THE TREE SWALLOW
_Swallow Family--Hirundinidæ_
Length: About 6 inches.
General Appearance: Bluish-green above; pure white underneath, from beak
to tail; _tail not deeply forked_; wings very long.
Male and Female: Back, a dark, glistening green, giving this swallow the
name of "The Green-backed Swallow"; the snowy white under parts give
it the names of "White-breasted Swallow" and "White-bellied
Swallow." The green and white are about equally distributed; the
green on the head resembles a close-fitting skull-cap, pulled down
below the eyes. Wings, _very long and powerful_ (nearly 4¾ inches),
extending beyond the ends of the forked tail. Bill short, _very wide
at base_. Feet small and weak--used only when resting, as swallows
are generally on the wing.
Young: Brownish-gray, white beneath.
Note: A pleasant twitter.
Flight: Swift, in great circles.
Habitat: Tree swallows are seen along roadsides, and near swamps and
thickets. They formerly nested in dead trees, in woodpeckers' holes,
or any available hollow. They now take kindly to nesting-boxes. They
have "roosts" at night where they resort in great numbers,
especially on their way south in the late summer. They have a great
fondness for telegraph-wires. During the fall migration, long chains
of these swallows are festooned on the wires during the daytime. At
night they disappear to their roosts, preferably near marshes. They
are a sight to be remembered in the Jersey marshes, which Mr.
Horsfall's accompanying drawing depicts.
Range: North America from Alaska and northern Canada to southern
California, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Virginia. They winter
from central California, southern Texas, southern parts of the Gulf
States and southeastern North Carolina, south over Mexico,
Guatemala, and Cuba; sometimes in New Jersey. They eat bayberries
that grow along the coast, and thus are able to remain farther north
in winter than their relatives.
First of the swallow host to speed northward is the Tree Swallow, that
migrates in April, as soon as a sufficient number of insects have
hatched to furnish a living for these almost wholly insectivorous birds.
Their cheerful twitter and beautiful circling flight make them very
welcome.
Swallows have always been regarded with favor. They were formerly
considered a good omen, and were thought to bring fair weather and
prosperity. I shall always remember the welcoming swallow that met our
ship near the Scilly Islands one June day, and preceded us without
resting for long hours as we voyaged close to the shore of England. It
seemed to presage the good fortune that followed us.
Swallows fly with their broad beaks ready to open, and catch unwary
insects with great ease. They rise early and continue their ceaseless
quest for small beetles, flies, mosquitoes, and other insects. Professor
Beal says: "Most of these are either injurious or annoying, and the
numbers destroyed by swallows are not only beyond calculation but almost
beyond imagination."[92] He pleads for the protection of all swallows
and suggests that the "white-bellied swallows" be supplied with boxes
similar to those constructed for bluebirds, only placed at a greater
elevation and protected from cats.
Tree swallows are the first to come and first to go. Before the summer
has really arrived, as early as July first, they begin to flock and form
great colonies that may be seen migrating during the daytime.
THE BARN SWALLOW
_Swallow Family--Hirundinidæ_
Length: About 7 inches; an inch longer than the tree swallow because of
longer tail; body nearly the same size.
General Appearance: _Upper parts a glossy bluish-black; under parts
reddish-brown and buff; tail deeply forked._
Male: Forehead and throat bright reddish-brown; breast, belly, and
feathers under wings a light brown, becoming buffy; breast and
throat separated by an indistinct dark band; upper parts a
shimmering bluish-black; tail very deeply forked--the proverbial
"swallow-tail"; rounded white spots on the inner web of all except
the middle tail-feathers.
Female: Resembles male, though paler in color; outer tail-feathers a
little shorter.
Young: Backs duller, breasts paler, tail-feathers shorter than those of
adult male.
Notes: A clear, sweet call, and a joyous, musical twitter--_weet-weet_,
or _twit-twit_.
Flight: Long, sweeping curves that are beautiful to see. The bird shows
first his blue back, then his soft brown breast. He flies nearer the
ground than other swallows, and surpasses them all in his power of
flight. Imagine the number of miles he travels in a day!
Habitat: Fields and farm-lands; also the vicinity of ponds or other
breeding-places of insects. The nest of mud is usually fastened to a
rafter of a barn. These swallows often nest in colonies.
Range: North America, from northwestern Alaska and Canada, to southern
California and southwestern Texas, northern Arkansas and North
Carolina. They do not breed in the southeastern part of the United
States. They winter in South America.
[Illustration: BARN SWALLOW]
Most beautiful of all the swallows is this bluebird fleet of the summer
time. It is associated in my mind with shining pools rimmed with iris;
with fragrant lilac-bushes, blossoming apple-trees, and waving fields of
grain near farm-buildings. Its sweet voice and marvelous flight bring
poetry into the prosaic life of the farm.
Burroughs characterizes the swallow delightfully in "Under the Maples."
He says: "Is not the swallow one of the oldest and dearest of birds?
Known to the poets and sages and prophets of all peoples! So infantile,
so helpless and awkward upon the earth, so graceful and masterful on the
wing, the child and darling of the summer air, reaping its invisible
harvest in the fields of space as if it dined on sunbeams, touching no
earthly food, drinking and bathing and mating on the wing, swiftly,
tirelessly coursing the long day through, a thought on wings, a lyric in
the shape of a bird! Only in the free fields of the summer air could it
have got that steel-blue of the wings and that warm tan of the breast.
Of course I refer to the barn swallow. The cliff swallow seems less a
child of the sky and sun, probably because its sheen and glow are less,
and its shape and motions less arrowy. More varied in color, its hues
yet lack the intensity, and its flight the swiftness, of those of its
brother of the hay-lofts. The tree swallows and the bank swallows are
pleasing, but they are much more local and restricted in their ranges
than the barn-frequenters. As a farm boy I did not know them at all, but
the barn swallows the summer always brought. After all, there is but one
swallow; the others are particular kinds that we specify."[93]
[Illustration: PURPLE MARTIN]
THE PURPLE MARTIN
_Swallow Family--Hirundinidæ_
Length: About 8 inches, the largest of the six common species of
swallow. Wings nearly 6 inches long--very large when spread.
Male: _Glossy purplish-black head, body, and shoulders; wings and tail
duller. No reddish-brown or white. Tail forked._
Female: Bluish-black head and back; black wings and tail; brownish-gray
throat, neck, and sides, mottled with white-tipped feathers; belly,
grayish-white.
Young: Similar to female.
Note: A sweet, rich, joyous warble. Mr. Forbush describes it as "a
full-toned chirruping carol, musical and clear, beginning
_peuo-peuo-peuo_."[94]
Habitat: Farm-lands and the vicinity of dwellings shaded by trees. These
birds were formerly more numerous in the North than at present. They
are more abundant in the South than in the North.
Nests: Made of twigs, grass, straw, or leaves, placed in gourds or
martin-houses. Martins are very social and seem to revel in large
"bird-apartment-houses." They formerly nested in hollow trees or
caves.
Range: North and South America, except Pacific Coast region. They breed
in southern Canada, east of the Rockies; in the United States from
Montana and Idaho, south to the Gulf Coast, Florida, and Mexico.
They winter in Brazil. A WESTERN MARTIN is found on the Pacific
Coast.
Purple Martins have long been favorites. Mr. Dutcher tells us that
Indians, keen observers of nature, realized that it was beneficial to
have them near their long-houses. They therefore hung hollowed gourds to
entice them. Southern negroes have done likewise. They sometimes suspend
a number of gourds from crossbars surmounting a pole, to form
nesting-sites for a small colony.
Martins form an ideal community--busy, happy, harmonious--unless English
sparrows attempt to evict them and appropriate their homes.
Martin-houses and bluebird nesting-boxes seem to be the envy of these
pugnacious sparrows. Martins attack crows and hawks but cannot endure
the persecutions of the English sparrow.
Martins are so useful that they should be protected and encouraged
whenever possible. A friend of mine told me that she was never obliged
to have her trees sprayed while the martins remained. They feed on
wasps, bugs, and beetles, several varieties of which are harmful, and
they devour many flies and moths.
Dr. Dutcher quotes from Audubon regarding the flight of martins as
follows:
"The usual flight of this bird ... although graceful and easy, cannot be
compared in swiftness with that of the Barn Swallow. Yet the martin is
fully able to distance any bird not of its own genus. They are very
expert at bathing and drinking while on the wing, when over a large lake
or river, giving a sudden motion to the hind part of the body, as it
comes in contact with the water, thus dipping themselves in it, and then
rising and shaking their body, like a water spaniel, to throw off the
water."[95]
THE CLIFF OR EAVE SWALLOW
_Swallow Family--Hirundinidæ_
Length: About 6 inches; one inch smaller than the barn swallow, and two
inches smaller than the martin.
General Appearance: A multi-colored swallow--a sort of combination of
barn swallow and martin, with areas and patches of dark blue,
chestnut, gray, and white, and _bright reddish-brown upper
tail-coverts_, that differentiate it from the other swallows.
Male and Female: Forehead creamy white, head bluish-black; throat and
cheeks reddish-brown; a brownish ring about the neck shading to
gray; back bluish-black streaked with white; breast gray with a wash
of brown, and a blue-black patch where the throat joins the breast;
wings and tail brownish; tail only slightly forked.
Note: A harsher, less musical note than that of the barn swallow and
martin.
Habitat: Meadows and marshes. These swallows formerly nested in cliffs;
now they build under eaves of buildings.
Nests: Curiously shaped pouches of mud that make one think of
protuberant knot-holes, or of flasks made of skin. The nests vary
with the shape of the places to which they are fastened. Eave
swallows also nest in colonies.
Range: North America. Breed from central Alaska and north-central Canada
over nearly all the United States except Florida and the Rio Grande
Valley. They probably winter in Brazil and Argentina.
Mr. Forbush writes about the Cliff or Eave Swallow as follows:
"When the first explorers reached the Yellowstone and other western
rivers, swallows were found breeding on the precipitous banks. As
settlers gradually worked their way westward, the swallows found
nesting-places under the eaves of their rough buildings. In these new
breeding-places they were better protected from the elements and their
enemies than on their native cliffs and so the Cliff Swallow became the
Eave Swallow, and, following the settlements, rapidly increased in
numbers and worked eastward."[96] These swallows were very numerous
fifty years ago. It is now generally conceded that English sparrows are
largely responsible for their decrease. It is greatly to be deplored,
for swallows add much to the charm of out-door life, and subtract many
annoyances in the form of insect pests, especially flies and mosquitoes.
THE BANK SWALLOW
_Swallow Family--Hirundinidæ_
Length: A little over 5 inches; the smallest of the six common swallows.
General Appearance: _Brownish-gray above; band of same color across
breast_; throat and under parts white. The gray head and white
throat form a cap similar in effect to that of the tree swallow.
Note: A twitter, less pleasing than that of the martin and the barn
swallow.
Habitat: Sandy banks of rivers, and shores of lakes.
Nests: In holes made in sand-banks.
Range: North and South America. Breeds from the tree-regions of Alaska
and Canada to southern California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and
Virginia. It migrates through Mexico and Central America and
probably winters in northern South America to Brazil and Peru.
The ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW resembles the bank swallow so closely that it
is difficult to distinguish them, unless one can see the darker breast
and throat of the rough-wing and the _absence of a dark band across the
breast_. Upon careful examination of the latter species, each long outer
wing-feather is discovered to have a rough saw-tooth edge.
The habits of the birds are similar, though the rough-wings, like
phoebes, nest not only in banks, but against stone walls and stone
bridges. They have a more restricted range than barn swallows. They
breed from southern Canada to northern Florida and southern California,
and winter in Mexico and Central America.
THE CHIMNEY SWIFT
_Swift Family--Micropodidæ_
Length: About 5½ inches; wings nearly 5 inches long.
General Appearance: In the sky, the swift looks unlike any other bird.
The wings are long and flap like those of a mechanical toy-bird. The
tail appears _rounded_, not _forked_, like those of swallows.
Male and Female: Brownish-gray, lighter gray on throat; a black spot
before each eye; wings longer than tail; tail short, with ribs of
the feathers extending beyond the vanes, giving the effect of sharp
needle- or pin-points. The bird has a _sooty_ appearance.
Note: A noisy, incessant twitter.
Flight: Rapid, and seemingly erratic and aimless. Swifts' wings appear
to beat the air alternately. The birds move in great curves, seldom
alight, and drop suddenly into chimneys at night or when they wish
to enter their nests.
Nest: A wall-pocket, built of sticks glued together and to the wall by a
sticky saliva secreted by the swifts. During rainy weather the nest
is sometimes loosened, and falls.
Eggs: White, like those of woodpeckers and some others laid in dark
places.
Habitat: As swifts secure all of their food while on the wing and seldom
alight, they have no habitat except the atmosphere and the hollow
trees or chimneys in which they congregate at night, and where they
nest. They do not perch on telegraph wires as swallows like to do.
Range: Breed in eastern North America, from southcentral Canada to the
Gulf, and westward to the Plains; winter south of the United States.
[Illustration: CHIMNEY SWIFT]
Swifts have often been called "Chimney Swallows," but the name is a
misnomer; they belong to an entirely different family. The breadth of
wing and rapid flight, the weak feet and broad bills are, however,
points of resemblance; the sooty appearance and lack of beautiful luster
of plumage are points of difference. Then, too, swifts' tails are less
like swallows' tails than they are like those of woodpeckers and
creepers; the spiny tips are used as props against a perpendicular
surface.
The following facts concerning swifts are taken from Eaton's "Birds of
New York":
"Nearly every village or city [in New York State] can boast at least one
large chimney or church or schoolhouse that harbors multitudes of swifts
every night late in summer. It is an interesting sight to watch these
swifts as they wheel about such a chimney in the August and September
evenings and, when the magic moment arrives, pour down its capacious
mouth in a living cascade. It seems impossible for this species to
perch, but it always alights on some perpendicular surface like the
inside of a large hollow tree or the inner surface of a chimney or the
perpendicular boards at the gable end of a barn or shed. In this
position it sleeps, clinging with its sharp claws to the irregular
surface and using its spiny tail as a support. The swift is seen abroad
early in the morning and late in the afternoon, but in cloudy weather
comes out at any time of day and evidently can see well in the bright
sunlight, for it frequently hunts material for its nest during the
brightest weather. They begin to construct the nest in May or early
June, the small twigs of which it is formed being broken from dead
branches of some shade tree by the bird flying directly against the tip
of the twig and snapping it off. The twigs are carried into the chimney
and are cemented to the wall and to each other by a gelatinous substance
secreted by the salivary glands of the bird itself. When completed, the
nest is like a little semi-circular bracket slightly hollowed downward.
The eggs are placed on this framework of twigs without lining.
"In food the swift is wholly insectivorous, and does an immense amount
of good destroying beetles, flies, and gnats, which he devours in
countless multitudes. The chimney swift, as he darts by, frequently
utters a rapid chipper something like the syllable _chip, chip, chip_,
rapidly repeated, and I have heard a loud cheeping in the chimney,
evidently uttered by the young birds. One of the earliest impressions of
my boyhood was the curious roaring caused by the wings of parent swifts
as they came and went from their nests at daybreak. This unfortunate
habit of early rising has brought the chimney swift into bad repute in
many civilized communities, ... closing chimneys against this beneficial
bird."
In Major Charles Bendire's "Life Histories of American Birds" occur the
following statements from Mr. Otto Widman regarding the nests and young
of chimney swifts: "The setting parent shields the structure by
habitually covering its base with the breast and pressing its head
against the wall above. When disturbed, it hides below the nest, as do
the young birds. They make a hissing noise, and always remain 2 or 3
feet below the mouth of the chimney [shaft], where they are fed by the
parents until they are four weeks old.
"Few birds are more devoted to their young than the Chimney Swift, and
instances are recorded where the parent was seen to enter chimneys in
burning houses, even after the entire roof was a mass of flames,
preferring to perish with its offspring rather than to forsake them."
THE WHIP-POOR-WILL
_Goatsucker Family--Caprimulgidæ_
Length: Nearly 10 inches; wings 7 inches long.
General Appearance: A _mottled brown bird with a narrow white band
around throat, and white outer tail-feathers_.
"He seems a lichen on a log,
A dead leaf on the ground."
Male and Female: Soft brown, irregularly mottled and barred with black,
buff, and white. Throat dark with a _narrow curve of white_ in the
male, and one of _buff_ in the female. Beak short, slightly hooked,
and very wide (1½ inches), with long bristles at the sides. Breast
dark, belly white. Middle tail-feathers mottled brown; _half of six
other tail-feathers white_, which are visible in flight. Female has
narrower white tips to outer tail-feathers.
Note: _Whip'-poor-will, whip'-poor-will, whip'-poor-will_, uttered
rapidly, monotonously, lugubriously, continuously. My sister counted
275 repetitions of his note given without a pause. To some people
the sound is unendurable. When near the bird, I have heard him give
a soft _chuck_ between the repetition of the word _whip-poor-will_.
He is associated in my mind with bright moonlight evenings, for it
is then he is most vociferous. He sings, also, early in the morning.
Flight: Swift, yet noiseless; almost as uncanny as his note.
Habitat: In woods and open groves, where one may come upon him both at
night and during the daytime sitting lengthwise on a log or branch
instead of crosswise.
[Illustration: WHIP-POOR-WILL]
Nest: No nest is made, but two dull-colored, mottled eggs are laid on
the ground or on dead leaves.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from southern Canada to the
northern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia, and from the
Plains eastward; winters from eastern South Carolina and the
southern Gulf States to Central America. The CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW is a
resident of our southeastern states; the POOR-WILL of our western
states.
The whip-poor-will is too interesting and useful a bird to be
disregarded. He has been widely disliked and even superstitiously
dreaded because of his weird notes. He is, however, of especial interest
to scientists because of his nocturnal habits and his value as a
destroyer of insects. Mr. Forbush calls him "an animated insect trap,"
with an "enormous mouth surrounded by long bristles which form a wide
fringe about the yawning cavity."[97] The whip-poor-will is believed to
be the greatest enemy of night-moths; he eats other insects, also, in
great quantities.
The chuck-will's-widow is even more interesting than the whip-poor-will.
Mr. W. L. McAtee writes of the bird as follows:
"Like other species of its family, it lays only two eggs, which may be
deposited almost anywhere on the forest floor, there being no nest.
Intrusion on this spot usually results in the bird moving the eggs,
which it carries in its mouth. Although the bird is only 12 inches long,
the mouth fully extended forms an opening at least 2 by 3½ inches in
size. It is but natural, therefore, that the bird should prey upon some
of the largest insects. Not only are large insects captured and
swallowed, but even small birds, in two cases warblers.
"Despite the fact that the chuck-will's-widow occasionally devours small
insectivorous birds, it must be reckoned a useful species. It is
probable that birds are not deliberately sought, but that they are taken
instinctively, as would be a moth or other large insect coming within
reach of that capacious mouth."[98]
[Illustration: NIGHTHAWK]
THE NIGHTHAWK
_Goatsucker Family--Caprimulgidæ_
Length: 10 inches; wings 7¾ inches.
General Appearance: A large dark bird, with a _white throat_, _a white
band across the tail_, and _very long wings_, on each of which is a
_large white spot or bull's-eye_, unfortunately a target, like the
white rump of the flicker.
Male: Black above, mottled with buff and white; under parts lighter
(becoming whitish), barred with black; throat with a tent-shaped
white patch below the _very wide_ bill; upper breast black; tail
notched, a white band extending across it near the end except on the
middle tail-feathers; wing with a conspicuous area of white about
half-way between the curve and tip, when outspread.
Female: Throat buff; under parts buffy; no white on the tail.
Note: A loud _peeng-peeng_; uttered at frequent intervals while on the
wing.
Flight: Very swift, with numerous and rapid changes of direction. The
bird is very active at nightfall. It makes rapid descents not unlike
those made by an airplane; it has a habit of dropping "like a bolt
from the blue."
Habitat: The nighthawk is a "bird of the air" rather than of treetops or
ground. It may be seen in cities flying above houses in search of
its insect prey at sunset and during the night.
Nest: No nest, but two speckled eggs are laid on the ground or on a roof
where they are not easily discovered. Mr. Forbush says, "The
nighthawk has deposited its eggs on gravel roofs in cities for at
least forty years and probably longer."
Young: Dr. F. H. Herrick tells us that the nestlings are "clothed in
down" and "look like two little flattened balls of fluffy worsted of
a dark cream-color mottled with brown."
Range: Eastern and central North America. Breeds from Manitoba, southern
Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia south to northern Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Georgia, and from eastern North Dakota, Nebraska,
and Kansas eastward; winters from the lowlands of South Carolina and
southern parts of the Gulf States to British Honduras and Salvador.
The nighthawk is a remarkable bird. Because of its nocturnal habits, it
has been regarded with superstitious awe. Erroneous ideas of it have
been entertained, and it has received a name that belies it. It is not a
_hawk_ at all; it preys only on insects, not on chickens or small
rodents.
Mr. W. L. McAtee writes: "Nighthawks are so expert in flight that no
insects can escape them. They sweep up in their capacious mouths
everything from the largest moths and dragon flies to the tiniest ants
and gnats, and in this way sometimes gather most remarkable collections
of insects. Several stomachs have contained fifty or more different
kinds, and the numbers of individuals may run into the thousands. Nearly
a fourth of the bird's total food consists of ants."[99] Professor Beal
estimated that the stomachs of eighty-seven nighthawks which he examined
"contained not less than twenty thousand ants, and these were not half
of the insect contents."[100] Mr. Forbush claims that the nighthawk
"ranks next to the flicker in the destruction of ants, and it takes them
when they are flying and about to propagate."[101]
It has a fondness for fireflies, also. Dr. Herrick made careful
observation of the habits of nighthawks, and the manner of feeding their
young. He writes of seeing a mother-bird "loaded with fireflies." He
says: "As her great mouth opened you beheld wide jaws and throat
brilliantly illuminated like a spacious apartment all aglow with
electricity. She made an electrical display at every utterance of her
harsh _ke-ark_. Then standing over her young, with raised and quivering
wings, she put her bill down into his throat and pumped him full. She
then tucked the little one under her breast and began to brood. She
repeated the performance, after which she settled down to brood as if
for the night. This young bird was fed but twice each evening between
the hours of eight and nine o'clock, and always, as I believe, by the
female. It is quite probable that another feeding occurs also at dawn.
The male would sometimes swoop down and once he sat by the chick for ten
minutes after dusk. The task of feeding was borne by the mother."[102]
THE HOUSE WREN
_Wren Family--Troglodytidæ_
Length: About 4¾ inches.
Male and Female: Cinnamon-brown above, reddish-brown on the rump and
tail. Back with fine indistinct bars; wings and tail with heavier
bars; under parts grayish-white washed with brown, lighter on throat
and breast; sides, and feathers under tail, barred with black; tail
frequently held upright.
Notes: Sharp scolding notes.
Song: A sweet bubbling song. The notes are poured forth with joyous
abandon and tireless energy.
Habitat: Near the homes of man preferably, though in the winter many
house wrens are found in southern woods. They dart in and out of
wood-piles and brush-heaps, run along walls and fences, and seek
shrubbery, vines, and orchards.
Nest: Of small sticks, lined with root-fibers or grasses, placed in a
hollow of a tree, in a nesting-box, or some out-of-the-way place,
such as a flower-pot, tin-can, discarded shoe, old hat, etc.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from southeastern Canada, eastern
Wisconsin and Michigan, southward to Kentucky and Virginia; winters
in eastern Texas, and in the South Atlantic and Gulf States.
Little "Jenny Wren" figured in our nursery tales and was one of the
delights of our childhood, because of its diminutive size, its pert,
cocked tail, its incessant activity, and its continuous chatter. No dull
moments when a wren was near by!
Its nesting-habits make it interesting to young and old. Though loyal to
a nesting-locality, it will make its neat nest in a great variety of
places, such as boxes, empty jars, small pails, or gourds, if placed
conveniently, or in wren-houses.
[Illustration: HOUSE WREN]
Wrens are valiant defenders of their nests, but have been driven away
from favorite nesting-places by quarrelsome English sparrows;
consequently wrens are decreasing in number. Wren-houses with openings
about an inch in diameter, too small for sparrows to enter, may help
somewhat to check the decrease of these valuable insect-eating birds.
They are noisy little neighbors, a curious combination of joyousness and
irritability. A pair of wrens that built a nest on the piazza of my
brother's home spent so much time in scolding and quarreling that they
were almost unendurable. One morning they disappeared; a few hours later
my brother found the drowned body of the female in a rain-barrel.
Whether it was accident, murder, or suicide, no one knew, but within
twenty-four hours a pleasanter-tempered Lady Wren appeared, swept and
garnished the home of her predecessor, and set up house-keeping. A
larger measure of peace reigned thereafter.
As songsters, wrens are very remarkable for volume of sound, for
sweetness of tone, and for extreme ecstasy. I remember wakening about
sunrise one morning in early June, when the spring chorus was at its
climax. For about an hour, I had the joy of listening to a bird-concert
more wonderful than any I had ever heard. After a time I distinguished
the voices of the various familiar birds. Loudest, clearest, and
sweetest of all rang the voice of the smallest member of the choir--that
of the tiny house wren.
THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
_Hummingbird Family--Trochilidæ_
Length: About 3¾ inches; bill over ½ inch.
Male: Iridescent green above; gray below, with a glint of green,
especially on the sides; wings and tail brown, with slight
iridescence; throat brilliant ruby,--brownish in some lights; _tail
forked_.
Female: Similar to male, but _without ruby on throat_, which is flecked
with minute brownish spots; _tail-feathers of nearly even length_,
outer feathers with white tips.
Note: No song--only a faint squeak.
Habitat: Open country; cultivated tracts of land, especially those
overrun with vines; gardens, particularly those that contain
trumpet-creepers and honey-suckles.
Nest: One of the most exquisite nests made. It is in the shape of a tiny
cup, covered with lichens and lined with soft materials. It is
frequently placed so high on a branch as to be difficult to
distinguish from an excrescence on the bough. The eggs look like
white beans.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from central Canada to the Gulf
Coast and Florida; winters from central Florida and Louisiana
through Southern Mexico and Central America to Panama.
Hummingbirds are rightly in a family by themselves--they are unique.
They are the smallest of our birds, and yet they possess a power of
flight unsurpassed. Mr. Forbush says: "The little body, divested of its
feathers, is no larger than the end of one's finger, but the breast
muscles which move the wings are enormous in proportion to the size of
the bird. They form a large part of the entire trunk, and their power is
such that they can vibrate the inch-long feathers of those little wings
with such rapidity that the human eye can scarcely follow the bird when
it is moved to rapid flight by fear or passion."[103]
[Illustration: RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD]
The wings do not seem to be made of feathers, but of gauze, like those
of insects. I never really saw the feathers until I held a dead
hummingbird in my hand. Its iridescent body seems made of burnished
metal.
It is wonderful that so tiny a creature can wing its way from Central
America to the heart of Canada. It seems to know no fear; it is quite
able to defend itself with its long sharp bill. Mr. Forbush says: "The
males fight with one another, and, secure in their unequalled powers of
flight, they attack other and larger birds. When the Hummingbird says
'Go!' other birds stand not upon the order of their going, but go at
once; while the little warrior sometimes accelerates their flight, for
his sharp beak is a weapon not to be despised. Even the Kingbird goes
when the war-like Hummer comes; the English Sparrow flees in terror;
only the Woodpeckers stand their ground."[103]
Hummingbirds are not only fearless and pugnacious, but they are very
inquisitive. Major Bendire says: "I once occupied quarters that were
completely covered with trumpet-vines, and when these were in bloom the
place fairly swarmed with Ruby-throats. They were exceedingly
inquisitive, and often poised themselves before an open window and
looked in my rooms, full of curiosity, their bright little eyes
sparkling like black beads. I caught several--by simply putting my hand
over them, and while so imprisoned they never moved, and feigned death,
but as soon as I opened my hand they were off like a flash. They seem to
be especially partial to anything red."[104]
Their fondness for honey-producing flowers has caused many people to
believe that they live upon nectar and ambrosia, like the gods of the
Greeks, but the Biological Survey, has, by close observation, discovered
that they do not visit flowers wholly for the purpose of gathering
honey, but for obtaining also small insects that have been drowned in a
welter of sweetness. Professor Beal has observed them "hovering in front
of a cobweb, picking off insects and perhaps spiders entangled in the
net. They have also been observed to capture their food on the wing,
like flycatchers. Stomach examination shows that a considerable portion
of their food consists of insects and spiders." Professor Beal
continues: "Although hummingbirds are the smallest of the avian race,
their stomachs are much smaller in proportion to their bodies than those
of other birds, while their livers are much larger. This would indicate
that these birds live to a considerable extent upon concentrated sweets,
as stated above, and that the insects, spiders, etc., found in the
stomachs do not represent by any means all their food."[105]
A physician of my acquaintance owns a camp in the New Hampshire woods. A
birch near his house was attacked by sapsuckers. Sap exuded plentifully
and was eagerly sought by two red squirrels, a small swarm of bees, two
sapsuckers, and seven hummingbirds. With his glasses, the doctor
observed the birds eating insects served in birch syrup.
Professor Beal reports having seen as many as one hundred hummingbirds
"hovering about the flowers of a buckeye tree, and this number was
maintained all day and for many days, though the individuals were going
and coming all the time." Burroughs once saw a hummingbird take his
morning bath in dewdrops.
There are about five hundred known species of hummingbird. They may be
found in North and South America from Alaska to Patagonia. They are most
numerous in northern South America, in Colombia and Ecuador. Seventeen
species are found in our western and southwestern states, but only one,
the Ruby-throat, lives in the East.
THE INDIGO-BIRD OR INDIGO BUNTING
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_
Length: About 5½ inches.
Male: Head and throat deep, purplish blue, becoming lighter on back and
above tail; wings and tail a brownish black, edged with blue. Winter
plumage, brownish like the female, mottled with blue.
Female: Brown above, darker on wings and tail; _no streaks on back_;
breast grayish, washed and _faintly streaked with brown_; belly
lighter. The female resembles her sparrow relatives, but may be
distinguished by a glint of blue in her tail and wings.
Call-note: A sharp _chip_.
Song: A burst of melody, somewhat like that of a canary, loud, clear,
and sweet. It is not remarkable except that it may be heard during
the middle of the day and during the heat of midsummer. The bird
sings frequently from treetops.
Habitat: In "scrubby" pastures, along roadsides--in trees and bushes.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds east of the Great Plains from North
Dakota to New Brunswick, south from central Texas to Georgia;
winters from southern Mexico to Panama.
The Indigo Bunting possesses a brilliant beauty and a sweet voice. A
sight of him and his pretty brown mate brings a thrill of pleasure, but
he holds no such place in our affections as does the true bluebird. He
does not choose to nest close to human dwellings, but prefers overgrown
pastures, not too much frequented, where he performs his good office of
caterpillar-, canker worm-, and grasshopper-hunting, varying his diet
with an abundance of weed seeds.
[Illustration: INDIGO-BIRD]
The indigo-bird, the scarlet tanager, the goldfinch, and the Baltimore
oriole are our most brilliant summer birds. Thoreau, in his "Notes on
New England Birds" makes the following comment:
"This is a splendid and marked bird, high-colored as is the tanager,
looking strange in this latitude. Glowing indigo. It flits from the top
of one bush to another, chirping as if anxious. Wilson says it sings,
not like most other birds in the morning and evening chiefly, but also
in the middle of the day. In this I notice it is like the tanager, the
other fiery-plumaged bird. They seem to love the heat."
During August, the songs of the indigo-bird and red-eyed vireo may be
heard along wooded roadsides, and are especially welcome because most
birds are silent at that time.
THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE
_American-Blackbird Family--Icteridæ_
Length: About 7½ inches.
Male: Head, throat, neck, and upper half of back black; breast, belly,
shoulders, lower half of back and outer tail-feathers _brilliant
orange_; wings black, many feathers edged with white; half of middle
tail-feathers black; others largely orange; bill long, slender,
sharp.
Female: Upper parts grayish-olive, washed with yellow and mottled with
black on head and back; under parts, tail, and rump dull orange,
paler at throat, which is sometimes marked with black; wings brown,
barred with white.
Notes: A loud _whew-y_, or _whew_, uttered frequently and insistently,
with a falling inflection. Orioles chatter noisily, also.
Song: A rich, melodious strain, very different in individuals, but alike
in a liquid quality, and in frequency of utterance. For several
successive years, two orioles returned to our elms and apple-trees
in Cleveland. Their songs differed as decidedly from each other and
from those of other orioles as the voices and enunciation of people
vary.
Habitat: Elm and maple-shaded streets and orchards preferred in the
springtime. After the nestlings are grown, orioles may be found in
thickets or in the woods.
Nest: A hanging nest in the shape of a bag, usually suspended near the
end of a bough. The female weaves the nest.
Range: Breeds from southern Canada and northern United States to the
northern part of Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia, west to the Rocky
Mts.; winters from southern Mexico to Colombia.
[Illustration: BALTIMORE ORIOLE]
Orioles, with their brilliant plumage and beautiful song, belong to the
somber-hued, unmusical blackbird family. They are truly "the flower of
the flock,"--gorgeous tropical flowers, too. They invariably arouse
interest and almost always great admiration. So dashing are they that
they do not remain long enough near us to let us know them well or love
them. They remind me of brilliant opera-singers, elegantly attired, who
are followed by the eager eyes of a host of people.
So many poets and writers of prose have sung the praise of orioles that
it surprised me to learn that neither Thoreau nor Burroughs admired
them. Thoreau wrote: "Two gold robins; they chatter like blackbirds; the
fire bursts forth on their backs when they lift their wings.... But the
note is not melodious and rich. It is at most a clear tone."[106]
Burroughs said: "I have no use for the oriole. He has not one musical
note, and in grape time his bill is red, or purple, with the blood of
our grapes."[107]
A grape-eating propensity is not a trait common to orioles, according to
Professor Beal's report of their food habits. He says: "Brilliancy of
plumage, sweetness of song, and food habits to which no exception can be
taken are characteristics of the Baltimore oriole. During the stay of
the oriole in the United States, vegetable matter amounts to only a
little more than 16 per cent. of its food, so that the possibility of
its doing much damage to crops is very limited. The bird is accused of
eating peas to a considerable extent, but remains of such were found in
only two cases. One writer says that it damages grapes, but none were
found in the stomachs."[108] Professor Beal lists caterpillars, beetles,
bugs, ants, wasps, grasshoppers, and some spiders as the "fare of the
oriole."
The nest and nesting habits of these birds are unusually interesting. In
Eaton's "Birds of New York" occurs the following description:
"The female is an ideal mother, defending her young with great courage
and caring for them in all kinds of weather. The young, however, are not
such ideal offspring as she ought to expect. From the time they begin to
feather out until several days after they have left the nest, they keep
up a continual cry for food. In this way they are unquestionably located
by many predaceous animals and thereby destroyed. The young orioles are
usually out of the nest from the 20th of June to the 5th of July [in New
York State], and are very soon led away by the old birds into the woods,
groves, and dense hedgerows. Then we hear no more of the oriole's song
until the latter days of August or the first week in September, when,
after the autumn molt has been completed, the males frequently burst
into melody for a few days before departing for their winter home.
"As every one knows, the oriole builds a pensile nest, usually
suspending it from the drooping branches of an elm tree, soft maple,
apple tree, or in fact, any tree, though his preference seems to be for
the elm. The main construction materials used by the oriole are gray
plant-fibers, especially those from the outside of milkweed stalks,
waste packing-cord and horsehair; sometimes pieces of rags and paper are
discovered in the nest, but it is almost without exception a grayish bag
as it appears from the outside, and is lined principally with horsehairs
and softer materials, making a thick felted gourd-shaped structure."
One morning this past May when the heat was unseasonable and
overpowering, an oriole was observed fluttering anxiously near the nest
where his mate sat on her eggs. The foliage had not developed
sufficiently to shade her, so he alighted on the nest, a claw on either
side of the cup-like opening. There he stood astride for the greater
part of the day and protected her devotedly, like a chivalrous knight of
old.
THE ORCHARD ORIOLE
_American Blackbird Family--Icteridæ_
Length: About 7 inches.
Adult Male: Breeding Plumage: Head, throat, neck, and upper half of back
black; breast, belly, shoulders, lower half of back a bright
chestnut brown; wings and tail dark brown; wing-feathers tipped or
edged with white, forming a bar across wing. The winter plumage is
different from the breeding plumage; the male passes through several
changes as he matures.
Female: Olive-green above, darkest on head and back, dull yellow below;
wing-feathers tipped with white, forming two bars across wing; tail
olive-green.
Immature Male: Like female, the first autumn; the next spring, he has a
black throat; the chestnut plumage develops later.
Notes and Song: Similar to those of the Baltimore oriole. Song clear and
melodious; tones possibly not quite so _mellow_ as those of its
relatives, but sweeter.
Habitat: Orchards and shade trees.
Nest: A pensile nest, but shorter and more firmly attached than that of
the Baltimore oriole.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from northern United States,
southern Canada, and central New York, south to northern Florida and
the Gulf Coast, west to Texas, central Nebraska, and western Kansas;
winters from southern Mexico to northern Colombia. Not common in
Massachusetts.
The markings of the Orchard Oriole are similar to those of the more
brilliant and striking Baltimore Oriole, but its coloring more nearly
resembles that of the towhee. Like its cousin, it is arboreal, while the
towhee is a ground bird.
[Illustration: ORCHARD ORIOLE]
The orchard oriole is more shy than the Baltimore oriole and is less
well known. It is, however, very active and restless,--indefatigable in
its quest for insects. It has a better reputation than most members of
the blackbird family. Major Bendire says that it would be difficult to
find a bird that does more good and less harm than the orchard oriole,
and that it should be fully protected.
THE SCARLET TANAGER
_Tanager Family--Tangaridæ_
Length: About 7 inches.
General Appearance: _A bright scarlet body, with black wings and tail;
no crest._
Male: Scarlet and black in breeding plumage; after the molt, _olive_ and
_yellow, with black wings_ and _tail_; wings white underneath. The
male does not acquire red plumage until the second year. While
molting, the adult male has irregular patches of olive and yellow
mixed with his red feathers, giving a curious effect.
Female: Olive-green above; yellowish-olive below, brightest on throat;
wings and tail dark gray, washed with olive. She is very effectively
protected by her coloring.
Note: Call-note _chip-chur_, very distinct and reasonably loud.
Song: A warble, full, rich, and pleasing, but not varied; sufficiently
like the songs of the robin and the rose-breasted grosbeak to make
identification difficult for a beginner. The frequent _chip-chur_
betrays the tanager's presence.
Habitat: Dense groves of hard-wood trees, especially those containing
oaks. Mr. Forbush calls the tanager "the appointed guardian of the
oaks." The bird is found in parks and on well-wooded estates, as
well as in the deep woods.
Range: Eastern North America and northern South America. Breeds in
southern Canada as far west as the Plains, and in the United States
to southern Kansas, northern Arkansas, Tennessee, northern Georgia,
and the mountains of Virginia and South Carolina; winters from
Colombia to Bolivia and Peru.
[Illustration: SCARLET TANAGER]
These "black-winged redbirds" are occasionally mistaken by novices for
cardinals, but the dusky wings and tail, and the absence of a crest
differentiate them. Then, too, the scarlet of their coats is of a
different shade of red.
Their cousins, the SUMMER TANAGERS, denizens of southeastern United
States and occasional residents of the North, resemble cardinals more
closely. Both have a nearly uniform rose-red plumage, but the summer
tanager has brownish wings edged with red, and _no crest_.
The beauty of male tanagers has caused them to be eagerly sought in the
past. I have childish memories of their scarlet bodies decorating the
hats of thoughtless women, and I blush to confess a feeling of envy
rather than regret at the wicked slaughter. Audubon Societies have done
much to change public sentiment and put a stop to barbarous practices.
Never shall I forget the breathless joy I felt when, grown to young
womanhood, I first saw a tanager's vivid beauty gleaming against the
almost black-green foliage of a dense grove. I think that I remember
every tanager which I have since seen, as well as each lovely setting
that enhanced his gorgeous coloring. A glimpse of one marks a red-letter
day. Twice I have seen two males at once, in company with a
rose-breasted grosbeak--all singing; memorable experiences.
The WESTERN TANAGER, with his yellow body and crown, his red "face,"
black back and tail, and yellow and black wings, appeared before me one
day in the noble woods that crown Glacier Point in the Yosemite Valley.
I felt that his beauty, like that of his eastern relatives, was his
"excuse for being." He does not enjoy quite so good a reputation as do
other tanagers, because he has a taste for fruit--almost as
reprehensible as horse- or cattle-stealing in the west.
Tanagers, however, are valuable insect-destroyers. Our brilliant species
deserves our whole-hearted protection, not only for aesthetic, but also
for economic reasons.
[Illustration: ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK]
THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_
Length: A little over 8 inches.
General Appearance: A black and white bird, with a _rose-colored breast_
and _heavy, flesh-colored beak_.
Male: Head, throat, and back black; rump and under parts white, except
_on breast_ and _under wings_, which are a beautiful _rose-red_;
wings black, with bars and patches of white; tail black; outer
feathers with white tips to their inner webs. The winter plumage is
slightly different from the summer plumage.
Female: A soft grayish-brown, streaked with white, buff, and gray; under
parts light buff, faintly streaked with brown; head brown; a buff
streak through center of the crown, a white streak over the eye;
wings and tail grayish-brown, some of the wing-feathers tipped with
white; yellow under wings instead of rose.
Note: A sharp _tsick, tsick_.
Song: A rich, beautiful warble, somewhat like that of the robin and
tanager, but more joyous than either. It possesses a purer, more
liquid quality. The song is remarkable, also, in that it may be
heard at night, and at midday.
Habitat: Woodlands and thickets, fields and gardens. This grosbeak
frequents also the shade trees of large estates and suburban
streets.
Nest: Large and loosely constructed, made of twigs, grasses, and
root-fibers, and placed from five to twenty feet from the ground.
Eggs: Pale blue, spotted with brown or purple. The male takes his turn
at sitting on the eggs.
Range: Eastern North America and northern South America. Breeds from
southern Canada south to Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, New Jersey, and in
the mountains of northern Georgia; winters from southern Mexico to
Colombia and Ecuador.
So beautiful is the rose-breasted grosbeak and so melodious his song
that he invariably attracts attention. Upon close acquaintance, he
reveals many interesting habits and delightful traits. He is so useful
that he reminds one of the occasional rare person who combines practical
qualities with beauty of form and face and unusual gifts.
He is one of our most beneficial birds. Occasionally he partakes of
cultivated fruit and devours green peas, but the slight mischief he is
guilty of is greatly overbalanced by the good he does. So fond is he of
the Colorado potato beetle that in some localities he is called the
"potato-bug bird."[109] Professor Beal tells of watching grosbeaks near
a potato-patch that was nearly riddled by these destructive insects. He
saw the parent-birds visit the field repeatedly, and then bring their
young when able to fly. The brood perched in a row on the top rail of
the fence, and were fed so frequently that in a few days the potato-bugs
had entirely disappeared. The crop was saved.
Grosbeaks appear to lead unusually happy domestic lives. Though the
males fight for their mates, they guard them and their young with great
devotion. They not only utter low sweet notes to the mother-bird as she
broods, but quite frequently take her place on the nest.
My sister tells of hearing a rose-breast's song in a maple grove, and of
searching diligently for the singer. She located the tree from which the
sound proceeded, and waited patiently to see him "gaily flit from bough
to bough"; but no bird came into view. She went around the tree until,
to her delight, she discovered him sitting on the nest, only a few feet
from where she stood. He stopped singing when he saw her, but showed
neither surprise nor fear, and resumed his song after she went away. She
realized that she had had an unusually rare privilege.
To hear a grosbeak's song at night is an experience similar to that of
listening to a nightingale in Europe, or to a mockingbird in our South
or West, singing by moonlight.
THE BLUE GROSBEAK
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_
Length: 7 inches; indigo bunting, 5½ inches.
Male: Body a deep blue, almost black on the back; chin and cheeks black;
bill heavy; tail black, edged with blue; wings black, tipped with
bright brown, giving the effect of one broad and one narrow
wing-bar. Winter plumage, rusty brown mottled with blue.
Female: Grayish-brown above, more or less washed with blue; wings brown,
barred with buff; under parts washed with buff.
Song: A sweet grosbeak warble.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from Missouri, southern Illinois
and Maryland, south to eastern Texas, and northern Florida;
accidental in Wisconsin, New England, the Maritime Provinces, and
Cuba; winters in Yucatan and Honduras.
The Blue Grosbeak resembles its smaller relative, the indigo bunting,
but it has a larger, darker body, a heavier bill, and brown-tipped wing
feathers. It is more nearly the size of a cowbird than of the
indigo-bird. It may be found in thickets similar to those frequented by
its small blue relative.
It is a bird of the southeastern part of the United States, but
occasionally strays northward.
THE EVENING GROSBEAK
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_
Length: 8 inches; 3 inches larger than the goldfinch.
Male: Forehead bright yellow; crown of head black; body olive-brown,
with yellow on shoulders, rump, and belly; wings black and white;
tail forked, black; bill heavy and yellowish.
Female: Brownish-gray, tinged with yellow underneath; wings black and
white; forked tail black, tipped with white.
Range: Central North America. Breeds in western Alberta; winters in the
interior of North America east of the Rocky Mts., more or less
irregularly in southern Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, eastern
Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, New England, and Quebec.
A sight of this handsome bird is an event in the East, and arouses great
interest in people who know how rare it is. Five were seen near
Washington in early April of this year, and were hailed with enthusiasm.
It is a common resident of our Northwest, though it wanders in flocks to
the East occasionally.
It looks like a large goldfinch, though it is a less brilliant yellow,
has larger patches of white on its wings and wears its dark cap back on
its head, above its yellow forehead, instead of pulled down to its eyes
and bill. It blends perfectly with the yellows and olive-browns of some
of our western landscapes.
It feeds on berries, seeds, and insects. It becomes very tame.
THE BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_
The Black-headed Grosbeak has _cinnamon-brown_ upper parts, breast, band
about the neck, and rump; yellow belly, black head, wings, and tail;
wings with two white bars and a white patch; tail with white tips.
Female brownish-black and buff above; under parts tawny and yellow,
streaked with dark; chin, sides of throat, and line over eye whitish.
"The Black-headed Grosbeak takes the place in the West of the rosebreast
of the East, and, like it, is a fine songster. Like it, also, the
blackhead readily resorts to orchards and gardens and is common in
agricultural districts. The bird has a very powerful bill and easily
crushes or cuts into the firmest fruit. It feeds upon cherries,
apricots, and other fruits, and also does some damage to peas and beans,
but it is so active a foe of certain horticultural pests that we can
afford to overlook its faults.... It eats scale insects, cankerworms,
codling moths, and many flower beetles, which do incalculable damage to
cultivated flowers and to ripe fruit."[110]
THE BOBOLINK
_American Blackbird Family--Icteridæ_
Length: A little over 7 inches.
Male: _Spring_ or _Breeding plumage_: Crown, sides of head, throat, and
other under parts black; _back of head and neck light yellow_; upper
half of back black, streaked with creamy white; _lower half of back,
rump, and shoulders white_; wings black, some of the feathers tipped
with buff; tail black, the feathers pointed. Many birds have dark
upper parts and light breasts; the bobolink wears his bright breast
upon his back during the summer. In the fall, he resembles the
female.
Female: Olive-brown and light yellow above, with black streaks; head
with olive-brown and light yellow stripes; under parts pale yellow;
wings and tail brown.
Notes: A tinkling _ding-ding_, not unlike the sound of a bell; likewise
a chirp.
Song: A bubbling song, full of ecstasy and abandon. It is one of the
most delightful songs of the later migrants.
Habitat: While in the North, the bobolink inhabits our fields and
meadows, where he "swings on brier and weed." In the fall, he
frequents the rice-fields of our southern states on his way to South
America, and does so much harm that he is dreaded and hated.
Range: North and South America. Breeds mainly from the plains of
south-central Canada to Nevada, Utah, northern Missouri, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey; winters
in South America, to southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia.
[Illustration: BOBOLINK]
Had Robert Louis Stevenson written the biography of a bobolink, he might
have given him the names of his immortal Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for
the bird seems to possess a dual nature, and to bear totally different
reputations in the North and the South. When he visits Canada and
northern United States in May, dressed in his gay wedding finery, he is
greeted with joy. Few more delightful birds are to be found than this
attractive, happy-hearted singer against whom no reproaches are
registered in the North.
His song has been a favorite theme for poets and nature-writers. Thoreau
wrote: "One or two notes globe themselves and fall in bubbles from his
teeming throat. It is as if he touched his harp within a vase of liquid
melody, and when he lifted it out, the notes fell like bubbles from the
strings. Methinks they are the most liquidly sweet and melodious sounds
I ever heard."[111]
The bobolink's habits in the North are almost beyond reproach. Professor
Beal writes: "In New England there are few birds about which so much
romance clusters as this rollicking songster, naturally associated with
the June meadows; but in the South there are none on whose head so many
maledictions have been heaped on account of its fondness for rice.
During its sojourn in the Northern States it feeds mainly upon insects
and seeds of useless plants; but while rearing its young, insects
constitute its chief food, and almost the exclusive diet of its brood.
After the young are able to fly, the whole family gathers into a small
flock and begins to live almost entirely upon vegetable food. This
consists for the most part of weed seeds, since in the North these birds
do not appear to attack grain to any extent. They eat a few oats."[112]
Dr. Henshaw adds: "When the young are well on the wing, they gather in
flocks with the parent birds and gradually move southward, being then
generally known as _reed-birds_. They reach the ricefields of the
Carolinas about August 20, when the rice is in the milk. Then until the
birds depart for South America, planters and birds fight for the crop,
and in spite of constant watchfulness and innumerable devices for
scaring the birds a loss of 10 per cent. of the rice is the usual
result."[113]
Major Bendire, in his "Life Histories of North American Birds," quotes a
letter from Capt. W. M. Hazzard, a large rice-grower of South Carolina,
written concerning the warfare waged against these _ricebirds_:
"The Bobolinks make their appearance here during the latter part of
April. At that season, their plumage is white and black, and they sing
merrily when at rest. Their flight is always at night. In the evening
there are none. In the morning their appearance is heralded by the
popping of whips and firing of musketry by the bird-minders in their
efforts to keep the birds from pulling up the young rice. This warfare
is kept up incessantly until about the 25th of May, when they suddenly
disappear at night. Their next appearance is in a dark yellow plumage,
as the _Ricebird_. There is no song at this time, but instead a chirp
which means ruin to any rice found in the milk. My plantation record
will show that for the past ten years, except when prevented by stormy
south or southwest winds, the Ricebirds have come punctually on the
night of the 21st of August, apparently coming from seaward. All night
their chirp can be heard passing over our summer homes on South Island,
which is situated 6 miles to the east of our rice plantations, in full
view of the ocean. Curious to say, we have never seen this flight during
the day. During the nights of August 21, 22, 23, and 24, millions of
these birds make their appearance and settle in the ricefields. From the
21st of August to the 25th of September our every effort is made to save
the crop. Men, boys, and women with guns and ammunition, are posted....
The firing commences at dawn and is kept up till sunset.... If from any
cause there is a check to the crop during its growth which prevents the
grain from being hard, but in milky condition, the destruction of such
fields is complete, it not paying to cut and bring the rice out of the
field.... I consider these birds as destructive to rice as the
caterpillar is to cotton, with this difference, that these Ricebirds
never fail to come."
THE GOLDFINCH
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_
Length: About 5 inches.
Male: _Spring_ and _summer plumage_--_body_ and _shoulders bright
yellow_; _crown black_; _wings_ and _tail_, _black_ and _white_;
tail forked; feathers above tail, gray. _Winter
plumage_--olive-brown back; throat, breast, and shoulders yellow;
wings black and white.
Female: Olive-brown above; dull yellow below; wings and tail a dull
black; white bars on wings, tail white-tipped; shoulders
olive-green; grayish above tail. _No black on crown._
Notes: An unusually sweet chirp or call-note like that of a canary,
_who-ee'_, with a rising inflection; a flight-note, _per-chick'ory_,
given as the goldfinch bounds through the air; a number of gentle
little twittering sounds, for these birds are very social and
communicative.
Song: A rapid outpouring of notes in a wild, sweet, canary-like strain.
Flight: In great waves or undulations.
Habitat: Fields and gardens, or wherever its favorite food may be
obtained.
Nest: In bushes or trees; made of soft grasses or fibers, and lined with
thistledown.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from south-central Canada to
Oklahoma, Arkansas, and northern Georgia; winters over most of its
breeding range and south to the Gulf Coast.
In winter, the goldfinch may be distinguished from others of the finch
or sparrow family by its undulating flight, its flight-note,
_per-chick'ory_, and its call-note. Its black and white wings and tail
are also distinctive. It is found in flocks during the winter season.
[Illustration: GOLDFINCH]
The Goldfinch or "Wild Canary" is one of our best-loved birds. The
beauty of the male's coloring, the sweetness of his voice, the
joyousness of his nature have won him many friends.
John Burroughs wrote: "The goldfinch has many pretty ways. So far as my
knowledge goes, he is not capable of one harsh note. His tones are
either joyous or plaintive. In his spring reunions they are joyous. In
the peculiar flight song in which he indulges in the mating season,
beating the air vertically with his round open wings, his tones are
fairly ecstatic. His call to his mate when she is brooding, and when he
circles about her in that long, billowy flight, the crests of his airy
waves being thirty or forty feet apart, calling, 'Perchic-o-pee,
perchic-o-pee,' as if he were saying, 'For love of thee, for love of
thee,' and she calling back, 'Yes, dearie; yes, dearie'--his tones at
such times express contentment and reassurance.
"When any of his natural enemies appear--a hawk, a cat, a jay,--his
tones are plaintive in sorrow and not in anger.
"When with his mate he leads their brood about the August thistles, the
young call in a similar tone. When in July the nesting has begun, the
female talks the prettiest 'baby talk' to her mate as he feeds her. The
nest-building rarely begins till thistledown can be had, so literally
are all the ways of this darling bird ways of softness and gentleness.
The nest is a thick, soft, warm structure, securely fastened in the fork
of a maple or an apple-tree."[114]
The fondness of goldfinches for the seeds of thistles has given them the
name of _thistle-birds_. While they eat insects during the summer, they
are especially useful as seed-destroyers. At Marshall Hall, Md., Dr.
Judd observed them eating their first fresh supply in the spring from
dandelions; in June, they ate the seeds of the field daisy; in July, of
the purple aster and wild carrot. Thistles and wild lettuce were feasted
upon during August; while in September the troublesome beggar-tick and
ragweed were eagerly sought. At one time Dr. Judd counted a flock of
three hundred goldfinches busily stripping seeds from a rank growth of
the latter weed; he discovered them, also, devouring seeds of the
trumpet-creeper. They are invaluable aids to a farmer; the only fault of
which they can be accused is that of "pilfering" sunflower seeds. The
presence of sunflowers in a garden is likely to attract goldfinches,
just as trumpet-creeper blossoms lure hummingbirds.
I recall a lovely garden in which I spent many pleasant hours one
summer, happy in its beauty and fragrance, and in the companionship of
bird visitors. Near my accustomed seat grew a clump of sunflowers, often
sought by goldfinches. The black and gold of their plumage made a pretty
sight against the yellow petals and dark centers of the great flowers. I
remember one little bird that fluttered among the golden petals, too
busy singing to eat for a time.
Two bird-hunting cats haunted the garden. I took a malicious pleasure in
driving them away, because their ignorant, parsimonious owner had
informed me that she kept them locked up while her chickens were young,
so the cats wouldn't catch them. She didn't care how many birds were
killed, for then she wouldn't be obliged to feed the prowlers. The
goldfinches soon learned that when I was there they could feast in
safety. More than once when I was in the house or on the porch I would
hear their alarm cry of _Dé-de? dé-de?_ sound from a maple near the
piazza, plainly calling for my aid. When I went out to the garden and
drove away their feline foes, the cries would cease. The angry owner of
the cats, who dared not remonstrate further with me, cut down the
sunflowers!
My most beautiful memory of goldfinches is associated with one of their
spring mating-festivals. My sister and I had read Burroughs's
description of these love-feasts, so we were prepared to understand what
the unusual chorus meant. The sweet call-notes of the males,
interspersed with rapturous bursts of melody and frequent flutterings
met with quick response from the olive-and-gold females, who chirped and
said "Yes" with a joy pleasant to see! It is impossible to convey
adequately any idea of the exquisite tenderness of their voices, of the
absence of quarreling and jealousies,--of the perfect harmony of the
proceeding. I can only wish that every person who loves birds might some
time have the pleasure of a similar experience.
THE CATBIRD
_Mockingbird Family--Mimidæ_
Length: Nearly 9 inches.
Male and Female: A slender, long-tailed, gray bird, with a _black crown_
and _tail_, and _chestnut-brown feathers under the tail_; breast
somewhat paler than back; bill slightly curved.
Note: A soft _wa_, not unlike the mew of a kitten.
Song: A delightful warble--soft, sweet, and musical, though it is
occasionally interspersed with the catlike noise _wa_, and with
sounds of mimicry. Catbirds are sometimes called northern
mockingbirds.
Habitat: Tangled thickets preferred. Fruit trees, berry-patches, and
garden-shrubbery are also sought.
Nest: A veritable scrap-basket made of twigs, leaves, grasses,
plant-fibers and rootlets, with paper sometimes interwoven. One nest
that I examined contained a scrap from a torn letter and a fragment
of a sermon from a newspaper. Several tell-tale cherry-stones lay on
the bottom, circumstantial evidence of theft.
Eggs: A lovely greenish-blue, not unlike those of the robin.
Range: A common bird of eastern North America, from central Canada to
the Gulf and northern Florida. It is found in the northwestern part
of the U. S. and winters in our southern states and in Central
America.
The catbird is well-named. It is the color of a Maltese cat, is sleek
and agile, and in movement quiet and stealthy. Its mew is so like that
of a kitten as to be confusing to the uninitiated. I recall the frantic
barking of our small dog at a catbird that she heard in the shrubbery
one day. It was difficult to convince her that one of her hated foes, a
cat, was not the author of the sound that always infuriated her.
[Illustration: CATBIRD]
Though catbirds possess little claim to beauty, they seem to be vain and
appear always to be doing something to attract attention. They are in
constant motion--twitching their tails, jerking their bodies, and making
their gentle, inane "cat-calls."
I once had an amusing experience with a catbird. I had seated myself
near a thicket in which a Maryland Yellow-throat was flitting. Hoping to
beguile him from the shrubbery and thus afford myself a better view of
him, I gave his song repeatedly--"Witch-a-tee-o, witch-a-tee-o." A
catbird on the fence-rail behind the thicket was flirting his tail,
looking knowingly at me, and giving his call repeatedly. I paid no
attention to him, and continued to say "Witch-a-tee-o." It was not long
before he, too, warbled "Witch-a-tee-o." Whether he did it from his love
of mimicry or from a desire to be noticed, I shall never know, but his
bearing was, "_Now_ will you pay some attention to _me_!"
Catbirds are in disfavor among the growers of cherries and berries, both
wild and cultivated; they make havoc in strawberry-beds. Mr. Forbush
reports that their depredations vary in different localities. He claims
that in spite of their fruit-stealing propensities they deserve
protection in Massachusetts, because they devour locusts, cankerworms,
and the caterpillars of various moths, most important being those of the
gypsy and brown-tail moths.
In the Biological Survey Bulletin "Fifty Common Birds of Farm and
Orchard" (No. 513) the following statements about the catbird are made:
"Half of its food consists of fruit, and the cultivated crops most often
injured are cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
Beetles, ants, crickets, and grasshoppers are the most important element
of its animal food. The bird is known to attack a few pests such as
cutworms, leaf beetles, clover-root curculio, and the periodical cicada,
but the good it does in this way probably does not pay for the fruit it
steals. The extent to which it should be protected may perhaps be left
to the individual cultivator; that is, it should be made lawful to
destroy catbirds that are doing manifest damage to crops."
Dr. Judd found that catbirds fed their young almost entirely on insects;
he therefore scored a point in their favor. Their bravery in defense of
their nest and their young is well known.
Burroughs tells an unusual anecdote about a catbird as follows:
"A friend of mine who had a summer home on one of the trout-streams of
the Catskills discovered that the catbird was fond of butter, and she
soon had one of the birds coming every day to the dining-room, perching
on the back of the chair, and receiving its morsel of butter from a fork
held in the mistress's hand. I think the butter was unsalted. My friend
was convinced after three years that the same pair of birds returned to
her each year because each season the male came promptly for his
butter."[115]
Many other incidents might be related concerning this interesting
bird,--of its unusual intelligence and its remarkable power of mimicry.
One catbird in Tennessee learned to imitate the songs of all the birds
that nested near him. His rendering of the red-eyed vireo's song was as
good as that of the vireo himself. His listeners felt that it was
wearisome enough to have the red-eye preaching constantly, but to have
the catbird reiterating it was more than they could endure.
THE BROWN THRASHER
_Mockingbird Family--Mimidæ_
Length: About 11 inches, larger than the robin; tail 5 inches long.
General Appearance: A large bird with a _bright brown back, white breast
streaked with brownish-black_, and a _very long tail_ which is moved
or "thrashed" about incessantly.
Male and Female: Reddish-brown above; white underneath, becoming buff
after the August molt; throat indistinctly marked with dark streaks;
breast and sides _heavily streaked_; wings with two indistinct white
bars; tail almost half the length of the bird; bill long (about 1
inch), sharp and curving.
Notes: A "smacking" sound and a sharp _whew_.
Song: A loud, clear, beautiful song. It consists of several phrases,
each composed of two or more similar notes. Thoreau interpreted it
as follows: "_cherruit, cherruit, cherruit; go ahead, go ahead; give
it to him, give it to him_."[116] The song is generally sung from
the tops of trees or bushes.
Habitat: Like the catbird, the thrasher is found frequently in
shrubbery, where it scratches among dead leaves for its food. Its
brown color protects it admirably.
Nest: Made of twigs, leaves, and root-fibers, placed in thickets or on
the ground.
Eggs: White, evenly speckled with fine brown spots.
Food: Wild fruit and berries (30 kinds), and insects, especially beetles
and caterpillars. Professor Beal says: "The farmer has nothing to
fear from depredations on fruit or grain by the brown thrasher. The
bird is a resident of groves and swamps rather than of orchards and
gardens."[117]
[Illustration: BROWN THRASHER]
Range: Eastern United States and southern Canada, westward to the Rocky
Mts.; winters in south-eastern United States.
Because of his brown color and his speckled breast, the Brown Thrasher
has often been erroneously called the _Brown Thrush_. Careful
observation reveals many points of difference. He is three or four
inches longer than our common thrushes--in fact, his tail alone is only
about 2½ inches shorter than the entire body of the veery or the hermit
thrush; his bill is almost four times as long as theirs and is decidedly
curved. Instead of dark, thrush-like eyes, he has pale yellow ones that
give him an uncanny appearance.
He is not a dweller in woods, but, like the catbird, prefers thickets.
Burroughs says: "The furtive and stealthy manners of the catbird
contrast strongly with the frank open manners of the thrushes. Its
cousin the brown thrasher goes skulking about in much the same way,
flirting from bush to bush like a culprit escaping from justice. But he
does love to sing from the April treetops where all the world may see
and hear, if said world does not come too near."[118]
His song is a brilliant, delightful performance, admirable in technique,
but lacking in a quality of tone that moves the heart. It is often of
long duration. One May afternoon, I heard a thrasher singing so long
that I was moved to time him. He sang without stopping for fifteen
minutes by my watch, and his entire song must have lasted nearly half an
hour.
The brown thrasher, like the other members of his family, has power of
mimicry. In the north, he is sometimes called the "Northern Mocker"; in
some regions where he and the mockingbird both live, he is known as the
"Sandy Mocker." There is sufficient similarity in the songs of the
catbird, the thrasher, and the mockingbird to make a listener pause a
moment to distinguish them when in a locality where the three birds are
to be found. The catbird's mew betrays him; the thrasher's song is more
brilliant and sustained; the mocker's more varied. Thoreau says, "The
thrasher has a sort of laugh in his strain that the catbird has
not."[119] His song resembles decidedly that of the English thrush,
famed in poetry. Browning's description of the latter is equally
applicable to our thrasher:
"He sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
That first fine careless rapture."
[Illustration: MOCKINGBIRD]
THE MOCKINGBIRD
_Mockingbird Family--Mimidæ_
Length: About 10 inches; an inch longer than the catbird and an inch
shorter than the thrasher; tail about 5 inches long.
Male and Female: A long, slender, brownish-gray bird, with grayish-white
under parts; wings and tail dark brown; wings with two white bars
and _white patches that are conspicuous in flight_; middle
tail-feathers brown, _outer feathers white, others partly white_.
The female frequently has less white than the male.
Notes: A great variety. Some mockingbirds seem to possess unlimited
powers of mimicry; others have far less ability to reproduce sounds.
Song: A sweet, delightful melody, sung in pure liquid tones and with
ease and assurance, as though the birds were conscious of their
power. They are probably the most famous songsters of America.
Sidney Lanier, Walt Whitman, and other poets have written well-known
poems in their praise, while Roosevelt and many other prose-writers
have added their encomiums.
Habitat: Near the haunts of man, in gardens, parks, tree-shaded streets,
and groves.
Range: Southeastern United States chiefly from eastern Nebraska,
southern Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Maryland, south to
eastern Texas, southern Florida and the Bahamas; occasional in New
York and Massachusetts, though a number of records have been made
near Boston; accidental in Wisconsin, Ontario, Maine, and Nova
Scotia; introduced into Bermuda.
The WESTERN MOCKINGBIRD is found in California, southern Wyoming,
northwestern Nebraska, and western Kansas, south to Mexico and Lower
California. It has a longer tail and wings than the eastern species,
and is a paler gray.
Nuttall called the Mockingbird "the unrivalled Orpheus of the forest,
and the natural wonder of America." His voice certainly has power to
"soothe the savage breast," to interest the mind because of the varied
range and remarkable technique, and to uplift the soul, especially when
heard in the stillness and beauty of a moonlight night.
There is great difference of opinion regarding the "mocker." He is more
loved and admired in the South than in the West, and is regarded with
pride as worthy to be called the nightingale of America. Most writers
have sung his praises, but occasionally some one regards him with
disfavor because of his habit of interlarding his beautiful song with
curious and disagreeable sounds. Wilson Flagg says, "He often brings his
tiresome extravaganzas to a magnificent climax of melody and as
frequently concludes an inimitable chant with a most contemptible
bathos."[120]
The power of mimicry varies with different individuals. In a brief
interval of time, one bird may imitate a woodpecker, a phoebe, a wren, a
jay, or a cardinal, so as to deceive most listeners. He may produce the
sound made by the popping of a cork or the buzzing of a saw; the next
moment he may scream like a hawk to frighten chickens and send them to
cover, or cluck like an old hen and bring young chicks from their
hiding-places. Some mockers seem to be able to reproduce the bird-songs
they hear more melodiously than the singers themselves render them.
Mockingbirds' bravery in defense of their nests and their young is well
known. They have an especial antipathy to dogs and cats, and are
merciless in their attacks on those animals if seen near the vicinity of
their nests. A friend in California told me that her cat was in abject
terror of a mockingbird. Instead of considering him tempting prey, she
invariably fled to cover when he appeared, and remained in hiding for a
time. The fur on her sides was noticeably thinned where the angry bird
had pulled out numerous locks. One day, while my family were visiting
San Francisco, they heard a dog yelping piteously and discovered him
running at lightning speed down the middle of the street. A mockingbird
was perched on his back and was pulling hairs out of his tail with
spiteful tweaks. Mockers have been known to kill snakes that approached
their nests, and to attack human beings with great fury.
They like to live near people and seem to respond to the affection shown
them in the South, where they are such favorites that they are seldom
molested. Formerly mockingbirds were trapped for cage-birds, as were
cardinals, but this practice is largely discontinued now, because of
protective laws and aroused public sentiment.
Dr. Henry W. Henshaw says: "It is not surprising that the mockingbird
should receive protection principally because of its ability as a
songster and its preference for the vicinity of dwellings. Its place in
the affections of the South is similar to that occupied by the robin in
the North. It is well that this is true, for the bird appears not to
earn protection from a strictly economic standpoint. About half of its
diet consists of fruit, and many cultivated varieties are attacked, such
as oranges, grapes, figs, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
Somewhat less than a fourth of the food is animal matter, of which
grasshoppers are the largest single element. The bird is fond of
cottonworms, and is known to feed on the chinch bug, rice weevil, and
bollworm. It is unfortunate that it does not feed on injurious insects
to an extent to offset its depredations on fruit."[121]
Professor Beal says, however, "The mockingbird will probably do little
harm to cultivated fruits so long as wild varieties are accessible and
abundant."[122] Wise cultivators of fruit take this into consideration
and plant accordingly, to keep both their fruit and the delightful,
amusing mockingbirds.
[Illustration: YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO]
THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO
_Cuckoo Family--Cuculidæ_
Length: About 12 inches; tail over 6 inches.
Male and Female: Brownish-gray above with a greenish tinge; white
underneath; _reddish-brown wings_; feathers brightest on inner web;
middle tail feathers brownish-gray; outer ones _black, broadly
tipped with white, tips decreasing in size toward center_; _lower
mandible of bill yellow_ except at the end.
Notes: A rapid, guttural utterance of the words _cook-cook-cook-cook_
and _cow-cow-cow-cow_. Our cuckoos sometimes give a cooing note, but
do not say _cuck'-oo_ like their European relatives.
Flight: Swift and difficult to observe, as the cuckoo glides rapidly
from bough to bough, under cover if possible.
Nest: A loosely-constructed platform of sticks.
Habitat: Orchards, woodlands, park-like estates, and quiet shady
streets. Cuckoos are occasionally seen in exposed, sunny places.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from southern Canada and northern
United States as far west as North Dakota and as far south as
northern Louisiana and Florida; winters south to Argentina.
The BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO is similar to the Yellow-bill in general
appearance, but has several marked differences. Its upper parts are
more greenish; its tail-feathers have smaller white tips; its wings
are _gray, not reddish-brown_; its bill is _black_, not _yellow_;
its eye-ring is red.
Cuckoos seem to have less individuality than many of our birds; they
resemble several of them. They are not unlike catbirds in their quiet,
stealthy movements; they are slender, gray-and-white, and long-tailed
like mockingbirds; they build nests somewhat like those of mourning
doves.
They are shy, solitary birds, that are known by their note rather than
by sight. I never heard of any one but Wordsworth and Wilson Flagg who
loved cuckoos or called them "darlings of the spring." The European
cuckoo has, however, a very different nature and a more joyous note.
Burroughs is most amusing in his comments. He says: "We cannot hail our
black-billed as 'blithe newcomer,' as Wordsworth does his cuckoo.
'Doleful newcomer,' would be a fitter title. There is nothing cheery or
animated in his note, and he is about as much a 'wandering voice' as is
the European bird. He does not babble of sunshine and of flowers. He is
a prophet of the rain, and the country people call him the rain crow.
All his notes are harsh and verge on the weird."[123]
He is, however, worthy of consideration. He is of great value to farmers
and apple-growers because of his appetite for caterpillars and
grasshoppers. Professor Beal wrote as follows: "The common observation
that cuckoos feed largely on caterpillars has been confirmed by stomach
examination. Furthermore, they appear to prefer the hairy and spiny
species, which are supposed to be protected from the attacks of birds.
The extent to which cuckoos eat hairy caterpillars is shown by the inner
coatings of the stomachs, which frequently are so pierced by these hairs
and spines that they are completely furred. The apple-tree
tent-caterpillar and the red-humped apple-caterpillar are also eaten. In
all, caterpillars constitute two-thirds of the total food of the
yellow-billed cuckoo in the South. Few birds feed so exclusively upon
any one order of insects.
"The natural food for cuckoos would seem to be bugs and caterpillars
which feed upon leaves, as these birds live in the shade among the
leaves of trees and bushes. Not so with grasshoppers, whose favorite
haunts are on the ground in the blazing sunshine, yet these creatures
are the second largest item in the cuckoo's diet. Grasshoppers are so
agreeable an article of food that many a bird apparently forsakes its
usual feeding grounds and takes to the earth for them. Thus it is with
the cuckoos; they quit their cool, shady retreats in order to gratify
their taste for these insects of the hot sunshine. But there are some
members of the grasshopper order that live in the shade, as katydids,
tree crickets, and ground crickets, and these are all used to vary the
cuckoo's bill of fare."[124] It eats, also, bugs that injure oranges and
melons, and the cotton-boll weevil in large numbers.
THE LEAST FLYCATCHER OR CHEBEC
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_
In March, there comes to us from the South the phoebe, inconspicuous in
plumage, yet easy to identify because of its distinctive call. About a
month later there arrives the smallest member of our Flycatchers,--the
Chebec or Least-Flycatcher. Less than five and a half inches in length,
slender, olive-brown above, grayish-white beneath with an indistinct
grayish band across the breast, this little bird might escape our notice
were it not for its oft repeated and unmistakable call-note. It
announces its presence by uttering its name _Chebec_, as clearly and
persistently as its cousins, the phoebe and pewee, say theirs.
The chebec is a bird to be found in orchards, by roadsides, and in trees
of village streets. Like other members of its family it seeks
conspicuous perches, from which it dives after flies, moths, and other
insects, returning to its perch to wheeze out its name, with jerks and
twitches of its tail.
It breeds from central Canada to central United States as far south as
Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and in the
Alleghany Mts. to North Carolina; winters from Mexico to Panama and
Peru.
[Illustration: KINGBIRD]
THE KINGBIRD
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_
Length: About 8½ inches.
Male and Female: Upper parts dark gray; under parts pure white, with an
indistinct grayish wash at the sides of the breast; _head
grayish-black, slightly crested, with a concealed orange patch_;
bill with bristles at the base; wing-feathers and upper tail-coverts
tipped or edged with white; _tail fan-shaped in flight, showing a
broad white band at the end_.
Note: An unmusical, rattling _Squeak-squeak? squeak-squeak-squeak?_
uttered frequently, and apparently in an irritated mood. The sharply
hooked beak and fierce-looking eye also give the appearance of
pugnacity.
Habitat: Orchards, trees by roadsides, and near farm-buildings. One
looks for the kingbird in open country, not in woodlands; he seeks
conspicuous perches. The nests are placed in trees--in those of
orchards preferably.
Range: North and South America. Breeds from South-central Canada and
throughout the United States except in the south-west; winters from
Mexico to South America.
No more interesting description of the Kingbird has come to my attention
than that by Major Bendire. He writes as follows:
"Few of our birds are better known throughout the United States than the
Kingbird. Bold and fearless in character, yet tame and confiding in man,
often preferring to live in close proximity to dwellings, in gardens and
orchards, they are prime favorites with the majority of our farming
population, and they well deserve their fullest protection. Few birds
are more useful to the farmer; their reputation for pugnacity and
reckless courage is so well established that it is almost needless to
dwell on it, as it is well known that they will boldly attack and drive
off the largest of our Raptores, should one venture too near to their
chosen nesting-sites.
"Where a pair or more of these birds make their home in the vicinity of
a farmhouse, the poultry yard is not likely to suffer much through
feathered marauders at least; they are a perfect terror to all hawks,
instantly darting at them and rising above them, alighting on their
shoulders or necks, and picking away at them most unmercifully until
they are only too willing to beat a hasty retreat. The male is seemingly
always on the lookout from his perch on the top branches of a tree or
post for such enemies and no matter how large they may be, a pair of
Kingbirds is more than a match for any of them, our larger Falcons and
Eagles not excepted. Crows and Blue Jays seem to be especially obnoxious
to them, and instances are on record where they have done them material
injury."
Major Bendire says also that kingbirds do not "bully" all birds, but "as
a rule live in harmony with them, protecting not only their own nests
but those of their small neighbors as well, who frequently place their
nests within a few feet of the Kingbirds--the Orchard Oriole, for
instance." He tells however, of the kingbird's dislike of the
hummingbird--that he has twice seen the tiny "aggressor" put the larger
bird to flight.[125]
Kingbirds were for a long time believed to eat bees and therefore were
in disfavor. They were called Bee-birds or Bee-Martins and were shot by
bee-keepers who did not understand their great value. Professor Beal and
other investigators in the Biological Department at Washington have
discovered that ninety per cent. of kingbirds' food consists of insects,
mostly injurious beetles that prey upon grain and fruit. They
occasionally eat bees, but examination of many stomachs reveals a marked
preference for drones over workers, and for wasps, wild bees, and ants
over hive bees.[126] So kingbirds have been exonerated.
THE GRAY KINGBIRD
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_
Length: About 9 inches.
Male and Female: Upper parts light gray, darker about the cheeks;
concealed orange patch on the crown; under parts whitish, washed
with gray on the breast; wings and tail brownish; _no white band on
the tail_, like the northern kingbird; _bill very heavy--almost an
inch long_, with bristles at the base.
Note: A loud call, _Pit-tear'-re_, "which is constant and is at times
lengthened and softened until it might almost be called a
song."[127] The natives of Porto Rico call the bird "pitir're"
because of its note.
Range: Breeds from Georgia, southeastern South Carolina, Florida, and
Yucatan, through the Bahamas and West Indies to northern South
America; winters from the Greater Antilles southward. It is common
in our southeastern states.
The following is an extract from Dr. Wetmore's interesting description
of the Gray Kingbird in the bulletin, "Birds of Porto Rico," used with
the permission of the author:
"The gray kingbird has the reputation among the country people of being
the earliest riser among birds. In the daytime it scatters along the
slopes and through the fields to feed, but at nightfall gathers in small
parties along streams to roost in the bamboos or in the mangroves
surrounding the lagoons. The nesting season extends from April to July
and during the latter month young are abundant. At all times very
pugnacious, pursuing blackbirds, hawks, and other birds, they now become
doubly so, resenting all intrusions in their neighborhood. Occasionally
they were seen standing on open perches during showers with outspread
trembling wings, evidently enjoying the downpour.
"A few facts regarding the insect food of this kingbird were learned
from field observation. Birds were twice observed eating the
caterpillars of a large sphinx moth. These were beaten on a limb, and
then the juices were extracted by working the body through the bill,
while only the skin was discarded. Their services in eating these and
other caterpillars were recognized."
THE CRESTED FLYCATCHER
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_
Length: About 9 inches.
Male and Female: _Olive-gray above; throat and breast light gray; belly,
bright yellow; head conspicuously crested_; bill, long, dark,
slightly hooked, with bristles at its base; wings brown, margined
with white, pale yellow, and reddish-brown; middle tail-feathers,
dull brown; inner web of other tail-feathers reddish-brown.
Notes: A whistle that attracts attention. Major Bendire describes the
"Great Crest's" notes as follows:
"It utters a variety of sounds; the most common is a clear whistle
like _e-whuit-huit_, or _wit-whit, wit-whit_, repeated five or six
times in a somewhat lower key, and varied to _whuir_, _whuree_, or
_puree_, accompanied by various turnings and twistings of the head.
Its alarm-note is a penetrating and far-reaching _wheek, wheek_."
Nest: The nest of the crested flycatcher is unique. Major Bendire says
that it "is usually placed in a natural cavity of some tree or dead
stump; possibly in an abandoned woodpecker excavation, though a
natural one is preferred." He says also that "nests vary in bulk;
are begun with a base of coarse trash and finished with fine twigs,
bunches of cattle hair, pine needles, dry leaves and grasses, the
tail of a rabbit, pieces of catbirds' eggshells, exuviæ of snakes,
owl and hawk feathers, tufts of woodchucks' hair and fine grass
roots."
Snake-skins "seem to be present in the majority of the nests of this
species; sometimes in the nest proper, and again placed around the
sides of it, in all probability for protective purposes, and changed
and rearranged from time to time" ... probably hung outside to
"alarm intruders."[128]
The Crested Flycatcher lives in eastern North America; breeds from
southern Canada to Florida, and winters in Mexico and northern South
America. He is a common summer resident of the Middle and Southern
States especially. Though louder-voiced than his relatives, the
kingbird, phoebe, and wood pewee, he is not so well known because he is
shyer. He is not so pugnacious as the kingbird, but he is known to fight
fiercely for a mate.
THE OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_
Length: About 7½ inches.
Male and Female: Upper parts _and sides olive-gray_, the gray extending
across the breast; throat and belly yellowish, the yellow extending
in a point almost to the center of the breast; a patch of whitish
feathers on both sides of the back near the rump; head slightly
crested; bill long, black above, yellow below, bristles at the base,
wings and tail olive-brown.
Notes: A monotonous call-note, _Pit-pit-pit_, and a loud, clear
_Peep-here_ or _Peep-peep-here_, frequently uttered from the top of
a tall spruce.
Habitat: Groves of conifers.
Range: North and South America. Breeds from central Alaska and Canada,
in coniferous forests of western United States to northern Michigan,
New York, and Maine, south to the mountains of North Carolina;
winters in South America from Colombia to Peru.
THE WOOD PEWEE
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_
Length: From 6 to 6½ inches.
Male and Female: Dark olive-gray above, darkest on the head, which is
somewhat crested; the slightly hooked bill has bristles at its base;
under parts, grayish-white, slightly tinged with yellow; breast and
sides a darker gray; brownish wings and tail; two whitish wing-bars
that are more conspicuous than those of the phoebe.
Notes: _Pee-a-wee_, uttered slowly and mournfully, yet with sweetness
and tenderness. Sometimes the phrase is followed by an abrupt
_Peer_, given with a falling inflection. At times pewees sing
continuously. My sister timed one that sang for an hour and twenty
minutes at daybreak.
Nest: One of the most beautiful made. It is rather broad and flat,
decorated on the outside with lichens similarly to that of the
hummingbird. The nest seems to grow out of the branch on which it is
placed.
Range: North and South America. Breeds from southern Canada to southern
Texas and central Florida, westward to eastern Nebraska; winters
from Nicaraugua to Colombia and Peru.
Of all the flycatchers of my acquaintance the Wood Pewee is the most
lovable. He is the only one that possesses a sweet voice; but his note,
long-drawn and sad, seems to proceed from an over-burdened heart. The
appearance of the little bird is dejected, as with drooping tail, he
utters the plaintive sound.
[Illustration: WOOD PEWEE]
The nature of the pewee is sweet and trustful. I have always found him
responsive, replying almost invariably as I have imitated his note. I
once had a particularly pleasant experience and succeeded in convincing
a little pewee of my friendly attitude toward him. One summer I was
obliged to spend many weary days in a hammock hung in a grove; I
beguiled the tedious hours by endeavoring to attract birds to close
proximity. A pewee came oftenest; he frequently perched on a bough
within a few feet of my hammock, and "talked back" to me between dives
after insects. That he knew me and was unafraid was proved, for when
relatives and friends arrived later in the summer, he would fly away at
their approach.
I saw much of him, even when parental responsibilities claimed him. One
day, after the young had flown, I came upon him calling earnestly,
evidently to a fledgling that was on the ground at my feet. I picked up
the little thing; it cuddled down in my warm hand and closed its eyes.
Its father continued to call, but without excitement at such a
proceeding; he seemed to know that I would not hurt his baby. I put it
on a bough near him and left them to work out their bird-problems
together.
Not many days later, we saw four young pewees perched in a row on a wire
near the house, with their parents in attendance. The father called
repeatedly and the little ones made sweet inarticulate gurglings,
finding their voices. They were as dear a bird-family as it has ever
been my pleasure to see.
Dallas Lore Sharp, in his delightful essay, "A Palace in a Pig-pen,"
thus summarizes the flycatchers:
"Not much can be said of this flycatcher family, except that it is
useful--a kind of virtue that gets its chief reward in heaven. I am
acquainted with only four of the other nine eastern members, [besides
the phoebe], the great crested flycatcher, kingbird, wood pewee, and
chebec,--and each of these has some redeeming attribute besides the
habit of catching flies.
"They are all good nest-builders, good parents, and brave, independent
birds; but aside from phoebe and pewee--the latter in his small way the
sweetest voice of the oak woods--the whole family is an odd lot,
cross-grained, cross-looking, and about as musical as a family of ducks.
A duck seems to know that he cannot sing. A flycatcher knows nothing of
his shortcomings. He believes that he can sing, and in time he will
prove it. If desire and effort count for anything, he certainly must
prove it in time. How long the family has already been training no one
knows. Everybody knows, however, the success each flycatcher of them has
thus far attained. It would make a good minstrel show, doubtless, if the
family would appear together. In chorus, surely, they would be far from
a tuneful choir. Yet individually, in the wide universal chorus of the
out-of-doors, how much we should miss the kingbird's metallic twitter
and the chebec's insistent call!"[129]
THE RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET
_Old World Warbler Family--Sylviidæ_
Length: A little over 4¼ inches.
Male: Olive-green above, buff underneath, _a ruby-red crown_; wings
brown, edged with olive-green; two light wing-bars; tail brown,
forked.
Female: Similar to male, but lacking the red crown. The females resemble
tiny warblers in appearance.
Note: A sharp scolding-note.
Song: A wonderful song,--full, loud, and indescribably beautiful. It is
hard to believe that so finished and remarkable a song could come
from so small a bird.
Habitat: Woods, thickets, and orchards. Kinglets are usually seen near
the ends of branches.
Range: Northern North America. Breeds in the tree-regions of southern
Canada, southern Alaska, and the higher mountains of the western
United States.
Like many of the warblers, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a spring and fall
migrant, and its arrival is therefore of especial interest. It excels
most of the warblers in its power of song, and is even more agile than
they.
In Bulletin 513 of the Biological Survey is the following description of
the Ruby-crown: "In habits and haunts this tiny sprite resembles a
chickadee. It is an active, nervous little creature, flitting hither and
yon in search of food, and in spring stopping only long enough to utter
its beautiful song, surprisingly loud for the size of the musician.
Three-fourths of its food consists of wasps, bugs, and flies. Beetles
are the only other item of importance. The bugs eaten by the kinglet are
mostly small, but, happily, they are the most harmful kinds.
Treehoppers, leafhoppers, and jumping plant-lice are pests and often do
great harm to trees and smaller plants, while plant-lice and scale
insects are the worst scourges of the fruit-grower--in fact, the
prevalence of the latter has almost risen to the magnitude of a national
peril. It is these small and seemingly insignificant birds that most
successfully attack and hold in check these insidious foes of
horticulture. The vegetable food consists of seeds of poison ivy, or
poison oak, a few weed seeds, and a few small fruits, mostly
elderberries."
THE BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
_Old World Warbler Family--Sylviidæ_
Length: About 4½ inches.
Male: Bluish-gray above; grayish white below; forehead black, black line
over the eye; slender, curving bill; wings dark gray, edged with
grayish-white; tail long, outer tail-feathers nearly all white;
middle tail-feathers black; tail elevated and lowered frequently.
Female: Similar to male, but without the black forehead; line over eye
indistinct.
Call-note: A nasal _tang_.
Song: A delightful song,--sweet, but not strong.
Habitat: Woodlands, where it usually frequents treetops.
Range: Southeastern United States. Breeds from eastern Nebraska,
southern Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario, southwestern
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and southern New Jersey to southern Texas
and central Florida; winters from northern Florida to the West
Indies and central America; casual in Minnesota, New England, and
New York.
This dainty little sprite partakes of the qualities of a number of
birds. Like the warblers, it is insectivorous and inhabits treetops;
like its relative, the ruby-crowned kinglet, it has a finished and
wonderful song; like the wrens it has a habit of cocking its tail
nervously; while its long black and white tail reminds one of the
mockingbird. It is an especially pretty sight, fluttering about the
moss-hung trees of Florida.
THE RED-EYED VIREO
_Vireo Family--Vireonidæ_
Length: About 6¼ inches.
Male and Female: Olive-green above, silvery white below; _crown gray,
bordered with a narrow black line; a broader white line over the
eye, a dark streak through the eye; iris red_ or _reddish-brown_;
wings and tail grayish-green, edged with olive.
Habitat: In open woodlands and along well-shaded roads.
Range: North and South America. Breeds from central Canada,
northwestern, central, and eastern United States, to central
Florida; winters in South America.
Note: A nasal _whah_, that sounds ill-natured and unpleasant.
Song: A series of phrases--incessant, monotonous,--that continue from
morning until night, and during August, when most birds are quiet.
Wilson Flagg called the Red-eye the "Preacher-bird" and wrote of him
as follows:
"The Preacher is more generally known by his note, because he is
incessant in his song, and particularly vocal during the heat of our
long summer days, when only a few birds are singing. His style of
preaching is not declamation. Though constantly talking, he takes
the part of a deliberative orator, who explains his subject in a few
words and then makes a pause for his hearers to reflect upon it. We
might suppose him to be repeating moderately, with a pause between
each sentence, 'You see it--you know it--do you hear me?--do you
believe it?' All these strains are delivered with a rising
inflection at the close, and with a pause, as if waiting for an
answer.
[Illustration: RED-EYED VIREO]
"He is never fervent, rapid, or fluent, but like a true zealot, he
is apt to be tiresome from the long continuance of his discourse.
When nearly all other birds have become silent, the little preacher
still continues his earnest harangue, and is sure of an audience at
this late period, when he has few rivals."[130]
Mr. Forbush discovered that this preacher "practiced as he
preached," and tells us of his own observations in the following
words:
"One sunny day in early boyhood I watched a vireo singing in a
swampy thicket. He sang a few notes, his head turning meanwhile from
side to side, his eyes scanning closely the nearby foliage. Suddenly
his song ceased; he leaned forward,--sprang to another twig,
snatched a green caterpillar from the under side of a leaf,
swallowed it, and resumed his song. Every important pause in his
dissertation signalized the capture of a larva. As the discourse was
punctuated, a worm was punctured. It seems as if the preaching were
a serious business with the bird; but this seeming is deceptive, for
the song merely masks the constant vigilance and the sleepless eye
of this premium caterpillar-hunter. In the discovery of this kind of
game the bird has few superiors."[131]
This vireo builds a very attractive nest of strips of bark and fiber, a
soft basket hung at the fork of a branch. I recall one nest suspended
only a few feet from the ground in a low tree on Cape Cod. We came upon
the nest so suddenly that the little brooding mother looked at us with
frightened eyes, but she remained at her post, and soon learned that we
meant no harm. Many times a day we went by her precious cradle. At night
we passed quietly, so as not to waken the faithful little mother-bird
with her head tucked under her wing. Our flashlight never once disturbed
her. Mr. Forbush says, "This vireo sleeps very soundly, and is sometimes
so oblivious to the world that she may be approached and taken in the
hand."[132]
Burroughs wrote: "Who does not feel a thrill of pleasure when, in
sauntering through the woods, his hat just brushes a vireo's nest?...
The nest was like a natural growth, hanging there like a fairy basket in
the fork of a beech twig, woven of dry, delicate, papery, brown and gray
wood products,--a part of the shadows and the green and brown solitude.
The weaver had bent down one of the green leaves and made it a part of
the nest; it was like the stroke of a great artist. Then the dabs of
white here and there, given by the fragments of spider's cocoons--all
helped to blend it with the flickering light and shade."[133]
THE WARBLING VIREO
_Vireo Family--Vireonidæ_
Length: About 5¾ inches.
Male and Female: Grayish-olive above; _indistinct whitish line over
eye_; under parts grayish-white with a faint yellowish tinge; _no
bars on wings; iris dark brown_, not reddish.
Note: A nasal _yah_, not unlike the call-note of the red-eyed vireo.
Song: A sweet continuous warble, with a rising inflection at the end. It
sounds like a whistled _Whew-whew-whew whew-whew-whew-whee?_
Habitat: Parks and shaded village streets. Its neutral coloring and its
preference for treetops make it difficult to distinguish. Its
cheerful, pleasant song is the surest means of identification.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from south-central Canada to
northwestern Texas, southern Louisiana, North Carolina, and
Virginia; winters south of the United States, though exact locality
is unknown. Not nearly so widely distributed as the red-eyed vireo.
This vireo, like other members of its family, is an indefatigable
devourer of insects. Mr. Forbush reports that it feeds on flies,
mosquitoes, and grasshoppers, but that its chief food consists of
caterpillars and other leaf-eating insects, especially the elm-leaf
beetle; consequently it is found frequently in elm-shaded streets and
yards.
THE WHITE-EYED VIREO
_Vireo Family--Vireonidæ_
The White-Eyed Vireo differs from his red-eyed cousin in being slightly
smaller, in having a _small patch of yellow around the eye_, a _white
iris_, and _two wing-bars_. His head is greener and his breast and sides
are tinged with yellow.
He lives in thickets. He possesses in a marked degree the vireo habit of
scolding. He has more power as a songster than his better-known
relatives. Mr. Chapman describes him most delightfully as follows: "If
birds are ever impertinent, I believe this term might with truth be
applied to that most original, independent dweller in thickety
under-growths, the white-eyed vireo. Both his voice and manner say that
he doesn't in the least care what you think of him; and, if attracted by
his peculiar notes or actions, you pause near his haunts, he jerks out
an abrupt 'Who are you, eh?' in a way which plainly indicates that your
presence can be dispensed with. If this hint is insufficient, he follows
it by a harsh scolding, and one can fancy that in his singular white eye
there is an unmistakable gleam of disapproval.
"I have always regretted that the manners of this Vireo have been a bar
to our better acquaintance, for he is a bird of marked character and
with unusual vocal talents. He is a capital mimic, and in the retirement
of his home sometimes amuses himself by combining the songs of other
birds in an intricate pot-pourri."[134]
THE YELLOW-THROATED VIREO
_Vireo Family--Vireonidæ_
The Yellow-throated Vireo resembles the White-eye in being olive-green
above, yellowish underneath, and in having two distinct white wing-bars.
He differs in possessing a _bright yellow throat_, _breast_, and _ring_
about a _dark eye_.
Mr. Forbush says of this bird; "The song is a little louder than that of
most vireos, and may be easily distinguished from all others. It usually
consists of two or three rich and virile notes, uttered interrogatively
or tentatively, followed immediately by a few similar tones uttered
decisively. The bird appears to ask a question, and then answer it. Its
alarm notes are as harsh as those of an oriole, and somewhat similar in
quality."[135]
THE WARBLERS
_Warbler Family--Mniotiltidæ_
No family of birds is more difficult for a beginner to identify than the
warblers. Reasons for this fact are various. In the first place,
warblers are small and agile, and usually inhabit treetops, where it is
hard to see their plumage. The number of the species is large,--155
species are known, 74 of which are found in North America, and 55 in the
United States alone. Some of the males wear a "Joseph's coat of many
colors"; some of the females are so different from their mates as to
puzzle an observer, and the young birds frequently differ from both
parents. Then, too, most warblers are not gifted songsters, but utter
only a weak trill. A number of them are seen only during their migration
to northern woods; they linger too short a time to become more than
passing bird-acquaintances.
Warblers are insectivorous and do not arrive until the earth teems with
insect life. Most of them depart for the South as soon as insects begin
to decrease in number or disappear. They are very shy and migrate at
night.
Many are the disasters that befall them when they journey near the
sea-coast. In Dr. Wells W. Cooke's article entitled "Our Greatest
Travelers" are the following statements: "It is not to be supposed that
these long flights over the waters can occur without many casualties,
and not the smallest of the perils arises from the beacons which man has
erected along the coast to insure his own safety. 'Last night I could
have filled a mail-sack with the bodies of little warblers which killed
themselves striking against my light,' wrote the keeper of Fowey Rocks
lighthouse, in southern Florida.
"Nor was this an unusual tragedy. Every spring the lights along the
coast lure to destruction myriads of birds who are en route from their
winter homes in the South to their summer nesting-places in the North.
Every fall a still greater death-toll is exacted when the return journey
is made. A red light or a rapidly flashing one repels the birds, but a
steady white light piercing the fog proves irresistible."[136]
Few people realize the great good done by warblers. Mr. Forbush says
that in migration they seem to possess enormous appetites. A Hooded
Warbler was found to catch on the average two insects a minute or one
hundred and twenty an hour. At this rate the bird would kill at least
nine hundred and sixty insects a day, in an eight hour working day!
Dr. Judd reported a Palm Warbler that ate from forty to sixty insects a
minute. In the four hours he was under observation he must have eaten
nine thousand, five hundred insects. Mr. Forbush says that he has seen
warblers eating from masses of small insects at such a rate that it was
impossible for him to count them.[137]