parts of the British Provinces. Winters south of the United States.
This is one of the best known and one of the most common frequenters of
open woods, where all summer long its pleasing notes may be heard,
resembling "Pee-a-wee" or sometimes only two syllables "pee-wee." They
nest on horizontal limbs at elevations of six feet or over, making
handsome nests of plant fibres and fine grasses, covered on the exterior
with lichens; they are quite shallow and very much resembles a small
knot on the limb of the tree. They lay three or four eggs of a cream
color spotted in a wreath about the large end, with reddish brown and
lavender; size .80 x .55. Data.--Torrington, Conn., June 16, 1890. Nest
of fibres covered with lichens, saddled on the branch of an oak tree
near roadside. Collector, John Gath.
[Illustration 293: Cream color.]
[Illustration: Wood Pewee.]
[Illustration: Cream color.]
[Illustration: Chickadee Family.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 292
[Illustration 294: Guy H. Briggs.
NEST AND EGGS OF WOOD PEWEE.]
Page 293
462. WESTERN WOOD PEWEE. _Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni._
Range.--Western United States from the Plains to the Pacific, and from
Manitoba southward, wintering south of the United States.
The nesting habits of this bird are the same as those of the eastern
Pewee, but their nests are more strongly built and generally deeper, and
without the outside ornamentation of lichens. They are saddled upon
horizontal branches, like those of the preceding, as a rule, but are
also said to have been found in upright crotches like those of the Least
Flycatcher. Their three or four eggs cannot be distinguished from those
of the eastern Wood Pewee.
462a. LARGE-BILLED WOOD PEWEE. _Myiochanes richardsoni peninsulæ._
Range.--This species which differs from the last only slightly, as is
indicated by the name, inhabits the peninsula of Lower California; its
nesting habits and eggs will not differ from those of the other Pewees.
463. YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax flaviventris._
Range.--North America, east of the Plains and north to Labrador; winters
south of the United States.
This species is slightly larger than the Least Flycatcher and is more
yellowish above and below, the breast being quite bright. While common
in some districts it is quite shy and frequents thickly wooded regions,
where it is not very often seen. They nest near or on the ground among
rocks or roots of fallen trees, chiefly in swampy places; the nests are
made in bunches of moss, hollowed out and lined with very fine grasses.
Their four eggs are creamy or buffy white, spotted and speckled about
the larger end with reddish brown and gray; size .68 × .51.
464. WESTERN FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax difficilis difficilis._
Range.--Western North America, from the Rocky Mountain region to the
Pacific, and north to Alaska; winters chiefly south of the United
States.
This Flycatcher, which is similar to the last, nests in similar
locations as well as in many others, such as crevices and fissures in
rocks, holes in banks, cavities in trees, rafters in buildings, etc. The
nests are variously made, but consist chiefly of fine grasses, weeds and
fibres. The eggs are as a rule similar to those of the last species and
cannot be distinguished.
[Illustration 295: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Acadian Flycatcher.]
[Illustration: Creamy white.]
[Illustration: Creamy white.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 294
464a. SAN LUCAS FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax difficilis cineritius._
Range.--Lower California.
This species is similar to, but duller in plumage than the Western
Flycatcher. Their nesting habits do not probably vary from those of the
latter.
465. ACADIAN FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax virescens._
Range.--Eastern United States, breeding from the Gulf to southern New
England, and in the Mississippi Valley to Manitoba.
This species is very pale below and greenish yellow on the back. They
are among the latest of the migrants to reach our borders and arrive in
the Middle States about the latter part of May, when they are quite
common. They build semi-pensile nests in the forks of bushes or
overhanging branches at heights of from four to twenty feet, the nests
being made of rootlets, fibres, fine grasses, etc., and partially
suspended from the branch; they are quite shallow and loosely
constructed and often appear more like a bunch of debris deposited in
the fork by the wind than like the creation of a bird. Their three or
four eggs are buffy, spotted or specked with brown; size .75 × .55.
466. TRAILL'S FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax trailli trailli._
Range.--Western North America, from the Mississippi Valley to the
Pacific; winters south of the United States.
This species is very similar to the next, but the back is said to be
more brownish. They are common and nest abundantly in thickets and low
scrubby woods, usually placing the nest at a low elevation, preferably
in a clump of willows; the nests are made of fine strips of bark, plant
fibres, and very fine rootlets being woven about and firmly fastened in
upright crotches. Their eggs, which are laid in June, are buffy white,
specked and spotted, chiefly at the large end, with brownish; size .70 ×
.54.
[Illustration 296: 464--466.]
[Illustration: Buffy.]
[Illustration: Creamy white.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 295
466a. ALDER FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax trailli alnorum._
Range.--United States, east of the Mississippi and north to New
Brunswick.
The only difference between this and the preceding variety is in the
more greenish upper parts. They are quite abundant in the breeding
season from New England and northern New York northward, frequenting, to
a great extent, alder thickets bordering streams. Their nests and eggs
do not differ appreciably from those of the western variety of Traill
Flycatcher.
467. LEAST FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax minimus._
Range.--North America, east of the Rockies and north to the interior of
Canada, wintering south of the United States.
These little birds (5.5 inches long) are common about houses and
orchards on the outskirts of cities, and on the edges of forests or open
woods. They are very frequently known by the name of Chebec from their
continually uttered note. In nearly all instances, the nests are placed
in upright forks at elevations varying from four to twenty-four feet
from the ground. The nests are made chiefly of plant fibres, fine
grasses, string, cobwebs, etc., and the three to five eggs are pale
creamy white; size .65 × .50.
468. HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax hammondi._
Range.--North America, west of the Rockies and from British Columbia
southward, wintering south of the United States.
This western representative of the Least Flycatcher is less abundant and
more shy, but has the same nesting habits as the eastern birds, placing
its nests either in upright crotches or, more rarely, upon horizontal
branches at a low elevation. The eggs cannot be distinguished from those
of the last species.
469. WRIGHT'S FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax wrighti._
Range.--Western United States, breeding from the Mexican border to
Oregon and wintering south of the United States.
A very similar bird to the last but whiter below. It is a much more
abundant species than the last and is found breeding in open woods and
thickets on all the ranges. The nests are built like those of the Least
Flycatcher and nearly always are found in the crotch of trees or bushes
at a low elevation; their nests, like those of the two preceding
species, bear a strong resemblance to those of the Yellow Warblers which
are found in the same localities and locations. The eggs are pale creamy
white, four in number and measure .68 × .52.
[Illustration 297: Least Flycatcher.]
[Illustration: White.]
[Illustration: White.]
[Illustration: White.]
[Illustration: 462--469--469.1.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 296
469.1. GRAY FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax griseus._
Range.--Lower California, north to southern California.
This is a slightly larger species than the preceding and is grayish
above and paler below, with little or no tinge of brownish or yellow. As
far as I can learn its eggs have not yet been taken.
470a. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER. _Empidonax fulvifrons pygmæus._
Range.--Western Mexico, north to southern New Mexico and Arizona.
This small bird, which is but 4.75 inches in length, is brownish gray
above and brownish buff below. It is not a common species anywhere, but
is known to nest during June or July, on high mountain ranges, saddling
its nest of fibres, covered with lichens, on horizontal boughs at quite
an elevation from the ground. The eggs are pale buffy white, unspotted,
and measure .60 × .50.
471. VERMILLION FLYCATCHER. _Pyrocephalus rubinus mexicanus._
Range.--Mexico, north regularly to southern Texas, Arizona and New
Mexico.
This is one of the most gaudy attired of all North American birds, being
brownish gray on the back, wings and tail, and having a bright
vermillion crown, crest and underparts. They are quite common in
southern Texas, but far more abundant in the southern parts of Arizona.
Their habits do not differ from those of other Flycatchers, they living
almost exclusively upon insects. The majority of their nests can not be
distinguished from those of the Wood Pewee, being covered with lichens
and saddled upon limbs in a similar manner, but some lack the mossy
ornamentation. Their three or four eggs are buffy, boldly blotched with
dark brown and lavender, chiefly in a wreath about the middle of the
egg; size .70 × .50. Data.--San Pedro River, Arizona, June 10, 1899.
Nest in the fork of a willow about 20 feet above the stream. Collector,
O. W. Howard.
472. BEARDLESS FLYCATCHER. _Camptostoma imberbe._
Range.--Central America; north casually to the Lower Rio Grande in
Texas.
This strange little Flycatcher, several specimens of which have been
taken in the vicinity of Lomita, Texas, is but 4.5 inches in length,
grayish in color and has a short bill, the upper mandible of which is
curved. It has all the habits peculiar to Flycatchers. Their eggs have
not as yet been found as far as I can learn.
[Illustration 298: Vermillion Flycatcher.]
[Illustration: Buff.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 297
LARKS. Family ALAUDIDÆ
473. SKYLARK. _Alauda arvensis._
Range.--Old World, straggling casually to Greenland and Bermuda.
This noted foreigner has been imported and liberated a number of times
in this country, but apparently is not able to thrive here, a fact which
will not cause much regret when we remember the experiment with the
English Sparrow. They are abundant in Europe and Great Britain where
they nest on the ground in cultivated fields or meadows, laying from
three to five grayish eggs, marked with brown, drab and lavender.
474. HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris alpestris._
Range.--Eastern North America, breeding in Labrador and about Hudson
Bay; winters in eastern United States south to Carolina.
This variety of this much sub-divided species is 7.5 inches in length,
has brownish gray upper parts and is white below with black patches on
the breast and below the eye, yellowish throat and small black ear
tufts. The various subspecies are all marked alike, their distinction
being based upon slight differences in size, variations in the shade of
the back, or the greater or less intensity of the yellowish throat and
superciliary stripe. The nesting habits of all the varieties are the
same and the eggs differ only in the shade of the ground color, this
variation among the eggs of the same variety being so great that an egg
cannot be identified without knowing the locality in which it was taken.
The present variety build their nests on the ground generally under
tufts of grass or in hollows in the moss which is found in their
breeding range, making them of dried grasses and generally lining them
with feathers. The eggs are grayish with a slight greenish tinge, and
are specked and spotted over the whole surface with drab, brownish and
dark lavender. The eggs of this and the next variety average
considerably larger than those of the more southerly distributed
varieties; size .92 × .65.
474a. PALLID HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris arcticola._
Range.--Breeds in Alaska and winters south to Oregon and Montana.
This is the largest of the Horned Larks and has the throat white, with
no trace of yellow. Its nest is built in similar locations and the eggs
are like those of the preceding species.
[Illustration 299: Grayish.]
[Illustration: Horned Lark.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 298
474b. PRAIRIE HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris praticola._
Range.--Breeds in the Mississippi Valley from Illinois north to Manitoba
and east to the Middle States; winters south to Carolina and Texas.
This sub-species is considerably smaller than the Horned Lark, and the
throat is paler yellow, while the line over the eye and the forehead is
white. They are the most abundant and have the most extended range of
any of the better known species. In the Mississippi Valley, where they
are of the most common of the nesting birds, they build on the ground in
meadows or cultivated fields, and very often in cornfields; the nests
are made of grasses and lined with horse hairs or feathers, and placed
in slight hollows generally under a tuft of grass or sods. They raise
two broods a season and sometimes three, laying the first set of eggs in
March and another in June or July. The three or four eggs have an olive
buff ground and are thickly sprinkled with drab and lavender; size .83 ×
.60.
474c. DESERT HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris leucolæma._
Range.--Plains of western United States, east of the Rockies and west of
Kansas and Dakota; breeds north to Alberta, and winters south to Mexico,
Texas and southern California.
This species is like _praticola_, but paler on the back; nest and eggs
the same.
474d. TEXAS HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris giraudi._
Range.--Coast of southeastern Texas.
A pale variety like _leucolæma_, but smaller; throat bright yellow, and
breast tinged with yellow. Nest and eggs like those of the others.
474e. CALIFORNIA HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris actia._
Range.--Lower California and southern California.
This bird is similar to the last but the yellow areas are brighter, and
the nape and back are ruddy.
474f. RUDDY HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris rubea._
Ranges--Sacramento Valley, California.
This variety has the yellow areas brighter than in any other and the
back and nape are more ruddy. The eggs cannot be distinguished from
those of the others.
[Illustration 300: Olive buff.]
[Illustration: 474c--474e--474f.]
[Illustration: Olive buff.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 299
474g. STREAKED HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris strigata._
Range.--Northwestern United States (Washington, Oregon and northern
California).
Similar to the last, but with the back broadly streaked with black, the
ruddy less intense and the underparts tinged with yellowish.
474h. SCORCHED HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris adusta._
Range.--Western Mexico, north in summer to southern Arizona.
This variety has the back and nape nearly a uniform pinkish ruddy with
but little streaking.
474i. DUSKY HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris merrilli._
Range.--Northwestern United States and southern British Columbia,
wintering south to central California.
Similar to _praticola_ but slightly darker above.
474j. SONORA HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris pallida._
Range.--Gulf coast of northern Lower California.
The upperparts of this variety are very pale pinkish brown.
474k. HOYT'S HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris hoyti._
Range.--Interior of British America, west of Hudson Bay and east of
Alaska, south in winter in the interior of the United States to Kansas.
Much larger than the last; equal in size and similar to _articola_ but
with the throat yellowish and the upperparts darker and brighter.
474l. MONTEZUMA HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris occidentalis._
Range.--Western New Mexico and eastern Arizona, south in winter to
northern Mexico.
This variety has the upperparts pale brownish and not streaked; throat
and forehead yellowish.
474m. ISLAND HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris insularis._
Range.--Santa Barbara Islands, California.
Similar to _strigata_ but darker. With the exception of the three large
varieties of Horned Larks found north of our borders, neither the eggs
nor, in most cases, the birds can be identified without the precise
location where they were taken.
[Illustration deco (301).]
[Illustration right hand border.]
Page 300
CROWS, JAYS, MAGPIES, ETC. Family CORVIDÆ.
475. MAGPIE. _Pica pica hudsonia._
Range.--Western North America from the Great Plains to the Pacific and
from Alaska to Arizona and New Mexico.
These large handsome birds have the entire head, neck and breast velvety
black, abruptly defined against the white underparts. The back, wings
and tail are greenish or bluish black, and the scapulars, white; length
of bird 20 inches. They are well known throughout the west, where their
bold and thievish habits always excite comment. They nest in bushes and
trees at low elevations from the ground, making a very large nest of
sticks, with an opening on the side, and the interior is made of weeds
and mud, lined with fine grasses; these nests often reach a diameter of
three feet and are made of quite large sticks. During April or May, they
lay from four to eight grayish white eggs, plentifully spotted with
brown and drab. Size 1.25 x .90.
476. YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE. _Pica nuttalli._
Range.--Middle parts of California, west of the Sierra Nevadas.
This species is slightly smaller than the last and has a yellowish bill
and lores, otherwise being precisely like the more common species. Their
habits do not differ from those of the other, the nests are the same and
the eggs are indistinguishable. Size 1.25 x .88.
[Illustration 302: Magpie.]
[Illustration: Grayish white.]
[Illustration: Grayish white.]
[Illustration.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 301
[Illustration 303: R. B. Rockwell.
NEST OF AMERICAN MAGPIE.]
Page 302
[Illustration 304: YOUNG BLUE JAYS.]
Page 303
477. BLUE JAY. _Cyanocitta cristata cristata._
Range.--North America, east of the Plains and north to Hudson Bay;
resident and very abundant in its United States range.
These beautiful and bold marauders are too well known to need
description, suffice it to say that they are the most beautiful of North
American Jays; but beneath their handsome plumage beats a heart as cruel
and cunning as that in any bird of prey. In the fall, winter and spring,
their food consists largely of acorns, chestnuts, berries, seeds, grain,
insects, lizards, etc., but during the summer months they destroy and
devour a great many eggs and young of the smaller birds, their taste for
which, being so great that they are known to watch a nest until the full
complement of eggs is laid before making their theft. They nest in open
woods or clumps of trees, indifferently, in pines or young trees,
building most often below twenty feet from the ground; the nests are
made of twigs and rootlets, lined with fine rootlets. During May they
lay from four to six eggs of a greenish buff color spotted with olive
brown. Size 1.10 x .80.
477a. FLORIDA BLUE JAY. _Cyanocitta cristata florincola._
Range.--Florida and the Gulf coast.
The nesting habits and eggs of this smaller sub-species are the same as
those of the northern Blue Jay. Like our birds, they frequently nest
near habitations.
478. STELLER'S JAY. _Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri._
Range.--Pacific coast from southern California to Alaska; resident and
breeding throughout its range.
All the members of this sub-species are similar in plumage, having a
sooty black head, crest and neck, shading insensibly into dark bluish on
the back and underparts, and brighter blue on the wings and tail. They
usually have a few streaks or spots of pale blue on the forehead. They
are just as noisy, bold and thievish as the eastern Jay and are also
excellent mimics like the latter. They nest in fir trees at any height
from the ground and in April or May deposit their three to six greenish
blue eggs which are spotted with various shades of brown. Size 1.25 x
.90. Their nests are more bulky than those of the eastern Jay and are
usually made of larger sticks and held together with some mud.
478a. BLUE-FRONTED JAY. _Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis._
Range.--Coast ranges of California and Oregon.
The nesting habits and eggs of this variety are indistinguishable from
those of the preceding. The bird has more blue on the forehead.
478b. LONG-CRESTED JAY. _Cyanocitta stelleri diademata._
Range.--Southern Rocky Mountains from Arizona to Wyoming.
No general difference can be found between the eggs of this species and
the Steller Jay, and the nests of each are constructed similarly and in
like situations.
[Illustration 305: Blue Jay.]
[Illustration: Greenish buff.]
[Illustration: Greenish blue.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 304
[Illustration 306: Dr. J. B. Pardoe. YOUNG BLUE JAYS.]
Page 305
[Illustration 307: BLUE JAY.]
Page 306
478c. BLACK-HEADED JAY. _Cyanocitta stelleri annectens._
Range.--Northern Rocky Mountains from northern Colorado to British
Columbia.
The eggs of this sub-species cannot be identified from those of the
other varieties. Like the others, their nests are made of sticks
plastered together with mud and lined with weeds and rootlets.
478d. QUEEN CHARLOTTE JAY. _Cyanocitta stelleri carlottæ._
Range.--Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia.
479. FLORIDA JAY. _Aphelocoma cyanea._
Range.--Locally distributed in Florida.
All the birds of this genus have no crests or decided markings, are
white or grayish below, and more or less intense blue above, with the
back grayish or brownish blue. This species is 11.5 inches long, has a
pale blue crown and a nearly white forehead. It has a very limited
distribution, being confined chiefly to the coast districts of middle
Florida, and very abundant in some localities and rare in adjoining
ones. They build shallow structures of small sticks and weeds lined with
fine rootlets and placed at low elevations in bushes or scrubby trees.
The three or four eggs, which are laid in April or May are dull greenish
blue, marked with olive brown. Size 1.00 x .80. Data.--Titusville, Fla.,
April 17, 1899. Nest of sticks in a scrub oak, five feet from the
ground.
480. WOODHOUSE'S JAY. _Aphelocoma woodhousei._
Range.--United States west of the Rockies and from Oregon and Wyoming to
Mexico.
This species has the crown and forehead bluish, and the underparts gray,
streaked with bluish gray on the breast. It is also larger than the
last, being 12 inches long. They are very abundant in the Great Basin
between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevadas, breeding during April or May
in scrubby trees or bushes at low elevations and generally near streams.
They lay from three to five eggs of a dull bluish green color, spotted
with umber and lilac gray. Size 1.08 x .80. Data.--Iron County, Utah,
May 3, 1897. 4 eggs. Nest of sticks and weeds in a small pine tree.
[Illustration 308: Florida Jay.]
[Illustration: Greenish blue.]
[Illustration: Bluish green.]
[Illustration: 480-487.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 307
480.1. BLUE-EARED JAY. _Aphelocoma cyanotis._
Range.--Interior of Mexico north to the southern boundary of Texas.
The nesting habits of this species are the same as those of the others
of the genus and the eggs are similar but the markings are generally
more prominent and larger. Size 1.10 × .80.
480.2. TEXAS JAY. _Aphelocoma texana._
Range.--Southeastern Texas.
It is not likely that the eggs of this species differ essentially from
those of many of the others.
481. CALIFORNIA JAY. _Aphelocoma californica californica._