the waters of the Western Country, about the middle of April, and
continues to pass for about a month. At that season I have observed
it ascending the Mississippi from New Orleans to the head waters of
the Ohio, then cutting over the land, and arriving at the Great Lakes,
beyond which many proceed still farther northward. But I have rarely
met with them along our Atlantic shores until autumn, when the young,
which, like those of all other Terns with which I am acquainted, mostly
keep by themselves until spring, make their appearance there. Nor
did I see a single individual when on my way to Labrador, or during
my visit to that country. They re-appear in the Western Country, in
the course of their southern migration, in the months of September
and October; but many pairs breed in the intermediate range.
When residing at Louisville in Kentucky, I found the Black Tern
abundant in the neighbourhood, breeding on the margins of ponds at a
short distance from the Ohio. I also found them with nests and eggs
on a pond near Vincennes, in the State of Indiana. Now, however,
they have abandoned those places, and merely pass over the country
on their way to and from the northern regions.
Often have I watched their graceful light and rapid flight, as they
advanced and passed over in groups of twenty, thirty or more, from the
delightful residence of my worthy friend and kind relative NICHOLAS
BERTHOUD, Esq. of Shippingport, during the month of May, when Nature,
opening her stores anew, benignly smiled upon the favoured land of
Kentucky. The gay birds were seen ranging from the basin at the foot
of the rapids to the lower part of the narrow channel which separates
Sandy Island from the shore, up the clear stream and down again,
plunging at short intervals into the water to seize their prey, and
continuing their pleasing occupations through the whole day. When
the period of reproduction arrived, they would all betake themselves
to the ponds, and search along their moist shores for tufts of rank
grass such as might form suitable places for their nests. One of their
favourite ponds still remains in part, although a great portion of it
has been drained. It is now known by the name of Hope-Distillery Pond,
and lies a few hundred yards from the Ohio, but is nearly surrounded
with buildings of various kinds. ALEXANDER WILSON, to whom I shewed
the old nests of the Black Tern at this place, did not seem to be
acquainted with the bird, and thought that they were those of some
species of Rail.
The nest is usually placed on the top of a broken tussock of the
rankest grasses, of which it is itself composed, it being of a flattish
form, and about two inches thick. It is enlarged or renewed every
year, some nests being found to be from four to six inches in height.
In some instances the water surrounds the foot of the tussock on which
it is placed. They begin to lay on the first days of June. The eggs,
of which the full number is four, greatly resemble in colour those of
the Sandwich and Arctic Terns. When disturbed at this season, these
birds are as noisy as any of the tribe; but they remain close over the
place, and go to the river only at intervals to procure food. Both
sexes incubate by turns, and the eggs are kept constantly covered.
They average in length one inch and three-eighths by one inch across,
and are nearly of an elliptical form, being but slightly pointed at
one end; their ground colour is greenish-buff, spotted and dashed
with reddish umber and black, more abundantly toward the middle.
I took the trouble of counting the number of nests round the pond,
and found it more than seventy. About the middle of August the young
fly well, and are able to seek food for themselves. I have seen the
parent birds feed them on wing in the manner of swallows.
They alight less frequently on the water than the larger species. On
shore they walk like swallows. During autumn they hunt for food over
the wet prairies, passing low, and picking up the insects as they
proceed without alighting. At this season, both old and young have
become more silent. They are at all times less shy than most others
of the tribe. Their principal food consists of aquatic insects and
small fry, and their flesh is tolerably good.
Since I wrote the above notice, I have been informed by my youngest
son that this species was still seen about the Falls of the Ohio, in
considerable numbers, a few years ago; but that, although he observed
them there in spring, summer, and early autumn, he did not discover
their breeding grounds, which are perhaps now farther inland than
formerly.
STERNA NIGRA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 227.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 810.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of
Birds of the United States, p. 355.
SHORT-TAILED TERN, STERNA PLUMBEA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith.
vol. vi. p. 83. pl. 60. fig. 3. Young.
STERNA NIGRA, BLACK TERN, _Swains. and Richards._ Fauna
Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 415.
BLACK TERN, OR STERN, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 282.
Adult Male. Plate CCLXXX. Fig. 1.
Bill about the same length as the head, slender, tapering, compressed,
nearly straight, very acute. Upper mandible with the dorsal line
slightly arched, the ridge convex at the base, narrowed towards
the end, the sides sloping at the base, slightly convex and nearly
perpendicular towards the tip, the edges sharp, the tip acute. Nasal
groove reaching nearly to the middle of the mandible; nostrils basal,
linear, direct, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very narrow,
acute, extending beyond the middle, the dorsal line straight, the sides
erect and slightly convex, the edges sharp and slightly inflected,
the tip extremely acute.
Head of moderate size, oblong; neck rather short; body slender.
Feet small; tibia bare for a short space; tarsus very short, covered
anteriorly with small scutella, laterally and behind with reticular
scales; toes very slender, the first extremely small, the third
longest, the fourth nearly as long, the second much shorter, all
scutellate above, the anterior connected by short reticulate webs,
having a concave margin, and not extending much beyond the middle
of the toes. Claws long, slender, arched, compressed, acute, that of
hind toe smallest, of middle toe largest, and having a thin dilated
inner edge.
Plumage soft, close, blended, on the head short, on the back somewhat
compact. Wings very long, narrow and pointed; primary quills tapering,
the outer slightly curved inwards at the end, the first longest, the
rest rapidly graduated; secondary short, broad, incurved, rounded.
Tail of moderate length, emarginate, of twelve rounded feathers.
Bill brownish-black. Iris brown. Feet reddish-brown, claws black. Head,
neck, breast, sides and abdomen, greyish-black; lower tail-coverts
white, lower wing-coverts bluish-grey. The general colour of the
upper parts is dark bluish-grey; the outer web of the first quill
greyish-black.
Length to end of tail 9 inches, to end of wings 11; extent of wings 24;
wing from flexure 8-3/4; tail 3-1/2; bill along the back 1-1/12, along
the edge of lower mandible 1-5/12; tarsus 8/12; middle toe 8/12, its
claw (5-1/2)/12. Weight 3 oz.
Young Male in Autumn. Plate CCLXXX.
The bill, iris, and feet nearly as in the adult. The upper parts
are greyish-blue, the feathers of the fore part of the back, and
especially the scapulars, brown towards the end; the upper and hind
part of the head greyish-black, of which there is a darker mark behind,
and another before the eye; the forehead greyish-white, as are the
sides of the head, the fore neck, the breast, and the abdomen; the
sides dusky grey; the lower wing-coverts greyish-white. The quills
are darker towards the end, and the first primary is black along the
outer web.
Length to end of tail 7-3/4 inches, to end of wings 9-8/12; wing from
flexure 7-3/4; tail 2-10/12; bill along the ridge 11/12, along the edge
of lower mandible 1-2/12; tarsus (7-1/2)/12; middle toe 8/12, its claw
5/12.
NATCHEZ IN 1820.
One clear frosty morning in December I approached in my flat-boat the
City of Natchez. The shores were crowded with boats of various kinds,
laden with the produce of the western country; and there was a bustle
about them, such as you might see at a general fair, each person being
intent on securing the advantage of a good market. Yet the scene was
far from being altogether pleasing, for I was yet “under the hill;”
but on removing from the lower town, I beheld the cliffs on which the
city, properly so called, has been built. Vultures unnumbered flew
close along the ground on expanded pinions, searching for food; large
pines and superb magnolias here and there raised their evergreen tops
toward the skies; while on the opposite shores of the Mississippi,
vast alluvial beds stretched along, and the view terminated with the
dense forest. Steamers moved rapidly on the broad waters of the great
stream; the sunbeams fell with a peculiarly pleasant effect on the
distant objects; and as I watched the motions of the White-headed
Eagle while pursuing the Fishing Hawk, I thought of the wonderful
ways of that Power to whom I too owe my existence.
Before reaching the land I had observed that several saw-mills were
placed on ditches or narrow canals, along which the water rushed
from the inner swamps towards the river, and by which the timber
is conveyed to the shore; and on inquiring afterwards, I found that
one of those temporary establishments had produced a net profit of
upwards of six thousand dollars in a single season.
There is much romantic scenery about Natchez. The Lower Town forms a
most remarkable contrast with the Upper, for in the former the houses
were not regularly built, being generally dwellings formed of the
abandoned flat boats, placed in rows as if with the view of forming
a long street. The inhabitants formed a medley which it is beyond my
power to describe; hundreds of laden carts and other vehicles jogged
along the declivity between the two towns; but when, by a very rude
causeway, I gained the summit, I was relieved by the sight of an
avenue of those beautiful trees called here the Pride of China. In
the Upper Town I found the streets all laid off at right angles to
each other, and tolerably well lined with buildings, constructed with
painted bricks or boards. The agricultural richness of the surrounding
country was shewn by the heaps of cotton bales and other produce that
encumbered the streets. The churches, however, did not please me;
but as if to make up for this, I found myself unexpectedly accosted
by my relative Mr BERTHOUD, who presented me with letters from my
wife and sons. These circumstances put me in high spirits, and we
proceeded towards the best hotel in the place, that of Mr GARNIER.
The house, which was built on the Spanish plan, and of great size,
was surrounded by large virandas overlooking a fine garden, and stood
at a considerable distance from any other. At this period the City of
Natchez had a population not exceeding three thousand individuals.
I have not visited it often since, but I have no doubt that, like
all the other towns in the western district of our country, it has
greatly increased. It possessed a bank, and the mail arrived there
thrice in the week from all parts of the Union.
The first circumstance that strikes a stranger is the mildness of the
temperature. Several vegetables as pleasing to the eye as agreeable
to the palate, and which are seldom seen in our eastern markets
before May, were here already in perfection. The Pewee Fly-catcher
had chosen the neighbourhood of the city for its winter quarters,
and our deservedly famed Mocking Bird sang and danced gratis to every
passer by. I was surprised to see the immense number of Vultures that
strode along the streets, or slumbered on the roofs. The country for
many miles inland is gently undulated. Cotton is produced abundantly,
and wealth and happiness have taken up their abode under most of
the planter’s roofs, beneath which the wearied traveller or the
poor wanderer in search of a resting place, is sure to meet with
comfort and relief. Game is abundant, and the free Indians were wont
in those days to furnish the markets with ample supplies of venison
and Wild Turkey. The Mississippi, which bathes the foot of the hill,
some hundred feet below the town, supplies the inhabitants with fish
of various kinds. The greatest deficiency is that of water, which
for common purposes is dragged on sledges or wheels from the river,
while that used for drinking is collected in tanks from the roofs,
and becomes very scarce during protracted droughts. Until of late
years, the orange-tree bore fruit in the open air; but owing to the
great change that has taken place in the temperature, severe though
transient frosts occasionally occur, which now prevent this plant
from coming to perfection in the open air.
The remains of an old Spanish Fort are still to be seen at a short
distance from the city. If I am correctly informed, about two years
previous to this visit of mine, a large portion of the hill near it
gave way, sank about a hundred feet, and carried many of the houses of
the lower town into the river. This, it would appear, was occasioned
by the quicksand running springs that flow beneath the strata of mixed
pebbles and clay, of which the hill is composed. The part that has
subsided presents the appearance of a basin or bowl, and is used as
a depot for the refuse of the town, on which the Vultures feed when
they can get nothing better. There it was that I saw a White-headed
Eagle chase one of those filthy birds, knock it down, and feast on
the entrails of a horse, which the Carrion Crow had partly swallowed.
I did not meet at Natchez with many individuals fond of Ornithological
pursuits, but the hospitality with which I was received was such
as I am not likely to forget. Mr GARNIER subsequently proved an
excellent friend to me, as you may find elsewhere recorded. Of
another individual, whose kindness towards me is indelibly impressed
on my heart, I would say a few words, although he was such a man as
FENELON alone could describe. CHARLES CARRÉ was of French origin,
the son of a nobleman of the old regime. His acquirements and the
benevolence of his disposition were such, that when I first met with
him, I could not help looking upon him as another MENTOR. Although
his few remaining locks were grey, his countenance still expressed
the gaiety and buoyant feelings of youth. He had the best religious
principles; for his heart and his purse were ever open to the poor.
Under his guidance it was that I visited the whole neighbourhood of
Natchez; for he was acquainted with all its history, from the period
at which it had first come under the power of the Spaniards to that
of their expulsion from the country, its possession by the French,
and subsequently by ourselves. He was also well versed in the Indian
languages, spoke French with the greatest purity, and was a religious
poet. Many a pleasant hour have I spent in his company; but alas! he
has gone the way of all the earth!
THE GREAT WHITE HERON.
_ARDEA OCCIDENTALIS._
PLATE CCLXXXI.
I am now about to present you with an account of the habits of the
largest species of the Heron tribe hitherto found in the United
States, and which is indeed remarkable not only for its great size,
but also for the pure white of its plumage at every period of its
life. Writers who have subdivided the family, and stated that none
of the True Herons are white, will doubtless be startled when they,
for the first time, look at my plate of this bird. I think, however,
that our endeavours to discover the natural arrangement of things
cannot be uniformly successful, and it is clear that he only who
has studied _all_ can have much chance of disposing all according to
their relations.
On the 24th of April 1832, I landed on Indian Key in Florida, and
immediately after formed an acquaintance with Mr EGAN, of whom I have
already several times spoken. He it was who first gave me notice of
the species which forms the subject of this article, and of which I
cannot find any description. The next day after that of my arrival,
when I was prevented from accompanying him by my anxiety to finish
a drawing, he came in with two young birds alive, and another lying
dead in a nest, which he had cut off from a mangrove. You may imagine
how delighted I was, when at the very first glance I felt assured
that they were different from any that I had previously seen. The
two living birds were of a beautiful white, slightly tinged with
cream-colour, remarkably fat and strong for their age, which the
worthy Pilot said could not be more than three weeks. The dead bird
was quite putrid and much smaller. It looked as if it had accidentally
been trampled to death by the parent birds ten or twelve days before,
the body being almost flat and covered with filth. The nest with the
two live birds was placed in the yard. The young Herons seemed quite
unconcerned when a person approached them, although on displaying
one’s hand to them, they at once endeavoured to strike it with their
bill. My Newfoundland dog, a well-trained and most sagacious animal,
was whistled for and came up; on which the birds rose partially on
their legs, ruffled all their feathers, spread their wings, opened
their bills, and clicked their mandibles in great anger, but without
attempting to leave the nest. I ordered the dog to go near them, but
not to hurt them. They waited until he went within striking distance,
when the largest suddenly hit him with its bill, and hung to his
nose. Plato, however, took it all in good part, and merely brought
the bird towards me, when I seized it by the wings, which made it let
go its hold. It walked off as proudly as any of its tribe, and I was
delighted to find it possessed of so much courage. These birds were
left under the charge of Mrs EGAN, until I returned from my various
excursions to the different islands along the coast.
On the 26th of the same month, Mr THRUSTON took me and my companions
in his beautiful barge to some keys on which the Florida Cormorants
were breeding in great numbers. As we were on the way we observed
two tall white Herons standing on their nests; but although I was
anxious to procure them alive, an unfortunate shot from one of the
party brought them to the water. They were, I was told, able to fly,
but probably had never seen a man before. While searching that day
for nests of the Zenaida Dove, we observed a young Heron of this
species stalking among the mangroves that bordered the key on which
we were, and immediately pursued it. Had you been looking on, good
Reader, you might have enjoyed a hearty laugh, although few of us
could have joined you. Seven or eight persons were engaged in the
pursuit of this single bird, which, with extended neck, wings, and
legs, made off among the tangled trees at such a rate, that, anxious
as I was to obtain it alive, I several times thought of shooting it.
At length, however, it was caught, its bill was securely tied, its
legs were drawn up, and fastened by a strong cord, and the poor thing
was thus conveyed to Indian Key, and placed along with its kinsfolk.
On seeing it, the latter immediately ran towards it with open bills,
and greeted it with a most friendly welcome, passing their heads over
and under its own in the most curious and indeed ludicrous manner.
A bucketful of fish was thrown to them, which they swallowed in a
few minutes. After a few days, they also ate pieces of pork-rhind,
cheese, and other substances.
While sailing along the numerous islands that occur between Indian
Key and Key West, I saw many birds of this species, some in pairs,
some single, and others in flocks; but on no occasion did I succeed
in getting within shot of one. Mr EGAN consoled me by saying that
he knew some places beyond Key West where I certainly should obtain
several, were we to spend a day and a night there for the purpose.
Dr BENJAMIN STROBEL afterwards gave me a similar assurance. In the
course of a week after reaching Key West, I in fact procured more
than a dozen birds of different ages, as well as nests and eggs, and
their habits were carefully examined by several of my party.
At three o’clock one morning, you might have seen Mr EGAN and myself,
about eight miles from our harbour, paddling as silently as possible
over some narrow and tortuous inlets, formed by the tides through
a large flat and partially submersed key. There we expected to find
many White Herons; but our labour was for a long time almost hopeless,
for, although other birds occurred, we had determined to shoot nothing
but the Great White Heron, and none of that species came near us. At
length, after six or seven hours of hard labour, a Heron flew right
over our heads, and to make sure of it, we both fired at once. The
bird came down dead. It proved to be a female, which had either been
sitting on her eggs or had lately hatched her young, her belly being
bare, and her plumage considerably worn. We now rested a while, and
breakfasted on some biscuit soaked in molasses and water, reposing
under the shade of the mangroves, where the mosquitoes had a good
opportunity of breaking their fast also. We went about from one key to
another, saw a great number of White Herons, and at length, towards
night, reached the Marion, rather exhausted, and having a solitary
bird. Mr EGAN and I had been most of the time devising schemes for
procuring others with less trouble, a task which might easily have
been accomplished a month before, when, as he said, the birds were
“sitting hard.” He asked if I would return that night at twelve o’clock
to the last key which we had visited. I mentioned the proposal to our
worthy Captain, who, ever willing to do all in his power to oblige
me, when the service did not require constant attendance on board,
said that if I would go, he would accompany us in the gig. Our guns
were soon cleaned, provisions and ammunition placed in the boats,
and after supping we talked and laughed until the appointed time.
“Eight Bells” made us bound on our feet, and off we pushed for the
islands. The moon shone bright in the clear sky; but as the breeze
had died away, we betook ourselves to our oars. The state of the
tide was against us, and we had to drag our boats several miles over
the soapy shallows; but at last we found ourselves in a deep channel
beneath the hanging mangroves of a large key, where we had observed
the Herons retiring to roost the previous evening. There we lay quietly
until daybreak. But the mosquitoes and sandflies! Reader, if you have
not been in such a place, you cannot easily conceive the torments
we endured for a whole hour, when it was absolutely necessary for us
to remain perfectly motionless. At length day dawned, and the boats
parted, to meet on the other side of the key. Slowly and silently
each advanced. A Heron sprung from its perch almost directly over
our heads. Three barrels were discharged,—in vain; the bird flew on
unscathed; the pilot and I had probably been too anxious. As the bird
sped away, it croaked loudly, and the noise, together with the report
of our guns, roused some hundreds of these Herons, which flew from
the mangroves, and in the grey light appeared to sail over and around
us like so many spectres. I almost despaired of procuring any more.
The tide was now rising, and when we met with the other boat we were
told, that if we had waited until we could have shot at them while
perched, we might have killed several; but that now we must remain
until full tide, for the birds had gone to their feeding grounds.