dilatable, with external longitudinal fibres, the transverse fibres
becoming stronger towards the lower parts. Its diameter when moderately
dilated is 1-3/4 inch at the top, 1 inch farther down, at its entrance
into the thorax, 9 twelfths, and finally 1-1/2 inch; but it may be
dilated to a much greater extent. _The proventricular glands, instead
of forming a belt at the lower part of the œsophagus, are placed
on the right side in the form of a globular sac_, about an inch in
diameter, communicating with the œsophagus, _b_, and stomach, _d_. For
two inches of the lower part of the œsophagus, _b_, or at that part
usually occupied by the proventriculus, the transverse muscular fibres
are enlarged, and form an abrupt margin beneath; on the inner surface
there are four irregular series of large apertures of gastric glandules
or crypts. The proventriculus itself, _c_, is composed of large crypts
of irregular form, with very wide apertures, and covered externally
with muscular fibres. The stomach, _d d_, is roundish, about an inch
and three quarters in diameter, with two roundish tendinous spaces,
_e_, and fasciculi of muscular fibres; its inner coat thin, soft, and
smooth. It opens by an aperture a quarter of an inch in diameter into
a small sac, _f_, precisely similar to that of the Pelican, which
has a muscular coat, with a soft even internal membrane, like that of
the stomach. The pylorus has a diameter of 2 twelfths, is closed by a
semilunar valve or flap, and is surrounded by a disk of radiating rugæ
three-fourths of an inch in diameter. The intestine, _g h_, is 3 feet
4 inches long, its average diameter 2-1/4 twelfths, but only 1 twelfth
at its junction with the rectum, which is 3-1/2 inches long, 3 twelfths
in diameter. The cloaca globular, 1-1/2 inch in diameter. There are
_no cœca_ properly so called, but a _small rounded termination of the
rectum_ 2 twelfths in length as in the Herons.
[Illustration]
The subcutaneous cellular tissue is largely developed, and the
longitudinal cells on the neck are extremely large, as in Gannets and
Herons. The olfactory nerve is of moderate size, and the nasal cavity
is a simple compressed sac 4 twelfths in its greatest diameter. The
external nares are closed, and there are _no supraorbital glands_.
The external aperture at the ear is circular, and not more than half a
twelfth in diameter.
The trachea is 13-1/2 inches long, much flattened, narrow at the
upper extremity, where it is 2-1/2 twelfths in breadth, enlarging
gradually to 4-1/2 twelfths, and toward the lower larynx contracting
to 2-1/2 twelfths. The rings are very slender, unossified, and feeble;
their number 230; the bronchial half-rings 25. The contractor muscles
moderate; sterno-tracheales; and a pair of inferior muscles going to
the last ring.
In a young bird scarcely two days old, and measuring only 3-3/4 inches
in length, the two most remarkable circumstances observed refer to the
nostrils and stomach. The posterior or palatal aperture of the nares
is of the same form, and proportional size, as in the adult; the nasal
cavity is similar; but there is an external nasal aperture, or nostril,
on each side, so small as merely to admit the mystachial bristle
of a Common Squirrel. The stomach is of enormous size, occupying
three-fourths of the cavity of the thorax and abdomen, being 10
twelfths of an inch long, and of an oval shape. The proventriculus is
separated from the stomach and formed into a roundish lobe, as in the
old bird; and beside it is the lobe or pouch appended to the stomach,
and from which the duodenum comes off. Even at this very early age,
the stomach was turgid with a pultaceous mass apparently composed of
macerated fish, without any bones or other hard substances intermixed.
Here then we have an instance of external nares in the young of a bird
in which they are entirely obliterated in the adult.
SURF DUCK.
_FULIGULA PERSPICILLATA_, BONAP.
PLATE CCCXVII. MALE AND FEMALE.
Although several years have elapsed since I visited the sterile
country of Labrador, I yet enjoy the remembrance of my rambles there;
nay, Reader, many times have I wished that you and I were in it once
more, especially in the winter season. I calculate indeed how easily
this wish might be accomplished, were I ten years younger. Under
the hospitable roof of Mr JONES, while the tempest might be hurling
southward the drifting snows, I could live in peaceful content, cheered
by the matchless hand-organ of my kind hostess. Then, how pleasant it
would be in calm weather to traverse the snowy wastes, to trap the
cunning fox and the Jer Falcon, allured by their favourite winter
food, the Rock Grous; with what delight should I gaze on the dim
red sun creeping along the southern horizon, or watch the flittering
beams of the northern aurora. Now, over the glittering snow, JONES’s
Esquimaux curs might swiftly convey us to his friends, here crossing
the ice-bound gulf, there traversing fissures and crags impassable in
summer. Then what long tales for the long nights, and sports for the
short days. The broad-antlered Caribou might have scampered before me,
but its bounds would have been suddenly checked by the fleeter ball of
my well-directed rifle. The wolf might have prowled around us, until he
had been captured in the deeply dug and well-baited pit. Then Nature’s
pure mantle would be seen slowly to disappear, the low grounds would be
inundated with the snow-waters, the warm breezes would dry the mountain
ridges, and with the first appearance of verdure joy would cause every
heart to bound. Thousands of seals would be seen to snuff the milder
air, myriads of tiny fishes would approach the shores, and millions of
feathered wanderers would pass over on whistling pinions. But alas! I
shall never spend a winter in Labrador.
While proceeding towards that country in 1833, on board the Ripley,
I found the waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence alive with ducks of
different species. The nearer we approached the coast, the more
numerous did they become; and of the many kinds that presented
themselves to our anxious gaze, the Surf Duck was certainly not the
least numerous. It is true that in the noble bays of our own coast,
in the Sound, between New York and the Hook, on the broader waters
of the Chesapeake, and beyond them to the mouths of the Mississippi,
I had seen thousands of Surf Ducks; but the numbers that passed the
shores of Labrador, bound for the far north, exceeded all my previous
conceptions.
For more than a week after we had anchored in the lovely harbour of
Little Macatina, I had been anxiously searching for the nest of this
species, but in vain: the millions that sped along the shores had no
regard to my wishes. At length I found that a few pairs had remained
in the neighbourhood, and one morning, while in the company of Captain
EMERY, searching for the nests of the Red-breasted Merganser, over
a vast oozy and treacherous fresh-water marsh, I suddenly started
a female Surf Duck from her treasure. We were then about five miles
distant from our harbour, from which our party had come in two boats,
and fully five and a half miles from the waters of the Gulf of St
Lawrence. The marsh was about three miles in length, and so unsafe that
more than once we both feared, as we were crossing it, that we might
never reach its margin. The nest was snugly placed amid the tall leaves
of a bunch of grass, and raised fully four inches above its roots. It
was entirely composed of withered and rotten weeds, the former being
circularly arranged over the latter, producing a well-rounded cavity,
six inches in diameter, by two and a half in depth. The borders of this
inner cup were lined with the down of the bird, in the same manner as
the Eider Duck’s nest, and in it lay five eggs, the smallest number I
have ever found in any duck’s nest. They were two inches and two and a
half eighths in length, by one inch and five-eighths in their greatest
breadth; more equally rounded at both ends than usual; the shell
perfectly smooth, and of a uniform pale yellowish or cream colour.
I took them on board, along with the female bird, which was shot as
she rose from her nest. We saw no male bird near the spot; but in the
course of the same day, met with several males by themselves, about
four miles distant from the marsh, as we were returning to the harbour.
This induced me to believe that, like the Eider and other ducks that
breed in Labrador, the males abandon the females as soon as incubation
commences. I regret that, notwithstanding all my further exertions, I
did not succeed in discovering more nests or young birds.
In the States of Maine and Massachusetts, this species is best known
by the name of “Butter-boat-billed Coot.” The gunners of Long Island
and New Jersey call it the Black Sea Duck. It is often seen along
the coast of South Carolina, where my friend JOHN BACHMAN Has met
with it. The Surf Duck is a powerful swimmer and an expert diver. It
is frequently observed fishing at the depth of several fathoms, and
it floats buoyantly among the surf or the raging billows, where it
seems as unconcerned as if it were on the most tranquil waters. It
rises on wing, however, with considerable difficulty, and in this
respect resembles the Velvet Duck; but when once fairly under way,
it flies with rapidity and to a great distance, passing close to
the water during heavy gales, but at the height of forty or fifty
yards in calm and pleasant weather. It is an uncommonly shy bird, and
therefore difficult to be obtained, unless shot at while on wing, or
when asleep, and as it were at anchor on our bays, or near the shore,
for it dives as suddenly as the Velvet and Scoter Ducks, eluding even
the best percussion-locked guns. The female, which was killed as she
flew off from the nest, uttered a rough uncouth guttural cry, somewhat
resembling that of the Goosander on similar occasions; and I have never
heard any other sound from either sex.
The migration of the Surf Ducks eastward from our Southern coast,
begins at a very early season, as in the beginning of March none are to
be seen in the New Orleans markets. When I was at Eastport in Maine, on
the 7th of May 1833, they were all proceeding eastward. How far up the
St Lawrence they advance in winter I have not learned, but they must
give a decided preference to the waters of that noble stream, if I may
judge by the vast numbers which I saw apparently coming from them as we
approached the Labrador coast. I have never seen this species on any
fresh-water lake or river, in any part of the interior, and therefore
consider it as truly a marine duck.
During their stay with us, they are always seen in considerable numbers
together, and, unless perhaps during the breeding season, they seem to
be gregarious; for even during their travels northward they always move
in large and compact bodies. When I was at Newfoundland, I was assured
that they breed there in considerable numbers on the lakes of the
interior. My friend Professor MACCULLOCH, of Pictou, however informs
me that none are seen in Nova Scotia in summer. A gentleman of Boston,
with whom I once crossed the Atlantic, assured me that the species is
extremely abundant on the northern shores of the Pacific Ocean, and
about the mouth of Mackenzie’s River. Doctor TOWNSEND mentions it as
being also found on the Columbia. It appears that a single specimen
of the Surf Duck has been procured on the shores of Great Britain; and
this has induced the ornithologists of that country to introduce it as
a constituent of its Fauna.
In all the individuals which I have examined, I have found the stomach
to contain fish of different kinds, several species of shell-fish, and
quantities of gravel and sand, some of the fragments being of large
size. Their flesh is tough, rank, and fishy, so as to be scarcely fit
for food.
In the young males, in the month of September, the whole upper plumage
is mottled with darkish-brown and greyish-white, the latter colour
margining most of the feathers. The neck has a considerable extent of
dull greyish-white, spread over two or three inches, and approaching
toward the cheeks and throat. This colour disappears about the
beginning of January, when they become of a more uniform dark tint,
the upper part of the head brownish-black, without any white spot;
there is a patch of brownish-white at the base of the upper mandible on
each side; another of an oblong form over the ear, and on the nape are
elongated greyish-white marks; the bill and feet dusky green, the iris
brown.
ANAS PERSPICILLATA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 201.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 847.
BLACK or SURF DUCK, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol. viii. p. 49,
pl. 67, fig. 2.
FULIGULA PERSPICILLATA, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of
the United States, p. 389.
OIDEMIA PERSPICILLATA, _Richards. and Swains._ Faun. Bor.
Amer. vol. ii. p. 449.
BLACK or SURF DUCK, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 416.
Adult Male. Plate CCCXVII. Fig. 1.
Bill about the length of the head, very broad, as deep as broad at the
base, depressed towards the end, which is rounded. Upper mandible with
the dorsal outline convex and descending, before the nostrils concave,
on the unguis convex and declinate; the ridge broad and convex at the
base; the sides at the base erect, bulging, and very broad, towards
the end convex, the edges soft, with about 30 internal lamellæ, for
two-thirds from the base they are nearly parallel and straight, but
towards the end ascending, the unguis very large, somewhat triangular
and rounded. Lower mandible flattened, with the angle long and rather
narrow, the dorsal line slightly convex, the edges with about 35
lamellæ. Nostrils submedial, elliptical, large, pervious, near the
ridge.
Head large, oblong, flattened above. Eyes of moderate size. Neck short
and thick. Body large and much depressed. Feet short, placed rather far
behind; tarsus very short, compressed, having anteriorly in its whole
length a series of small scutella, and above the outer toe a partial
series, the rest covered with reticular angular scales. Hind toe small,
with a free membrane beneath; anterior toes nearly double the length of
the tarsus, connected by reticulated membranes having a sinus on their
free margins, the inner with a lobed marginal membrane, the outer with
a thick margin, the third and fourth about equal and longest. Claws
small, that of the first toe very small and curved, of the middle toe
largest, with a dilated inner edge, of the rest slender, all rather
obtuse.
Plumage soft, dense, blended, and glossy. Feathers on the head and neck
of a velvety texture. Wings rather short, narrow, and pointed; primary
quills curved, strong, tapering, and pointed, the first longest, the
second little shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries broad
and rounded, the inner elongated and tapering. Tail very short, narrow,
wedge-shaped, of fourteen stiff, narrow, pointed feathers.
Upper mandible with a nearly square black patch at the base, margined
with orange, unless in front, where there is a patch of bluish-white
extending to near the nostrils, prominent part over the nostrils deep
reddish-orange, becoming lighter towards the unguis, and shaded into
rich yellow towards the margins; the unguis dingy greyish-yellow; lower
mandible flesh-coloured, unguis darker. Iris bright yellowish-white.
Tarsi and toes orange-red, the webs dusky tinged with green; claws
black. The plumage is of a deep black, glossed with blue. On the top
of the head, between the eyes, is a roundish patch of white, and on the
nape a larger patch of an elongated form.
Length to end of tail 20 inches, to end of wings 18, to end of claws
22; extent of wings 33-1/2; bill from the angle in front 1-1/2; from
the prominence at the base 2-1/2; along the edge of lower mandible
2-5/12; wing from flexure 9-3/4; tail 3-3/4; tarsus 1-7/12; first
toe and claw 11/12; outer toe, and claw 2-1/4; middle, toe and claw,
(1/2)/12 longer. Weight 2 lb. 7 oz.
Adult Female. Plate CCCXVII. Fig. 2.
Bill greenish-black; iris as in the male; feet yellowish-orange,
webs greyish-dusky, claws black. The general colour of the plumage
is brownish-black; darker on the top of the head, the back, wings,
and tail; on the breast and sides the feathers edged with dull
greyish-white.
Length to end of tail 19 inches, to end of wings 15-3/4, to end of
claws 18; extent of wings 31-1/2; wing from flexure 8-3/4; tarsus
1-5/8; middle toe 2-3/4, hind toe 9/12. Weight 2 lb. 2 oz.
In an adult Male, the tongue is 1 inch 9 twelfths long, has numerous
conical papillæ at the base, is deeply grooved along the middle, has
two lateral series of bristles, and terminates in a thin rounded lobe,
2 twelfths long. On the middle line of the upper mandible are about ten
short conical papillæ, and on each of its margins about 35 lamellæ;
on the lower an equal number. The heart is 1 inch 8 twelfths long,
1 inch 2 twelfths broad. The œsophagus, 8-1/2 inches long, is wide,
its diameter at the upper part being 1 inch, towards the middle of
the neck 1 inch and a quarter. The proventriculus is 1-1/2 inch long;
its glandules cylindrical, 1-1/2 twelfths in length, and, as in all
other ducks, arranged so as to form a complete belt. The stomach is a
powerful gizzard of a roundish form, 1 inch 10 twelfths long, 1 inch 10
twelfths broad, its lateral muscles very large, the right 10 twelfths
thick, the left 9 twelfths. In the stomach were various small bivalve
shells and much gravel. The cuticular lining longitudinally rugous; the
grinding plates 3/4 inch in diameter. The intestine, 5 feet 7 inches
in length, has an average diameter of 6 twelfths. The rectum is 7-1/2
inches long, 8 twelfths in diameter. Of the cœca one is 3 inches 4
twelfths long, cylindrical, obtuse, 2-1/2 twelfths in diameter, the
other 4-1/2 inches long.
The aperture of the glottis is 8 twelfths long, with numerous minute
papillæ behind. The trachea presents the same structure as that
of the Velvet Duck. Its upper rings, to the number of 9, are very
narrow, and continuous with a large bony expansion, 7 twelfths long,
and 8 twelfths broad. Beyond this part its diameter is 5 twelfths,
gradually diminishes to 3 twelfths about the middle, then enlarges
to 5 twelfths. In this part the number of rings is 78. Then comes a
roundish or transversely elliptical enlargement, 1 inch 2 twelfths in
breadth, 9 twelfths in length, convex before, slightly concave behind,
and composed of about 12 united rings. The trachea then contracts to 4
twelfths and presently enlarges to form the inferior larynx, which is
large, ossified, but symmetrical. In this space there are 6 distinct
rings, and 10 united. The entire length of the trachea is 7-1/2 inches,
its rings are all osseous and strong. The contractor muscles are very
strong, pass along the sides of the lower dilatation, on which are
given off the cleido-tracheals, then continue to the commencement of
the inferior larynx, where the sterno-tracheals come off. The bronchial
half-rings 25, unossified.
The cavity of the nose is very large, being 2 inches long, 1/2 inch
in diameter at the lower part, continued narrow in front over the
dilatation causing the external protuberance of the base of the bill.
The olfactory nerves are of moderate size; the maxillary branches of
the fifth pair very large.
AMERICAN AVOSET.
_RECURVIROSTRA AMERICANA_, GMEL.
PLATE CCCXVIII. ADULT MALE, AND YOUNG IN WINTER.
The fact of this curious bird’s breeding in the interior of our
country accidentally became known to me in June 1814. I was at the time
travelling on horseback from Henderson to Vincennes in the State of
Indiana. As I approached a large shallow pond in the neighbourhood of
the latter town, I was struck by the sight of several Avosets hovering
over the margins and islets of the pond, and although it was late,
and I was both fatigued and hungry, I could not resist the temptation
of endeavouring to find the cause of their being so far from the sea.
Leaving my horse at liberty, I walked toward the pond, when, on being
at once assailed by four of the birds, I felt confident that they had
nests, and that their mates were either sitting or tending their young.
The pond, which was about two hundred yards in length, and half as
wide, was surrounded by tall bulrushes extending to some distance from
the margin. Near its centre were several islets, eight or ten yards in
length, and disposed in a line. Having made my way through the rushes,
I found the water only a few inches deep; but the mud reached above
my knees, as I carefully advanced towards the nearest island. The
four birds kept up a constant noise, remained on wing, and at times
dived through the air until close to me, evincing their displeasure
at my intrusion. My desire to shoot them however was restrained by my
anxiety to study their habits as closely as possible; and as soon as
I had searched the different inlets, and found three nests with eggs,
and a female with her brood, I returned to my horse, and proceeded
to Vincennes, about two miles distant. Next morning at sunrise I was
snugly concealed amongst the rushes, with a fair view of the whole
pond. In about an hour the male birds ceased to fly over me, and betook
themselves to their ordinary occupations, when I noted the following
particulars.
On alighting, whether on the water or on the ground, the American
Avoset keeps its wings raised until it has fairly settled. If in the
water, it stands a few minutes balancing its head and neck, somewhat
in the manner of the Tell-tale Godwit. After this it stalks about
searching for food, or runs after it, sometimes swimming for a yard
or so while passing from one shallow to another, or wading up to its
body, with the wings partially raised. Sometimes they would enter among
the rushes, and disappear for several minutes. They kept apart, but
crossed each other’s path in hundreds of ways, all perfectly silent,
and without shewing the least symptom of enmity towards each other,
although whenever a Sandpiper came near, they would instantly give
chase to it. On several occasions, when I purposely sent forth a loud
shrill whistle without stirring, they would suddenly cease from their
rambling, raise up their body and neck, emit each two or three notes,
and remain several minutes on the alert, after which they would fly
to their nests, and then return. They search for food precisely in
the manner of the Roseate Spoonbill, moving their heads to and fro
sideways, while their bill is passing through the soft mud; and in many
instances, when the water was deeper, they would immerse their whole
head and a portion of the neck, as the Spoonbill and Red-breasted Snipe
are wont to do. When, on the contrary, they pursued aquatic insects,
such as swim on the surface, they ran after them, and on getting up
to them, suddenly seized them by thrusting the lower mandible beneath
them, while the other was raised a good way above the surface, much in
the manner of the Black Shear-water, which however performs this act
on wing. They were also expert at catching flying insects, after which
they ran with partially expanded wings.
I watched them as they were thus engaged about an hour, when they all
flew to the islets where the females were, emitting louder notes than
usual. The different pairs seemed to congratulate each other, using
various curious gestures; and presently those which had been sitting
left the task to their mates and betook themselves to the water,
when they washed, shook their wings and tail, as if either heated or
tormented by insects, and then proceeded to search for food in the
manner above described. Now, Reader, wait a few moments until I eat my
humble breakfast.
About eleven o’clock the heat had become intense, and the Avosets
gave up their search, each retiring to a different part of the pond,
where, after pluming themselves, they drew their heads close to their
shoulders, and remained perfectly still, as if asleep, for about an
hour, when they shook themselves simultaneously, took to wing, and
rising to the height of thirty or forty yards, flew off towards the
waters of the Wabash River.