Illustration: Blue Jay.

The _Meadow Lark_ is a well-known agreeable bird, living in meadows,

and is found throughout the states. There are two species of titmouse,

the _Tufted_, and the _Black-capt Titmouse_. The _Cedar Bird_ is a

small and very beautiful creature, with a soft silky plumage, and crest

of a bright brownish gray; it feeds on cherries, and whortle-berries,

and late in the season on persimmons, small winter grapes, and other

fruits.

The _Great American Shrike_ is common in the northern parts of the

continent, but sometimes summers in New England and Pennsylvania. He

feeds on grasshoppers, spiders, and small birds, and after satisfying

hunger, impales his remaining victims on thorns. When his supply of

fresh game is abundant, he leaves his stores to dry up and decay. He is

fearless, and will attack even the eagle in defence of his young. The

_Loggerhead Shrike_ is a species strongly resembling the one described.

Illustration: Great American Shrike.

The _Tyrant Flycatcher_, or _Kingbird_, is the field martin of Maryland

and some of the southern states, and the kingbird of Pennsylvania and

several of the northern districts. The trivial name king, as well as

tyrant, has been bestowed on this bird for its extraordinary behavior

in breeding time, and for the authority it assumes over all other

birds. His extreme affection for his mate, nest, and young, makes him

suspicious of every bird that comes near his residence, so that he

attacks every intruder without discrimination; his life at this season

is one continued scene of broils and battles; in which, however, he

generally comes off conqueror. Hawks and crows, the bald eagle, and the

great black eagle, all equally dread a rencontre with this merciless

champion, who, as soon as he perceives one of these last approaching,

launches into the air to meet him, mounts to a considerable height

above him, and darts down on his back, sometimes fixing there to the

great annoyance of his sovereign, who, if no convenient retreat be

near, endeavors by various evolutions to rid himself of his merciless

adversary; but the kingbird is not so easily dismounted. He teazes the

eagle incessantly, sweeps upon him and remounts that he may descend on

his back with greater violence; all the while keeping up a shrill and

rapid twittering. The purple martin, however, is sometimes more than a

match for him. The general color of this bird is a dark slaty ash, the

throat and lower parts are pure white; the plumage on the head, though

not forming a crest, is frequently erected, and discovers a rich bed of

orange color, called by the country people his crown; when the feathers

lie close, this is concealed.

The other principal Flycatchers are, the _Great-crested_, _Arkansas_,

_Fork-tailed_, _Swallow-tailed_, _Says_, _Pewit_, and _Olive-sided_;

the last first described by Mr. Nuttall in his valuable work, from a

specimen obtained at Mount Auburn, now the celebrated cemetery in the

neighborhood of Boston.

The _Mocking Bird_ is peculiar to the new world, and is found in much

larger numbers in the southern than the northern states of the Union.

A warm climate and low country seem to be most congenial to its nature.

It feeds on berries and insects. ‘The mocking bird,’ says Wilson, whose

description has never been surpassed, ‘builds his nest in different

places, according to the latitude in which he resides. A solitary

thorn bush; an almost impenetrable thicket; an orange tree, cedar,

or holly bush, are favorite spots. Always ready to defend, but never

over anxious to conceal his nest, he very often builds within a small

distance of a house; and not unfrequently in a pear or apple tree,

rarely higher than six or seven feet from the ground. The nest is

composed of dry twigs, weeds, straw, wool and tow, ingeniously put

together, and lined with fine fibrous roots. During the time when the

female is sitting, neither cat, dog, man, or any animal can approach

the nest without being attacked. But the whole vengeance of the bird

is directed against his mortal enemy the black snake. Whenever this

reptile is discovered, the male darts upon it with the rapidity of

an arrow, dextrously eluding its bite, and striking it violently and

incessantly against the head, where it is very vulnerable. The snake

soon becomes sensible of his danger, and seeks to escape; but the

intrepid bird redoubles his exertions, and as the snake’s strength

begins to flag, he seizes and lifts it up from the ground, beating it

with his wings, and when the business is completed, he returns to his

nest, mounts the summit of the bush, and pours out a torrent of song

in token of victory.

Illustration: Mocking Birds.

‘The plumage of the mocking bird has nothing gaudy or brilliant in

it, but that which so strongly recommends him, is his full, strong

and musical voice, capable of almost every modulation, from the mellow

tones of the woodthrush, to the savage screams of the bald eagle. In

his native groves, mounted on the top of a tall bush, in the dawn of

a dewy morning, while the woods are already vocal with a multitude of

warblers, his admirable song rises pre-eminent over every competitor.

The ear can listen to his music alone. Nor is the strain altogether

imitative. His own native notes are bold and full, and varied seemingly

beyond all limits. They consist of short expressions of two, three,

or five and six syllables, generally interspersed with imitations, all

of them uttered with great emphasis and rapidity, and continued for

an hour at a time with undiminished ardor; his expanded wings and tail

glistening with white, and the buoyant gaiety of his action arresting

the eye, as his song most irresistibly does the ear. He sweeps round

with enthusiastic ecstasy――he mounts and descends as his song swells or

dies away――and, as Mr. Bartram has beautifully expressed it, “he bounds

aloft with the celerity of an arrow, as if to recover or recall his

very soul, expired in the last elevated strain.” While thus exerting

himself, a bystander would suppose that the whole feathered tribes had

assembled together on a trial for skill――so perfect are his imitations.

‘The mocking bird loses little of the power and energy of his song by

confinement. In his domesticated state, when he commences his career

of song, it is impossible to stand by uninterested. He whistles for the

dog; Cæsar starts up, wags his tail, and runs to meet his master. He

squeaks out like a hurt chicken, and the hen hurries about with hanging

wings and bristling feathers, clucking to protect her injured brood.

The barking of the dog, the mewing of the cat, the creaking of the

passing wheelbarrow, follow with great truth and rapidity. He repeats

the tune taught him by his master, though of considerable length, fully

and faithfully. He runs over the quiverings of the canary, and the

clear whistlings of the Virginia nightingale, or red bird, with such

superior execution and effect, that the mortified songsters feel their

own inferiority, and become silent, while he seems to triumph in their

defeat by redoubling his exertions.’

_Warblers._――The _Summer Yellow Bird_, or _Warbler_, is a brilliant and

common species, found in every part of the American continent; he is

about five inches in length, with an upper plumage of greenish yellow,

and wings and tail deep brown, edged with yellow. He is a lively and

familiar bird, and a great ornament to the gardens and orchards. His

nest is built with great neatness in the fork of a small shrub. It

is composed of flax or tow, strongly twisted round the twigs, and

lined with hair and the down of fern. This interesting little bird will

feign lameness to draw one from his nest, fluttering feebly along, and

looking back to see if he is followed. His notes are few and shrill,

hardly deserving the name of a song. There is a very great variety

belonging to the family of warblers, of which we can only allude to the

_Prairie_, _Hemlock_, _Pine-swamp_, _Blue-mountain_, _Chesnut-sided_,

_Mourning_, and _Blue-winged Warbler_.

_Ferruginous Thrush._――This is the Brown Thrush or Thrasher of the

middle and eastern states, and the French Mocking-Bird of Maryland,

Virginia, and the Carolinas. It is the largest of all our thrushes,

and is a well-known and distinguished songster, and from the tops

of hedge rows, apple or cherry trees, he salutes the opening morning

with his charming song, which is loud, emphatical and full of variety.

These notes are not imitative, but solely his own. He is an active and

vigorous bird, flying generally low from one thicket to another, with

his long broad tail spread out like a fan; he has a single note or

chuck when you approach his nest.

Illustration: Ferruginous Thrush.

There is a very numerous variety of thrushes in the states, of

which the best known are the _Cat Bird_, _Robin_, _Wood_, _Little_ or

_Hermit_, _Wilson’s_, and the _Golden-crowned Thrush_.

_Wren._――The _House Wren_, throughout the states, is a well-known and

familiar bird, who builds his nest sometimes under the eaves, or in a

hollow cherry tree; but most commonly in small boxes fixed on a pole,

for his accommodation. He will even put up with an old hat, and if

this also is denied him, he will find some hole or crevice, about the

house or barn, rather than abandon the dwellings of man. A mower once

hung up his coat, under a shed near a barn; two or three days elapsed

before he had occasion to put it on; thrusting his arm up the sleeve,

he found it completely filled with some rubbish as he expressed it,

and on extracting the whole mass, found it to be the nest of a wren,

completely finished and lined with a large quantity of feathers. In his

retreat he was followed by the forlorn little proprietors, who scolded

him with great vehemence, for thus ruining the whole economy of their

domestic affairs.

The immense number of insects which this sociable little bird removes

from the garden and fruit trees ought to endear him to every cultivator;

and his notes, loud, sprightly and tremulous, are extremely agreeable.

Its food is insects and caterpillars, and while supplying the wants

of its young it destroys, on an average, many hundreds a day. It is a

bold and insolent bird against those that venture to build within its

jurisdiction; attacking them without hesitation, though twice its size,

and compelling them to decamp. Even the blue bird, when attacked by

this little impertinent, soon relinquishes the contest: with those of

his own species, also, he has frequent squabbles. The varieties of the

wren are very numerous.

The _Blue Bird_, is a familiar favorite throughout the continent. It

is migratory, and his return is hailed in the northern states as the

first presage of spring. ‘Towards autumn,’ says Mr. Nuttall, ‘in the

month of October, his cheerful song nearly ceases, and is now changed

into a single plaintive note. Even when the leaves have fallen, and the

forest no longer affords a shelter from the blast, the faithful blue

bird still lingers over his native fields, and only takes his departure

in November, when, at a considerable elevation, in the early twilight

of the morning, till the opening of the day, they wing their way in

small roving troops to some milder regions in the south.’

_Tanagers._――The _Tanagers_ are gaudy birds, which annually visit the

republic from the torrid regions of the south. The _Scarlet Tanager_

is perhaps the most showy. He spreads himself over the United States,

and is found even in Canada. He rarely approaches the habitations

of man, unless perhaps in the orchard, where he sometimes builds; or

in the cherry trees in search of fruit; the depth of the wood is his

favorite abode. Among all the birds that inhabit our woods, there is

none that strikes the eye of a stranger, or even a native, with so much

brilliancy as this. Seen among the green leaves, with the light falling

strongly on his plumage, he is really beautiful. Another species, the

summer red bird, delights in a flat sandy country, covered with wood,

and interspersed with pine trees; and is, consequently, more numerous

towards the shores of the Atlantic than in the interior.

Illustration: Tanager.

_Finches._――The _Song Sparrow_ is the most generally diffused over

the United States, and is the most numerous of all our sparrows; and it

is far the earliest, sweetest, and most lasting songster. Many of them

remain during the whole winter in close-sheltered meadows and swamps.

It is the first singing bird in spring. Its song continues through the

summer and fall, and is sometimes heard even in the depths of winter.

The notes or chant are short but very sweet, and frequently repeated,

from a small bush or tree, where it sits chanting for an hour together.

It is fond of frequenting the borders of rivers, meadows and swamps;

and, if wounded and unable to fly, will readily take to the water, and

swim with considerable rapidity. There are other familiar species of

sparrows, as the _Chipping_, _Field_, and _Tree_, _Yellow-winged_, and

_White-throated_ sparrows.

The _Indigo Bird_ is numerous in the middle and eastern states,

and in the Carolinas and Georgia. Its favorite haunts are about

gardens, fields of clover, borders of woods, and road sides, where it

is frequently seen perched on fences. In its manners it is extremely

neat and active, and a vigorous and pretty good songster. It mounts to

the tops of the highest trees, and chants for half an hour at a time.

Its song is not one continued strain, but a repetition of short notes,

commencing loud and rapid, and falling by slow gradations till they

seem hardly articulate, as if the little minstrel were quite exhausted;

but after a pause of half a minute, it commences again as before.

Notwithstanding the beauty of his plumage, and the vivacity of his song,

the indigo bird is seldom seen domesticated. Its nest is built in a low

bush among rank grass, grain, or clover, suspended by two twigs, one

passing up each side, and is composed of flax, and lined with grass.

This bird is five inches long, the whole body of a rich sky-blue,

deepening in color toward the head, and sometimes varying to green.

The _Yellow Bird_, or _Goldfinch_, bears a great resemblance to the

canary, and in song is like the goldfinch of Britain, but it is in

general weak. In the spring, they associate in flocks, to bask and

dress themselves in the morning sun, singing in concert for half an

hour together; the confused mingling of their notes forming a kind

of harmony not at all unpleasant. Their flight is not direct, but

in alternate risings and sinkings, twittering as they fly at each

successive impulse of the wings. They search the gardens in numbers,

in quest of seeds, and pass by various names, such as lettuce-bird,

sallad-bird, thistle-bird, yellow-bird. They are very easily tamed.

The goldfinch is four inches and a half in length: the male is of a

rich lemon color. The wings and tail are black, edged with white. In

the fall, this color changes to a brown olive, which is the constant

color of the female. They build a nest in the twigs of an apple tree,

neatly formed of lichen and soft downy substances.

The _Cardinal Grosbeak_ is one of our most common cage birds, and is

very generally known both in this country and in Europe. Numbers of

them have been carried to England and France, in which last country

they are called Virginia nightingales. They have great clearness and

variety of tones; many of which resemble the clear notes of the fife,

and are nearly as loud. They begin in the spring at daybreak, and

repeat a favorite passage twenty or thirty times. The sprightly figure

and gaudy plumage of this bird, with his vivacity and strength of voice,

must always make him a favorite.

The _Crossbill_ is an inhabitant of almost all the pine forests

situated north of forty degrees, from the beginning of September to

the middle of April. The great pine swamp in Pennsylvania appears to

be their favorite rendezvous. They then appear in large flocks, feeding

on the seeds of the hemlock and white pine; have a loud, sharp, and

not unmusical note; chatter as they fly; alight during the prevalence

of the deep snows before the door of the hunter, and around the house,

picking off the clay with which the logs are plastered, and searching

in corners where any substance of a saline nature had been thrown. At

such times, they are so tame as only to settle on the roof of the cabin

when disturbed, and a moment after, descend to feed as before. They are

then easily caught in traps. When kept in a cage, they have many of the

habits of the parrot, often climbing along the wires, and using their

feet to grasp the cones in, while taking out the seeds.

_Carolina Parrot._――This is the only species of parrot found native

within the territory of the United States. The vast luxuriant tracts

lying within the torrid zone seem to be the favorite residence of

those noisy, numerous and richly plumaged tribes. The Carolina parrot

inhabits the interior of Louisiana and the shores of the Mississippi

and Ohio, east of the Alleghanies. It is seldom seen north of Maryland.

Their private places of resort are low, rich, alluvial bottoms along

the borders of creeks; deep and almost impenetrable swamps filled with

sycamore and cypress trees, and the _salines_ or _licks_ interspersed

over the western country. Here too is a great abundance of their

favorite fruits. The seeds of the cypress tree and beech nuts are

eagerly sought after by these birds.

Illustration: Carolina Parrot.

The flight of the Carolina parrot is very much like that of the wild

pigeon, in close compact bodies, moving with great rapidity, making a

loud and outrageous screaming, like that of the red-headed woodpecker.

Their flight is sometimes in a direct line, but most usually circuitous,

making a great variety of elegant and easy serpentine meanders, as

if for pleasure. They generally roost in the hollow trunks of old

sycamores, in parties of thirty or forty together. Here they cling fast

to the sides of the tree, holding by their claws and bills. They appear

to be fond of sleep, and often retire to their holes during the day,

probably to take their regular _siesta_. They are extremely social and

friendly towards each other.

The _Yellow-billed Cuckoo_ is not abundant any where; but it is

found far north, though preferring a residence in the southern states.

It feeds on berries and insects of various kinds. ‘In autumn,’ says

Mr. Audubon, ‘they eat many grapes, and I have seen them supporting

themselves by a momentary motion of their wings opposite a bunch, as if

selecting the ripest, when they would seize it and return to a branch,

repeating their visits in this manner, until satiated. They now and

then descend to the ground, to pick up a wood-snail or a beetle. They

are extremely awkward at walking, and move in an ambling manner, or

leap along sidewise, for which the shortness of their legs is an ample

excuse. They are seldom seen perched conspicuously on a twig, but on

the contrary are generally to be found amongst the thickest boughs and

foliage, where they emit their notes until late in autumn, at which

time they discontinue them.’ It is shy and cowardly, robbing small

birds of their eggs.

_Woodpeckers._――The _Red-headed Woodpecker_ is universally known

from his striking and characteristic plumage, and the frequency of his

depredations in the orchards and corn-fields. Towards the mountains,

particularly in the vicinity of creeks and rivers, these birds are

extremely abundant, especially in the latter part of the summer.

Wherever you travel in the interior at that season, you hear them

screaming from the adjoining woods, rattling on the dead limbs of trees,

or on the fences, where they are perpetually seen flitting from stake

to stake on the roadside before you. Wherever there are trees of the

wild cherry, covered with ripe fruit, there you see them busy among the

branches; and in passing orchards, you may easily know where to find

the sweetest apples, by observing those trees on or near which this

bird is skulking; for he is so excellent a connoisseur in fruit, that

wherever an apple or pear is found broached by him, it is sure to be

among the ripest and best flavored. When alarmed, he seizes a capital

one by sticking his open bill deep into it, and bears it off to the

woods. When the Indian corn is in its ripe, succulent, and milky

state, he attacks it with great eagerness, opening a passage through

the numerous folds of the husk, and feeding on it with voracity. The

girdled or leadened timber, so common among the corn-fields in the

back settlements, are his favorite retreats, whence he sallies out

to make his depredations. He is fond of the ripe berries of the sour

gum, and pays regular visits to the cherry trees, when loaded with

fruit. Towards fall, he often approaches the barn or farm house, and

raps on the shingles and weather-boards. He is of a gay and frolicsome

disposition; and half a dozen of the fraternity are frequently seen

diving and vociferating round the high dead limbs of some tree,

pursuing and playing with each other, amusing the passenger with their

gambols. Their note or cry is shrill and lively, and so much resembles

that of a species of tree-frog, which frequents the same tree, that it

is sometimes difficult to distinguish the one from the other.

Illustration: Red-headed Woodpecker.

The _Ivory-billed Woodpecker_ breeds in the Carolinas, and in

strength and magnitude stands at the head of the tribe. He lives in

the cypress swamps, seeking the tops of the most towering trees; his

bill is like polished ivory, and his crest a superb carmine. His eye

is brilliant and daring, and his manners are said to be dignified and

noble. Among the other American birds of this tribe are the _Pileated_,

_Yellow-bellied_, _Golden-winged_, and _Red-bellied Woodpeckers_.

_Nuthatch._――The _White-breasted Nuthatch_ is found almost every where

in the woods of North America; his whole upper plumage is light-blue

or lead, the under parts are white, and the crown of the head, black.

Ants, seeds, insects, and larvæ, form his principal subsistence. There

are two other species of this bird found in the United States.

The _Ruby-throated Humming Bird_ is the only species of the genus found

in the limits of the states, though there are upwards of one hundred in

America. Its approach to the north is regulated by the advance of the

season. He is extremely fond of tubular flowers, particularly of the

blossoms of the trumpet flower. When arrived before a thicket of these,

that are full blown, he suspends himself on wing for the space of two

or three seconds, so steadily that his wings become almost invisible;

the glossy golden green of his back, and the fire of his throat,

dazzling in the sun, form altogether an interesting spectacle. When he

alights, he prefers the small dead twigs of a bush, where he dresses

and arranges his plumage with great dexterity. His flight from flower

to flower greatly resembles that of a bee, but is infinitely more

rapid. He poises himself on wing, while he thrusts his long slender

tongue into the flowers in search of food. He sometimes enters a room

by the window, examines the bouquets of flowers, and passes out by the

opposite door or window. He feeds on the honey extracted from flowers,

and on insects.

‘The old and young,’ says Mr. Nuttall, ‘are soon reconciled to

confinement. In an hour after the loss of liberty, the little cheerful

captive will often come and suck diluted honey, or sugar and water,

from the flowers held out to it; and in a few hours more, it becomes

tame enough to sip its favorite beverage from a saucer, in the interval

flying backwards and forwards in the room for mere exercise, and then

resting on some neighboring elevated object. In dark or rainy weather,

they seem to pass the time chiefly dozing or on the perch. They are

also soon so familiar as to come to the hand that feeds them. In cold

nights, or at the approach of frost, the pulsation of this little

dweller in the sunbeam becomes nearly as low as in the torpid state of

the dormouse; but on applying warmth, the almost stagnant circulation

revives, and slowly increases to the usual state.’

_Belted Kingfisher._――This is the only species of its tribe found

within the United States, where it frequents the banks of all the

fresh water rivers from Maine to Florida. His voice is loud, rattling,

and sudden. His flight is rapid, and is sometimes prolonged to very

considerable distances. He follows up the course of the rivers to their

very fountains, and his presence is a sign of abundant fish. Mill-ponds,

where the water is calm, are favorite resorts of this bird, and its

eggs are generally found in places not far from a mill worked by water.

The kingfisher, for many successive years, returns to the same hole to

breed and roost. Its flesh is oily and disagreeable.

Illustration: Belted Kingfisher.

_Swallows._――The beautiful _Purple Martin_ is a great favorite of man

in all parts of the country. The farmer prepares a little house for

him, the Indian hollows a calabash, and as either mansion is to him

indifferent, so is he equally acceptable to the husbandman and the

hunter. Year after year he returns to the same mansion. In the middle

states, the martins prepare their nest about the third week in April,

and they rear two broods in the season. There are several other species,

such as the _Barn_, _Cliff_, _White-bellied_, and _Chimney_.

_Night-Hawks._――The _Whip-poor-will_ is a remarkable nocturnal bird

migratory through nearly the extent of the states. It is well known

for its sad and peculiar song. The _Chuck-will’s Widow_ is seldom found

north of Virginia, and is particularly numerous in the vast forests

of the Mississippi. Its note is strikingly different from that of the

whip-poor-will. In sound and articulation it seems plainly to express

the words which have been applied to it, pronouncing every syllable

leisurely, and distinctly, putting the principal emphasis on the last

word. In a still evening it may be heard at the distance of nearly a

mile; the tones of its voice being strong and full.

The flight of this bird is slow, skimming about the surface of the

ground, frequently settling on old logs or on the fences, and from

thence sweeping around in pursuit of various insects that fly in the

night. Like the whip-poor-will, it prefers the declivities of glens,

and other deeply shaded places, making the mountains resound with

echoes the whole evening.

_Pigeons._――The _Passenger Pigeon_ is the most remarkable American

species. The head, throat, and upper parts of the body are ash colored;

the sides of the neck are of a glossy variable purple; and there is a

crimson mark round the eyes. These birds visit the different parts of

North America in immense flocks. The most important facts connected

with their habits relate to their extraordinary associations and

migrations. No other species known to naturalists is more calculated

to attract the attention of either the citizen or the stranger, as he

has opportunity of viewing both of these characteristic habits while

they are passing from north to south, east and west, and, _vice versa_,

over and across the whole extent of the United States of America. These

migrations are owing entirely to the dire necessity of providing food,

and not merely to escape the severity of a northern latitude, or seek a

southern one for the purpose of breeding. They consequently do not take

place at any fixed period or season of the year. Indeed, it happens

sometimes that a continuance of a sufficient supply of food in one

district will keep these birds absent from another for years.

Illustration: Passenger Pigeon.

Their rapidity of flight is wonderful. Pigeons have been killed in the

neighborhood of New York, with their crops full of the rice they must

have collected in the plantations of the Carolinas, or Georgia, and the

flight necessary to account for this circumstance has been estimated at

a mile a minute. Another well-known bird of this tribe is the _Carolina

Pigeon_.

_Wild Turkey._――This splendid bird is found from the North-West

territory to the isthmus of Panama. They abound in the forests and

unsettled parts of the Union, but are very rare in the northern and

eastern parts. They were formerly abundant in Canada; but as their

places of resort become settled and thickly peopled, they retire and

seek refuge in the remotest recesses of the interior. In New England,

it appears to have been destroyed many years ago; but it is still found

in the eastern parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Illustration: Wild Turkey.

These birds do not confine themselves to any particular food, but eat

corn, berries, grapes, barley, tadpoles, young frogs and lizards. Their

favorite food, however, is the pecan nut and acorn. Where there is an

abundant crop of acorns, numerous flocks of turkeys may be expected.

In the fall, they direct their courses in vast numbers to the rich

lands on the borders of the Ohio and Mississippi. Before crossing a

river, they assemble on the highest eminences, and remain there as if

in consultation for a day or two. At length, after due preparation, the

leader gives a signal note, and they all wing their way to the opposite

shore. Some of the young and weak fall into the water, and many perish.

It is observed that after these journeys, the turkeys are so familiar,

that they fearlessly enter the plantations, in search of food. Great

numbers are killed at this time, and kept in a frozen state to be sent

to distant markets.

Illustration: Wild Turkeys.

The flesh of the wild turkey is of excellent flavor, being more

delicate and juicy than that of the domestic turkey; the Indians value

it so highly, that they term it, when roasted, ‘the white man’s dish.’

The male of the wild turkey is nearly four feet in length; the female

is only three feet and a quarter long. The plumage of the male is

very brilliant, and of a variety of hues; that of the female is not

so beautiful.[53]

_The Quail._――The American quail is found throughout the union;

and though in form and general appearance it somewhat resembles the

European quail, the two birds differ very widely in their habits. The

food of the quail consists of grain, seed and insects, but buckwheat

and Indian corn are its favorites. The flight of this bird is

accompanied with a loud whizzing sound, occasioned by the shortness of

their wings and the rapidity with which they move. During winter, they

often suffer severely from the inclemency of the weather, and whole

coveys are found frozen in spots where they had endeavored to shelter

themselves.

Illustration: Quail.

_Grouse._――The Ruffed Grouse is the partridge of the eastern states,

and the pheasant of Pennsylvania and the southern districts. It is

known in almost every quarter of the United States, and appears to

inhabit a very extensive range of country. Its favorite places of

resort are high mountains covered with the balsam, pine, hemlock, and

such like evergreens. Unlike the pinnated grouse, it always prefers

the woods; is seldom or never found in open plains, but loves the

pine-sheltered declivities of mountains near streams of water. In the

lower parts of Georgia, Carolina, and Florida, they are very seldom

observed; but as we advance inland to the mountains, they again make

their appearance. The _Sharp-tailed Grouse_, the _Dusky Grouse_, and

the _Cock of the Plains_, are other species of this tribe.

The _Woodcock_, in its general figure and habits, greatly resembles

the woodcock of Europe, but is considerably less, and very differently

marked. This bird is universally known to our sportsmen. During the

day they keep to the woods and thickets, and at the approach of evening

seek the springs and open watery places to feed in. In hot weather,

they descend to the marshy shores of our rivers, their favorite springs

and watery recesses inland being dried up. To the former of these

retreats they are pursued by sportsmen, flushed by dogs, and shot down

in great numbers. The woodcock is properly a nocturnal bird, feeding

chiefly at night, and seldom stirring about till after sunset; at such

times he rises by a kind of spiral course to a considerable height

in the air, uttering at times a sudden quack, till having gained his

utmost height, he hovers round in a wild irregular manner, making a

sort of murmuring sound, then descends with rapidity as he rose.

_Ducks._――The _Canvass-back Duck_ is peculiar to this country, and a

witty gourmand of England, who made the tour of the states, thinks it

the only production of nature or art of which America can with reason

be proud. It was known to the epicure, long before it was described by

the naturalist. Arriving in the United States from the north, about the

middle of October, its chief place of resort is about the waters which

flow into Chesapeak bay. On its first arrival it is lean, but from

the abundance of its favorite food, it soon becomes fat. This bird is

sometimes found in numbers so great as to cover acres.[54]

Illustration: Canvass-Back Duck.

Among the American birds of this tribe are the _Eider Duck_, _Black_ or

_Surf Duck_, _Ruddy Duck_, _Golden-eye_, _Buffel-headed Duck_, _Tufted

Duck_, _Teal_ and some others. The _Wood_ or _Summer Duck_, is the most

beautiful bird of its kind in the world. Its head is adorned with a

beautiful crest, and its plumage is most beautifully variegated. Its

favorite places of resort are the border of ponds and lakes; but it

passes the summer in the woods. It nestles in hollow trees, and when

taken may be easily tamed.

Illustration: Summer Duck.

_Wild Goose._――The common wild goose is well known over the whole

of the United States, and its periodical migrations are sure signs

of returning spring or approaching winter. Its flight is heavy and

laborious. When in good order this bird weighs from ten to fourteen

pounds, and yields about half a pound of feathers. Mr. Wilson relates

the following interesting anecdote.

Illustration: Wild Geese.

‘Mr. Platt, a respectable farmer on Long Island, being out shooting in

one of the bays which in that part of the country abound in water-fowl,

wounded a wild goose. Being unable to fly, he caught it, and brought

it home alive. It proved to be a female, and turning it into the yard

with a flock of tame geese, it soon became quite familiar, and in a

little time its wounded wing entirely healed. In the following spring,

when the wild geese migrate to the northward, a flock passed over

Mr. Platt’s barn yard, and just at that moment, their leader, happening

to sound his bugle note, our goose, in whom its new habits had not

quite extinguished the love of liberty, and remembering the well-known

sound, spread its wings, mounted into the air, joined the travellers,

and soon disappeared. In the succeeding autumn, the wild geese, as

usual, returned from the northward, in great numbers, to pass the

winter in our bays and rivers. Mr. Platt happened to be standing in

his yard, when a flock passed directly over his barn. At that instant,

he observed three geese detach themselves from the rest, and after

wheeling round several times, alight in the middle of the yard. Imagine

his surprise and pleasure, when, by certain well-remembered signs,

he recognised in one of the three his long-lost fugitive. It was she

indeed! She had travelled many hundred miles to the lakes; had there

hatched and reared her offspring; and had now returned with her little

family, to share with them the sweets of civilized life.’

_Wild Swan._――This bird is found widely spread over the whole of the

northern continent. During the winter, great numbers of them resort to

the Chesapeak bay, and whilst there, form collections of from one to

five hundred on the flats near the western shore. These birds are so

exceedingly vigilant, that if but three of them are feeding together,

one will generally be on guard, and when danger approaches, the alarm

is given. While feeding and dressing, they make much noise, and through

the night their vociferations can be heard for several miles. Their

notes are extremely varied; some resembling the deepest base of the

common tin horn, others running through the various modulations of the

clarionet. The swan is five or six years in reaching its perfect growth.

The aborigines employ the skin of this bird in making dresses for their

women of rank, and the feathers as ornaments for the head.[55]

Illustration: Wild Swan.

_Rail._――This bird belongs to a genus of which naturalists enumerate

about thirty species, distributed over almost every region of the earth.

Their general character is every where the same. They run swiftly, fly

slowly, and usually with the legs hanging down, are fond of concealment,

and become at seasons extremely fat. The common American rail is

migratory. It is feeble and delicate in every thing but the legs, which

are strong and vigorous; their bodies are so remarkably thin that they

are enabled to pass between the reeds like rats. They disappear on the

first severe frost, from their usual residence along the reedy shores

of the Delaware, and so sudden is their departure that no one knows how

or when it is made.

Illustration: American Rail.

_Plovers._――The _Black-bellied Plover_ is known in some parts of this

country by the name of the large whistling field plover; the gunners

along the coast call them the black-bellied plover. In Pennsylvania,

this bird frequents the countries towards the mountains; seems

particularly attached to newly ploughed fields, where it forms its nest,

of a few slight materials, as slightly put together. It is an extremely

shy and watchful bird, though clamorous during breeding time.

The _Kildeer Plover_ is known to almost every inhabitant of the

United States, being a common and pretty constant resident. During

the severity of winter, when snow covers the ground, it retreats to

the seashore, where it is found at all seasons; but no sooner have the

rivers broken up than its shrill note is again heard, either soaring

about high in the air, tracing the shore of the river, or running

amidst the watery flats and meadows.

_Flamingo._――This bird is common on the south frontiers of the states,

and the peninsula of East Florida. When the Europeans first came to

America, they found this bird on several shores on either continent

gentle, and no way distrustful of mankind. When the fowler had killed

one, the rest of the flock, far from attempting to fly, only regarded

the fall of their companion in a kind of fixed astonishment: another

and another shot was discharged; and thus the fowler often levelled the

whole flock, before one of them began to think of escaping.

But at present it is very different in that part of the world; and the

flamingo is not only one of the scarcest, but one of the shyest birds

in the world, and the most difficult of approach. They chiefly keep

near the most deserted and inhospitable shores; near salt water lakes

and swampy islands. When seen by mariners in the day, they always

appear drawn up in a long close line, of two or three hundred together;

and present, at the distance of half a mile, the exact representation

of a long brick wall. This line, however, is broken when they seek

for food; but they always appoint one of the number as a watch, whose

only employment is to observe and give notice of danger while the rest

are feeding. As soon as this trusty sentinel perceives the remotest

appearance of danger, he gives a loud scream, with a voice as shrill

as a trumpet, and instantly the whole cohort are upon the wing.

Their time of breeding is according to the climate in which they reside:

in North America, they breed in summer; on the other side of the line,

they take the most favorable season of the year. They build their nests

in extensive marshes, and where they are in no danger of a surprise.

_Herons._――The _Great Egret Heron_ is often seen in summer in our low

marshes and inundated meadows; yet on account of its extreme vigilance,

it is very difficult to be procured. It is found in Guiana, and

probably beyond the line, to New York. It enters the territories of the

United States late in February. The high inland parts of the country it

rarely or never visits. Its favorite haunts are vast inundated swamps,

rice fields, the low marshy shores of rivers, and such like places;

where from its size and color it is very conspicuous even at a distance.

The plumage of this elegant bird is of a snowy whiteness; the bill of

a rich orange yellow; and the legs black.

The _Great Heron_ is a constant inhabitant of the Atlantic coast from

New York to Florida. They breed in the Carolinas and New Jersey, in the

gloomy solitudes of the cedar swamps. Their nests are constructed of

sticks and placed on the tallest trees.

The _Louisiana Heron_ is a rare and delicately formed species,

occasionally found on the swampy river shores of South Carolina, but

more frequently along the borders of the Mississippi, particularly

below New Orleans. In each of these places it is migratory, and in

the latter builds its nests on trees amidst the inundated woods. Among

the species of this tribe, are the _Green Heron_, _Blue Heron_, _Night

Heron_, _Yellow-crowned Heron_, the _Bittern_, and several others.

Illustration: Night Heron.

The _Whooping Crane_ is the tallest and most stately species of all

the feathered tribes of the United States; the watchful inhabitant

of extensive salt marshes, desolate swamps, and open morasses, in the

neighborhood of the sea. Its migrations are regular, and of the most

extensive kind, reaching from the inundated shores and tracts of South

America to the arctic circle. In these periodical journeys, they pass

at such a prodigious height in the air as to be rarely observed. They

wander along the marshes and muddy flats of the seashore, in search of

marine worms; sailing occasionally from place to place with a loud and

heavy flight. At times they utter a loud and piercing cry, which may

be heard at a great distance. They have various modulations of this

singular note, from the peculiarity of which they derive their name.

The _Sand-hill Crane_ is a fine stately bird, taller than a swan, and

in the water, said to be quite as majestic. They abound in countless

numbers on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, appearing at a distance

like great droves of sheep. They migrate in company with the pelicans.

_Pelican._――To those who have visited the estuaries of the Florida

coast, the demure and awkward attitude of this bird is perfectly

familiar. In that portion of our country, this species occurs in

large flocks, and they are often to be seen along the shores of

the Mississippi and Missouri, imparting a peculiar character to the

otherwise solitary scene; their solemn and quiet demeanor being in

strict unison with the stillness of the uninhabited plains which

surround them. They build in societies, and are seldom found except in

flocks. When they are disturbed, they rise in much confusion, but soon

form in regular order, usually flying in long lines, though sometimes

in a triangle, like geese, with their long bills resting on their

breasts.

The _Wood Ibis_ is found in the southern parts of the United States, in

watery savannas and inland swamps, where it feeds on fish and reptiles.

The neck, body, and lower parts of this bird are white; the bill is

nearly nine inches long. The _White Ibis_ is numerous in the same

latitudes. The _Scarlet Ibis_ frequents the borders of the sea, and

the shores of the neighboring rivers, feeding on small fry, shell-fish,

sea-worms, and crabs. The _Purple Gallinule_ is sometimes met with in

Georgia, but is a native of the southern continent.

The _Roseate Spoonbill_ is an inhabitant of our southern seashore, and

is sometimes found in the Mississippi in the summer. It wades about in

search of shell-fish, marine insects, small crabs and fish, in pursuit

of which it occasionally swims and dives. The _Black-bellied Darter_,

or _Snake Bird_, is common in the Carolinas. Its head, neck, and breast

are light brown; the belly and tail deep black. It sits on the shrubs

that overhang the water, and often terrifies the passengers by darting

out its long and slender neck, which bears strong resemblance to that

of a serpent.

III. FISHES.

The natural history of American fishes is yet to be written, as very

little progress has yet been made in the scientific observation of this

interesting order of animals. The fishes which fill the bays and coasts

of the United States are generally of the same species with those on

the coasts of the opposite continent. Along the shores of New England

they are particularly abundant, though there is no other bank that

equals that of Newfoundland in extreme richness. Shad and salmon are

fine fish abounding in the Atlantic rivers, and beautiful trout are

taken in the mountain streams of the northern states. Among the fish

of the western waters, probably in a great measure common to them and

other rivers, are noticed several varieties of perch, one of which,

the buffalo perch, derives its name from the singular grunting noise

which it makes, and which is familiar to every one who has been much on

the Ohio. It is a fine table fish, weighing from ten to thirty pounds.

There are, also, varieties of the bass, the hog-fish, and the sun-fish,

and sixteen species of minny found in these waters, besides trout,

false herring, and shad. Of all the inhabitants of the western rivers,

the brown buffalo-fish is, perhaps, as much esteemed as any; it is

quite abundant, and is found from two to three feet in length. In

the lower waters of the Ohio and Mississippi, we meet with the black

buffalo-fish, sometimes weighing half a hundred. A larger buffalo,

resembling the shad of the Atlantic states, is taken in immense numbers

in the lakes and meadows of the Mississippi.

The trout of Florida and Louisiana is not identical with the beautiful

fish of that name that is a tenant of the cold and swift streams of

the northern Atlantic country; it is of the perch class, and takes

the bait with a spring like the trout, and is beautifully marked with

golden stripes. It is a sound, hard fish, with a pleasant flavor, and

weighs from one to four pounds. ‘We have never witnessed angling,’ says

Mr. Flint, ‘that could compare with that of this fish, in the clear

pine-wood streams of the southern divisions of this country. With fresh

bait a barrel may be taken in a few hours.’ Twelve species of cat-fish

have been observed in the Ohio, and it is indeed the most common

fish in the western waters. They are of all colors and sizes, without

scales, and easily taken with a hook. Their English name is derived

from the noise which they make when at rest, which is very similar to

the purring of a cat. In the Mississippi, this fish is found of the

weight of an hundred pounds.

The Ohio ‘toter’ is two or three inches in length; its name is derived

from the barbarism ‘tote,’ meaning to ‘carry,’ because this fish makes

itself a cell by surrounding a place with pebbles. Pike, pickerel, and

jack-fish, weighing from six ounces to twenty pounds, are found in the

western rivers. Of the gar-fish there are also numerous varieties. The

alligator-gar is sometimes eight feet long, and is voracious, fierce

and formidable, even to the human species. Its dart in rapidity equals

the flight of a bird. Its mouth is long, round, and pointed, thickset

with sharp teeth; its body is covered with scales so hard as to be

impenetrable by a rifle-bullet, and, when dry, answer the purposes

of a flint in striking fire from steel. Its weight is from fifty to

two hundred pounds, and its appearance is hideous. It is, in fact,

the shark of rivers, and is considered far more formidable than the

alligator himself. The devil-jack-diamond fish is another monster of

the rivers. One has been caught that weighed four hundred pounds; its

usual length is from four to ten feet.

Eels vary in length from two to four feet. The best species for the

table is the yellow eel. Of sturgeon there are six species in these

rivers, some of them four feet in length; some of them are said to form

a palatable food. The Mississippi saw-fish varies in length from three

feet to six; it has twenty-six long teeth on either side, in the form

of a saw. There is also a spotted horn-fish from two to three feet long,

the horn being one quarter the length of the body. The beautifully

striped bar-fish go in shoals in the southern streams; they weigh from

one to three pounds, and are taken with a hook. The shovel-fish is

found in the muddy lakes of the middle region of the valley; it weighs

from ten to fifty pounds, is without scales, and has in front of the

mouth a bony substance between six and twelve inches long, and two or

three inches wide, with which it turns up the mud in search of its food.

It is exceedingly fat, and is taken for its oil.

‘We have never remarked this fish in any museum,’ says Mr. Flint,

‘although to us the most strange and whimsical-looking fish we

have seen. We have seen one instance of a horribly deformed animal,

apparently intermediate between the class _testudo_ and fishes. We saw

it in a water of the Washita, and had not a fair opportunity to examine

it. It is called toad-fish, has a shell like a tortoise, but in every

thing else resembles a fish. It is said to be sufficiently strong

to bear a man on its back; and, from the account of those who have

examined it, this animal must be a _lusus naturæ_.’

The rock fish,[56] drum and sheep’s-head are large fish, taken in

saline lakes in the neighborhood of the gulf of Mexico. In size they

correspond to the cod and haddock of the Atlantic, and are among the

most common fish in the market of New Orleans. The fish of the gulf

shore partake of the character both of salt and fresh water fish; this

arises from their being taken in shallow lakes principally composed of

fresh water, but having outlets in the gulf, through which in strong

south winds the sea-water is forced in such quantities that they become

salt. There are a vast number of craw-fish every where in the marshy

grounds and shallow waters. By penetrating the bank of the Mississippi,

they have more than once made perforations which have imperceptibly

enlarged to crevices, by which the inundation of the river has been let

in upon the country.

The fish of the western rivers are generally less esteemed than

those of the Atlantic waters; and in truth, fresh-water fish generally

will not vie with those of the sea. The fishes of the Mississippi

and its tributary rivers are for the most part coarse, tough, large

and unpleasant in their flavor. ‘Except the trout, the small yellow

cat-fish, the pike, the bar-fish and the perch,’ says Mr. Flint, ‘we

do not much admire the fish of the western waters.’

Dr. Mitchell gives the following account of a gigantic fish of the

ray kind, which he calls the oceanic vampire. It had been taken near

the entrance of the Delaware Bay, by the crew of a smack which had been

fitted out for the express purpose of capturing some sea-monster. After

an absence of about three weeks, the adventurers returned with the

animal to which we refer. It was killed after a long and dangerous

encounter. The weight was so considerable, that after it had been

towed to the shore, three pair of oxen aided by a horse and twenty-two

men could not drag it to the dry land; the weight was supposed to be

between four and five tons. Its length was seventeen feet and three

inches, from the tip of the head to the tip of the tail. The breadth

from the extremity of one pectoral fin or wing to the other, measuring

along the line of the belly, was sixteen feet; when measured over the

convexity of the back, eighteen feet.

On each side of the mouth there was a vertical fin two feet and six

inches long, twelve inches deep, and two inches and a half thick in

the middle, whence it tapered towards the edges, which were fringed

before with a radiated margin. The fin or organ thus constituted was

so flexible as to bend in all directions, and be made in many respects

to perform the function of a hand. The wings, flaps, or pectoral

fins, were of very curious organization; they bore more resemblance

to the wings of a bird than to any thing else, and were yet so

different as to manifest a remarkable variety of mechanism, in organs

intended substantially for the same use. Fish of the kind now under

consideration may be aptly denominated submarine birds; for they fly

through the water, as birds fly through the air.

IV. REPTILES.

Reptiles, or animals of the serpent, turtle, and lizard class, are

found in various parts of the United States; and in some in pernicious

abundance. All varieties of the rattlesnake[57] are seen; of these, the

largest is the yellow rattlesnake. This is sometimes seen from six to

nine feet in length, and as large as a man’s leg. A species of small

rattlesnake is numerous on the prairies; in the far west, they are

said to live in the same burrows with the prairie dogs. The snapper,

or ground rattlesnake, is very troublesome; it travels by night, and

frequents house paths and roads. The copper head is a snake supposed to

be more venomous even than the preceding, but is less frequently found.

It is of a dirty brown color; but when it has recently shed its skin,

some parts of its body resemble burnished copper.

There are three or four varieties of the moccasin snake inhabiting

the southern country. The upland moccasin somewhat resembles the

rattlesnake, but is still more disgusting in its appearance. The

largest variety of the moccasin snake is similar to the water snake of

the Atlantic country. It is a serpent of the largest size, exceedingly

venomous, with a very large flat head, lazy, and unobservant of man.

There is another species of the moccasin seldom seen on shore, of a

brilliant copper color, striped with gray rings. The brown viper, or

hissing snake, is from six to eight inches long, terminating in a sharp

tail; when angry, the color of its back changes, its head flattens and

dilates to twice its usual extent, and its hiss resembles that of a

goose. It is extremely venomous, and of a very repulsive aspect. One

that was confined by a stick across its back, instantly bit itself in

two or three places; and when released, it soon become swollen and died.

Mr. Flint expresses his conviction that the Mississippi valley presents

a greater number of serpents, and is more infested by them than the

Atlantic shore, excepting perhaps its southern border. Wherever the

population becomes dense, the swine prey upon them, and they quickly

disappear. Their most permanent and dangerous resorts are near the

bases of precipitous and rocky hills, about ledges and flint knobs,

and in the southern countries along vast swamps and stagnant waters.

The bite of these serpents is venomous, and the person that is bitten

often becomes blind. During the latter part of the summer, the serpents

themselves become blind; the popular belief on this subject is, that

this blindness arises from the absorption of their own poison into the

system. During this period, though their aim is less certain, their

bite is most dangerous. Death seldom occurs, however, from this cause.

The country has the usual varieties of harmless serpents, such as the

green garter, chicken, and coach-whip snakes. The glass snake is often

seen with a body of the utmost brilliancy. A stroke across the back

separates the body into several pieces, each of which continues for

some time to exercise the powers of locomotion. The bull or prairie

snakes are of hideous appearance and of large size; they inhabit holes

in the ground, and run at the traveller with a loud hiss, but instantly

retreat if he stands and faces them. They are believed to be perfectly

harmless, but their aspect is such as to excite great horror.

Ugly animals of the lizard kind are seen in all the climates in a

greater or less number; they are found under rotten logs, and are

dug out of alluvions, the last description being lazy and disgusting.

They appear to be harmless. Common small lizards are frequent in the

southern districts, and also varieties of small chameleons. These

will change in half an hour to all the colors of the rainbow. ‘We

have placed them on a handkerchief,’ says Mr. Flint, ‘and they have

gradually assumed all its colors. Placed on a black surface, they

become brown; but they evidently suffer while under this color, as is

manifested by uneasy movements, and by strong and quick palpitation,

visible to the eye. They are very active and nimble animals, three or

four inches in length.’ Some lizards of a larger class and with flatter

heads, are called scorpions; they are ugly animals, and are considered

poisonous. When attacked, they show the angry manner of the serpent,

vibrating a fiery and forked tongue, and biting with great fury at the

stick which arrests them.

Of this class, the most terrible is the alligator. The description of

this animal by Mr. Audubon is so interesting, and so strongly marked

by the agreeable peculiarities of his attractive and original style,

that we shall transfer it to our pages with but slight abridgment. This

distinguished naturalist, by his eminent services in the cause to which

he has been so zealously devoted, has erected an eternal monument; and

posterity will read the name which it records for ages, after every

trace of the great warriors and ambitious politicians of our time has

faded from the pages of history.

‘In Louisiana, all our lagoons, bayous, creeks, ponds, lakes and

rivers, are well stocked with alligators; they are found wherever there

is a sufficient quantity of water to hide them, or to furnish them with

food; and they continue thus, in great numbers, as high as the mouth

of the Arkansas river, extending east to North Carolina, and as far

west as I have penetrated. On the Red river, before it was navigated

by steam vessels, they were so extremely abundant that, to see hundreds

at a sight along the shores, or on the immense rafts of floating or

stranded timber, was quite a common occurrence, the smaller on the

backs of the larger, groaning and uttering their bellowing noise,

like thousands of irritated bulls about to meet in fight, but all so

careless of man that, unless shot at, or positively disturbed, they

remained motionless, suffering boats or canoes to pass within a few

yards of them, without noticing them in the least. The shores are

yet trampled by them in such a manner, that their large tracts are

seen as plentiful as those of sheep in a fold. It was on that river

particularly, thousands of the largest size were killed, when the mania

of having shoes, boots, or saddle-seats, made of their hides, lasted.

It had become an article of trade, and many of the squatters and

strolling Indians followed for a time no other business. The discovery

that their skins are not sufficiently firm and close-grained to prevent

water or dampness long, put a stop to their general destruction, which

had already become very apparent. The leather prepared from these

skins was handsome and very pliant, exhibiting all the regular lozenges

of the scales, and able to receive the highest degree of polish and

finishing.

‘The usual motion of the alligator, when on land, is slow and sluggish;

it is a kind of labored crawling, performed by moving alternately each

leg, in the manner of a quadruped when walking, scarce able to keep up

their weighty bodies from dragging on the earth, and leaving the track

of their long tail on the mud, as if that of the keel of a small vessel.

Thus they emerge from the water, and go about the shores and the woods,

or the fields in search of food, or of a different place of abode,

or one of safety to deposit their eggs. If, at such times, when at

all distant from the water, an enemy is perceived by them, they droop

and lie flat, with the nose on the ground, watching the intruder’s

movements with their eyes, which are able to move considerably round,

without affecting the position of the head. Should a man then approach

them, they do not attempt either to make away or attack, but merely

raise their body from the ground for an instant, swelling themselves

and issuing a dull blowing, not unlike that of a blacksmith’s bellows.

Not the least danger need be apprehended: then you either kill them

with ease, or leave them. But to give you a better idea of the slowness

of their movements and progress of travels on land, when arrived at

a large size, say twelve or fifteen feet, believe me when I tell you,

that having found one in the morning, fifty yards from a lake, going

to another in sight, I have left him unmolested, hunted through the

surrounding swamps all the day, and met the same alligator within five

hundred yards of the spot when returning to my camp at dusk. On this

account they usually travel during the night, they being then less

likely to be disturbed, and having a better chance to surprise a litter

of pigs or of land tortoises, for prey.

‘The power of the alligator is in his great strength; and the chief

means of his attack or defence is his large tail, so well contrived by

nature to supply his wants, or guard him from danger, that it reaches,

when curved into half a circle, his enormous mouth. Woe be to him who

goes within the reach of this tremendous thrashing instrument; for no

matter how strong or muscular, if human, he must suffer greatly, if

he escapes with life. The monster, as he strikes with this, forces all

objects within the circle towards his jaws, which, as the tail makes a

motion, are opened to their full stretch, thrown a little sideways, to

receive the object, and, like battering-rams, to bruise it shockingly

in a moment.

‘The alligator, when after prey in the water, or at its edge, swims so

slowly towards it as not to ruffle the water. It approaches the object

sideways, body and head all concealed, till sure of his stroke; then,

with a tremendous blow, as quick as thought, the object is secured, as

I described before.

‘When alligators are fishing, the flapping of their tails about the

water may be heard at half a mile; but to describe this in a more

graphic way, suffer me to take you along with me, in one of my hunting

excursions, accompanied by friends and negroes. In the immediate

neighborhood of Bayou-Sarah, on the Mississippi, are extensive shallow

lakes and morasses; they are yearly overflowed by the dreadful floods

of that river, and supplied with myriads of fishes of many kinds,

amongst which trouts are most abundant, white perch, cat fish, and

alligator-gars, or devil fish. Thither, in the early part of autumn,

when the heat of a southern sun has exhaled much of the water, the

squatter, the planter, the hunter, all go in search of sport. The lakes

are then about two feet deep, having a fine sandy bottom; frequently

much grass grows in them, bearing crops of seed, for which multitudes

of water-fowl resort to those places. The edges of these lakes are

deep swamps, muddy for some distance, overgrown with heavy large

timber, principally cypress, hung with Spanish beard, and tangled

with different vines, creeping plants, and cane, so as to render them

almost dark during the day, and very difficult to the hunter’s progress.

Here and there in the lakes are small islands, with clusters of the

same trees, on which flocks of snake-birds, wood-ducks, and different

species of herons, build their nests. Fishing-lines, guns, and rifles,

some salt, and some water, are all the hunters take.

‘At last, the opening of the lake is seen: it has now become necessary

to drag one’s self along through the deep mud, making the best of the

way, with the head bent, through the small brushy growth, caring about

nought but the lock of your gun. The long narrow Indian canoe kept

to hunt those lakes, and taken into them during the fresh, is soon

launched, and the party seated in the bottom, is paddled or poled in

search of water game. There, at a sight, hundreds of alligators are

seen dispersed over all the lake; their head, and all the upper part of

the body, floating like a log, and in many instances, so resembling one

that it requires to be accustomed to see them to know the distinction.

Millions of the large wood-ibis are seen wading through the water,

mudding it up, and striking deadly blows with their bills on the fish

within. Here are a hoard of blue herons――the sand-hill crane rises

with hoarse note――the snake-birds are perched here and there on the

dead timber of the trees――the cormorants are fishing――buzzards and

carrion-crows exhibit a mourning train, patiently waiting for the

water to dry and leave food for them――and far in the horizon, the eagle

overtakes a devoted wood-duck, singled from the clouded flocks that

have been bred there.

‘It is then that you see and hear the alligator at his work,――each

lake has a spot deeper than the rest, rendered so by those animals who

work at it, and always situate at the lower end of the lake, near the

connecting bayous, that, as drainers, pass through all those lakes,

and discharge sometimes many miles below where the water had made its

entrance above, thereby insuring to themselves water as long as any

will remain. This is called by the hunters the alligators’ hole. You

see them there lying close together. The fish that are already dying

by thousands, through the insufferable heat and stench of the water,

and the wounds of the different winged enemies constantly in pursuit

of them, resort to the alligators’ hole to receive refreshment, with

a hope of finding security also, and follow down the little currents

flowing through the connecting sluices: but no! for, as the water

recedes in the lake, they are here confined. The alligators thrash them

and devour them whenever they feel hungry, while the ibis destroys all

that make towards the shore. By looking attentively on this spot, you

plainly see the tails of the alligators moving to and fro, splashing,

and now and then, when missing a fish, throwing it up in the air. The

hunter, anxious to prove the value of his rifle, marks one of the eyes

of the largest alligator, and, as the hair trigger is touched, the

alligator dies. Should the ball strike one inch astray from the eye,

the animal flounces, rolls over and over, beating furiously about him

with his tail, frightening all his companions, who sink immediately,

whilst the fishes, like blades of burnished metal, leap in all

directions out of the water, so terrified are they at this uproar.

Another and another receives the shot in the eye, and expires; yet

those that do not feel the fatal bullet, pay no attention to the death

of their companions till the hunter approaches very close, when they

hide themselves for a few moments by sinking backwards.

‘So truly gentle are the alligators at this season, that I have waded

through such lakes in company of my friend Augustin Bourgeat, Esq.

to whom I owe much information, merely holding a stick in one hand

to drive them off, had they attempted to attack me. When first I saw

this way of travelling through the lakes, waist-deep, sometimes with

hundreds of these animals about me, I acknowledge to you that I felt

great uneasiness, and thought it fool-hardiness to do so: but my friend,

who is a most experienced hunter in that country, removed my fears by

leading the way, and, after a few days, I thought nothing of it. If you

go towards the head of the alligator, there is no danger, and you may

safely strike it with a club, four feet long, until you drive it away,

merely watching the operations of the point of the tail, that, at each

blow you give, thrashes to the right and left most furiously.

‘The drivers of cattle from the Appelousas, and those of mules from

Mexico, on reaching a lagoon or creek, send several of their party

into the water, armed merely each with a club, for the purpose of

driving away the alligators from the cattle; and you may then see men,

mules, and those monsters, all swimming together, the men striking the

alligators, that would otherwise attack the cattle, of which they are

very fond, and those latter hurrying towards the opposite shores, to

escape those powerful enemies. They will swim swiftly after a dog, or

a deer, or a horse, before attempting the destruction of man, of which

I have always remarked they were afraid, if the man feared not them.

‘Although I have told you how easily an alligator may be killed with

a single rifle-ball, if well aimed, that is to say, if it strike

either in the eye or very immediately above it, yet they are quite as

difficult to be destroyed if not shot properly; and, to give you an

idea of this, I shall mention two striking facts.

‘My good friend Richard Harlan, M.D. of Philadelphia, having

intimated a wish to have the heart of one of these animals to study

its comparative anatomy, I one afternoon went out about half a mile

from the plantation and, seeing an alligator that I thought I could put

whole into a hogshead of spirits, I shot it immediately on the skull

bone. It tumbled over from the log on which it had been basking, into

the water, and, with the assistance of two negroes, I had it out in a

few minutes, apparently dead. A strong rope was fastened round its neck,

and, in this condition, I had it dragged home across logs, thrown over

fences, and handled without the least fear. Some young ladies there,

anxious to see the inside of his mouth, requested that the mouth should

be propped open with a stick put vertically; this was attempted, but

at this instant the first stunning effect of the wound was over, and

the animal thrashed and snapped its jaws furiously, although it did

not advance a foot. The rope being still round the neck, I had it

thrown over a strong branch of a tree in the yard, and hauled the poor

creature up swinging, free from all about it, and left it twisting

itself, and scratching with its fore feet to disengage the rope. It

remained in this condition until the next morning, when finding it

still alive, though very weak, the hogshead of spirits was put under

it, and the alligator fairly lowered into it with a surge. It twisted

about a little; but the cooper secured the cask, and it was shipped to

Philadelphia, where it arrived in course.

‘Again, being in company with Augustin Bourgeat, Esq., we met an

extraordinary large alligator in the woods whilst hunting; and, for

the sake of destruction I may say, we alighted from our horses, and

approached with full intention to kill it. The alligator was put

between us, each of us provided with a long stick to irritate it; and,

by making it turn its head partly on one side, afford us the means of

shooting it immediately behind the fore leg and through the heart. We

both discharged five heavy loads of duck-shot into its body, and almost

all into the same hole, without any other effect than that of exciting

regular strokes of the tail, and snapping of the jaws at each discharge,

and the flow of a great quantity of blood out of the wound, and mouth,

and nostrils of the animal; but it was still full of life and vigor,

and to have touched it with the hand would have been madness; but as we

were anxious to measure it, and to knock off some of its larger teeth

to make powder charges, it was shot with a single ball just above the

eye, when it bounded a few inches off the ground, and was dead when

it reached it again. Its length was seventeen feet; it was apparently

centuries old; many of its teeth measured three inches. The shot taken

were without a foot only of the circle that we knew the tail could form,

and our shots went _en masse_.

‘As the lakes become dry, and even the deeper connecting bayous

empty themselves into the rivers, the alligators congregate into the

deepest hole in vast numbers; and, to this day, in such places, are

shot for the sake of their oil, now used for greasing the machinery

of steam-engines and cotton mills, though formerly, when indigo was

made in Louisiana, the oil was used to assuage the overflowing of the

boiling juice, by throwing a ladleful into the kettle whenever this

was about to take place. The alligators are caught frequently in nets

by fishermen; they then come without struggling to the shore, and are

killed by blows on the head given with axes.

‘When autumn has heightened the coloring of the foliage of our woods,

and the air feels more rarefied during the nights and earlier part of

the day, the alligators leave the lakes to seek for winter quarters, by

burrowing under the roots of trees, or covering themselves simply with

earth along their edges. They become then very languid and inactive,

and, at this period, to sit or ride on one would not be more difficult

than for a child to mount his wooden rocking-horse. The negroes, who

now kill them, put all danger aside, by separating, at one blow with an

axe, the tail from the body. They are afterwards cut up in large pieces,

and boiled whole in a good quantity of water, from the surface of which

the fat is collected with large ladles. One single man kills oftentimes

a dozen or more of large alligators in the evening, prepares his fire

in the woods, where he has erected a camp for the purpose, and by

morning has the oil rendered.

‘I have frequently been very much amused when fishing in a bayou, where

alligators were numerous, by throwing a blown bladder on the water

towards the nearest to me. The alligator makes for it, flaps it towards

its mouth, or attempts seizing it at once, but all in vain. The light

bladder slides off; in a few minutes many alligators are trying to

seize this, and their evolutions are quite interesting. They then put

one in mind of a crowd of boys running after a football. A black bottle

is sometimes thrown also, tightly corked; but the alligator seizes this

easily, and you hear the glass give way under its teeth as if ground

in a coarse mill. They are easily caught by negroes, who most expertly

throw a rope over their heads when swimming close to shore, and haul

them out instantly.’

The _Tortoise_ is found in considerable numbers and variety. In

the lakes west of the Mississippi, and near New Orleans, a soft

shelled mud-tortoise is found, which epicures declare to be not much

inferior to the sea-turtle of the West Indies. The gouffre is an animal

apparently of the tortoise class, and is abundant in the pine barrens

of the south-western states. Its shell is large and thick, and it

burrows to a great depth in the ground; its strength and power are

wonderful, and in many respects it is similar to the logger-head turtle.

The siren is nearly two feet in length, and a very singular animal; it

somewhat resembles the lamprey. It is amphibious, penetrates the mud

easily, and seems to be of an order between fish and lizards. The whole

of the republic is prolific in toads, frogs, and reptiles of that class;

but they are found in the greatest number and variety in the regions of

the warmest temperature.

V. INSECTS.

The insects of the United States are numerous, and many of them

beautiful; many of the species are entirely new, and science has been

much indebted to Mr. Say for additions of no inconsiderable importance

to entomology. The moths and butterflies are exceedingly splendid, and

one of them, the atlas moth, is the largest hitherto known. Among the

spiders, is a huge species called the tarantula, supposed to inflict

a dangerous bite. The annoyance inflicted by moschetos in hot weather

is well known; by these and other stinging insects, damp and low

situations are rendered very disagreeable during the summer. The fire

flies, which glitter especially in the southern forests, are very

interesting. The copper colored centiped, a creature of cylindrical

form, and as long as a man’s finger, is dreaded as noxious; a family is

said to have been poisoned by taking tea in which one of them had been

accidentally boiled.

One insect, the _ægeria exitiosa_, has committed great ravages

among the peach trees. The larva begins the work of destruction about

the beginning of October, by entering the tree, probably through the

tender bark under the surface of the soil; thence it proceeds downwards,

within the tree, into the root, and then turns its course upwards

towards the surface, where it arrives about the commencement of the

succeeding July. They voraciously devour both the alburnum and the

liber, the new wood and the inner bark. The insects deposit from one

to three hundred eggs within the bark of the tree, according to its

capacity to support their progeny.

The United States are not free from the scourge of the locust. The

males have under each wing a ribbed membrane as thin as a gossamer’s

web, which, when inflated, constitutes their musical organ. The female

has a sting or drill, the size of a pin, and near half an inch in

length, of a hard and brittle substance, which lies on the under

surface of the body; with this the insect drills a hole into the small

limbs of trees, quite to the pith; there it deposits through this

hollow sting or drill some dozen or two of small white eggs. The time

required to drill the hole and deposit the egg is from two to five

minutes. When undisturbed, they make some half dozen or more insertions

of their drill in the same limb, perhaps an inch apart, and these

punctures usually produce speedy death to the end of the limb. They

sometimes swarm about the forests in countless multitudes, making

‘melancholy music,’ and causing no less melancholy desolation.

GENERAL REMARKS ON ZOOLOGY.

The zoology of the United States opens a wide and interesting

field of observation: it is more peculiar and striking than

either the mineralogy or botany. The following general view of

the mammiferous animals inhabiting North America is given by Dr.

Harman. The number of species now ascertained is one hundred and

forty-six, in which we do not include man; of these twenty-eight

are cetacea, and one hundred and eighteen are quadrupeds. Among

the quadrupeds, Dr. Harman reckons eleven species, of which no

living trace is found in any part of the world; which cannot of

course be considered as forming a part of our present zoology. The

number of living species of quadrupeds is therefore one hundred

and seven. The comparative numbers of the several orders are

stated as follows, omitting man:

Carnivora 60

Glires 37

Edentata 6

Pachydermata 2

Ruminantia 13

Cetacea 28

We may here introduce from Dr. Harman a statement of the number of

North American quadrupeds, which he conceives to be common both to

the new and old world.

_Species._

1 Mole.

2 Shrew.

1 Bear.

1 Glutton.

1 Otter.

2 Wolf.

2 Fox.

2 Seal.

2 Weasel.

1 Beaver.

1 Field-mouse.

1 Campagnol (rat.)

1 Squirrel.

2 Deer.

1 Sheep.

The whole number of common species is twenty one; leaving

eighty-six species as peculiar to North America, though not all of

them to the United States.

Charles Lucien Bonaparte has arranged the birds of the United

States in twenty-eight families, eighty-one genera, and three

hundred and sixty-two species, viz.: two hundred and nine land,

and one hundred and fifty-three water-birds. Of the eighty-one

genera, sixty-three are common to Europe and America, while

eighteen have no representatives in Europe.