claws 4-3/8; extent of wings 6-(1-1/2)/8; wing from flexure 1-7/8; tail
1-5/12; bill along the ridge 5/12; tarsus 8/12; hind toe 4/12, its claw
4/12; middle toe 6/12, its claw (2-3/4)/12. Weight 6 dr.
Female. Plate CCCLX. Fig. 2.
The Female is somewhat smaller than the male.
Length to end of tail 3-5/8 inches, to end of wings 3, to end of claws
4-2/8; extent of wings 5-3/8; wing from flexure 1-7/8; tail 1-4/12.
Weight 4 dr.
Young in Autumn. Plate CCCLX. Fig. 3.
The upper parts are much darker than in the adult; the lower parts of
a deeper tint.
Length to end of tail 3-1/2 inches, to end of wings 3-1/8, to end of
claws 4-1/8; extent of wings 5-3/8; wing from flexure 1-(5-1/2)/8.
The young bird just ready to fly, has the bill bright yellow,
excepting the ridge of the upper mandible, which is brown; the feet
yellowish-brown. The upper parts are reddish-brown, faintly barred with
dusky; the wings as in the adult, but the secondary coverts with only
a very small dull white spot at the tip, and the first row of coverts
with a line of the same colour along the shaft. The lower parts are
dull greyish-brown, with the terminal margin of each feather darker,
and the sides and hind parts barred with dusky.
On comparing numerous specimens of American and European birds, it
is found that the proportions of the parts are nearly the same, and
the colours generally similar. But the American birds generally have
the lower parts more tinged with red, their general colour being
pale reddish-brown, whereas those of the European birds are pale
greyish-brown; in the former the bars on the sides and hind parts are
much darker, advance farther on the breast, and in some specimens are
seen even on the neck; in the latter the bars are dusky, and never
appear on the middle of the breast, much less on the neck. In old
European birds, the axillars and lower wing-coverts are greyish-white,
without spots; in old American birds, even those of which the neck
is unbarred, the axillars and lower wing-coverts are always barred
with dusky. As to the two rows of white spots on the wings, they seem
to be quite similar in the birds of both continents, and in those of
each exhibit variations in form, sometimes being short and somewhat
triangular, sometimes also extending along the shaft. The tarsi, toes,
and claws are precisely similar, as are the wings, and it does not
appear that in the American bird the claws are larger, or the wings
longer, as might be supposed by a person desirous of proving the one to
be more scansorial and migratory than the other. Perhaps the European
bird is somewhat larger, and it certainly differs a little in colour.
After one has studied the differences, he can easily select from a
promiscuous assemblage of skins the European or the American specimens.
But, after all, the differences are very slight, and certainly not
such as to form good essential characters. Were the two species to be
comparatively characterized, they might be described as follows.
_T. europæa._ In the male the upper parts reddish-brown, faintly barred
with dusky, the lower parts pale greyish-brown, the sides and abdomen
barred with dusky and greyish-white, the fore neck and breast without
bars, the lower wing-coverts and axillars greyish-white.
_T. hyemalis._ In the male the upper parts reddish-brown, faintly
barred with dusky, the lower parts pale reddish-brown, the sides and
abdomen barred with brownish-black and greyish-white, the fore neck
and breast more faintly barred, the lower wing-coverts and axillars
greyish-white, barred with dusky.
The following is a comparative view of the measurements of several
American and European birds.
American.
M. M. F.
Length to end of tail, 3-7/8 3-11/12 3-5/8
.... wings, 3-1/8 — 3-1/8
.... claws, 4-3/8 — 4-2/8
Extent of wings, 6-(1-1/2)/8 — 5-3/8
Wing from flexure, 1-7/8 1-11/12 1-7/8
Tail, 1-5/8 1-3/12 1-4/12
Bill, 5/12 5/12 (4-3/4)/12
Tarsus, 8/12 (8-1/2)/12 8/12
Hind toe, 4/12 (4-1/2)/12 4/12
Its claw, 4/12 (3-1/2)/12 3/12
Middle toe, 6/12 (6-1/2)/12 5-3/4)/12
Its claw, (2-3/4)/12 (2-1/2)/12 2/12
European.
M. M. F.
Length to end of tail, 4 4-1/4 3-6/8
.... wings, 3-1/4 — 3-1/8
.... claws, 4-1/2 — 4-1/4
Extent of wings, 5-7/8 6-1/2 5-3/4
Wing from flexure, 1-7/8 1-11/12 1-7/8
Tail, 1-(5-1/2)/12 1-1/2 1-4/12
Bill, 5/12 (5-1/2)/12 5/12
Tarsus, 8/12 8/12 8/12
Hind toe, 4/12 (4-1/2)/12 4/12
Its claw, (3-1/2)/12 4/12 3/12
Middle toe, 6/12 (6-1/2)/12 6/12
Its claw, (2-1/2)/12 (2-1/4)/12 (2-1/4)/12
In a male shot at Charleston in January, the upper mandible has a
prominent median line beneath, the palate is flat, the mouth 2-3/4
twelfths in breadth. The tongue is 5 twelfths long, emarginate and
papillate at the base, slender, flattened, very narrow, tapering to a
lacerated point. The œsophagus, _a_, _b_, _c_, is 1-1/2 inch long, of
uniform diameter, being 1-1/2 twelfths in breadth. The stomach, _d_,
_e_, is oblong, 5 twelfths in length, 3-1/2 twelfths in breadth, its
muscles of moderate strength, the lower not distinct from the right;
the cuticular lining longitudinally rugous, and of a dark brown colour.
The intestine, _f_, _g_, _h_, is 8 inches long, the duodenum 2 twelfths
in diameter; the cœca 1 twelfth long, 1-1/4 twelfth broad; the neck 9
twelfths long; the cloaca large, globular, 3 twelfths in diameter.
[Illustration]
The trachea is 1 inch 3 twelfths long, of nearly uniform diameter,
1-1/2 twelfths broad; the lateral muscles strong, sterno-tracheal, and
four pairs of inferior laryngeal muscles; the rings ossified.
ROCK WREN.
_TROGLODYTES OBSOLETUS_, SAY.
PLATE CCCLX. ADULT FEMALE.
This species was discovered by some of Major LONG’s exploring party,
and first described by Mr THOMAS SAY. My friend THOMAS NUTTALL, who
had opportunities of studying its habits, during his recent journey in
company with Dr TOWNSEND, has assured me that they are very similar
to those of the other Wrens. The figure in the plate was taken from
an adult female, given to me by Mr NUTTALL; and I have since then
obtained two males. In my drawing the bird was represented on a stone,
but for the reasons mentioned in my Introduction, my son VICTOR GIFFORD
attached it to the drawing of the Winter Wren, so that it now appears
perched on a twig, which, however, is not a common practice with this
species.
“On the 21st of June,” says Mr NUTTALL, “on the ledges of the bluffs
which border the bottom of Hare’s Fork of the Siskadee (or Colorado of
the West), I heard, and at length saw this curious Mountain Wren. Its
actions are those of the Carolina species, _Troglodytes ludovicianus_.
The old female (as I supposed) sat upon a ledge of rock at the head of
a high ravine in the bluff, cocking her tail, and balancing herself,
at the same time uttering a _tshurr_, _tshurr_, and _té aigh_, with a
strong guttural accent, and now and then, when approached, like the
common Short-billed Marsh Wren, _Troglodytes brevirostris_, a quick
guttural _tshe de de_. It has also a shrill call at times, as it
perches on a stone on the summit of some hill, again similar to the
note of the Carolina Wren, occasionally interrupted by a _tshurr_.
Among these arid and bare hills of the central table-land they were
quite common. The old ones were feeding and watching a brood of four
or five young, which, though fully grown, were protected and cherished
with the querulous assiduity so characteristic of the other Wrens.
They breed under the rocky ledges where we so constantly observed them,
under which they skulk at once when surprised, and pertinaciously hide
in security, like so many rats. Indeed so suddenly do they disappear
among the rocks, and remain so silent in their retreat, that it is
scarcely possible to believe them beneath your feet till after a
lapse of a few minutes you begin to hear a low cautious chirp, and
the next moment, at the head of the ravine, the old female probably
again appears, scolding and jerking in the most angry attitudes she
is capable of assuming. In the same rocky retreats they are commonly
accompanied by a kind of small striped Ground Squirrel, like that of
the eastern coast in many respects, but much smaller. These little
animals, which are numerous, the White-chinned Buzzard, _Buteo
vulgaris_ of RICHARDSON and SWAINSON, and the Raven frequently hover
over and pounce upon. We met with this species as far west as the
lowest falls of the Columbia, or within a few miles of Fort Van Couver,
but among rocks and cliffs as usual.”
TROGLODYTES OBSOLETA, _Say_.
MYOTHERA OBSOLETA, _Ch. Bonap_. Amer. Ornith vol. i. p. 6,
pl. 1, fig. 2.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WREN, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. i. p. 435.
Adult Female. Plate CCCLX Fig. 4.
Bill nearly as long as the head, slender, slightly arched, compressed
toward the end; upper mandible with the sides convex towards the end,
flat and declinate at the base, the edges sharp and overlapping, with
a very slight notch close to the declinate tip; lower mandible with the
angle long and narrow, the dorsal line very slightly concave, the sides
sloping outwards and concave, the tip narrow. Nostrils oblong, basal,
with a cartilaginous operculum, open and bare.
Head oblong; neck short; body slender. Legs of ordinary length; tarsus
longer than the middle toe, compressed, with eight anterior distinct
scutella, and two lateral plates forming a sharp edge behind. Toes
of moderate size, the third and fourth united at the base, the first
large, the outer considerably longer than the inner. Claws rather long,
moderately arched, much compressed, with an abruptly tapering, very
acute tip.
Plumage soft and loose. Wings of moderate length, convex, broad and
rounded; the first quill very short, the second a quarter of an inch
shorter than the third; the fourth longest, but scarcely exceeding
the third and fifth. Tail rather long, much rounded, of twelve broad,
rounded feathers.
Bill dusky, with the edges pale yellow. Iris hazel. Feet dusky. Upper
parts light dull yellowish-brown, and, excepting the rump, transversely
barred with greyish-brown; the wings barred in the same manner,
excepting the primaries, which are plain; the secondary coverts with
a small white spot near the tip. Tail-coverts barred like the back, as
are the two middle tail-feathers; the others broadly tipped with pale
yellowish-red, undulated with dusky; behind which is a broad band of
brownish-black; the remaining or basal part banded like the central
feathers, the outer feather with four reddish-white spots or bars
on the outer web, the intervals being brownish-black, and a spot of
white on the inner web. The lower parts are greyish-white, tinged with
sienna, the sides inclining to yellowish-red. The lower tail-coverts
are barred with brownish-black.
Length to end of tail 6 inches, wing from flexure 2-11/12; tail 2-1/4;
bill along the ridge (9-1/2)/12; tarsus (9-1/2)/12; hind toe 4/12, its
claw (3-1/2)/12; middle toe 6/12, its claw (2-1/4)/12.
DUSKY GROUS.
_TETRAO OBSCURUS_, SAY.
PLATE CCCLXI. MALE AND FEMALE.
As I have never seen this species in its native haunts, I am obliged to
have recourse to the observations of those who have had opportunities
of studying its habits. The only accounts that can be depended upon
are those of Dr RICHARDSON, Dr TOWNSEND, and Mr NUTTALL, which I here
give in order, beginning with what is stated respecting it in the Fauna
Boreali-Americana by the first of these naturalists.
“This large Grous inhabits the Rocky Mountains from latitude 40° to
60°, and perhaps to a greater extent, for the limits of its range
either northward or southward have not been ascertained. It has been
known to the fur-traders for nearly thirty years; but it was first
introduced to the scientific world by Mr SAY, who, in 1820, accompanied
Major LONG to the source of the Missouri; and a female specimen,
deposited by him in the Philadelphia Museum, has lately been figured by
the Prince of MUSIGNANO in his continuation of Wilson’s Ornithology.
I had no opportunity of observing the habits of this bird myself, but
was informed by Mr DRUMMOND that, in the mornings during pairing time,
usual station of the male is on some rocky eminence or large stone,
where he sits swelling out the sides of his neck, spreading his tail,
and repeating the cry of “Coombe, Coombe,” in a soft hollow tone. Its
food consists of various berries, and its flesh is very palatable. Mr
ALEXANDER STEWART, a chief-factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, who has
often crossed the mountains, informs me that the males of this species
fight each other with such animosity, that a man may take one of them
up in his hand before it will quit its antagonist.”
Dr RICHARDSON adds in a note, that “the description and figure of Mr
SAY’s specimen agree so completely with our younger female specimens,
that there can be no doubt of their specific identity; but it is proper
to observe that there is some discrepancy in the dimensions. The Prince
of MUSIGNANO states the total length of the bird to be eighteen inches,
that of the wing nine inches and a half. The wing of the largest of our
males is scarcely so long; while the biggest of our females, measuring
twenty-one inches in total length, has a wing barely eight inches long.
This, perhaps, merely indicates the uncertainty of measurements taken
from prepared specimens. Mr DOUGLAS’s specimens in the Edinburgh Museum
are of younger birds than ours, but evidently the same species.” These
remarks correspond with what I have so often repeated, that age, sex,
and different states of moult, produce disparities in individuals of
the same species.
Dr TOWNSEND, in the notes with which he has favoured me, has
the following observations:—“Dusky Grous, _Tetrao obscurus_.
_Qul-al-lalleun_ of the Chinooks. First found in the Blue Mountains,
near Wallah Wallah, in large flocks, in September. Keep in pine
woods altogether, never found on the plains; they perch on the trees.
Afterwards found on the Columbia River in pairs in May. The eggs are
numerous, of a cinereous brown colour, blunt at both ends, and small
for the size of the bird. The actions of the female, when the young are
following her, are precisely the same as the Ruffed Grous, using all
the arts of that bird in counterfeiting lameness, &c. Female smaller
than the male, lighter coloured, and wants the yellow warty skin upon
the sides of the neck.”
Mr NUTTALL’s notice is as follows:—“The Dusky Grous breeds in the shady
forests of the Columbia, where we heard and saw them throughout the
summer. The male at various times of the day makes a curious uncouth
tooting, almost like the sound made by blowing into the bung-hole of
a barrel, _boo wh’h_, _wh’h_, _wh’h_, _wh’h_, the last note descending
into a kind of echo. We frequently tried to steal on the performer, but
without success, as, in fact, the sound is so strangely managed that
you may imagine it to come from the left or right indifferently. They
breed on the ground, as usual, and the brood keep together nearly all
winter. The Ruffed Grous also breeds here commonly, and I one day found
the nest concealed near a fallen log, but it was at once forsaken after
this intrusion, though I did not touch the eggs.”
From the examination of specimens in my possession, I am persuaded
that this species, like _Tetrao Cupido_, has the means of inflating the
sacs of bare skin on the sides of the neck, by means of which, in the
breeding season, are produced the curious sounds above described.
TETRAO OBSCURUS, DUSKY GROUS, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Amer. Ornith.
vol. iii. pl. 18.—_Id._ Synopsis of Birds of United States,
p. 127.—_Richards. and Swains._ Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p.
344.
DUSKY GROUS, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. i. p. 666.
Adult Male. Plate CCCLXI. Fig. 1.
Bill short, robust, slightly arched, rather obtuse, the base covered
by feathers. Upper mandible with the dorsal line convex and declinate,
the ridge convex, the sides convex, the edges sharp and overlapping,
the tip thin-edged and rounded; lower mandible with the angle long and
wide, the dorsal line ascending and convex, the ridge broad, the sides
convex, the edges inflected, the tip rounded. Nostrils in the fore part
of the large and feathered nasal depression, roundish.
Head small, ovate; neck of ordinary length; body large and full. Feet
stout, of moderate length; tarsus short, feathered; toes stout; the
first very small, the lateral about equal, and much shorter than the
third; the anterior toes connected by basal scaly membranes, partially
covered with feathers; all with broad and short scutella, margined,
but scarcely pectinate, the lateral scales not being prominent. Claws
rather large, arched, compressed, rather obtuse.
Plumage full, soft, rather blended, the feathers broad and rounded. A
bare papillate space around the eye. Feathers on the upper part of the
head narrow and elongated. Wings rather short, convex, much rounded;
the quills very strong; the third longest, the fourth next, the third
and sixth about equal, as are the first and seventh. Tail large, of
ordinary length, rounded, of twenty feathers, which are broader toward
the end, and abruptly rounded.
Bill brownish-black, lighter at the base. Iris dark hazel. Toes
bluish-grey, claws wood-brown. Papillar space around the eye vermilion.
Upper parts blackish-brown, the wings lighter. The elongated feathers
on the head greyish-brown; the hind neck minutely undulated with
bluish-grey; the scapulars, inner secondaries, and smaller wing-coverts
also minutely undulated with grey and brownish-red, and most of the
latter with a small greyish tip; the rump and upper tail-coverts
obscurely undulated with grey. Alula, primary coverts and quills,
clove-brown, the secondaries bordered and tipped with yellowish-grey;
the primaries mottled with grey on their outer webs. The tail is
black. The sides of the head, fore part and sides of the neck, and
fore part of the breast greyish-black; the lore and throat are barred
with white; the greyish-black of the breast passes into blackish-grey,
and finally into dull bluish-grey; the feathers of the abdomen tipped
with greyish-white, as are the lower rump and tail-coverts, which have
moreover one or two narrow bars of the same; the flanks undulated with
black and marked with an elongated white spot along the central part
and on the tip; axillary feathers white, as are the inner wing-coverts;
the tarsal feathers brownish-grey. The concealed part of the plumage is
light grey, unless on the feathers around the bare space on each side
of the neck, which is of an orange colour, and which the bird inflates.
Length to end of tail 22 inches, to end of wings 15-1/2, to end of
claws 18-1/2; extent of wings 30; wing from flexure 9-1/2; tail 7-1/2;
bill along the ridge 1, along the edge of lower mandible 1-(2-1/2)/12;
tarsus 1-9/12; hind toe 6/12, its claw 6/12; second toe 1-2/12 its claw
7/12; third toe 1-10/12, its claw (8-1/2)/12; fourth toe 1-5/12, its
claw (6-1/2)/12.
Female. Plate CCCLXI. Fig. 2.
The female is considerably smaller than the male. The bare papillar
space over the eye is of much less extent, but, as well as the
bill and feet, is coloured as in the male. The upper parts are dark
greyish-brown, barred on the neck with grey, on the other parts barred
and minutely undulated with yellowish-brown; the wings as in the male,
but lighter and more mottled; the tail greyish-brown, becoming black
toward the end, the middle feathers undulated like the back, and having
four grey bands with a terminal white one. The sides of the head and
the throat are greyish-white, undulatingly barred with brown; the
general colour of the fore neck is greyish-brown, with pale sienna
bands; on the breast the colour is brownish-grey, and the colours and
markings of the rest of the under parts are as in the male, but paler.
Length to end of tail 19-1/4 inches; wing from flexure 9; tail 6-1/4;
bill along the ridge 10/12.
In a specimen in my possession, killed by Dr TOWNSEND on the “Columbia
River, Sept. 26. 1834,” the tail is considerably rounded, the lateral
feathers being 7 twelfths shorter than the longest remaining, the
middle feathers being lost. The tail is deep black, with a terminal
band of ash-grey, half an inch in breadth. It is therefore probable,
that when the tail is unworn, it is distinctly rounded, and tipped with
grey.
YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE.
_CORVUS NUTTALLI._
PLATE CCCLXII. ADULT.
I have conferred on this beautiful bird the name of a most zealous,
learned, and enterprising naturalist, my friend THOMAS NUTTALL, Esq.,
to whom the scientific world is deeply indebted for the many additions
to our zoological and botanical knowledge which have resulted from his
labours. It is to him alone that we owe all that is known respecting
the present species, which has not hitherto been portrayed. In a note
inserted by him in my journal, he says:
“As we proceed to the south in Upper California, around the village of
Sta. Barbara, we find the Common Magpie substituted by this remarkable
species, which is much more shy and cautious, as well as more strictly
insectivorous. It utters, however, nearly if not quite the same
chatter. In the month of April they were everywhere mated, and had
nearly completed their nests in the evergreen oaks of the vicinity
(_Quercus agrifolia_). The only one I saw was situated on a rather high
tree, towards the summit, and much concealed among the thick and dark
branches. Their call was _pait_, _pait_; and on approaching each other,
a low congratulatory chatter was heard. After being fired at once,
it seemed nearly impossible again to approach them within gun-shot.
When alighted in the thick oaks, they remained for a considerable time
silent, and occasionally even wholly hid themselves; but after a while
the call of recognition was again renewed, and if the pair then met,
they would often fly off a mile or more, without stopping, in quest of
insects. We often saw them on the ground, but never near the offal of
the oxen, so attractive to the Crows and Ravens around.”
CORVUS NUTTALLI.
Adult. Plate CCCLXII. Fig. 1.
Bill almost as long as the head, straight, robust, compressed; upper
mandible with the dorsal line convex and declinate, the sides sloping
and slightly convex, the edges sharp, with a slight notch close to the
tip, which is rather sharp; lower mandible straight, the angle rather
long and wide, the dorsal outline very slightly convex and ascending,
the sides sloping outwards and slightly convex, the edges sharp and
inclinate, the tip narrow. Nostrils basal, lateral, roundish, covered
by bristly feathers, which are directed forwards.
Head large, ovate; eyes of moderate size; neck rather short; body
compact. Legs of moderate length, strong; tarsus with seven large
scutella in front, and two long plates behind, meeting so as to form
a sharp edge. Toes stout, with large scutella, and separated almost
to the base; first very strong; lateral toes nearly equal, third
considerably longer. Claws strong, arched, compressed, sharp, the third
with the inner edge somewhat dilated.
Plumage full, soft, blended; stiff bristly feathers, with disunited
filaments over the nostrils, some of them extending nearly half the
length of the bill; feathers on the throat with the shaft downy and
prolonged. Wings of moderate length, much rounded; the first quill
very short, extremely narrow, and falciform; the second two inches and
four and a half twelfths longer, and a little longer than the ninth;
the third an inch and one twelfth longer than the second, and three
twelfths shorter than the fourth, which is the longest. The tail is
very long, much graduated, the lateral feathers being four inches and
seven twelfths shorter than the middle.