upper parts become, while the undulations of the lower parts gradually
disappear, although I have not seen an individual in which they were
altogether obliterated.
On comparing this bird with the _Lanius Excubitor_ of Europe, I cannot
perceive any differences that could induce me for a moment to conceive
them distinct. The relative length of the quills, the length of the
bill and tarsus, the general form, size, and colouring, differ in no
essential respect. I am, therefore, decidedly of opinion that our Shrike
is the same bird as that which occurs in Europe. The old female, as has
been stated above, differs little in tint from the old male, the younger
birds only (of both sexes) being deeply browned. A fine adult male which
was shot near Edinburgh, and is preserved in the beautiful Museum of
the University of that city, agrees in all respects with specimens from
America in my possession.
CRATÆGUS APIIFOLIA, _Mich._ Fl. Amer. vol. i. p. 287. _Pursh_,
Fl. Amer. Sept. vol. i. p. 336.—ICOSANDRIA PENTAGYNIA, _Linn._
ROSACEÆ, _Juss._
This species of Hawthorn bears a great resemblance to that so common in
Europe. It grows on the banks of rivers and in damp woods in several of
the Southern States, and attains a height of twelve or fifteen feet. The
leaves are somewhat triangular in their general outline, inciso-lobate,
the lobes acute and deeply toothed; the flowers white, and the berries
ovate or oblong, of a deep red colour.
LINCOLN'S FINCH.
_FRINGILLA LINCOLNII._
PLATE CXCIII. MALE AND FEMALE.
We had been in Labrador nearly three weeks before this Finch was
discovered. One morning while the sun was doing his best to enliven the
gloomy aspect of the country, I chanced to enter one of those singular
small valleys here and there to be seen. The beautiful verdure of the
vegetation, the numerous flowers that grew sprinkled over the ground, the
half-smothered pipings of some frogs, and the multitudes of mosquitoes
and flies of various sorts, seemed to belong to a region very different
from any that I had previously explored. But if the view of this favoured
spot was pleasing to my eye, how much more to my ear were the sweet notes
of this bird as they came thrilling on the sense, surpassing in vigour
those of any American Finch with which I am acquainted, and forming a
song which seemed a compound of those of the Canary and Wood-lark of
Europe. I immediately shouted to my companions, who were not far distant.
They came, and we all followed the songster as it flitted from one
bush to another to evade our pursuit. No sooner would it alight than it
renewed its song; but we found more wildness in this species than in any
other inhabiting the same country, and it was with difficulty that we
at last procured it. Chance placed my young companion, THOMAS LINCOLN,
in a situation where he saw it alight within shot, and with his usual
unerring aim, he cut short its career. On seizing it, I found it to be
a species which I had not previously seen; and, supposing it to be new,
I named it _Tom's Finch_, in honour of our friend LINCOLN, who was a
great favourite among us. Three cheers were given him, when, proud of
the prize, I returned to the vessel to draw it, while my son and his
companions continued to search for other specimens. Many were procured
during our stay in that country. They became more abundant and less shy
the farther north we proceeded, but no longer sang, in consequence of
the advance of the season. We did not, however, succeed in finding a nest.
The habits of this sweet songster resemble those of the Song Sparrow.
Like it, mounted on the topmost twig of the tallest shrub or tree it can
find, it chants for hours; or, diving into the thickets, it hops from
branch to branch, until it reaches the ground, in search of those insects
and berries from which it derives its support. It moves swiftly off
when it discovers an enemy; and, if forced to take wing, flies low and
rapidly to some considerable distance, jerking its tail as it proceeds,
and throwing itself at the foot of the thickest bush it meets. I found
it mostly near streams, and always in the small valleys, guarded from
the cold winds so prevalent in the country, and which now and then nip
the vegetation, and destroy many of the more delicate birds.
Like every other species of the genus, Lincoln's Finch is petulant and
pugnacious. Two males often chase each other, until the weaker is forced
to abandon the valley, and seek refuge in another. On this account I
seldom saw more than two or three pairs in a tract seven or eight miles
in extent.
On the 4th of July, the young were out of the nest, following their
parents; and as, from that time, the old birds ceased to sing, I concluded
that they raise only one brood each year. Before we left Labrador,
these Finches had all disappeared. In what parts this species passes
the winter is unknown to me; nay, I never met with it in any of the
Southern States, although I saw several specimens in the collection of
the learned WILLIAM COOPER, Esq. of New York, that had been procured in
the vicinity of that city.
The plants represented along with a pair of these birds, grew in the
little valley in which the first individual seen by us was procured.
They were taken up with a spade from the midst of a rich broad bed of
mosses, and may serve to convey an idea of the nature of the vegetation
of those places.
LINCOLN'S FINCH, FRINGILLA LINCOLNII.
Adult Male. Plate CXCIII. Fig. 1.
Bill short, conical, acute; upper mandible almost straight in its
dorsal outline, rounded on the sides; lower mandible slightly convex
beneath, the sides rounded; edges of both sharp and inflected; gap-line
deflected at the base. Nostrils basal, roundish, partially concealed by
the feathers. Head rather large, neck short, body rather full. Feet of
moderate length, slender; tarsus covered anteriorly with a few longish
scutella; toes free, scutellate above, the lateral ones nearly equal;
hind-toe not much stouter; claws slender, compressed, slightly arched,
acute.
Plumage soft, blended, the feathers somewhat distinct on the back,
slightly glossed. Wings shortish, curved, second and third quills longest,
and equal, first almost as long as fifth; secondaries long and rounded.
Tail rather long, graduated and emarginate, of twelve straight, narrow
rather acute feathers.
Bill dark brown at the end, greyish-blue at the base. Iris brown. Feet
yellowish-brown. The upper part of the head has a greyish-blue band in
the centre, and two at the sides, the intermediate spaces chestnut,
streaked with brownish-black. The general colour of the upper parts
is yellowish-brown, with streaks of brownish-black. Quills and larger
coverts deep brown, margined externally with yellowish-brown, and the
latter slightly tipped with whitish. Tail yellowish-brown, the outer
feathers paler. Cheeks of the same tint, tinged with grey, beneath
which is a curved band of ochraceous yellow; throat white, streaked with
dusky, and having a line of dusky spots on each side; fore part of the
breast, and the sides pale greyish-yellow, streaked with dusky, the rest
greyish-white.
Length 5¾ inches, extent of wings 8-2/12; bill along the ridge 5/12,
along the edge 7/12; tarsus 10/12.
Adult Female. Plate CXCIII. Fig. 2.
The female differs from the male only in having the tints a little duller.
This species belongs to the same group as the Yellow-winged, the Savannah,
Henslow's and Bachman's Finches.
THE SWEDISH OR DWARF CORNEL. Fig. 1.
CORNUS SUECICA, _Linn._ Sp. Pl. p. 171. _Willd._ Sp. Pl. vol. i.
p. 660.—TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA, _Linn._ CAPRIFOLIA, _Juss._
A small herbaceous plant with stems from three to five or six inches
high, with opposite, ovate, acute leaves, and two branches, between
which is the involucrum of four large unequal white leaves, containing
an umbel of dark purple flowers. The berry is red, and has a sweetish
taste.
THE CLOUDBERRY.
RUBUS CHAMÆMORUS, _Linn._ Sp. Pl. p. 708. _Willd._ Sp. Pl.
vol. ii. p. 1090. _Pursh_, Flor. Amer. Sept. vol. i. p. 349.
—ICOSANDRIA POLYGYNIA, _Linn._ ROSACEÆ, _Juss._
A herbaceous bramble with simple, plaited, and lobed leaves; stem
without prickles, undivided and single-flowered. The flowers are white,
the berries large and of a yellowish-red colour. They are ripe in July,
when they drop from the stalk at the slightest touch, make an excellent
preserve, and are collected by Indians, fishermen, and eggers, in
great quantities. In Newfoundland I found them larger and better than
in Labrador. Their ripeness is a sure intimation of the arrival of the
Esquimaux Curlew (_Numenius borealis_), which comes in clouds from the
north, to feed upon them.
THE GLAUCOUS KALMIA.
KALMIA GLAUCA, _Willd._ Sp. Pl. vol. ii. p. 601. _Pursh_,
Flor. Amer. Sept. vol. i. p. 296.—DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA, _Linn._
A small shrubby plant, with brown bark, opposite, sessile, ovato-oblong
leaves, which have the margins revolute and the under surface glaucous;
and terminal bracteated corymbs of beautiful rose-coloured flowers.
THE HUDSON'S BAY TITMOUSE.
_PARUS HUDSONICUS_, LATH.
PLATE CXCIV. MALE, FEMALE, AND YOUNG.
Nothing ever gave me more pleasure than the meeting with a bird long
since discovered, at a time when I could fully study its habits. I had
frequently searched for this interesting little Titmouse in the State
of Maine, where it breeds, but always without success, nor was it until
I visited Labrador, that I had an opportunity of seeing it.
On the 18th of July, after an early breakfast (at three o'clock), my
party, accompanied by our captain and myself, left the Ripley in three
boats for the main shore, distant about five miles. Although the fog
was thick, the wind was fair, and we reached the land in safety, when we
immediately commenced our search for birds. Having traversed an extensive
marsh, without finding any thing of interest, the captain and I, fatigued
and depressed by our want of success, retired to what in that country is
called a wood, with the hope of mending our fortune. We separated and
with great difficulty made our way among the stubborn tangled trees.
Only a few minutes had elapsed when the report of my companion's gun
reached my ear, and I at the same time heard him shout to me to come
up as quickly as possible. This I managed to do after a while, and with
much tugging and tearing; but as I approached him I heard with joy the
notes of the Canada Titmouse. One had been shot, and a nest had been
found. Securing both the parents and the young, which had leaped out on
hearing the guns, we sat down to examine the curious fabric the birds
had reared for their brood.
The nest was placed at the height of not more than three feet from the
ground, in the hollow of a decayed low stump, scarcely thicker than
a man's leg, the whole so rotten that it crumbled to pieces on being
touched. I cautiously removed the woody enclosure, and took possession
of the nest, which I obtained in perfect order. It was shaped like a
purse, eight inches in depth, two in diameter inside, its sides about half
an inch thick. It was entirely composed of the finest fur of different
quadrupeds, but principally of the great northern hare, so thickly and
ingeniously matted throughout, that it looked as if it had been felted
by the hand of man. It was quite elastic throughout, and rather wider
at the bottom, probably in consequence of the natural growth of the
young. The captain told me that he had seen the parents enter the stump,
and that on his walking towards it he was immediately assailed, not
only by the owners of the nest, but by several other pairs of the same
species, all of which, however, had retired when I reached the spot.
It is probable they had nests in the vicinity, but we did not succeed
in finding any. The male, which was shot last, several times flew at
me so close, that I attempted to catch it alive, but it always eluded
my grasp with dexterity, perched on a low branch, and emitted its angry
_te-te-te-tee_. The young I carried on board alive.
This hardy little bird resembles in its manners the other species of
its interesting and beautiful tribe; but as the habits of our Titmice
are so well known, and have been so frequently spoken of by me, I shall
not here trouble you with unnecessary repetitions. Its notes resemble
those of our southern Black-headed Titmouse, but are much weaker.
This species is much scarcer in those parts of Labrador which I visited
than in Newfoundland, where I found it as abundant as our northern
Black-headed Titmouse. The old and young birds were moving in groups
in the direction of Nova Scotia, whither I suppose they all retire in
the autumn, and where I have seen the species along the roads between
Halifax and Windsor. Many breed in that province, as well as in New
Brunswick, and, as I have said, in Maine, where my young friend LINCOLN
has at times found them. None have ever been seen as far south as even
Massachusetts.
I have represented the male, the female, and the young, in the plumage
in which I found them. The brown of the head is much duller in winter
than in summer. The young do not acquire it until towards the spring
following their birth.
PARUS HUDSONICUS, _Lath._ Index Ornith. vol. ii. p. 566.
HUDSON'S BAY TITMOUSE, Phil. Trans. vol. lxii. p. 408.—_Penn._
Arct. Zool. vol. ii. No. 329.—_Lath._ Synops. vol. iv. p. 557.
p. 24.
Adult Male, in summer. Plate CXCIV. Fig. 1.
Bill short, straight, of moderate strength, somewhat conical, compressed
towards the end; both mandibles with the dorsal outline a little convex,
the sides sloping and slightly convex, the edges sharp, the tip acute.
Nostrils basal, roundish, concealed by the recumbent feathers. The general
form is slender. Feet proportionally large; tarsus of moderate length,
anteriorly covered with a few long scutella, and sharp behind; hind toe
very large and strong, the two lateral nearly equal, the outer united
at the base with the middle; claws large, arched, much compressed, very
acute.
Plumage blended, tufty. Wings of moderate length, the fourth quill
longest, fifth almost equal, third scarcely shorter than fourth, first
very short. Tail long, much rounded, of twelve rather narrow, rounded
feathers.
Bill black. Iris very dark brown. Feet lead-colour. The general tint of
the upper parts is dull leaden, tinged with light brown, the head umber
brown; primaries edged with pale greyish-blue. The throat and fore neck
are deep black, that colour being separated from the brown of the head
by a broad band of white running under the eye: The breast and belly
greyish-white, the sides light yellowish-brown.
Length 5 inches, extent of wings 7; bill along the ridge 3½/12, along
the edge 5/12; tarsus 7/12, middle toe with the claw 6/12, hind toe the
same.
Adult Female, in summer. Plate CXCIV. Fig. 2.
The female resembles the male, but the upper parts are deeply tinged
with brown, and the head and throat are of a lighter tint.
Young fully fledged. Plate CXCIV. Fig. 3.
Bill greyish-blue. Upper parts of a dull greenish-grey. The throat marked
as in the adult, the under parts pale greyish tinged with brown.
The plant represented in this plate is abundant in Labrador, Newfoundland,
and our Northern States. It is a species of _Prunus_, and attains a
height of eight or ten feet.
THE RUBY-CROWNED REGULUS.
_REGULUS CALENDULA_, STEPHENS.
PLATE CXCV. MALE AND FEMALE.
The history of this diminutive bird is yet in a great measure unknown;
and, although I have met with it in places where it undoubtedly breeds,
I have not succeeded in finding its nest.
On the 27th June 1833, while some of my party and myself were rambling
over the deserts of Labrador, the notes of a warbler came on my ear,
and I listened with delight to the harmonious sounds that filled the
air around, and which I judged to belong to a species not yet known to
me. The next instant I observed a small bird perched on the top of a
fir tree, and on approaching it, recognised it as the vocalist that had
so suddenly charmed my ear and raised my expectations. We all followed
its quick movements, as it flew from tree to tree backwards and forwards
without quitting the spot, to which it seemed attached. At last, my son
JOHN raised his gun, and, on firing, brought down the bird, which fell
among the brushwood, where we in vain searched for it.
The next day we chanced to pass along the same patch of dwarf wood, in
search of the nests of certain species of ducks, of which I intend to
speak on another occasion. We were separated from the woods by a deep
narrow creek; but the recollection of the loss of the bird, which I was
sure had been killed, prompted me to desire my young friends to dash
across and again search for it. In an instant six of us were on the
opposite shore, and dispersed among the woods. My son was so fortunate
as to find the little Regulus among the moss near the tree from which
it had fallen, and brought it to me greatly disappointed. Not so was I;
for I had never heard the full song of the Ruby-crowned Wren, and as I
looked at it in my hand, I could not refrain from exclaiming—"And so this
is the tiny body of the songster from which came the loud notes I heard
yesterday!" When I tell you that its song is fully as sonorous as that
of the Canary Bird, and much richer, I do not come up to the truth, for
it is not only as powerful and clear, but much more varied and pleasing
to the ear. We looked for its mate and its nest, but all around us was
silent as death, or only filled with the hum of millions of insects. I
made a drawing of it in what may be truly called its full spring plumage.
A month later, the young of this species were seen feeding among the
bushes.
The Ruby-crowned Wren is found in Louisiana and other Southern States,
from November until March. Near Charleston, in January last, they were
very abundant. The old birds were easily distinguished from the young,
without shooting them, on account of the curious difference in their
habits, for while the latter kept together among the lowest bushes, the
former were generally seen on the top branches of high trees. I have not
observed a similar difference in _Regulus tricolor_. The rich vermilion
spot of the head in the present species was wanting in the young, that
part being of the same plain colour as the back. I have found this bird
in Kentucky also during winter, but generally in southern exposures,
and usually in company with the Brown Creeper and the Titmouse.
The little bird of which I speak appears to feed entirely on small
insects and their larvæ; and I have often thought it wonderful that there
should seem to be no lack of food for it even during weather sometimes
too cold for the birds themselves. It appears to migrate during the day
only, and merely by passing from one bush to another, or hopping among
the twigs, until a large piece of water happens to come in its way,
when it rises obliquely to the height of above twenty yards, and then
proceeds horizontally in short undulations. It emits a feeble chirp at
almost every motion. So swiftly, however, does it perform its migration
from Louisiana to Newfoundland and Labrador, that although it sometimes
remains in the first of these countries until late in March, it has young
in the latter by the end of June; and the brood is able to accompany
the old birds back to the south in the beginning of August.
The pair before you are placed on a plant which occurs in abundance from
Maine to Labrador.
REGULUS CALENDULA, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synops. of Birds of the
United States, p. 91.
RUBY-CROWNED WREN, SYLVIA CALENDULA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith.
vol. i. p. 83. pl. 5. fig 3.—_Nuttall_, Manual, part i. p. 415.
Adult Male, in summer plumage. Plate CXCV. Fig. 1.
Bill short, straight, subulate, very slender, compressed, with inflected
edges; upper mandible nearly straight in its dorsal outline, the edges
scarcely notched close upon the slightly declinate acute tip; lower
mandible straight, acute. Nostrils basal, elliptical, half-closed above
by a membrane, covered over by the feathers. The whole form is slender,
although the bird looks somewhat bulky, on account of the loose texture
of the feathers. Legs rather long; tarsus slender; longer than the middle
toe, much compressed, covered anteriorly with a few indistinct scutella;
toes scutellate above, the lateral ones nearly equal and free; hind toe
stouter; claws weak, compressed, arched, acute.
Plumage very loose and tufty. Short bristles at the base of the bill.
Feathers of the head elongated, silky. Wings of ordinary length, the
third and fourth primaries longest. Tail of twelve feathers, emarginate,
of ordinary length.
Bill black, yellow at the base of the lower, and on the edges of the
upper mandible. Iris light brown. Feet yellowish-brown, the under parts
yellow. The general colour of the upper parts is dull olivaceous, lighter
behind. The eye is encircled with greyish-white, of which colour also
are the tips of the wing-coverts. Quills and tail dusky, edged with
greenish-yellow. The silky feathers of the crown of the head vermilion.
The under parts greyish-white.
Length 4¼ inches, extent of wings 6; bill ⅓; tarsus ¾.
Adult Female, in summer plumage. Plate CXCV. Fig. 2.
The female resembles the male, but the tints are in general duller,
especially the greenish-yellow of the wings.
THE NARROW-LEAVED KALMIA, OR LAUREL.
KALMIA ANGUSTIFOLIA, _Willd._ Sp. Pl. vol. ii. p. 601.—_Pursh_,
Fl. Amer. vol. i. p. 296.—DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA, _Linn._
RHODODENDRA, _Juss._
This species is characterized by its petiolate, ternate, cuneato-oblong
leaves, which are obtuse and tinged with red beneath. The corymbs of
beautiful deep rose-coloured flowers are lateral; the peduncles and calyx
downy, and the bracteæ smooth. It grows to the height of two or even
sometimes four feet, and is common in the Northern States and British
Provinces; flowers from the end of June to the middle of August.
THE MERCHANT OF SAVANNAH.
I left the little port of St Augustine, in East Florida, on the 5th of
March 1832, in the packet schooner, the Agnes, bound for Charleston.
The weather was fair, and the wind favourable; but on the afternoon of
the second day, heavy clouds darkened the heavens, and our sails hung
flapping against the masts. Nature, with an angry aspect, seemed to be
breathing for a moment, before collecting her energies, to inflict some
signal punishment on guilty man. Our captain was an old and experienced
seaman. I alternately watched his eye and the distant cloud; both were
black, firm, and determined. Satisfied as to our safety, the vessel being
perfectly sound, and the crew composed of young active men, I determined
to remain on deck, and witness the scene that was about to present itself.
The rest of the passengers had withdrawn when the cloud approached the
vessel. The captain went up to the helmsman, and in a twinkling the
sails were furled excepting one, which was so closely reefed, that it
no longer resembled its former self. In another minute, down came the
blast upon us, sweeping the spray over the vessel, and driving her along
at a furious rate. It increased; all on board was silent; but onward,
unscathed, sped the Agnes, driving through the snow-topped waves. I
cannot tell you at what rate we were carried by the gale, but at the end
of a few hours, the blue sky again appeared, and the anchor was dropped
in the mouth of the Savannah River.
Landing there, I presented my credentials to an officer of the Engineer
Corps, who was engaged in building a fort. He received me with great
politeness, invited me to spend the night at his quarters, and promised
to have his barge ready at dawn to convey my party to Savannah. We,
however, accepted only the proffered favour of the boat, and having
purchased some "shads," returned to the Agnes, where we slept.
The morning was beautiful, and we felt cheerful and buoyant as we
ascended the stream in the barge. Thousands of Canvass-backed Ducks swam
gracefully in pairs over the broad waters; from the adjoining rice-fields
rose myriads of Grakles, Red-wings, and Ortolans, as we approached the
shores, while now and then the great Heron opened its broad blue wings,
and with a hoarse scream rose slowly into the air. Presently we passed
a ship at anchor, and now opened on our view the city of Savannah, where
we soon landed.