mandibles nearly equal in size. Upper mandible with the dorsal line
nearly straight, the ridge broad and convex at the base, afterwards
very narrow, a groove from the base to near the end, beneath which
the sides are convex, the edges thin and sharp, with a notch on each
side close to the narrow but obtuse tip. Nostrils basal, linear,
longitudinal. Lower mandible with the angle long and extremely narrow,
the dorsal line beyond it ascending and very slightly convex, the
edges sharp and slightly inflected, the tip very narrow but obtuse.
Head rather small, oblong, compressed. Neck very long and slender. Body
slender and compressed. Feet very long; tibia elongated and slender,
its lower half bare, covered all round with angular scales; tarsus
elongated, slender, compressed, covered anteriorly with numerous large
scutella, laterally and behind with angular scales. Toes of moderate
length, rather slender, scutellate above, reticularly granulate
beneath; third toe considerably longer than the fourth, which is in
nearly the same proportion longer than the second, the first much
shorter, but strong; claws rather small, strong, arched, compressed,
obtuse, that of hind toe much larger, the inner edge of that of the
third regularly pectinated.
Space between the bill and eye, and around the latter, bare, as is
the lower half of the tibia. Plumage soft, generally loose. Feathers
of the upper and hind part of the head, and of the neck generally,
especially on the sides and at the lower part anteriorly, much
elongated very narrow, loose, with linear compact extremities. The
feathers of the back are similar but broader at their base, and those
from the middle of the back are so elongated as to extend several
inches beyond the tail, forming a train of which the filaments are
hair-like and rather stiff. Wings of moderate length; primaries
broad, tapering, the inner broadly rounded, with an acumen, as are
the very broad secondaries; first quill longest, second almost equal,
third and fourth slightly shorter, the rest of the primaries rapidly
graduated; the inner secondaries extend to nearly an inch of the tip
of the wing, when the latter is closed. Tail very short, slightly
rounded, of twelve rather weak rounded feathers.
Bill black on its terminal third, the rest and the bare space on the
head pale flesh-colour. Iris white. Legs and feet ultramarine blue,
the scutella bluish-black, as are the claws. Feathers of the head
and neck light reddish-brown, tinged with lilac, the tips fading to
brownish-white. Back and wings dull greyish-blue; the long feathers
of the train yellowish towards the tips; all the lower parts are
greyish-blue paler than that of the upper.
Length to end of tail 31 inches, to end of wings 32; to end of claws
40; extent of wings 46; wing from flexure 14-1/2; tail 4-1/2; bill along
the back 4, along the edge of lower mandible 4-11/12, depth at the
base 1; bare part of tibia 4-1/12; tarsus 6; middle toe 3, its claw
(6-1/2)/12. Weight 1-3/4 lb.
The Female is precisely similar to the Male in colour, but is rather
smaller.
Young nearly two years old. Plate CCLVI. Fig. 2.
The bill is coloured as in the adult, as is the iris, but the feet
are dark olive-green, the soles greenish-yellow. The plumage presents
the same form as in the adult, but is entirely pure white.
In this state the bird has been described as a distinct species
under the name of Peale’s Egret Heron, but must now be restored to
its proper species, the adult having been described and figured by
BUFFON under the name of _Aigrette rousse_, and named by LATHAM the
Reddish Egret.
This species may be distinguished at the first glance from all others
that occur in the United States, by the peculiar form of the feathers
of the head and neck, which are loose, pendent, and fringe-like, at
all seasons, excepting in the young bird before the first moult.
The number of young, as in all other species, much exceeds that of
adult or coloured birds; and I have procured them in the proportion
of three to one. I carried upwards of fifty specimens of this Heron to
Charleston, where, as well as in Philadelphia, New York, and London, I
presented some to my friends and to public institutions. I also sent
several to my friend P. J. SELBY, Esq. of Twizel, Northumberland,
and lately gave a pair to the Museum of the University of Edinburgh.
Several specimens, which I presented to His Royal Highness the DUKE
of SUSSEX, have been by him given to the British Museum.
THE DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT.
_PHALACROCORAX DILOPHUS._
PLATE CCLVII. MALE.
The objects that more especially attract the notice of the voyager,
as he draws near the south-west coast of Labrador, are the numerous
low islands covered with countless multitudes of birds, that have
assembled there for the purpose of reproduction. Some miles farther,
you see a ridge of craggy and desolate cliffs, emerging from the sea,
and presenting the appearance of a huge granite wall. This forms
a partition between the waters of the great St Lawrence and many
fine harbours hidden here and there behind it, along with numerous
inlets and bays, coves and small creeks, in which the bark of the
adventurer may ride in comparative safety. From the hoary summit of
this bulwark the view is grand beyond description; valleys richly
carpeted with moss and thickets of low shrubs glow in tints of the
richest green; clear blue lakes bear on their bosom numerous birds
of varied wing, while around their margins the females are seated on
their eggs or carefully leading about their young; banks of perennial
snow arrest your eye for a moment, and perhaps produce an involuntary
chill; onward towards the horizon, mountains heaped confusedly behind
mountains, mingle their gloomy tints with those of the cold sky. In
that land, man may for weeks, even months, seek for his kind in vain.
The deep silence that reigns around him during a calm, seldom fails to
bring sadness to his heart, as his eye grows dim with gazing on the
wilderness. Should the northern gale issue from its snowy chambers,
darkness follows in its train, and should its whole fury pour upon
you, melancholy indeed must be your lot.
To the low islands above alluded to, the beautiful Cormorant
represented in the plate before you, resorts each spring, for the
purpose of breeding. It arrives from the south about the beginning
of May, or as soon as the waters of the Gulf are sufficiently free
of ice to enable it to procure food. The winter it spends on our
eastern coasts, but it rarely proceeds farther south than the Capes of
North Carolina, about which it meets its southern friend the Florida
Cormorant, on whose dominions, however, it does not venture.
While with us, the Double-crested Cormorants are seen flying in long
lines, sometimes forming angles, and passing low over the water, at
no great distance from the shore. They enter our large bays, rivers
and creeks, going up as far as the tide, but are seldom or never seen
fishing in fresh-water. Their stay along the Middle Districts continues
from the beginning of October to the middle of April; farther east
they are seen a month earlier, and disappear a fortnight later. A
good number breed on the Seal Islands off the Bay of Fundy, but the
greater part return to Labrador and Baffin’s Bay, where Dr RICHARDSON
found this species. To that excellent man and intrepid traveller,
we are indebted, among other valuable fruits of his labours, for
the first good description of this bird. From his account and the
information which I have received from Captain JAMES CLARK ROSS, I
believe that it does not go much farther north than the place where
it was observed by the first mentioned traveller; and no Cormorants
were seen during the late voyage to the Arctic circle. It is probable
that neither the Double-crested nor the Florida Cormorants occur in
any part of Europe; at least, if they have been described as birds of
that quarter of the globe, I can find no account sufficiently correct
to enable me to recognise them.
A few miles from one of the entrances of the Harbour of Whapatiguan,
is a low and flat island about a mile in length, on which the
present species breeds. As we sailed past it, we could easily observe
the birds on their nests, all over the rock, which was completely
white-washed with their excrement, that emitted a disagreeable odour
to a great distance. I had seen several islands near the Harbour of
Great Macatina inhabited by these Cormorants, but being anxious to
complete the examination of one subject at a time, and knowing that
we should see a greater number as we approach the Straits of Belle
Isle, I put off the investigation until I should have leisure to
prosecute it satisfactorily.
My son, accompanied by the captain and four sailors, sailed for
Cormorant Island, on which, however, they found great difficulty in
landing, for the surf broke so fearfully as to call into requisition
all the judgment and good management of Mr EMERY. The moment they
landed, almost all the birds of the island rose on wing, darkening
the air, and alighted at some distance on the water in large bodies.
They were so shy that it was not without considerable difficulty
that ten of them were obtained. At the first shot, hundreds of young
ones scrambled out of their nests, and huddled together in packs of
fifteen or twenty. When the men approached them, they opened their
bills, squeaked, hissed, and puffed in a most outrageous manner; and
the noise produced by the multitudes on the island was not merely
disagreeable, but really shocking. Some of the nests contained eggs,
and the young were of all sizes, from the newly hatched up to those
able to fly; none, however, even of the largest, attempted to gain
the water, but all preferred hiding themselves in the fissures of the
rocks, or behind the nests. It was curious to see them crawl flat
on the rock, assisting themselves with their bill, feet and wings,
employing the first in the manner of Parrots, and the wings like the
oars of a boat or the flappers of turtles. When approached, they curved
and twisted their necks in the most curious manner, reminding one of
the writhings of a snake, and when seized they muted so profusely as
to excite disgust. A dozen or more of different sizes, however, were
thrust into a bag, and carried on board the vessel. The materials
and dimensions of the nests were noted on the spot, and a hatful of
eggs was brought to me.
The Double-crested Cormorant forms its nest of sea-weeds, some sticks,
moss, and clods of earth, with grass adhering to them, which it piles
up into a solid mass, often as high as three feet from the rock, with
a diameter of fifteen or eighteen inches at the top, and of two and a
half feet at the base. The whole has an appearance of solidity seldom
seen in the nests of water-birds. The nests are placed as near each
other as the nature of the ground will permit, and a great number
which appeared to have stood out against the winter storms, had been
enlarged and repaired that season. Many, however, lay scattered over
the rocks, having been demolished by heavy gales or the breaking of
the surf during tempests. The whole surface of the rock resembled a
mass of putridity: feathers, broken and rotten eggs, and dead young,
lay scattered over it; and I leave you to guess how such a place must
smell in a calm warm day. The eggs are three or four, average two and
a half inches in length by one inch and four and a half eighths in
breadth, and have an elongated form. They are covered with a calcareous
coating, which is more or less soiled with filth, but when carefully
scraped, shews a fine light greenish-blue tint.
The young when just hatched, are of a bluish-black colour tinged with
purple, and look extremely odd. They remain blind for several days,
and for about a fortnight are fed by the parents with the greatest
care, the food being regurgitated into their open throats. They appear
to grow rapidly, for in the course of eight or ten days we found some
the size of a pullet, which, when marked, were scarcely half that
size. They are covered with long down of a brownish-black colour, and
do not leave the nest, unless they are intruded on, until they are
able to fly, when their parents, who long before had ceased to feed
them by dropping the fish into their bill, and had merely placed it
on the ground near them, leave them to shift for themselves. By the
middle of August all these birds remove southward, along Newfoundland,
by Cape Breton Island, and the shores of Nova Scotia, scarcely any
remaining on the coast of the first during winter, when indeed not
many are seen farther east than the Bay of Halifax.
The fishermen and eggers never gather their eggs, they being unfit for
being eaten by any other animals than Gulls or Jagers; but they commit
great havock among the young, which they salt for food or bait. The
old birds are too shy to be killed in great numbers, otherwise their
feathers, although they smell strongly of fish, might be turned to
account. I have never eaten Cormorant’s flesh, and intend to refrain
from tasting it until nothing better can be procured.
The flight of this species is strong and well sustained, although
not so rapid as that of the Florida Cormorant. It sails at times in a
beautiful manner, and at a great height above the waters. Like other
species, the Double-crested Cormorants are fond of sunning themselves,
with their wings spread out. They walk awkwardly, and cannot run
without the aid of their wings. In order to arise from the water, in
which they sink so as nearly to be covered when swimming, they are
obliged to run and beat the surface for many yards, before they get
fairly on wing. Their food consists of shrimps, lents, capelings,
codlings, and other fishes, scarcely any kind coming amiss unless
too strong or of too great a size. Of the codlings especially they
devour vast numbers, they being in astonishing shoals on the coast
of Labrador at the time when the Cormorants are breeding, and indeed
remaining until the departure of the birds, when they retire to deeper
water. I never saw a Cormorant plunge from the air after its prey,
but should be much gratified by such a sight, which, if we trust
compilers, is nothing uncommon; nor have I ever seen a bird of this
species perched on any thing higher than the top of the low island
on which the nest is placed, none having been observed by me on any
of the high rocks on which the common species breeds in America.
I have given the figure of a beautiful male in its perfect spring
plumage. This is probably the only representation of the bird yet
presented to the public, and the same remark applies to the Florida
Cormorant.
PELECANUS (CARBO) DILOPHUS, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT,
_Swains. and Richards._ Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 473.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 483.
Adult Male at the commencement of the breeding season. Plate CCLVII.
Bill about the length of the head, rather slender, somewhat compressed,
straight, with the tip curved. Upper mandible with the dorsal line
slightly concave, until near the tip, when it is curved, the ridge
convex, and separated from the sides by a narrow groove, the sides
erect, convex, the edges sharp and straight as far as the unguis,
which is strong, convex above, incurved, acute. No external nostrils.
Lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow towards the end,
filled by an extensive membrane, which extends a short way down the
throat, its dorsal line a little convex, the sides erect and convex,
the edges sharp and inflected, the tip compressed and obliquely
truncate.
Head rather small, oblong, narrowed before. Neck long and rather
slender. Body full, depressed. Feet short, stout, placed far behind;
tibia feathered in its whole length; tarsus very short, strong, much
compressed, covered all round with scales, of which the anterior
and lateral are large and subhexagonal, the posterior very small
and roundish. Toes all placed in the same plane, and connected by
reticulated webs, covered above with very numerous oblique scutella;
first toe smallest, fourth longest. Claws rather small, strong,
compressed, acute.
Plumage of the head, neck, lower parts and posterior portion of the
back glossy, blended and silky, of the fore part of the back and wings
compact, the feathers with loose glossy margins. From behind the eye
to the length of an inch and a half on each side, an elongated tuft
of long slender, loose recurved feathers. Space around the eye, and
to a large extent along the base of the bill, together with the small
gular sac, bare. Wings rather small; primaries very strong, curved,
rather narrow, tapering and obtuse, second longest, third almost
equal, first longer than fourth; secondaries decurved, broad, broadly
rounded, the inner narrower. Tail of moderate length, very narrow,
much rounded or cuneate, of twelve narrow, rounded feathers, having
extremely strong shafts.
Upper mandible dusky, along the edges greyish-yellow; lower yellow,
irregularly marked with dusky towards the edges. Iris bright green,
margin of eyelids, bare space on the head, and gular sac, rich
orange. Feet and claws black. All the silky part of the plumage
is greenish-black, at a distance appearing black, but at hand in a
strong light green. The imbricated feathers of the back and wings
greyish-brown, their fringe-like margins greenish-black; primary
quills brownish-black; secondary like the other feathers of the wing.
Tail black, the shafts of all the feathers black.
Length to end of tail 33 inches, to end of wings 29, to end of claws
33; extent of wings 51; wing from flexure 13; tail 6-3/4; bill along
the back 2-8/12, along the edge of lower mandible 3-8/12; tarsus 2-7/12;
outer toe 3-3/4, its claw (4-1/2)/12. Weight 5 lb. 7 oz.
The Female is somewhat smaller, but in other respects is similar to
the male.
The Young, after the first moult, have the head and neck mottled with
greenish-black and greyish-brown; the other parts as in the adult,
but the tufts on the head wanting.
The Double-crested and the Florida Cormorants are very nearly allied,
their forms, and the structure of their plumage, being precisely
similar. There is, however, a very considerable difference in size,
as will be seen on comparing their measurements and average weights
as given by me. The bills are similar in form, but their colours
differ, as do those of the eyelids; but in the breeding season these
birds may readily be distinguished by the temporary tufts or crests
behind the eyes, which in _P. floridanus_ consist of a mere line of
single feathers curved downwards, while in _P. dilophus_ they are of
considerable breadth, and composed of about forty recurved feathers.
In the absence of the crests, the difference in size affords the
principal means of distinguishing them.
THE HUDSONIAN GODWIT.
_LIMOSA HUDSONICA_, SWAINS.
PLATE CCLVIII. ADULT MALE AND YOUNG FEMALE.
This species, which is of rare occurrence in any part of the United
States, is scarcely ever found farther south along the coast than the
State of Maryland. I had never seen it in the flesh, until I went to
Boston in 1832, when I found specimens of it in the market late in
September. An old gunner in my employ brought me eight or ten in the
course of a month, but they were all young birds. From one of them
my son drew the figure in the plate. While I was at Pictou Professor
MACCULLOCH presented me with a pair of adult birds in beautiful
plumage. When we were on our way towards Labrador, the fishermen and
inhabitants of the Magdeleine Islands, who gave the name of Curlews
to the Godwits, assured me that this species breeds there in some
marshes at the extremity of the principal island, and that they were
in the habit of killing them as soon as they were able to fly, when
they were considered excellent food. We saw none, however, on our
voyage farther north, and in Labrador and Newfoundland nobody seemed
to know them.
My young friend THOMAS MACCULLOCH, who gave me, in London, several
well-mounted specimens of this species, in the spring of 1835,
confirmed the assertions of the people of the Magdeleine Islands,
and informed me that these birds breed at times on Prince Edward’s
Island, from which they spread along the coast of Nova Scotia, where
they remain until very severe weather comes on, when they suddenly
disappear.
I have tried to give a good figure of the adult, and that made by my
son will, I hope, be considered faithful by those who are acquainted
with the bird in its autumnal plumage. The adult has been represented
as lying down, in order to shew the difference between this species
and the _Limosa melanura_ of Europe, to which it is allied, but from
which it may readily be distinguished at all periods by the black
colour of the inner wing-coverts. In the European bird these feathers
are white, and the species does not occur in the United States, perhaps
not in any part of North America. The females are rather larger than
the males, but nothing is known respecting the nests or eggs.
SCOLOPAX HUDSONICA, _Lath._ Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 720.
LIMOSA HUDSONICA, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, _Swains. and Richards._
Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 396.
HUDSONIAN GODWIT, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 175.
Adult Male. Plate CCLVIII. Fig. 1.
Bill double the length of the head, subcylindrical, compressed at
the base, tapering to the obtuse point, which is a little enlarged,
slightly recurved. Upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly
curved upwards in its whole extent, the ridge convex, the sides with a
narrow groove extending almost to the point, the edges rather obtuse,
the tip slightly enlarged. Nostrils basal, lateral, near the edges,
small, linear, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very long and
extremely narrow, the dorsal line slightly recurved, the sides with
a narrow groove extending almost to the end, the edges rather blunt,
the tip obtuse.
Head small, oblong, compressed. Neck rather long and slender.
Body slender. Feet long and slender; tibia bare for about a third,
anteriorly scutellate; tarsus long, slender, covered anteriorly and
posteriorly with numerous scutella, laterally for a very small space
reticulate; toes small, slender, scutellate above, flat beneath,
broadly marginate, the anterior connected at the base by webs, of
which the outer is much larger; first toe very small, second slightly
shorter than fourth, third little longer. Claws small, compressed,
slightly arched, obtuse, that of middle toe with the inner edge curved
outwards and thin.
Plumage soft on the head, neck and lower parts blended, on the back
imbricated; all the feathers oblong and rounded. Wings long, very
acute, narrow; primaries tapering, the first longest, the second little
shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries incurved, obliquely
rounded, with a recurved tip, the inner elongated and tapering. Tail
short, of twelve rounded feathers, slightly forked, but with the two
middle feathers a little longer than those next them.
Bill greyish-yellow, dark brown along the ridge of the upper
mandible, and blackish toward the tips of both. Iris brown. Feet light
greyish-blue. The head and neck brownish-grey, with darker lines; a
band from the bill over the eye, and the throat greyish-white; the back
deep grey; the scapulars brownish-black, with small white markings on
the edges of the feathers; the smaller wing-coverts, alula, primary
quills and their coverts brownish-black; the secondaries lighter,
and with their inner webs pale grey; tips of the primary coverts and
bases of the quills, white, as is a broad band over the rump. Tail
feathers and upper tail-coverts brownish-black, their bases white,
and their tips narrowly edged with brownish-white. The lower parts
are bright yellowish-red, the sides mottled with dark brown; the
abdomen and lower tail-coverts paler and variegated with dusky; the
lower wing-coverts blackish-brown, edged with whitish.
Length to end of tail 15-3/4 inches, to end of wings 16-3/8 to end of
claws 19-3/4; wing from flexure 8-1/2; tail 3-1/4; extent of wings 28;
bill along the back 3-7/12; along the edge of lower mandible 3-6/12;
bare part of tibia 1-1/4; tarsus 2-1/2; middle toe 1-4/12 its claw
(2-1/2)/12. Weight 9 oz.
Young Female in winter. Plate CCLVIII. Fig. 2.