15. =Melospiza fasciata fallax.=—Occasional among the willows of the
streams.
16. =Junco oregonus.=—Apparently this form was not uncommon.
17. =Spizella socialis.=—Abundant in the patches of dead timber.
18. =Cyanospiza amœna.=—Not uncommon but confined to the willows etc.
along the streams.
19. =Sturnella magna neglecta.=—Breeding on the grassy hillsides.
20. =Picicorvus columbianus.=—Occasional. Much commoner lower down among
the scattered firs of the _coulées_.
21. =Perisoreus canadensis capitalis.=—A single bird shot July 2. It was
almost full-grown, but in the “fluffy” plumage peculiar to young birds.
22. =Contopus borealis.=—One bird seen.
23. =Contopus virens richardsoni.=—Common.
24. =Chordiles virginianus henryi.=—In dead timber, common.
25. =Picus villosus.=—Young of perhaps a week old were found on the 25th
of June.
26. =Picoides arcticus.=—Rather common.
27. =Picoides americanus dorsalis.=—Two or three specimens noted.
28. =Melanerpes erythrocephalus.=—One bird observed.
29. =Colaptes mexicanus.=—Common. The young of this species doubtless
hatching on June 28, as an old bird was seen carrying out and dropping,
a hundred or two yards from the nest, the fragment of an egg shell at
that time.
30. =Buteo borealis.=—Hawks apparently of this species occasionally
observed.
31. =Bonasa umbellus umbelloides.=—Not common. Is mostly found in the
cottonwood timber of the valleys.
32. =Tetrao obscurus richardsoni.=—Not as common here as in some other
localities of the Belt Mountains. They prefer rough and rocky ledges
with only a moderate growth of fir to denser forests. Occasionally one
finds them outside of the mountains, but only among the scattered clumps
of fir growing on the high bluffs of some of the streams. Their
“tooting” is a low, muffled sort of cooing, uttered without vigor, or
any visible effort on the bird’s part, which may be squatting on some
rock at the time.
33. =Tringoides macularius.=—Found on the streams.—R. S. WILLIAMS,
_Benton, W. T._
REMARKS ON SOME WESTERN VERMONT BIRDS.—The Red-headed Woodpecker
(_Melanerpes erythrocephalus_, Sw.), is a strangely erratic species. Mr.
C. S. Paine has taken but a single specimen in the eastern part of the
State, and five years ago it was a very rare species about here
(Brandon). Now they are nearly as abundant as the common Golden-wings.
At Orwell, only ten miles to the west, they outnumber the Golden-wings,
and appear to be on the increase. Dr. C. H. Merriam mentions (Bull.
Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. III, No. 3, p. 124) their remaining in Northern
New York during some of the severest winters known. I have never
observed them in this vicinity later than the 2d of October, except in
one instance (January 7, 1879), when I took a single specimen. At
Rutland, sixteen miles south of Brandon, Mr. Jenness Richardson informs
me that they are a resident species, being as abundant in winter as in
summer. They were particularly abundant about here during August and
September, 1879, being attracted, no doubt, by the great abundance of
black cherries (_Prunus serotina_), which they appear to relish greatly.
I have frequently observed this species to employ the same nest for
several successive seasons.
The Pileated Woodpecker (_Hylotomus pileatus_, Bd.), is by no means as
rare as might be expected in so thickly populated a section. Not a year
passes but that from one to five specimens are taken. I have notes of at
least fifteen specimens, taken during the last four or five years, all
of which occurred from the month of September to May, inclusive; the
last record being the capture of two young females, September 28, 1881.
Of the remaining _Picidæ_, _Sphyrapicus varius_ is a rather rare summer
visitant; _Picoides arcticus_, a very rare winter visitant: while _Picus
pubescens_ and _P. villosus_ are resident species, the former being by
far the most abundant.
During the winter of 1880–81, no less than seven specimens of the little
Acadian Owl (_Nyctale acadica_) were taken, all within a few days’ time.
Two specimens of the Snowy Owl (_Nyctea scandiaca_) were also taken at
the same time. During the fall of 1879, a fine specimen of the American
Raven (_Corvus corax carnivorus_) remained in this immediate vicinity
for nearly a month, but successfully eluded capture. A single specimen
of the Canada Jay (_Perisoreus canadensis_) was taken in December, 1874.
Although the recorded instances of the breeding of the Loggerhead Shrike
(_Lanius ludovicianus_) in New England are rather numerous, the
following notes may not be entirely devoid of interest. One rainy day
last season (June 5, 1880) as I was seated on the porch of a neighbor’s
house, my attention was attracted by a Shrike flying past several times.
I watched the bird and saw it fly to the top of an old apple tree. The
tree was not more than _two rods_ from the house, and was densely
overrun with a large grape vine. I climbed the tree, and, about twenty
feet from the ground, found the nest, and, much to my disappointment,
found no eggs, but four nearly fledged young. The old birds were very
tame, and flew about within a few feet of my head.
This season I visited the locality May 16, and was fortunate enough to
find a nest and four fresh eggs. The nest was in an apple tree, perhaps
three rods from the nest of last year; was composed of coarse sticks and
weeds, very deeply hollowed, and lined with wool and twine. I took both
parent birds with the nest, thus rendering the identification positive.
A few days after this (May 23, 1881) some boys told me they had found a
“Cat Bird’s” nest in an apple tree about a mile from the vicinity of the
other nests. They had climbed the tree, and said “the old bird flew at
them, and snapped her bill _hard_!” I knew this to be a Shrike, and,
when I visited the place, had the pleasure of securing another nest,
containing six eggs, with the female parent. The nest was much like the
other, but was perhaps deeper, and lined entirely with feathers.
The Great Northern Shrike (_Lanius borealis_) is a rather rare species,
being most frequently observed in spring.
The Scarlet Tanagers (_Pyranga rubra_) first made their appearance about
here in the summer of 1875, when a single pair nested. Since then they
have gradually increased until probably twenty pairs nested the past
season. Strange as it may seem, I have never taken the common Titlark
(_Anthus ludovicianus_) during the spring migrations, although they are
usually abundant in the fall.—F. H. KNOWLTON, _Brandon, Vt._
ERRATUM.—In Vol. VI, p. 199, lines 9 and 10. for “centimeters” read
millimeters.
BULLETIN
OF THE
NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB.
VOL. VII. APRIL, 1882. NO. 2.
ON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS LATELY MADE BY MR. F. STEPHENS IN ARIZONA.
BY WILLIAM BREWSTER.
Early in 1881 I wrote to Mr. Stephens asking him to get me some Arizona
birds during the following spring and summer. He replied that he was on
the point of starting by wagon for California, but that being provided
with a camping outfit, and feeling under no necessity of hurrying by the
way, he was willing to give his whole attention, for several months at
least, to collecting in my interest. It was accordingly arranged that
the journey should take in as great a variety of country as possible,
and, that the most productive points should be thoroughly worked. The
energy, intelligence, and conscientiousness with which this plan was
carried out are sufficiently attested by the material results upon which
the present paper is based.
The route traversed was substantially as follows: Leaving Galeyville on
March 3, Mr. Stephens drove southward to Cave Creek, where a few days’
collecting yielded a limited number of birds. At the end of this time he
retraced his steps to Galeyville, and continuing northward, passed Camp
Bowie, and crossed to the western side of the Chiricahua Mountains. Here
a halt was made at Morse’s Mill, after a journey of seventy miles by
wagon-road from Cave Creek, although the distance is less than twelve
miles in an air line. This place is described in the notes as being at
the head of a cañon, in a sort of basin, elevated about seven thousand
feet above the sea, and encircled by mountains which rise from two to
three thousand feet higher.
From some further remarks on the general character of the range, I quote
the following: “The Chiricahua Mountains are situated in the southeast
corner of Arizona, some of the foot-hills even reaching the line of New
Mexico and the Mexican state of Sonora. Several small streams run east
and west from their summits, those of the former division emptying into
the San Simon Valley; of the latter into the Sulphur Spring and San
Bernardino Valleys. The first two water-sheds are comprised in the Rio
Gila system, while the San Bernardino Valley stretches southward, and
water from it flows into the Pacific near Guaymas.”
“These valleys are usually grassy plains, but there are scattering
bushes, mostly mesquite, in some of them. The scrub oaks begin with the
foot-hills; they are evergreen, the leaves being insensibly replaced
with new ones in May. A little higher the juniper (called ‘cedar’ by the
people here) comes in. Still higher, on the north side of the hills,
there is a little piñon and scrub pine, while the summits are heavily
timbered with red and black pines. In the gulches some fir grows, and on
the hillsides, mostly near the summits and facing the north, occasional
patches of aspen.”
At Morse’s Mill three weeks were very profitably spent, and on April 1 a
start was made for Tucson, the next objective point. The route led
through Sulphur Spring Valley, Tombstone, and Cienega Station, and at
all these places, as well as at some intermediate points, a longer or
shorter stay was made for the purpose of collecting. These delays
consumed so much time that Tucson was not reached until April 18.
The country lying about this town and the neighboring station, Camp
Lowell, proved so rich in desirable birds that it engaged Mr. Stephens’
attention for nearly the whole of the two succeeding months, during
which, however, a brief visit was paid to the Santa Rita Mountains,
where some important observations were made.
The season practically ended with June, for the wagon-journey, begun on
the 29th of that month, across the arid plains and scorching deserts of
middle and western Arizona, was attended with such privations, and often
positive suffering, that little attention could be paid to birds. Mr.
Stephens arrived at Yuma on July 15, and by August 1 reached his final
destination, Riverside, California.
The entire trip yielded about six hundred and fifty skins besides a
fairly large number of nests and eggs. Under the terms of our agreement
I had all the birds, a representative series of the nests and eggs, and
the field notes relating to both. This collection, embracing the results
of four months’ uninterrupted work in a region as yet only imperfectly
known, seems to me too complete in itself to be merely skimmed of its
_cream_. Accordingly in preparing the following paper I have included
every species which is represented among the specimens or mentioned in
the collector’s notes. It should be understood, however, that the latter
were not kept with reference to this plan, and it is not unlikely that
certain common birds, which are known to occur in Arizona, were
inadvertently omitted. For similar reasons, the number of specimens
obtained can seldom be taken as an exponent of the relative abundance of
the species to which they belong, as a decided preference was given to
the rarer kinds. Three species new to the “North American” fauna have
already been announced (this Bulletin, Vol. VI, p. 252.).
A few technical points require explanation. The catalogue numbers are
usually those of the collector’s field-book, but in certain cases—as of
specimens taken as types, or with birds obtained by Mr. Stephens before
starting on the present trip—I have used my own numbers, either alone or
in connection with the original ones. This double system need cause no
confusion, however, for the field-numbers never reach 700, while those
of my general catalogue are always above 5,000. Of the measurements, the
length and stretch were taken in the field, the others from the dry
skins. The biographical matter is of course based on Mr. Stephens’
notes, which are sometimes paraphrased, sometimes literally quoted, as
convenience dictates. The frequent quotations of Mr. Henshaw’s
experience or opinions are always, unless otherwise stated, from his
Report in Volume V of “Explorations and Surveys West of the One
Hundredth Meridian.”
1. =Turdus unalascæ= _Gmel._ DWARF THRUSH.—The only Hermit Thrush in the
present collection is unmistakably referable to var. _unalascæ_. In fact
it gives nearly the same measurements as the smallest extreme in the
large series examined by Mr. Henshaw.[40] Mr. Stephens marks it as the
first which he has seen in Arizona where, however, it was found
sparingly by Mr. Henshaw in October, 1873.
283, ♀ ad., Tucson, April 25. Length, 6.40; extent, 10.10; wing. 3.26;
tail, 2.61; culmen, .52. “Bill dark brown, yellowish at base of lower
mandible; legs pale brownish; iris brown.”
2. =Turdus ustulatus= _Nutt._ RUSSET-BACKED THRUSH.—Under this heading I
include with some hesitation, a Thrush killed May 17, in the Santa Rita
Mountains. The specimen unfortunately was one of three or four which
were accidentally destroyed while in the collector’s possession, but Mr.
Stephens is positive that it was referable to the above variety. As he
is perfectly familiar with _ustulatus_, having previously met with it in
California, there can, I think, be little doubt of the correctness of
his determination. This record, if accepted, will make the first for
Arizona.
397, ♀ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 17. Length, 6.90; extent, 10.70;
“Iris dark brown; bill black, brownish at base of lower mandible; legs
very pale brown.”
3. =Turdus migratorius propinquus= _Ridgw._ WESTERN ROBIN.—Robins were
met with only in or near the Chiricahua Mountains, where perhaps a dozen
individuals were seen. The one mentioned below is typical of the
slightly differentiated, but still apparently constant western race.
75, ♂ ad., Morse’s Mill, March 20. Length, 10; extent, 16.40; wing,
5.38; tail, 4.36. “Iris dark brown.”
4. =Oreoscoptes montanus= (_Towns._) _Baird._ MOUNTAIN MOCKINGBIRD.
There is no mention of this species among the notes made during the late
trip.
6313 (author’s coll.), ♀ ad., San Pedro River, Dec. 25, 1880. Length,
8.90; extent, 12.40.
5. =Mimus polyglottus= (_Linn._) _Boie_. MOCKINGBIRD.—“Generally
distributed and common, but not as abundant as in Southern California”
(Camp Lowell). “Common in the valleys; they are found but a short
distance up the foot-hills of the mountain ranges” (near Tombstone).
181, ♀ ad., near Tombstone, April 8. Length, 9.80; extent, 13.10;
wing, 4.30; tail, 5.03.
550, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, June 20. Length, 10.20; extent, 14.10; wing,
4.40; tail, 5.20. “Iris golden brown; bill and legs black.”
6. =Harporhynchus bendirei= _Coues_. BENDIRE’S THRASHER.—Mr. Stephens’
notes contain few references to this species, and judging from the
limited number of specimens which he obtained, it must be less abundant
in Arizona than either _H. crissalis_ or _H. curvirostris palmeri_, a
status which is in strict accordance with Mr. Henshaw’s experience.
About half of the skins collected during the past season are labeled
either Camp Lowell or Tucson, while the remainder were taken at various
points directly north or south of the latter place, and not over
twenty-five miles distant in either direction. Outside the limits of
this desert region the bird was not anywhere met with, although it was
common at Phœnix in February, 1880.
A nest taken June 16 near Tucson, and identified by the capture of one
of the parent birds, was placed in a “cat-claw mesquite” at a height of
about five feet from the ground. It is a deeply-hollowed, smoothly-lined
structure, composed of fine grasses and soft, hemp-like vegetable
fibres, which are protected externally, in a manner common to the nests
of nearly all Thrashers, by a bristling array of interlaced twigs and
thorny sticks. The interior cup measures two inches in depth by three in
width. The two eggs which it contained, like those described by Dr.
Coues, are readily separable from eggs of _H. palmeri_ by their
grayish-white instead of dull green ground-color. They are faintly
marked with reddish-brown and lavender, the spots being confined chiefly
to the larger ends, where many of them assume the character of blotches
or dashes of color. These eggs measure respectively 1.02 × .79 and .96 ×
.79. The greatest number of eggs found in any of the several nests
examined by Mr. Stephens was three, but two seemed to be the usual
complement.
Of the birds before me four are in first plumage, a stage which, if I am
not mistaken, has never been previously examined. The first of these
(No. 426, twenty-five miles south of Tucson, May 22) was unable to fly,
and was taken from the nest. It differs from the adult in the following
particulars: The upper parts, with nearly the same ground-color, have a
tinge of reddish-brown which, on the rump, wing-coverts, and tips and
outer webs of the primaries and secondaries, shades into
brownish-chestnut. The sprouting rectrices are also tipped with the same
color. The under parts generally are warm fulvous, which becomes nearly
pure cinnamon on the sides and crissum, and along the median line pales
to fulvous-white. The breast and abdomen are everywhere thickly but
finely spotted with dull _black_, these markings becoming finer and
fainter where they border on the anal region. The remaining three (Nos.
538, ♀; 539, —; and 540, ♂: twenty-five miles north of Tucson, June 16)
have the wings fully developed, and were all out of the nests when shot.
They are apparently of about the same respective ages, but nevertheless
exhibit a good deal of individual variation. No. 538 has the breast and
sides finely spotted with dark brown, but a central space extending
forward along the abdomen nearly to the breast is entirely unmarked. No.
535 has large, rounded, but indistinct blotches of light brown, thickly
and evenly distributed over the entire under parts, excepting the
throat, anal region and crissum. No. 539 has a cluster of faint,
sagittate spots on the centre of the breast, but otherwise is entirely
immaculate beneath. All three are essentially similar above, and differ
from No. 426 in having the crown, nape, back, wing-coverts and outer
webs of the secondaries pale reddish-brown, which, on the rump, is only
tinged with chestnut. The primaries are dark brown edged with hoary; the
rectrices, dull black with a terminal band of pale reddish-chestnut
crossing both webs of all the feathers, but most broadly those of the
outer pairs.
The adults making up the rest of this series vary a good deal with the
season at which they were taken. A specimen killed in February is clear
grayish-brown above, with the breast and abdomen thickly spotted; and
one or two others shot early in May are nearly as deeply colored and
distinctly marked. But most of the breeding birds are either entirely
immaculate beneath, or with only a few faint specks scattered here and
there upon the abdomen. Several of the latter are nearly as pale as my
specimens of _H. lecontei_, and equally devoid of any special markings.
This condition apparently is due mainly to the wearing off of the tips
of the feathers, although the continued action of the sun’s rays
doubtless lends its aid, and still further bleaches the plumage.
453, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, May 30. Length, 10.30; extent, 13.30.
4987, (author’s coll.) ♂ ad., Tucson, Feb. 28, 1880. Wing, 4.25; tail,
4.84; culmen (chord), .99.
423, ♂ ad., twenty-five miles south of Tucson, May 21. Length, 10.40;
extent, 14.20; wing, 4.30; tail, 4.92; culmen, 1.06.
425, ♂ ad., same locality, May 22. Length, 10.30; extent, 13.10; wing,
4.01; tail, 4.96; culmen, 1.05.
455, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, May 30. Length, 10.18; extent, 13.30; wing,
4.20; tail, 4.96; culmen, 1.05.
537, ♂ ad., twenty-five miles north of Tucson, June 16. Length, 10.10;
extent, 12.70; wing, 4.14; tail, 4.78; culmen, 1.01.
583, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, June 24. Length, 10.50; extent, 13; wing, 3.99;
tail, 4.95; culmen, 1.05.
454, ♀ ad., Camp Lowell, May 30. Length, 10.10; extent, 12.70; wing,
3.95; tail, 4.43; culmen, 1.
529, ♀ ad., twenty-five miles north of Tucson, June 16. Length, 10.20;
extent, 12.10; wing, 3.63; tail, 4.50; culmen, 1.01. “Iris yellow; legs
dull bluish.”
557, ♀ ad., Camp Lowell, June 21. Length, 10; extent, 13.20; wing, 4.10;
tail, 4.60; culmen, .95.
426, ♀ juv. first plumage, twenty-five miles south of Tucson, May 22.
Length, 6.10; extent, 9.40; “Iris light gray; bill dark brown, lighter
below; legs pale bluish.” Taken from the nest; wings and tail only
partly developed.
538, ♀ juv. first plumage, twenty-five miles north of Tucson, June 16.
Length, 10.10; extent, 12.50; wing, 3.77; tail, 4.59; culmen, .96.
539, — juv. first plumage, same locality and date. Length, 9.80; extent,
12.70; wing, 3.92; tail, 4.67; culmen, .92.
540, ♂ juv. first plumage, same locality and date. Length, 10; extent,
12.80; wing, 3.90; tail, 4.55; culmen, .95.
7. =Harporhynchus curvirostris palmeri= _Ridgw._ PALMER’S
THRASHER.—During the present trip this Thrasher was met with at various
points in the desert region about Tucson and Camp Lowell, where it was
one of the most abundant and characteristic summer birds. Its favorite
haunts were barren wastes covered with cactuses and stunted mesquites;
but, like many other desert species, it occasionally visited the more
fertile valleys to drink at the springs and water-holes. At these latter
places specimens were obtained without much difficulty, but on all other
occasions they were exceedingly shy and wary. In February, 1880, Mr.
Stephens found Palmer’s Thrasher at Phœnix, and he also took winter
specimens along the San Pedro River.[41]
Numerous nests were taken. The one before me was placed in a cholla at a
height of about seven feet. It is composed outwardly of large twigs, and
is lined with bleached grasses. Although by no means a rude structure,
it suffers by comparison with the nest of _H. bendirei_, its
construction being simpler, and all the materials much coarser. The
three eggs which it contained were only slightly incubated on June 14.
They measure respectively 1.05×.82, 1.09×.82, and 1.08×.83. They are
pale greenish-blue, finely and very evenly spotted with brown and
lavender. The number of eggs making up this set was not exceeded in any
of the others examined by Mr. Stephens.
The series of skins embraces no less than twenty-two examples, and very
fully illustrates all the variations of age and season. Among the number
are several in the hitherto undescribed first plumage. The