much shorter than the last, the tail even, the tarsi extremely slender,
with fifteen scales; the colours exactly as in _Mexicanus_.
_A. Nisus_ is intermediate in size, never so small as _velox_, but
sometimes as large as _Mexicanus_, with the fourth quill longest, the
first and last primary about equal, the tail very slightly rounded or
even, the tarsi very slender, with eighteen scales, the upper parts
deep slate-blue, the lower narrowly banded with light red in the male,
and dusky in the female.
This species was described by WILSON under the name of Sharp-shinned
Hawk, _Falco velox_, and figured in Pl. XLV, a young female only being
represented, although a description is given of a young male also. He
afterwards figured an adult male (Pl. XLVI), and described it under
the name of Slate-coloured Hawk, _Falco Pennsylvanicus_, considering
it as a distinct species. It appears, however, that it had previously
been described under several names. Thus _Falco fuscus_ of MILLER and
GMELIN, and the American Brown Hawk of LATHAM, seem to be the same bird
in the young state. _Falco dubius_ of GMELIN and LATHAM, the Dubious
Falcon of the latter and of PENNANT are also synonymous. The Dusky
Falcon of PENNANT and LATHAM, _Falco obscurus_ of the latter and of
GMELIN, may also belong to the same species. If we consider priority of
name as of paramount importance, then, in so far as can be shewn, the
species ought to be named the “American Brown Hawk, _Falco fuscus_;”
or, according to the newer nomenclature, _Astur_ or _Accipiter fuscus_.
The names of “Sharp-shinned,” “Slate-coloured,” and “_velox_” are not
more distinctive; and _Pennsylvanicus_ is out of the question, having
been applied to another species.
LESSER REDPOLL.
_FRINGILLA LINARIA_, LINN.
PLATE CCCLXXV. MALE AND FEMALE.
When I was in Labrador, my young companions and my son one day (the
27th of July 1833) procured eight individuals of this species, of
different sexes and ages. Next morning I went to the place where they
had been shot, and found a good number remaining. The first observation
I made had reference to their notes, which, instead of resembling
those of the Goldfinch, as alleged by an American writer, are very
similar to those of the Siskin, and are frequently uttered both when
the birds are alighted and while they are on wing. They were in small
parties of seven or eight, apparently formed by the members of the same
family, and although several of these groups were around me, they did
not intermingle until fired at, when they all simultaneously rose on
wing, mixed together, and after performing several short evolutions
returned to the same bushes, separated into families, and resumed
their occupations. When alighted they were quite unsuspecting, and so
heedless as to allow a close approach, scarcely regarding my presence,
but clinging to the branches, dexterously picking out the seeds of the
alder-cones, and occasionally coming to the ground after some which had
dropped.
Few birds exhibit a more affectionate disposition than the Little
Redpoll, and it was pleasing to see several on a twig feeding each
other by passing a seed from bill to bill, one individual sometimes
receiving food from his two neighbours at the same time. Occasionally,
however, they shewed considerable pugnacity, and one would drive off
its companion, inflicting some smart blows upon it with its bill, and
uttering a low querulous chatter.
In other portions of the same country, I saw flocks composed of
twenty or more individuals flying loosely at a moderate height, in
the undulatory manner of the American Goldfinch and Siskin, without,
however, making the deep sweeps of the former; suddenly alighting, and
at once beginning to search with great expertness between the stems and
leaves, picking at the embryo buds while perched over them, like Jays
and Titmice.
So hardy is this species, that, according to Dr RICHARDSON, it is
a “permanent resident in the Fur Countries, where it may be seen in
the coldest weather, on the banks of lakes and rivers, hopping among
the reeds and carices, or clinging to their stalks. Although numerous
throughout the year, even in the most northern districts, a partial
migration takes place, as large flocks visit Pennsylvania for a month
or two in severe winters.” The migrations alluded to are of rare
occurrence in that State, however, as well as in that of New York.
I never saw one of these birds to the westward of the Alleghanies,
and none were observed by Dr TOWNSEND or Mr NUTTALL on the Columbia
River. They are abundant every cold winter in the northern parts of
Massachusetts and Maine, as well as in all the British Provinces.
The food of this species consists of buds, seeds of various grasses,
berries, and the small leaves of bushes and trees. I have represented
a male and a female on a plant which grows abundantly in the localities
in which I found it in Labrador.
The many young birds which I examined in the month of August, had
the head entirely grey. The feathers of that part, and those on the
breast and rump, were of the same colour nearly to the base, which
is bluish-grey; and I suspect that they do not acquire any redness
until the approach of spring. The old birds were moulting at the
period mentioned, and from their appearance I concluded that all
their red feathers are reassumed each spring. The eggs, from four to
six in number, measure five-eighths in length, rather more than half
an inch in diameter, and are pale bluish-green sparingly dotted with
reddish-brown toward the larger end.
FRINGILLA LINARIA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 322.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. i. p. 458.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis. p.
112.
LESSER REDPOLL, FRINGILLA LINARIA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol.
iv. p. 42, pl. 30, fig. 4. Male.
LINARIA MINOR, LESSER REDPOLL, Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p.
267.
LESSER REDPOLL, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. i. 512.
Adult Male in Summer. Plate CCCLXXV. Fig. 1.
Bill short, strong, conical, compressed toward the end, extremely
acute; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, the ridge narrow,
the sides convex, the edges sharp and overlapping, without notch, the
tip acuminate; lower mandible with the angle short and semicircular,
the dorsal line straight, the ridge broadish at the base, the sides
convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip acute. Nostrils basal,
roundish, covered by stiffish reversed feathers.
Head of moderate size, roundish; neck short; body moderate, Feet of
moderate length, slender; tarsus compressed, anteriorly covered with
a few scutella of which the upper are blended, posteriorly with two
longitudinal plates meeting at a very acute angle; toes slender, the
first with its claw as long as the third with its claw; the lateral
toes equal. Claws large, moderately arched, much compressed, acute.
Plumage soft, rather blended, with very little gloss, unless on the red
parts. Wings of ordinary length, the first three quills almost equal,
but the second longest. Tail rather long, forked.
Bill yellowish, the upper mandible dusky on the ridge; iris brown; feet
blackish brown. A band edging the forehead, the loral space, and the
throat, brownish-black; the reversed feathers on the base of the bill
yellowish; the crown of the head crimson; the hind part of the head,
the neck, the fore part of the back, and the scapulars yellowish-brown,
longitudinally streaked with blackish-brown, the feathers on the hind
part of the back margined with whitish, and tipped with carmine; the
wings and tail dusky, with yellowish-brown edges, and two transverse
bands of the same on the tips of the first row of small coverts and the
secondary coverts. The sides of the neck, its fore part, the breast,
and flanks, rich carmine; the middle of the breast, the abdomen,
and the lower tail-coverts white, tinged with rose colour; the sides
longitudinally streaked with dusky.
Length to end of tail 5; to end of wings 4; extent of wings 8-3/4; wing
from flexure 3-2/12; tail 2-1/2; bill along the ridge 4-1/2 twelfths,
along the edge of lower mandible 5-1/2 twelfths; tarsus 7/12; first toe
(2-1/2)/12, its claw, (4-1/2)/12; middle toe (4-1/2)/12, its claw 3/12.
Adult Female in Summer. Plate CCCLXXV. Fig. 2.
The female, which is somewhat less, has the black of the forehead and
throat more brown, with less red on the head, and little or none on
the rump, or on the lower parts, which are white, the breast and flanks
longitudinally streaked with dusky.
TRUMPETER SWAN.
_CYGNUS BUCCINATOR_, RICHARDSON.
PLATE CCCLXXVI. YOUNG IN WINTER.
The history of the American Swans has been but very slightly traced.
Few records of the habits of these majestic, elegant, and useful birds
exist, on which much reliance can be placed; their geographical range
still remains an unsolved problem; one species has been mistaken for
another, and this by ornithologists who are said to be of the first
order. The _Cygnus Bewickii_ of Great Britain has been given as a
North American Swan in place of _Cygnus Americanus_ (well described
by Dr SHARPLESS of Philadelphia) in the Fauna Boreali-Americana; and
the latter bird has been taken for the Whistling Swan, _C. musicus_
of BECHSTEIN, by the Prince of MUSIGNANO, who says in his Synopsis,
p. 379, No. 321, that it is “very numerous in winter in Chesapeake
Bay.” It is possible that we may have more than two species of Swan
within the limits of North America, but I am at present acquainted
with only that which forms the subject of this article, and the _Cygnus
Americanus_ of SHARPLESS.
In a note contained in the Journals of LEWIS and CLARK, written in
the course of the expedition of these daring travellers across the
Rocky Mountains, it is stated that “the Swans are of two kinds, the
large and small. The large Swan is the same with the one common in
the Atlantic States. The small differs from the large only in size and
note; it is about one-fourth less, and its note is entirely different.
These birds were first found below the great narrows of the Columbia,
near the Chilluckittequaw nation. They are very abundant in this
neighbourhood, and remained with the party all winter, and in number
they exceed those of the larger species in the proportion of five to
one.” These observations are partly correct and partly erroneous. In
fact, the smaller species of the two, which is the _C. Americanus_
of SHARPLESS, is the only one abundant in the middle districts of our
Atlantic coast, while the larger Swan, the subject of this article, is
rarely if ever seen to the eastward of the mouths of the Mississippi.
A perfect specimen of the small Swan mentioned by LEWIS and CLARK has
been transmitted to me from the Columbia River by Dr TOWNSEND, and
I find it to correspond in every respect with the _C. Americanus_ of
SHARPLESS. Dr TOWNSEND corroborates the observations of the two eminent
travellers by stating, that the latter species is much more numerous
than the large _C. Buccinator_.
The Trumpeter Swans make their appearance on the lower portions of
the waters of the Ohio about the end of October. They throw themselves
at once into the larger ponds or lakes at no great distance from the
river, giving a marked preference to those which are closely surrounded
by dense and tall cane-brakes, and there remain until the water is
closed by ice, when they are forced to proceed southward. During
mild winters I have seen Swans of this species in the ponds about
Henderson until the beginning of March, but only a few individuals,
which may have staid there to recover from their wounds. When the cold
became intense, most of those which visited the Ohio would remove to
the Mississippi, and proceed down that stream as the severity of the
weather increased, or return if it diminished; for it has appeared
to me, that neither very intense cold nor great heat suit them so
well as a medium temperature. I have traced the winter migrations of
this species as far southward as the Texas, where it is abundant at
times, and where I saw a pair of young ones in captivity, and quite
domesticated, that had been procured in the winter of 1836. They were
about two years old, and pure white, although of much smaller size
than even the younger one represented in the plate before you, having
perhaps been stinted in food, or having suffered from their wounds, as
both had been shot. The sound of their well-known notes reminded me of
the days of my youth, when I was half-yearly in the company of birds of
this species.
At New Orleans, where I made the drawing of the young bird here given,
the Trumpeters are frequently exposed for sale in the markets, being
procured on the ponds of the interior, and on the great lakes leading
to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This species is unknown to my
friend, the Rev. JOHN BACHMAN, who, during a residence of twenty years
in South Carolina, never saw or heard of one there; whereas in hard
winters the _Cygnus Americanus_ is not uncommon, although it does
not often proceed further southward than that State. The waters of
the Arkansas and its tributaries are annually supplied with Trumpeter
Swans, and the largest individual which I have examined was shot on a
lake near the junction of that river with the Mississippi. It measured
nearly ten feet in alar extent, and weighed above thirty-eight pounds.
The quills, which I used in drawing the feet and claws of many small
birds, were so hard, and yet so elastic, that the best steel-pen of the
present day might have blushed, if it could, to be compared with them.
Whilst encamped in the Tawapatee Bottom, when on a fur-trading
voyage, our keel-boat was hauled close under the eastern shore of the
Mississippi, and our valuables, for I then had a partner in trade,
were all disembarked. The party consisted of twelve or fourteen French
Canadians, all of whom were pretty good hunters; and as game was in
those days extremely abundant, the supply of Deer, Bear, Racoons,
and Opossums, far exceeded our demands. Wild Turkeys, Grous, and
Pigeons, might have been seen hanging all around; and the ice-bound
lakes afforded an ample supply of excellent fish, which was procured
by striking a strong blow with an axe on the ice immediately above
the confined animal, and afterwards extricating it by cutting a hole
with the same instrument. The great stream was itself so firmly frozen
that we were daily in the habit of crossing it from shore to shore.
No sooner did the gloom of night become discernible through the grey
twilight, than the loud-sounding notes of hundreds of Trumpeters would
burst on the ear; and as I gazed over the ice-bound river, flocks after
flocks would be seen coming from afar and in various directions, and
alighting about the middle of the stream opposite to our encampment.
After pluming themselves awhile they would quietly drop their bodies
on the ice, and through the dim light I yet could observe the graceful
curve of their necks, as they gently turned them backwards, to allow
their heads to repose upon the softest and warmest of pillows. Just
a dot of black as it were could be observed on the snowy mass, and
that dot was about half an inch of the base of the upper mandible,
thus exposed, as I think, to enable the bird to breathe with ease.
Not a single individual could I ever observe among them to act as a
sentinel, and I have since doubted whether their acute sense of hearing
was not sufficient to enable them to detect the approach of their
enemies. The day quite closed by darkness, no more could be seen until
the next dawn; but as often as the howlings of the numerous wolves
that prowled through the surrounding woods were heard, the clanging
cries of the Swans would fill the air. If the morning proved fair, the
whole flocks would rise on their feet, trim their plumage, and as they
started with wings extended, as if, racing in rivalry, the pattering
of their feet would come on the ear like the noise of great muffled
drums, accompanied by the loud and clear sounds of their voice. On
running fifty yards or so to windward, they would all be on wing. If
the weather was thick, drizzly, and cold, or if there were indications
of a fall of snow, they would remain on the ice, walking, standing, or
lying down, until symptoms of better weather became apparent, when they
would all start off. One morning of this latter kind, our men formed
a plot against the Swans, and having separated into two parties, one
above, the other below them on the ice, they walked slowly, on a signal
being given from the camp, toward the unsuspecting birds. Until the
boatmen had arrived within a hundred and fifty yards of them, the Swans
remained as they were, having become, as it would appear, acquainted
with us, in consequence of our frequently crossing the ice; but then
they all rose on their feet, stretched their necks, shook their heads,
and manifested strong symptoms of apprehension. The gunners meanwhile
advanced, and one of the guns going off by accident, the Swans were
thrown into confusion, and scampering off in various directions took
to wing, some flying up, some down the stream, others making directly
toward the shores. The muskets now blazed, and about a dozen were
felled, some crippled, others quite dead. That evening they alighted
about a mile above the camp, and we never went after them again. I have
been at the killing of several of these Swans, and I can assure you
that unless you have a good gun well loaded with large buck-shot, you
may shoot at them without much effect, for they are strong and tough
birds.
To form a perfect conception of the beauty and elegance of these Swans,
you must observe them when they are not aware of your proximity, and
as they glide over the waters of some secluded inland pond. On such
occasions, the neck, which at other times is held stiffly upright,
moves in graceful curves, now bent forward, now inclined backwards
over the body. Now with an extended scooping movement the head becomes
immersed for a moment, and with a sudden effort a flood of water
is thrown over the back and wings, when it is seen rolling off in
sparkling globules, like so many large pearls. The bird then shakes
its wings, beats the water, and as if giddy with delight shoots
away, gliding over and beneath the surface of the liquid element with
surprising agility and grace. Imagine, Reader, that a flock of fifty
Swans are thus sporting before you, as they have more than once been
in my sight, and you will feel, as I have felt, more happy and void of
care than I can describe.
When swimming unmolested the Swan shews the body buoyed up; but when
apprehensive of danger, it sinks considerably lower. If resting and
basking in the sunshine, it draws one foot expanded curiously towards
the back, and in that posture remains often for half an hour at a
time. When making off swiftly, the tarsal joint, or knee as it is
called, is seen about an inch above the water, which now in wavelets
passes over the lower part of the neck and along the sides of the
body, as it undulates on the planks of a vessel gliding with a gentle
breeze. Unless during the courting season, or while passing by its
mate, I never saw a swan with the wings raised and expanded, as it
is alleged they do, to profit by the breeze that may blow to assist
their progress; and yet I have pursued some in canoes to a considerable
distance, and that without overtaking them, or even obliging them to
take to wing. You, Reader, as well as all the world, have seen Swans
labouring away on foot, and therefore I will not trouble you with a
description of their mode of walking, especially as it is not much to
be admired.
The flight of the Trumpeter Swan is firm, at times greatly elevated
and sustained. It passes through the air by regular beats, in the
same manner as Geese, the neck stretched to its full length, as are
the feet, which project beyond the tail. When passing low, I have
frequently thought that I heard a rustling sound from the motion of
the feathers of their wings. If bound to a distant place, they form
themselves in angular lines, and probably the leader of the flock is
one of the oldest of the males; but of this I am not at all sure, as
I have seen at the head of a line a grey bird, which must have been a
young one of that year.
This Swan feeds principally by partially immersing the body and
extending the neck under water, in the manner of fresh-water Ducks
and some species of Geese, when the feet are often seen working in the
air, as if to aid in preserving the balance. Often however it resorts
to the land, and then picks at the herbage, not sidewise, as Geese do,
but more in the manner of Ducks and poultry. Its food consists of roots
of different vegetables, leaves, seeds, various aquatic insects, land
snails, small reptiles and quadrupeds. The flesh of a cygnet is pretty
good eating, but that of an old bird is dry and tough.
I kept a male alive upwards of two years, while I was residing at
Henderson in Kentucky. It had been slightly wounded in the tip of
the wing, and was caught after a long pursuit in a pond from which it
could not escape. Its size, weight, and strength rendered the task of
carrying it nearly two miles by no means easy; but as I knew that it
would please my wife and my then very young children, I persevered.
Cutting off the tip of the wounded wing, I turned it loose in the
garden. Although at first extremely shy, it gradually became accustomed
to the servants, who fed it abundantly, and at length proved so
gentle as to come to my wife’s call, to receive bread from her hand.
“Trumpeter,” us we named our bird, in accordance with the general
practice of those who were in the habit of shooting this species, now
assumed a character which until then had been unexpected, and laying
aside his timidity became so bold at times as to give chase to my
favourite Wild Turkey Cock, my dogs, children, and servants. Whenever
the gates of our yard happened to be opened, he would at once make for
the Ohio, and it was not without difficulty that he was driven home
again. On one occasion, he was absent a whole night, and I thought he
had fairly left us; but intimation came of his having travelled to a
pond not far distant. Accompanied by my miller and six or seven of my
servants, I betook myself to the pond, and there saw our Swan swimming
buoyantly about as if in defiance of us all. It was not without a great
deal of trouble that we at length succeeded in driving it ashore. Pet
birds, good Reader, no matter of what species they are, seldom pass
their lives in accordance with the wishes of their possessors; in the
course of a dark and rainy night, some of the servants having left the
gate open, Trumpeter made his escape, and was never again heard of.
With the manners of this species during the breeding season, its mode
of constructing its nest, the number of its eggs, and the appearance
of its young, I am utterly unacquainted. The young bird represented
in the plate was shot near New Orleans, on the 16th of December 1822.
A figure of the adult male you will find in Plate CCCCVI; and should
I ever have opportunities of studying the habits of this noble bird,
believe me I shall have much pleasure in laying before you the results.
Dr RICHARDSON informs us that it “is the most common Swan in the
interior of the Fur Countries. It breeds as far south as lat. 61°, but
principally within the arctic circle, and in its migrations generally
precedes the Geese a few days.”
As the adult bird will be subsequently described, I judge it
unnecessary at present to enter into a full detail of the external form
and characters of the species, and will therefore confine myself to the
colours and proportions of the individual represented.
CYGNUS BUCCINATOR, _Richardson_.—TRUMPETER SWAN, Fauna
Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p.464. “White; head glossed above
with chestnut; bill entirely black, without a tubercle;
tail-feathers 24; feet black.”
Young after first moult. Plate CCCLXXVI.