plains of Snake River, has the upper parts brown, streaked and spotted
with reddish-white; the upper tail-coverts white, barred with dusky,
the lower parts as above described. The colours however vary, and in
some the upper parts are deep brown, the lower reddish or brownish
white, barred with reddish-brown.
When compared with European specimens, mine have the bill somewhat
stronger; but in all other respects, including the scutella and scales
of the feet and toes, and the structure of the wings and tail, the
parts are similar.
MARSH HARE.
LEPUS PALUSTRIS, _Bachman_.
The Hare figured in the plate is thus described by my learned friend
Dr BACHMAN, in his excellent observations on the different species of
the genus Lepus inhabiting the United States and Canada, inserted in
the seventh volume of the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia:—
“Smaller than the American Hare. Ears much shorter than the head; eyes
rather small; tail very short; feet small, thinly clothed with hair.
Upper surface yellowish-brown; beneath, grey.
Incisors 4/2, Canines (0—0)/(0—0), Molars (6—6)/(5—5) = 28.
“The upper incisors are longer and broader than those of the
American Hare, marked, like all the rest of the species, with a deep
longitudinal furrow. The small accessory incisors are smaller and less
flattened than those of the last mentioned species, and the molars are
narrower and a little shorter. The transverse diameter of the cranium
is much smaller, the vertical diameter about equal. Orbits of the eyes
one-third smaller. This is a striking peculiarity, giving it a smaller
and less prominent eye than that of any other American species. The
pterygoid processes of the temporal bone project downwards nearly in a
vertical line, whilst those of the American Hare are almost horizontal.
“Head and ears shorter than those of the _Lepus Americanus_; legs
short, and rather small; body short and thick; feet small, thinly
clothed with hair beneath, so as not to cover the nails, which are
larger than those of the American Hare. Tail shorter than that of any
other species of true hare inhabiting the United States, except the
_Lepus Nuttalli_. Hair on the back long and somewhat rough. From the
short legs and ears of this species, and its general clumsy habit, it
has the appearance when running through the marshes, splashing through
mud and mire, and plunging into creeks and ponds of water, of some
large Norway Rat, hastening to escape from its pursuers.
“The teeth are yellowish-white; the eyes are dark brown, appearing
in certain lights quite black. Upper parts of the head brown and
greyish-ash. Around the orbits of the eyes slightly fawn-coloured.
Whiskers black. Ears dark greyish-brown. The back and whole upper
parts yellowish-brown, intermixed with many strong black hairs. The
hairs, when examined singly, are bluish-grey at the roots, then light
brown, and are tipped with black. The fur, beneath, is light plumbeous;
under the chin grey; throat yellowish-brown; belly light grey, the fur
beneath bluish. Under surface of the tail ash-colour, edged with brown.
During winter the upper surface becomes considerably darker than in
summer.
Dimensions, taken from a specimen in the flesh:
Length, from point of nose to insertion of tail, 13 inches
Height, from the top of the fore-shoulder to the end
of the middle claw 7
Length of the head, 3-1/2
ears, 2-1/2
hind foot, 3
tail (vertebræ), 5/6
tail, including the fur, 1-1/2
Weight 2-1/2 lb.
“I have not heard of the existence of this small species of Hare to
the north of the State of South Carolina, nor is it found in the upper
parts of this State,—confining itself to the maritime districts, to low
marshy grounds partially inundated, to the borders of rivers subject
to the overflowing of their banks, and to the ponds, usually termed
reserves, where the waters intended to overflow the rice-fields are
preserved. In these situations, rendered almost inaccessible on account
of mud, entangled vines, and stagnant waters, sending up poisonous
miasmata, the fruitful source of disease, surrounded by frogs,
water-snakes, and alligators, this species resides through the whole
year, scarcely molested by man. In these forbidden retreats, frequented
by Herons (_Ardea_), Snake-birds (_Plotus Anhinga_), and Ibises, this
almost aquatic quadruped finds a home suited to its habits; making up
for its want of speed in eluding pursuit, by its facility in winding
through miry pools and marshes overgrown with rank weeds and willows.
In such situations, I have met with it fifty miles north of Charleston;
but, as soon as the traveller arrives at the high grounds of the middle
country, where the marshes disappear, this Hare is no longer seen. It
is common in all the lower parts of Georgia, and I have observed it
for sale in the market of Savannah. It is abundant in East Florida,
even at its farthest southern extremity. I received a living animal
of this species, taken on one of the islands near Indian Key, called
Rabbit Key, separated from the main-land by several miles of sea; where
it could have proceeded only by swimming, but where it is now found in
great numbers. In all the low grounds of Florida, this species takes
the place of the American Hare, which has not been observed in those
situations.
“The Marsh Hare is one of the most singular in its habits of all the
species. It runs low on the ground, and cannot be said to possess the
fine leaping gait of the American Hare. It is so slow of foot, that
nothing but the sheltered and miry situations in which it resides
can save it from being easily overtaken and captured. I have, indeed,
observed the domestics on a plantation, during a holiday, setting fire
to a piece of marsh ground, in a very dry season, and armed with clubs,
waiting till the flames drove these Hares from their retreats, when
they were run down and killed in considerable numbers, I noticed that
when the American Hare made its appearance it was suffered to pass,
on account of the speed they knew it to possess, but no sooner did
the Marsh Hare appear, than with a whoop, they gave chase, and seldom
failed to overtake it.
“The feet of the Marsh Hare are admirably adapted to its aquatic
habits. A thick covering of hair on its soles, like that on the other
species, would be inconvenient; they would not only be kept wet for
a considerable length of time, but would retard them in swimming. All
quadrupeds that frequent the water, such as the Beaver, Otter, Muskrat,
Mink, &c., and aquatic birds, have nearly naked palms; and it is this
peculiar structure, together with the facility of distending its toes,
that enables this quadruped to swim with such ease and rapidity. The
track, when observed in moist or muddy situations, differs very much
from that of the other species. Its toes are spread out, each leaving
a distinct impression, like those of the rat.
“The Marsh Hare deposits its young in a pretty large nest, composed
of a large species of rush (_Juncus effusus_) growing in a convenient
situation. These appeared to have been cut into pieces of about a foot
in length. I have seen these nests nearly surrounded by, and almost
floating on, the water. They were generally arched, by carefully
bending the rush-grass over them, admitting the mother by a pretty
large hole in the side. A considerable quantity of hair was found
lining the nest, but whether plucked out by the parent, or the effect
of the season, (it being late in spring when these animals shed their
coat) I was unable to ascertain. The young were from five to seven.
They evidently breed several times in the season, but I have observed
that the females usually produce their young two months later, at
least, than the American Hare. Twenty-one specimens were obtained from
the 9th to the 14th day of April; none of the females had produced
young that season, although some of them would have done so in a very
few days. On one occasion only, have I seen the young in March. These
bear a strong resemblance to the adults, and may almost at a glance be
distinguished from those of the last-mentioned species.
“This species possesses a strong marshy smell at all times, even when
kept in confinement, and fed on the choicest food. Its flesh, however,
although dark, is fully equal, if not superior, to that of the American
Hare. The Marsh Hare never visits gardens or cultivated fields,
confining itself throughout the year to the marshes. It is occasionally
found in places overflown by salt or brackish water, but seems to
prefer fresh-water marshes, where its food can be most conveniently
obtained. It feeds on various grasses, gnaws off the twigs of the young
sassafras, and of the pond spice (_Laurus geniculata_). I have seen
many places in the low grounds dug up, the foot-prints indicating that
it was the work of this species in search of roots. It frequently is
found digging for the bulbs of the wild potato (_Apios tuberosa_), as
also for those of a small species of Amaryllis (_Amaryllis Atamasco_).
“I possess a living animal of this species, which was sent me a few
weeks ago, having been captured when full grown. It became so gentle
in a few days that it freely took its food from the hand. It is fed on
turnip and cabbage leaves, but prefers bread to any other food that
has been offered to it. It is fond of lying for hours in a trough
of water, and seems restless and uneasy when the trough is removed,
scratching the sides of its tin cage until it has been replaced, when
it immediately plunges in, burying the greater part of its body in the
water.
“It has already shed a great portion of its summer, and resumed its
winter, dress. The hairs on the upper surface, instead of becoming
white at the point, as in the American Hare, have grown long and black,
through which the brownish parts beneath are still distinctly visible.
“This species, like others of the genus existing in this country,
as well as in the deer and squirrels, is infested with a troublesome
larva of an œstrus in the summer and autumn, which, penetrating into
the flesh, and continually enlarging, causes pain to the animal, and
renders it lean. One of these larvæ dropped from an orifice in the
throat of the hare which I have in confinement. It was of the usual
cylindrical shape, but appears to differ in some particulars from the
_Œstrus cuniculi_.”
EVENING GROSBEAK.
_FRINGILLA VESPERTINA_, COOPER.
PLATE CCCLXXIII. MALE.
This fine species of Grosbeak was first introduced to the notice of
ornithologists by Mr WILLIAM COOPER, who published an account of it in
the Annals of the Lyceum of New York. Mr SCHOOLCRAFT observed a few
individuals, in the beginning of April 1823, near the Sault Sainte
Marie in Michigan, from which the species was traced to the Rocky
Mountains. Dr RICHARDSON mentions it as a common inhabitant of the
maple groves on the Saskatchewan plains, whence “its native appellation
of Sugar-bird.” The female remained utterly unknown until it was
obtained by Dr TOWNSEND, who found this Grosbeak abundant about the
Columbia River, and procured a great number of specimens, several of
which are in my possession. The following note from him contains all
the information respecting its habits that I can lay before you.
“Columbia River, May 27, 1836.—The Evening Grosbeak, _Fringilla
vespertina_, is very numerous in the pine-woods at this time. You can
scarcely enter a grove of pines at any hour in the day without seeing
numbers of them. They are very unsuspicious and tame, and I have,
in consequence, been enabled to procure a fine suite of specimens.
The accounts that have been published respecting them by the only
two authors to whom I have access, Mr NUTTALL and Prince BONAPARTE,
are, I think, in many respects incorrect. In the first place, it is
stated that they are retiring and silent during the day, and sing
only on the approach of evening. Here they are remarkably noisy
during the whole of the day, from sunrise to sunset. They then retire
quietly to their roosts in the summits of the tall pines, and are not
aroused until daylight streaks the east, when they come forth to feed
as before. Thus I have observed them _here_, but will not say but
that at other seasons, and in other situations, their habits may be
different. They are now, however, very near the season of breeding,
as the organs of the specimens I have examined sufficiently indicate.
They appear fond of going in large bodies, and it is rare to see
one alone in a tree. They feed upon the seeds of the pine and other
trees, alighting upon large limbs, and proceeding by a succession of
hops to the very extremities of the branches. They eat, as well as
seeds, a considerable quantity of the larvæ of the large black ant,
and it is probable that it is to procure this food that they are
not uncommonly seen in the tops of the low oaks which here skirt the
forests. Their ordinary voice, when they are engaged in procuring food,
consists of a single rather screaming note, which from its tone I at
first supposed to be one of alarm, but soon discovered my error. At
other times, particularly about mid-day, the male sometimes selects a
lofty pine branch, and there attempts a song; but it is a miserable
failure, and he seems conscious of it, for he frequently pauses and
looks discontented, then remains silent sometimes for some minutes,
and tries it again, but with no better success. The note is a single
warbling call, exceedingly like the early part of the Robin’s song, but
not so sweet, and checked as though the performer were out of breath.
The song, if it may be so called, is to me a most wearisome one: I am
constantly listening to hear the stave continued, and am as constantly
disappointed. Another error of the books is this,—they both state that
the female is similar to the male in plumage. Now, this is entirely a
mistake: she is so very different in colour and markings, that were it
not for the size and colour of the bill, and its peculiar physiognomy,
one might be induced to suppose it another species. The specimens in
possession of Mr LEADBEATER of London, and from which Prince BONAPARTE
drew up his descriptions, must have been all males.”
In the present plate you will find the figure of a male only; but in
Plate CCCCXXIV. are representations of the young male and adult female,
which are however here described.
FRINGILLA VESPERTINA, _Cooper_, Ann. Lyc. New York, vol. i.
p. 220.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of United States,
p. 113.
EVENING GROSBEAK, FRINGILLA VESPERTINA, _Ch. Bonaparte_,
Amer. Orn. vol. ii. pl. 14. fig. 1.
COCCOTHRAUSTES VESPERTINA, EVENING GROSBEAK, _Richards. and
Swains._ Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 269.
EVENING GROSBEAK, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. Appendix, p.
594.
Adult Male. Plate CCCLXXIII.
Bill of moderate length, extremely thick, conical, pointed; upper
mandible with the dorsal line very slightly convex, the sides rounded;
the edges sharp, overlapping, with a slight sinus close to the acute
tip; lower mandible with the angle very short and broad, the dorsal
line straight, or very slightly concave, the back very broad, the sides
rounded, the edges inflected, the tip acute. Nasal sinus extremely
short and broad: nostrils round, basal, concealed by short reflected
bristly feathers.
Head large, roundish-ovate; neck short; body moderately full. Feet
short, of moderate strength; tarsus short, compressed, with seven
anterior scutella, and two plates behind forming a sharp edge; hind
toe large, outer toe somewhat longer than inner; claws rather large,
moderately arched, much compressed, acute.
Plumage full, soft, blended, the feathers oblong. Wings rather long,
broad, abruptly pointed; the outer three primaries almost equal, the
first longest; outer secondaries emarginate. Tail of moderate length,
rather narrow, emarginate, of twelve rather narrow feathers.
Bill yellow; iris hazel; feet flesh-colour, claws brown. The upper part
of the head and the occiput are brownish-black, bounded anteriorly by
a broadish band of bright yellow across the forehead, and laterally
by a streak of the same, passing over the eye; the stiff feathers over
the nostrils black, as is the loral space. The cheeks, hind neck, and
throat are dark yellowish-olive, and that colour gradually brightens
until, on the outer edges of the scapulars, the rump, the axillars
and inner lower wing-coverts, the abdomen and lower tail-coverts, it
becomes pure yellow. The smaller wing-coverts, alula, primary coverts,
three outer secondaries, outer web of the next, and the bases of the
inner secondaries, black; as is the tail; six of the inner secondaries,
inner web of the next, and inner margin of the rest, as well as their
coverts, white, the basal part excepted.
Length to end of tail 8 inches; wing from flexure 4-3/4; tail 3; bill
along the ridge 10/12, along the edge of lower mandible 11/12; tarsus
(9-1/2)/12; hind toe 5/12, its claw, (4-1/2)/12; middle toe, 8/12, its
claw (3-3/4)/12.
Adult Female. Plate CCCCXXIV. Fig. 5.
The adult female, which is here figured and described for the first
time, from a specimen obtained from Dr TOWNSEND, and marked “Black
Hills, Female, June 3, 1834,” wants the yellow band on the forehead,
the streak of the same colour over the eye, the black line along the
basal margin of the upper mandible, and the large patch of white on
the wings. The bill and feet are as in the male, but paler. The upper
part of the head is dark brownish-olive; the cheeks lighter; the hind
neck, back, and scapulars light brownish-grey, with a slight olivaceous
tint, shaded into brownish-yellow on the rump. The wings are black;
a portion of the edge of the wing, the tips and part of the margins
of the secondary coverts, a concealed band on the basal part of the
primaries, the outer three excepted, and the edges of all the quills
toward the end, white, which is broader on the secondaries, and forms
a band on them. Tail-coverts black, tipped with a triangular spot of
white; tail-feathers also black, with a white spot on the inner web
at the tip, eight-twelfths long on the outermost feather, gradually
diminishing towards the central feathers, which are slightly tipped.
Throat greyish-white, margined on either side by a longitudinal band of
black, from the base of the lower mandible, and ten-twelfths in length;
the lower parts yellowish-grey; abdomen and lower tail-coverts white,
axillars and some of the lower wing-coverts yellow.
Length to end of tail 7-1/2 inches; wing from flexure 4-1/4; tail
2-10/12; bill along the ridge (9-1/2)/12.
Young Male. Plate CCCXXIV. Fig. 6.
The young male bears a considerable resemblance to the female,
differing chiefly in wanting the black bands on the throat, and in
having the upper parts much lighter, and the lower more yellow. Bill
yellow; iris hazel; feet flesh-colour, claws dusky. Head and cheeks
light greyish-brown, the rest of the upper parts of a paler tint,
slightly tinged with yellow on the margins. The wings and tail are
black, as in the female, and similarly spotted with white, but tinged
with yellow. The lower parts are yellowish-grey, the sides of the neck
and the axillars pale yellow, the abdomen and lower tail-coverts white.
The young male has been described as the adult female by Mr SWAINSON
in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, and has been made a distinct species
by M. LESSON, under the name of _Coccothraustes Bonapartii_. The Prince
of MUSIGNANO, it is observed, has erred in stating that “no difference
of any consequence is observable between the sexes; though it might
be said that the female is a little less in size, and rather duller in
plumage.”
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.
_FRINGILLA MELANOCEPHALA._
PLATE CCCLXXIII. MALE AND FEMALE.
The following account of this Grosbeak affords another proof of the
ardent zeal of my excellent friend THOMAS NUTTALL, who, though more
especially engaged with botany on his recent journey to the Columbia,
has not neglected opportunities of noting many interesting facts
relative to birds.
“On the central table-land of the Rocky Mountains, and on the upper
branches of the Colorado of the west, we first heard the powerful
song of this most delightful Finch. From thence, in the thick groves
of all the streams on our western course to the borders of the
Columbia, and throughout the dense forests of that river nearly to
the sea, we were frequently cheered amidst the wildest desolation
by the inimitable voice of this melodious bird. Jealous of all
intrusion on his lonely and wild haunts, it was seldom that we had
the opportunity of witnessing this almost fairy musician, which gave
a charm to the saddest gloom, and made the very woods as it were
re-echo to his untiring song. With the modesty of superior merit,
and almost with the solicitude of the Nightingale, our favourite
Finch seeks the darkest thicket of the deepest forest. The moment his
eye rests on the intruding observer he flits off in haste, calls to
his mate, and plunging into the thicket sits in silence till he is
satisfied of the restoration of solitude, when he again cautiously
mounts the twig and pours out afresh the oft-told but never-tiring
tale of his affection and devotion to the joys of nature. His song,
which greatly resembles that of the Red-breasted Grosbeak, is heard
at early dawn, and at intervals nearly to the close of night. It is a
loud, varied, high-toned and melodious fife, which rises and falls in
the sweetest cadence; but always, like the song of the nightingale,
leaves a sensation of pleasing sadness on the ear, which fascinates
more powerfully than the most cheering hilarity. In fact, the closing
note of our bird is often so querulous as to appear like the shrill
cry of appealing distress: it sinks at last so faintly, yet still so
charmingly on the sense. When seen, which is only by accident, he sits
conspicuously on some lofty bough, below the summit of the tree, and
raising his head, and swelling his throat with a rising motion, almost
amounting to a flutter, he appears truly rapt in ecstacy, and seems to
enjoy his own powers of melody as much as the listener. Even the cruel
naturalist, ever eager to add another trophy to his favourite science,
feels arrested by his appeal, and connives at his escape from the
clutch of the collector.
“About the month of July, in the Rocky Mountains, I observed the
female feeding her fledged young, and they also spent the summer in the
thickest branches, but with the nest and eggs I am unacquainted. The
song, as I have heard it, in the forests of Columbia, seems to be like
the syllables _’tait_, _weet_, _teet_, _weowit_, _teet weowit_, _teet
weeowit_, _verr_, and sometimes terminating _weet_, _weet_, _weet_,
every note a loud tender trill of the utmost sweetness, delivered in
his own “wood-notes wild,” mocking nothing, but still exulting in his
powers, which, while exerted, seem to silence every songster around.
The Robin seems almost his pupil in song and similarity of expression,
but falls short, and after our Orpheus, seems at best but a faultering
scholar.”
GUIRACA MELANOCEPHALA, _Swainson_.
Adult Male. Plate CCCLXXIII. Figs. 2, 3.
Bill rather short, very robust, bulging at the base, conical, acute;
upper mandible with its dorsal outline a little convex, the sides
rounded, the edges sharp, ascending from the base to beyond the
nostrils, then deflected with a slight median festoon, and an obscure
notch close to the tip; lower mandible with the angle short and very
broad, the dorsal line straight, the back very broad at the base, the
sides high and convex, the edges inflected, the tip acute. Nostrils
basal, roundish, partly concealed by the feathers.
Head large, roundish-ovate; neck short; body rather full. Legs of
moderate length, rather strong; tarsus anteriorly covered with seven
scutella, posteriorly with two plates forming a sharp edge; toes rather
large, the first stout, the lateral nearly equal, the middle toe much
longer. Claws rather long, arched, much compressed, acute.