that they keep apart from the old birds during the first winter, when I have thought I could yet perceive an inferiority in their flight, as well as in the loudness of their notes.

This species has no song, properly so called, but merely a twitter of short lisping notes. In autumn it at times alights on trees preparatory to its departure. On such occasions the individuals, often collected in great numbers, take up the time chiefly in pluming themselves, in which occupation they continue for hours.

I must conclude with assuring you that in my opinion, no difference whatever exists between the Bank Swallow of America and that of Europe. The birds from which I made the drawing for my plate were procured on the banks of the Schuylkil River in 1824.

HIRUNDO RIPARIA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 344.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. i. p. 575.—_Ch. Bonap._ Synopsis, p. 65.

BANK SWALLOW or SAND MARTIN, HIRUNDO RIPARIA, _Wils._ Amer.
Ornith. vol. v. p. 46, pl. 38, fig. 4.

HIRUNDO RIPARIA, THE SAND MARTIN, _Richards. and Swains._
Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii p. 333.

BANK SWALLOW, or SAND MARTIN, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. i. p.
607.

Adult Male. Plate CCCLXXXV. Fig. 1.

Bill very short, much depressed and very broad at the base, compressed toward the point, of a triangular form with the lateral outlines concave, when viewed from above or beneath; upper mandible with the dorsal line considerably convex, the sides convex, the edges sharp and overlapping, with a slight but distinct notch close to the deflected tip; lower mandible with the angle very broad, the dorsal line ascending and convex, the ridge broad and flat at the base, narrowed toward the tip, which is acute, the edges inflected. Nostrils basal, lateral, oblong.

Head of ordinary size, roundish, depressed; neck short; body slender. Feet very small; tarsus very short, anteriorly scutellate, moderately compressed, with a tuft of feathers behind at the lower part; toes free, small, the lateral equal, the first much stronger; claws long, slightly arched, much compressed, very acute.

Plumage soft and blended, without lustre. Wings very long, extending a little beyond the tail, very narrow, slightly falciform; the primaries tapering to an obtuse-point, the first quill longest, the second half a twelfth shorter, the third four and a quarter twelfths shorter than the second, the rest rapidly graduated; six of the secondaries distinctly emarginate. Tail rather long, deeply emarginate, the feathers tapering to an obtuse point.

Bill brownish-black. Iris hazel. Feet flesh-coloured, claws dusky. The upper parts are greyish-brown, or mouse colour, the head and wing-coverts darker, as are the primary coverts, primary quills, and outer secondaries, of which the shafts are dusky above, white beneath. The lower parts are white; the cheeks, a broad band across the lower part of the neck and fore part of the breast, and the sides under the wings, greyish-brown. The tail-feathers are very narrowly edged with a lighter tint, the outer with whitish.

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

Adult Female. Plate CCCLXXXV. Fig. 2.

The Female cannot be distinguished from the male by any difference in her external appearance.

Length to end of tail 4-7/8 inches, to end of wings 5-1/4, to end of claws 4.

Young. Plate CCCLXXXV. Fig. 3.

The young when fully fledged, have the bill dusky, with the edges yellow, the feet flesh-coloured, the claws yellowish. The colour of the upper parts is darker, but the feathers are margined with light greyish-brown; the quills brownish-black, the outer very faintly, the inner broadly margined; the tail-feathers greyish-black, edged with greyish-white. The lower parts are white, the throat faintly streaked with dusky; the band across the breast, and the sides, coloured as in the adult, but darker.

On very carefully comparing skins of this Swallow, with a series of those of the Bank Swallow of Europe, procured for me by my esteemed friend, THOMAS DURHAM WEIR of Boghead, Esq. an enthusiastic and successful observer of the habits of birds, I can perceive no difference whatever. Old birds compared with old, and young with young, prove perfectly similar. There is, however, another species closely allied to the present, and which might very readily be confounded with it. This species, to which I give the name of Rough-winged Swallow, _Hirundo serripennis_, I consider it expedient to describe, although it has not as yet been figured by me.

In a male of the present species, from Boston, the palate is flat, the mouth very wide, measuring 5 twelfths across. The tongue is short, triangular, 2-1/2 twelfths long, deeply emarginate and papillate at the base, two of the lateral papillæ much larger than the rest, the tip bluntish and slightly slit. The œsophagus, _a b c_, is 1 inch 9 twelfths long, narrow, 2 twelfths in diameter, without crop or dilatation. The proventriculus, _b_, is little enlarged. The stomach, _cdef_, a gizzard of moderate length, with distinct lateral muscles, and of an elliptical form, is half an inch long, and 5 twelfths broad; its epithelium longitudinally rugous, tough, and light red. It is filled with remains of insects. The intestine, _f g h_, is 5-1/2 inches long, its greatest diameter 1-1/2 twelfth; the cœca very small, being 1-1/2 twelfth long, and 1/2 twelfth in diameter, their distance from the anus 9 twelfths. There is no essential difference between the digestive organs of this and other swallows, and the Flycatchers, Warblers, and other slender-billed birds.

The trachea is 1 inch 4 twelfths long; slender, flattened, of about 55 unossified rings. The contractor and sterno-tracheal muscles are slender; and there are four pairs of inferior laryngeal muscles

ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW.

_HIRUNDO SERRIPENNIS._

On the afternoon of the 20th of October 1819, I was walking along the shores of a forest-margined lake, a few miles from Bayou Sara, in pursuit of some Ibises, when I observed a flock of small Swallows bearing so great a resemblance to our common Sand Martin, that I at first paid little attention to them. The Ibises proving too wild to be approached, I relinquished the pursuit, and being fatigued by a long day’s exertion, I leaned against a tree, and gazed on the Swallows, wishing that I could travel with as much ease and rapidity as they, and thus return to my family as readily as they could to their winter quarters. How it happened I cannot now recollect, but I thought of shooting some of them, perhaps to see how expert I might prove on other occasions. Off went a shot, and down came one of the birds, which my dog brought to me between his lips. Another, a third, a fourth, and at last a fifth were procured. The ever-continuing desire of comparing one bird with another led me to take them up. I thought them rather large, and therefore placed them in my bag, and proceeded slowly toward the plantation of WILLIAM PERRY, Esq., with whom I had for a time taken up my residence.

The bill and feet of the Swallows were pure black, and both, I thought, were larger than in the Sand Martin; but differences like these I seldom hold in much estimation, well knowing from long experience, that individuals of any species may vary in these respects. I was more startled when I saw not a vestige of the short feathers usually found near the junction of the hind toe with the tarsus in the common species, and equally so when I observed that the bird in my hand had a nearly even tail, with broad rounded feathers, the outer destitute of the narrow margin of white. At this time my observations went no farther.

Doubts have been expressed by learned ornithologists respecting the identity of the Common Sand Martin of America and that of Europe. Some of them in their treatises write _Hirundo riparia?_ or _Cotyle riparia?_ which in my opinion is foolish, especially if no reason be given for appending so crooked a character. About two years ago, my friend the Rev. JOHN BACHMAN, sent me four Swallow’s eggs accompanied with a letter, in which was the following notice:—“Two pairs of Swallows resembling the Sand Martin, have built their nests for two years in succession in the walls of an unfinished brick house at Charleston, in the holes where the scaffoldings had been placed. It is believed here that there are two species of these birds.” The eggs which my friend sent me differ greatly from those of our Common Sand Martin, being so much longer, larger, and more pointed, that I might have felt inclined to suppose them to belong to the European Swift, _Cypselus murarius_. But of the birds which had laid them no particular account was given. Time has passed; and during the while I have been anxious to meet again with such Swallows as I had shot near Bayou Sara, as well as to determine whether our Common Sand Martin be the same as that of Europe. And now, Reader, I am at last able to say, that the Sand Martin or Bank Swallow, _Hirundo riparia_, is common to Europe and America; and further, that a species, confounded with it in the latter country, is perfectly distinct.

I perhaps should never have discovered the differences existing between these species had I not been spurred by the remarks of VIEILLOT, who, in expressing his doubts as to their identity, and perhaps holding in his hand the bird here spoken of, says that the tarsus is much larger than in the European Sand Martin. I have been surprised that these doubts did not awaken in others a desire to inquire into the subject. Had this been done, however, I should probably have lost an opportunity of adding another new species to those to whose nomination I can lay claim, not to speak of such as, although well known to me previous to their having been published by others, I have lost the right of naming because I had imparted my knowledge of them to those who were more anxious of obtaining this sort of celebrity. I have now in my possession one pair of these Swallows procured by myself in South Carolina during my last visit to that State. Of their peculiar habits I can say nothing; but, owing to their being less frequent than the Sand Martin, I am inclined to believe that their most habitual residence may prove to be far to the westward, perhaps in the valleys of the Columbia River.

I regret that I have not figured this species, though it would have proved exceedingly difficult to exhibit in an engraving the peculiar character presented by the outer quill, unless it were much magnified.

The specific characters of these two Swallows, so nearly allied, are as follows:—

_Hirundo riparia._ Tail, Fig. 1, slightly forked, margin of first quill smooth, tarsus with a tuft of feathers behind; upper parts greyish-brown, lower whitish, with a dusky band across the fore part of the neck.

_Hirundo serripennis._ Tail, Fig. 2, slightly emarginate, margin of first quill, Fig. 3, rough with the strong decurved tips of the barbs, tarsus bare; upper parts greyish-brown, lower pale greyish-brown, white behind.

In its general appearance, including proportions as well as colour, the Rough-winged Swallow is extremely similar to the Bank Swallow. It differs however in having the bill considerably longer, more attenuated toward the end, with the point of the upper mandible more decurved. The tail, Fig. 2, is shorter and but slightly emarginate, the lateral exceeding the middle feathers by only two-twelfths of an inch, whereas in the other species they exceed them by five-twelfths or even six; feathers are also broader and more rounded at the end. The wings are longer, and extend half an inch beyond the tail. The tarsi and toes are somewhat longer and more slender, and there are no feathers on the hind part of the tarsus as in the common species; the claws are much more slender.

The bill is black, the tarsi, toes, and claws dusky. The upper parts are of the same greyish-brown, or mouse-colour, as those of the Bank Swallow. The lower are of a very light greyish-brown, gradually paler on the hind parts, the abdomen and lower tail-coverts being white.

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

In a specimen, from Charleston, South Carolina, preserved in spirits, the roof of the mouth is flat, the width of the gape 5-1/2 twelfths; the tongue triangular, 3-1/2 twelfths long, emarginate and papillate at the base, with two of the papillæ much larger, flat above, tapering to a slit point, more narrow and elongated than that of the Sand Swallow. The œsophagus is 1 inch 11 twelfths long, without dilatation, its breadth 1-1/2 twelfth. The stomach is elliptical, muscular, 5 twelfths long, being 4-1/2 twelfths, and placed a little obliquely; the epithelium brownish-red, tough, longitudinally rugous, filled with remains of insects. The intestine is 4-1/2 inches long; the cœca 1-1/2 twelfth in length, and 8 twelfths distant from the anus.

The trachea is 1 inch 4 twelfths long, its diameter 1 twelfth; its rings about 50; the muscles as in the other species; the bronchi very slender, of about 12 half rings.

VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW.

_HIRUNDO THALASSINA_, SWAINSON.

PLATE CCCLXXXV. MALE AND FEMALE.

Of this, the most beautiful Swallow hitherto discovered within the limits of the United States, the following account has been transmitted to me by my friend Mr NUTTALL. “We first met with this elegant species within the table-land of the Rocky Mountains, and they were particularly abundant around our encampment on Harris Fork, a branch of the Colorado of the west. They are nearly always associated with the Cliff Swallow, here likewise particularly numerous. Their flight and habits are also similar, but their twitter is different, and not much unlike the note of our Barn Swallow. In the Rocky Mountains, near our camp, we observed them to go in and out of deserted nests of the Cliff Swallow, which they appeared to occupy in place of building nests of their own. We saw this species afterwards flying familiarly about in the vicinity of a farm-house (M. LE BOUTE’s) on an elevated small isolated prairie on the banks of the Wahlamet, and as there are no cliffs in the vicinity, they probably here breed in trees, as I observed the White-bellied Martin do. This beautiful species in all probability extends its limits from hence to the table-land of Mexico, where Mr BULLOCH, it seems, found it.”

Dr TOWNSEND, who afterwards had better opportunities of observing the habits of this bird, thus speaks of it:—“_Aguila chin chin_ of the Chinook Indians, inhabits the neighbourhood of the Colorado of the west, and breeds along its margins on bluffs of clay, where it attaches a nest formed of mud and grasses resembling in some measure that of the Cliff Swallow, but wanting the pendulous neck in that of the latter species. The eggs are four, of a dark clay colour, with a few spots of reddish-brown at the larger end. This species is also found abundant on the lower waters of the Columbia. River, where _it breeds in hollow trees_.”

Dr TOWNSEND also informs me that in the neighbourhood of the Columbia River, the Cliff Swallow attaches its nest to the trunks of trees, making it of the same form and materials as elsewhere. From the above facts, and many equally curious, which I have mentioned, respecting the variations exhibited by birds in the manner of forming their nests, as well as in their size, materials, and situation, it will be seen that differences of this kind are not of so much importance as has hitherto been supposed, in establishing distinctions between species supposed by some to be different, and by others identical. To give you some definite idea of what I would here impress upon your mind, I need only say that I have seen nests of the Barn or Chimney Swallow placed within buildings, under cattle-sheds, against the sides of wells, and in chimneys; that while some were not more than three inches deep, others measured nearly nine; while in some there was scarcely any grass, in others it formed nearly half of their bulk. I have also observed some nests of the Cliff Swallow in which the eggs had been deposited before the pendent neck was added, and which remained so until the birds had reared their brood, amidst other nests furnished with a neck, which was much longer in some than in others. From this I have inferred that nests are formed more or less completely, in many instances, in accordance with the necessity under which the bird may be of depositing its eggs.

HIRUNDO THALASSINUS, _Swains._ Synopsis of Mexican Birds,
Philos. Mag. for 1827, p. 365.

Adult Male. Plate CCCLXXXV. Fig. 4.

Bill very short, much depressed and very broad at the base, compressed toward the point, of a triangular form, with the lateral outlines nearly straight; upper mandible with the dorsal line considerably convex, the sides convex toward the end, the edges sharp and overlapping, with a slight but distinct notch close to the deflected acute tip; lower mandible with the angle very broad, the dorsal line ascending and slightly convex, the ridge broad and a little convex at the base, narrowed toward the tip, which is acute. Nostrils basal, lateral oblong.

Head rather large, roundish; neck very short; body slender. Feet very small; tarsus very short, anteriorly scutellate, compressed; toes free, small, the lateral equal, the first stronger; claws rather long, arched, much compressed, very acute.

Plumage soft and blended, on the upper parts somewhat velvety. Wings very long, extending far beyond the tail, very narrow, slightly falciform; the primaries tapering to an obtuse point; the first quill longest, the second almost equal, the rest rapidly diminishing; six of the secondaries emarginate. Tail of moderate length, emarginate, the middle feathers four-twelfths shorter than the lateral; all rounded.

Bill black; iris brown; feet dusky. The upper part of the head deep green gradually shaded into the dark purple of the hind neck; the back rich grass-green, the rump and upper tail-coverts carmine purple. The smaller wing-coverts are dusky, broadly tipped with green, glossed with purple; the quills and larger coverts dusky, glossed with blue; the tail also dusky, glossed with blue. A line over the eye, the cheeks, and all the lower parts, are pure white excepting the lower wing-coverts, which are light grey.

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

Adult Female. Plate CCCLXXXV. Fig. 5.

The Female is somewhat smaller, and differs considerably in colour. The upper part of the head and the hind neck are light greyish-brown glossed with bronzed green; the back bright green as in the male, the rump greyish-brown; the wings and tail are as in the male, but less glossy; as are the lower parts, which are, however, anteriorly tinged with grey.

Length to end of tail 4-7/12, to end of wings 5; wing from flexure 4-1/4, tail 1-((8-1/2)/12).

GREAT AMERICAN EGRET.

_ARDEA EGRETTA_, GMEL.

PLATE CCCLXXXVI. MALE.

In the third volume of this work, I have already intimated that the truly elegant Heron which now comes to be described, is a constant resident in the Floridas, that it migrates eastward sometimes as far as the State of Massachusetts, and up the Mississippi to the city of Natchez, and, lastly, that it is never seen far inland, by which I mean that its rambles into the interior seldom extend to more than fifty miles from the sea-shore, unless along the course of our great rivers. I have now to add that on my way to the Texas, in the spring of 1837, I found these birds in several places along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and on several of the islands scattered around that named Galveston, where, as well as in the Floridas, I was told that they spend the winter.

The Great American Egret breeds along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, and our Atlantic States, from Galveston Island in the Texas to the borders of the State of New York, beyond which, although stragglers have been seen, none, in so far as I can ascertain, have been known to breed. In all low districts that are marshy and covered with large trees, on the margins of ponds or lakes, the sides of bayous, or gloomy swamps covered with water, are the places to which it generally resorts during the period of reproduction; although I have in a few instances met with their nests on low trees, and on sandy islands at a short distance from the main land. As early as December I have observed vast numbers congregated, as if for the purpose of making choice of partners, when the addresses of the males were paid in a very curious and to me interesting manner. Near the plantation of JOHN BULOW, Esq. in East Florida, I had the pleasure of witnessing this sort of tournament or dress-ball from a place of concealment not more than a hundred yards distant. The males, in strutting round the females, swelled their throats, as Cormorants do at times, emitted gurgling sounds, and raising their long plumes almost erect, paced majestically before the fair ones of their choice. Although these snowy beaux were a good deal irritated by jealousy, and conflicts now and then took place, the whole time I remained, much less fighting was exhibited than I had expected from what I had already seen in the case of the Great Blue Heron, _Ardea Herodias_. These meetings took place about ten o’clock in the morning, or after they had all enjoyed a good breakfast, and continued until nearly three in the afternoon, when, separating into flocks of eight or ten individuals, they flew off to search for food. These manœuvres were continued nearly a week, and I could with ease, from a considerable distance mark the spot, which was a clear sand-bar, by the descent of the separate small flocks previous to their alighting there.

The flight of this species is in strength intermediate between that of _Ardea Herodias_ and _A. rufescens_, and is well sustained. On foot its movements are as graceful as those of the Louisiana Heron, its steps measured, its long neck gracefully retracted and curved, and its silky train reminded one of the flowing robes of the noble ladies of Europe. The train of this Egret, like that of other species, makes its appearance a few weeks previous to the love season, continues to grow and increase in beauty, until incubation has commenced, after which period it deteriorates, and at length disappears about the time when the young birds leave the nest, when, were it not for the difference in size, it would be difficult to distinguish them from their parents. Should you however closely examine the upper plumage of an old bird of either sex, for both possess the train, you will discover that its feathers still exist, although shortened and deprived of most of their filaments. Similar feathers are seen in all other Herons that have a largely developed train in the breeding season. Even the few plumes hanging from the hind part of the _Ardea Herodias_, _A. Nycticorax_, and _A. violacea_, are subject to the same rule; and it is curious to see these ornaments becoming more or less apparent, according to the latitude in which these birds breed, their growth being completed in the southern part of Florida two months sooner than in our Middle Districts.

The American Egrets leave the Floridas almost simultaneously about the 1st of March, and soon afterwards reach Georgia and South Carolina, but rarely the State of New Jersey, before the middle of May. In these parts the young are able to fly by the 1st of August. On the Mule Keys off the coast of Florida, I have found the young well grown by the 8th of May; but in South Carolina they are rarely hatched until toward the end of that month or the beginning of June. In these more southern parts two broods are often raised in a season, but in the Jerseys there is, I believe, never more than one. While travelling, early in spring, between Savannah in Georgia and Charleston in South Carolina, I saw many of these Egrets on the large rice plantations, and felt some surprise at finding them much wilder at that period of their migrations than after they have settled in some locality for the purpose of breeding. I have supposed this to be caused by the change of their _thoughts_ on such occasions, and am of opinion that birds of all kinds become more careless of themselves. As the strength of their attachment toward their mates or progeny increases through the process of time, as is the case with the better part of our own species, lovers and parents performing acts of heroism, which individuals having no such attachment to each other would never dare to contemplate. In these birds the impulse of affection is so great, that when they have young they allow themselves to be approached, so as often to fall victims to the rapacity of man, who, boasting of reason and benevolence, ought at such a time to respect their devotion.

The American Egrets are much attached to their roosting places, to which they remove from their feeding grounds regularly about an hour before the last glimpse of day; and I cannot help expressing my disbelief in the vulgar notion of birds of this family usually feeding by night, as I have never observed them so doing even in countries where they were most abundant. Before sunset the Egrets and other Herons (excepting perhaps the Bitterns and Night Herons) leave their feeding grounds in small flocks, often composed of only a single family, and proceed on wing in the most direct course, at a moderate height, to some secure retreat more or less distant, according to the danger they may have to guard against. Flock after flock may be seen repairing from all quarters to these places of repose, which one may readily discover by observing their course.

Approach and watch them. Some hundreds have reached the well-known rendezvous. After a few gratulations you see them lower their bodies on the stems of the trees or bushes on which they have alighted, fold their necks, place their heads beneath the scapular feathers, and adjust themselves for repose. Daylight returns, and they are all in motion. The arrangement of their attire is not more neglected by them than by the most fashionable fops, but they spend less time at the toilet. Their rough notes are uttered more loudly than in the evening, and after a very short lapse of time they spread their snowy pinions, and move in different directions, to search for fiddlers, fish, insects of all sorts, small quadrupeds or birds, snails, and reptiles, all of which form the food of this species.

The nest of the Great White Egret, whether placed in a cypress one hundred and thirty feet high, or on a mangrove not six feet above the water, whether in one of those dismal swamps swarming with loathsome reptiles, or by the margin of the clear blue waters that bathe the Keys of Florida, is large, flat, and composed of sticks, often so loosely put together as to make you wonder how it can hold, besides itself, the three young ones which this species and all the larger Herons have at a brood. In a few instances only have I found it compactly built, it being the first nest formed by its owners. It almost always overhangs the water, and is resorted to and repaired year after year by the same pair. The eggs, which are never more than three, measure two inches and a quarter in length, an inch and five-eighths in breadth, and when newly laid are smooth, and of a pale blue colour, but afterwards become roughish and faded. When the nest is placed on a tall tree, the young remain in it, or on its borders, until they are able to fly; but when on a low tree or bush, they leave it much sooner, being capable of moving along the branches without fear of being injured by falling, and knowing that should they slip into the water they can easily extricate themselves by striking with their legs until they reach either the shore or the nearest bush, by clinging to the stem, of which they soon ascend to the top.

This Egret is shy and vigilant at all times, seldom allowing a person to come near unless during the breeding season. If in a rice-field of some extent, and at some distance from its margins, where cover can be obtained, you need not attempt to approach it; but if you are intent on procuring it, make for some tree, and desire your friend to start the bird. If you are well concealed, you may almost depend on obtaining one in a few minutes, for the Egrets will perhaps alight within twenty yards or less of you. Once, when I was very desirous of making a new drawing of this bird, my friend JOHN BACHMAN followed this method, and between us we carried home several superb specimens.

The long plumes of this bird being in request for ornamental purposes, they are shot in great numbers while sitting on their eggs, or soon after the appearance of the young. I know a person who, on offering a double-barrelled gun to a gentlemen near Charleston, for one hundred White Herons fresh killed, received that number and more the next day.

The Great Egret breeds in company with the Anhinga, the Great Blue Heron, and other birds of this family. The Turkey Buzzards and the Crows commit dreadful havoc among its young, as well as those of the other species. My friend JOHN BACHMAN gives me the following account of his visit to one of its breeding places, at the “Round O,” a plantation about forty miles from Charleston: “Our company was composed of BENJAMIN LOGAN, S. LEE, and Dr MARTIN. We were desirous of obtaining some of the Herons as specimens for stuffing, and the ladies were anxious to procure many of their primary feathers for the purpose of making fans. The trees were high, from a hundred to a hundred and thirty feet, and our shot was not of the right size; but we commenced firing at the birds, and soon discovered that we had a prospect of success. Each man took his tree, and loaded and fired as fast as he could. Many of the birds lodged on the highest branches of the cypresses, others fell into the nest, and, in most cases, when shot from a limb, where they had been sitting, they clung to it for some time before they would let go. One thing surprised me: it was the length of time it took for a bird to fall from the place where it was shot, and it fell with a loud noise into the water. Many wounded birds fell some distance off, and we could not conveniently follow them on account of the heavy wading through the place. We brought home with us forty-six of the large White Herons, and three of the great Blues. Many more might have been killed, but we became tired of shooting them.”

ARDEA EGRETTA, _Gmel._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 629.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 694.

ARDEA ALBA, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of United
States, p. 304.

GREAT WHITE HERON, ARDEA EGRETTA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol.
vii. p. 106, pl. 61, fig. 1.

ARDEA EGRETTA, _Wagler_, Syst. Avium,—GREAT WHITE HERON,
_Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 47.

ARDEA LEUCE, _Illiger_, _Lichtenstein_.

Adult Male in Summer. Plate CCCLXXXVI.

Bill much longer than the head, straight, compressed, tapering to a point, the mandibles nearly equal. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, the ridge broad and slightly convex at the base, narrowed and becoming rather acute towards the end, a groove from the base to two-thirds of the length, beneath which the sides are convex, the edges thin and sharp, with a notch close to the acute tip. Nostrils basal, linear, longitudinal, with a membrane above and behind. Lower mandible with the angle extremely narrow and elongated, the dorsal line beyond it ascending and almost straight, the edges sharp and direct, the tip acuminate.

Head small, oblong, compressed. Neck very long and slender. Body slender and compressed. Feet very long, tibia elongated, its lower half bare, slender, covered anteriorly and laterally with hexagonal scales, posteriorly with scutella; tarsus elongated, compressed, covered anteriorly with numerous scutella, some of which are divided laterally and posteriorly with angular scales. Toes of moderate length, rather slender, scutellate above, granulate beneath; third toe considerably longer than the fourth, which exceeds the second; the first large; the claws of moderate length, rather strong, arched, compressed, rather acute, that of the hind toe much larger, the inner edge of that of the third regularly pectinated.

Space between the bill and eye, and around the latter, bare. Plumage soft, blended; the feathers oblong, with their filaments generally disunited, unless on the wings and tail. There is no crest on the head, but the feathers on its upper and hind part are slightly elongated; those on the lower part of the neck anteriorly are elongated; and from between the scapulæ arises a tuft of extremely long, slightly decurved feathers, which extend about ten inches beyond the end of the tail, and have the shaft slightly undulated, the filaments long and distant. The wing is of moderate length; the primaries tapering but rounded, the second and third longest, the first slightly shorter than the fourth; the secondaries broad and rounded, some of the inner as long as the longest primaries, when the wing is closed. Tail very short, small, slightly rounded, of twelve rather weak feathers.

Bill bright yellow, as is the bare space between it and the eye; iris pale yellow; feet and claws black. The plumage is pure white.

Length to end of tail 37 inches, to end of claws 49, to end of wings 57-1/4, to carpus 23-1/2, to end of dorsal plumes 57; bill along the ridge 4-7/12, along the edge of lower mandible 5-5/12; wing from flexure 16-1/2; tail 6-1/4; extent of wings 55; bare part of tibia 3-1/2; tarsus 6-1/12; hind toe 1-1/2, its claw 1-2/12; second toe 2-8/12, its claw 7/12; third toe 3-11/12, its claw 9/12; fourth toe 3-2/12, its claw (7-1/2)/12. Weight 2-1/4 lb.

The Female is similar to the male, but somewhat smaller.

The roof of the mouth is slightly concave, with a median and two lateral longitudinal ridges, the palate convex, the posterior aperture of the nares linear, without an anterior slit. The mouth is rather narrow, measuring only 8 twelfths across, but is dilatable to 1-1/2 inch, the branches of the lower mandible being very elastic. The aperture of the ear is very small, being 2 twelfths in diameter, and roundish. The œsophagus is 2 feet 2 inches long, 1 inch and 4 twelfths in diameter, extremely thin, the longitudinal fibres within the transverse, the inner coat raised into numerous longitudinal ridges. The œsophagus continues of uniform diameter, and passes as it were directly into the stomach, there being no enlargement at its termination indicative of the proventriculus, which however exists, but in a modified form, there being at the termination of the gullet eight longitudinal series of large mucous crypts, about half an inch long, and immediately afterwards a continuous belt, 1-1/2 inch in breadth, of small cylindrical mucous crypts with minute apertures. Beyond this the stomach forms a hemispherical sac 1-1/2 inch in diameter, of a membranous structure, having externally beneath the cellular coat a layer of slender muscular fibres, convex towards two roundish tendons, and internally a soft, thin, smooth lining, perforated by innumerable minute apertures of glandules. The intestine is very long and extremely slender, measuring 6 feet 7 inches in length, its average diameter 2 twelfths. The rectum, _b d f_, is 3 inches long; the cloaca, _d e f_, globular, 1-1/2 inch in diameter; the cœcum, _c_, single, as in the other Herons, 3 twelfths long, and nearly 2 twelfths in diameter.

The trachea is 1 foot 9-1/4 inches long, of nearly uniform diameter, flattened a little for about half its length, its greatest breadth 3-1/2 twelfths; the rings 285, the last four rings divided and arched. The contractor muscles are extremely thin, the sterno-tracheal moderate, and coming off at the distance of 1 inch from the lower extremity, from which place also there proceeds to the two last rings a pair of slender inferior laryngeal muscles. The bronchi are very short, of about two half rings.

TAPAYAXIN.

The animal represented on the plate is the _Tapayaxin_ of Hernandez, _Phrynosoma orbicularis_ of WIEGMANN, _Tapaya orbicularis_ of CUVIER. The specimen from which it was drawn was entrusted to my care by my friend RICHARD HARLAN, M. D., to whom it was presented by Mr NUTTALL, who found it in California. A notice respecting this species by Dr HARLAN will be found in the American Journal of Science and Arts, vol. xxxi.

GLOSSY IBIS.

_IBIS FALCINELLUS_, VIEILL.

PLATE CCCLXXXVII. MALE.

The first intimation of the existence of this beautiful species of Ibis within the limits of the United States is due to Mr GEORGE ORD of Philadelphia, the friend and companion of the celebrated ALEXANDER WILSON. It was described by him in the first volume of the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. He states that “on the seventh of May of the present year (1817), Mr THOMAS SAY received from Mr ORAM, of Great Egg Harbour, a fine specimen of _Tantalus_, which had been shot there. It is the first instance which has come to my knowledge of this species having been found in the United States. I was informed that a recent specimen of this bird was, likewise in the month of May, presented to the Baltimore Museum, and that two individuals were killed in the district of Columbia.” In the sequel Mr ORD compares it with Dr LATHAM’s account of the _Tantalus Mexicanus_ of that author, and conjectures that it is the same.

It is not a little curious to see the changes of opinion that have taken place within these few years among naturalists who have thought of comparing American and European specimens of the birds which have been alleged to be the same in both continents. The Prince of MUSIGNANO, for example, who has given a figure of the very individual mentioned by Mr ORD, thought at the time when he published the fourth volume of his continuation of WILSON’s American Ornithology, that our Glossy Ibis was the one described by the older European writers under the name of _Ibis Falcinellus_. Now, however, having altered his notions so far as to seem desirous of proving that the same species of bird cannot exist on both the continents, he has latterly produced it anew under the name of _Ibis Ordi_. This new name I cannot with any degree of propriety adopt. I consider it no compliment to the discoverer of a bird to reject the name which he has given it, even for the purpose of calling it after himself.