orange-red; the iris and horny appendages light blue. Feet orange-red,
with the webs paler, the claw yellowish-brown. The sides of the head
and the lower parts in general, white; upper part of the head light
brownish-grey tinged with lilac; a broad collar extending to the
lower mandible, of a dark greyish-brown tint below, and gradually
passing into the colour of the upper parts, which is brownish-black,
glossed with blue; primary quills and their coverts blackish-brown,
very slightly margined with paler.
Length to end of tail 13 inches, to end of claws 14; to end of wings
12-1/2; extent of wings 24-1/2; bill along the ridge 2-1/4; along the
edge of lower mandible 1-5/8; depth of bill at the base 1-11/12, its
greatest diameter 5/8; tarsus 1-3/8; middle toe 1-7/8, its claw 1/2.
Adult Female. Plate CCXCIII. Fig. 2.
The Female is precisely similar to the Male.
THE PECTORAL SANDPIPER.
_TRINGA PECTORALIS_, BONAP.
PLATE CCXCIV. MALE AND FEMALE.
This Sandpiper is not uncommon along the shores of our Eastern States
in autumn and winter. It has also lately been found in England, and
I have seen a specimen of it in the possession of WILLIAM YARRELL,
Esq. of London, who received it from a person who had shot it not far
from the metropolis. I first met with this species in the immediate
vicinity of Dennisville, in the State of Maine, feeding on the rocky
bars of the river at low water. In the neighbourhood of Boston it
is more abundant than elsewhere. Mr NUTTALL states, that “they are
killed in abundance on the shores of Cohasset, and other parts of
Massachusetts Bay, and are brought in numbers to the market of Boston,
being very fat and well-flavoured.” “They arrive,” he adds, “in
flocks about the close of August, and continue there, as well as in
New Jersey, till the month of September. In some instances solitary
individuals have been killed in the marshes of Charles River, in
Cambridge, about the 22d of July; these were in company with flocks
of small Sandpipers (_T. Wilsonii_), but whether pairs may perhaps
breed in the neighbouring marshes or not, we have not had the means of
ascertaining. While here, they feed on small coleoptera, larvæ, and
the common green _Ulva latissima_, as well as some species of fucus
or sea-weed, on which they become fat. They utter a low plaintive
whistle when started, very similar to that of other species. Like
the Snipe they seem fond of damp meadows and marshes, and solitary
individuals are often surprised by the sportsman in the manner of
that bird.”
I have observed that the flight of the Pectoral Sandpiper resembles
that of the Knot, and is firm, rapid, and well sustained. It skims
rather low over the surface of the water or the land, and at times
shoots high up into the air, propelling itself with double rapidity
and in perfect silence. It runs with great agility, and probes the
sand or wet earth, immersing its bill up to the base. I never saw
this species in any part of the interior. Its places of resort during
the breeding season, and the changes of plumage which it undergoes,
are unknown.
TRINGA PECTORALIS, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, _Ch. Bonaparte_,
Synopsis of Birds of the United States, p. 318.
PECTORAL SANDPIPER, TRINGA PECTORALIS, _Ch. Bonaparte_,
Amer. Ornith. vol. iv. p. 43. pl. 23. fig. 2.—_Nuttall_,
Manual, vol. ii. p. 111.
Adult Male in Summer. Plate CCXCIV. Fig. 1.
Bill rather longer than the head, slender, subcylindrical, straight,
flexible, compressed at the base, the point rather depressed and
obtuse. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, slightly
decurved towards the end, the ridge convex, towards the end a little
flattened, at the point convex, the sides sloping, the edges rather
blunt and soft. Nasal groove extending to near the tip; nostrils
basal, linear, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle long and very
narrow, the dorsal line straight, the sides nearly erect, with a long
narrow groove, the tip a little broader but tapering.
Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Eyes rather large. Neck of
moderate length. Body rather slender. Feet of moderate length, slender;
tibia bare for a considerable length; tarsus compressed, anteriorly
and posteriorly with numerous small scutella; hind toe very small;
the rest rather long, slender, the fourth slightly longer than the
second, the third longest, all free, scutellate above, flat beneath,
slightly marginate; claws rather small, slightly arched, compressed,
acute, that of third toe much larger, with the inner edge dilated.
Plumage very soft, blended beneath, slightly distinct above. Wings
long and pointed; primaries tapering, obtuse, the first longest,
the second considerably shorter, the rest regularly graduated; outer
secondaries short, obliquely rounded, the inner elongated and tapering.
Tail of twelve feathers, rather short, nearly even, but with the
middle feathers much longer and pointed, the rest rounded.
Bill dull olive-green, dusky towards the point. Iris hazel. Feet dull
yellowish-green; claws dusky. Upper part of the head reddish-brown,
the central part of each feather brownish-black; a faint whitish line
from the bill to a little beyond the eye; lores dusky; sides of the
head and anterior and lateral parts of the neck, with a portion of
the breast, light brownish-grey, marked with dark brown lines; chin
and the rest of the lower parts white. The feathers on the upper
parts are brownish-black, edged with reddish-brown, those on the
wings lighter, primary quills dusky; the outer secondaries tinged
with grey, the inner like the feathers of the back. Tail-feathers
light brownish-grey, slightly margined and tipped with white, the
two central dark like the back.
Length to end of tail 9-1/4 inches, to end of wings 9-1/4; to end
of claws 10-1/2; extent of wings 18; wing from flexure 5-10/12; tail
2-7/12; bill along the ridge 1-1/4, along the edge of lower mandible
1-2/12; bare part of tibia (5-1/2)/8, tarsus 1-(1-1/2)/12, middle
toe 7/8, its claw 3/12. Weight 6 oz.
Adult Female in summer. Plate CCXCIV. Fig. 2.
The Female, which is a little larger, is similar to the male.
THE MANKS SHEARWATER.
_PUFFINUS ANGLORUM_, RAY.
PLATE CCXCV. ADULT.
Although I have procured this species to the westward of the banks
of Newfoundland, or between their soundings and the American coast,
I am unable to say any thing of importance respecting its habits as
observed by myself. This species formerly inhabited a small islet close
to the Isle of Man, but appears to have now entirely deserted it. In
the Orkneys, however, it is still abundant, and the eggs and young are
in much request there. It arrives in March, and, when the young are
able to fly, betakes itself to the open sea, disappearing towards the
approach of winter. The British writers who have described it inform
us, that it stands nearly erect, flies with great rapidity, feeds on
marine animal substances of all kinds, and, when taken, squirts out
an oily fluid from its nostrils in the manner of the Petrels. It is
said to breed in burrows, and to lay only a single egg, of a white
colour, and elliptical form, about the size of that of a domestic fowl.
PROCELLARIA PUFFINUS, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p.
213.—_Lath._ Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 824.
PUFFINUS ANGLORUM, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synops. of Birds of
the United States, p. 371.
SHEARWATER PETREL, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 336.
Adult. Plate CCXCV.
Bill about the length of the head, rather slender, a little compressed,
straightish, the tips curved. Upper mandible with the dorsal line
convex, and sloping at the base, afterwards slightly concave, on the
unguis curved, the ridge broadly convex, narrowed towards the end,
the sides convex, the edges sharp and slightly inflected; the unguis
stout, curved, rather acute. Nostrils tubular, approximated, dorsal;
the narrow nasal groove extending to the unguis. Lower mandible
with the angle very long and narrow, the short dorsal line beyond it
decurved, the sides convex and sloping inwards, the edges sharp and
inflected.
Head of moderate size, ovate, narrowed before. Neck of moderate
length. Body elongated. Feet of moderate size; tibia feathered to
near the joint; tarsus compressed, anteriorly and posteriorly sharp,
covered all over with diversiform scales, of which a series on the
inner side is scutelliform. Toes rather long, slender, excepting
the first, which is a mere conical knob principally composed of the
claw; anterior toes connected by striated webs of which the margin
is concave, scutellate above, the third and fourth longest and about
equal. Claws small, compressed, slightly arched, obtuse, that of
third toe with the inner edge a little dilated.
Plumage dense, soft, blended, on the upper parts rather compact.
Feathers of the fore part of the head very short. Wings long, sharp;
primaries tapering, rounded; first longest, the rest regularly
graduated; secondaries rather short, rounded. Tail rounded, of twelve
feathers.
Bill deep greenish-black. Iris dark brown. Inner and middle of outer
side of tibia dingy orange, the rest greenish-black, as is the fourth
toe and outer side of the third, the inner side of the latter and
the whole of the second dingy orange; the webs much paler; claws
brownish-black. All the upper parts are brownish-black, the lower
white.
Length to end of tail 15 inches, to end of wings 15-1/2, to end of claws
16; extent of wings 32; wing from flexure 9-3/4; tail 3-1/2; bill
along the back 1-8/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-10/12;
tarsus 1-11/12; middle toe 1-10/12, its claw 4/12. Weight 15 oz.
The Female is similar to the male.
GREAT EGG HARBOUR.
Some years ago, after having spent the spring in observing the habits
of the migratory warblers and other land birds, which arrived in
vast numbers in the vicinity of Camden in New Jersey, I prepared to
visit the sea shores of that State, for the purpose of making myself
acquainted with their feathered inhabitants. June had commenced, the
weather was pleasant, and the country seemed to smile in the prospect
of bright days and gentle gales. Fishermen gunners passed daily
between Philadelphia and the various small sea-ports, with Jersey
wagons, laden with fish, fowls and other provisions, or with such
articles as were required by the families of those hardy boatmen; and
I bargained with one of them to take myself and my baggage to Great
Egg Harbour.
One afternoon, about sunset, the vehicle halted at my lodgings, and
the conductor intimated that he was anxious to proceed as quickly
as possible. A trunk, a couple of guns, and such other articles as
are found necessary by persons whose pursuits are similar to mine,
were immediately thrust into the wagon, and were followed by their
owner. The conductor whistled to his steeds and off we went at a
round pace over the loose and deep sand that in almost every part of
this State forms the basis of the roads. After a while we overtook a
whole caravan of similar vehicles moving in the same direction, and
when we got near them our horses slackened their pace to a regular
walk, the driver leaped from his seat, I followed his example, and we
presently found ourselves in the midst of a group of merry wagoners,
relating their adventures of the week, it being now Saturday night.
One gave intimation of the number of “Sheep-heads” he had taken to
town, another spoke of the Curlews which yet remained on the sands,
and a third boasted of having gathered so many dozens of Marsh Hen’s
eggs. I inquired if the Fish Hawks were plentiful near Great Egg
Harbour, and was answered by an elderly man, who with a laugh asked
if I had ever seen the “Weak fish” along the coast without the bird
in question. Not knowing the animal he had named, I confessed my
ignorance, when the whole party burst into a loud laugh, in which,
there being nothing better for it, I joined.
About midnight the caravan reached a half-way house, where we rested a
while. Several roads diverged from this spot, and the wagons separated,
one only keeping us company. The night was dark and gloomy, but the
sand of the road indicated our course very distinctly. Suddenly the
gallopping of horses struck my ear, and on looking back we perceived
that our wagon must in an instant be in imminent danger. The driver
leaped off, and drew his steeds aside, barely in time to allow the
runaways to pass without injuring us. Off they went at full speed,
and not long after their owner came up panting, and informed us that
they had suddenly taken fright at some noise proceeding from the
woods, but hoped they would soon stop. Immediately after we heard a
crash; then for a few moments all was silent; but the neighing of the
horses presently assured us that they had broken loose. On reaching
the spot, we found the wagon upset, and a few yards farther on were
the horses quietly browsing by the road side.
The first dawn of morn in the Jerseys in the month of June, is worthy
of a better description than I can furnish, and therefore I shall
only say that the moment the sunbeams blazed over the horizon, the
loud and mellow notes of the Meadow Lark saluted our ears. On each
side of the road were open woods, on the tallest trees of which I
observed at intervals the nest of a Fish Hawk, far above which the
white-breasted bird slowly winged its way, as it commenced its early
journey to the sea, the odour of which filled me with delight. In
half an hour more, we were in the centre of Great Egg Harbour.
There I had the good fortune to be received into the house of a
thorough bred fisherman-gunner, who besides owning a comfortable cot
only a few hundred yards from the shore, had an excellent woman for
a wife, and a little daughter as playful as a kitten, though as wild
as a sea-gull. In less than half an hour, I was quite at home, and
the rest of the day was spent in devotion.
Oysters, though reckoned out of season at this period, are as good
as ever when fresh from their beds, and my first meal was of some
as large and white as any I have eaten. The sight of them placed
before me on a clean table, with an honest and industrious family
in my company, never failed to afford more pleasure than the most
sumptuous fare under different circumstances; and our conversation
being simple and harmless, gaiety shone in every face. As we became
better acquainted, I had to answer several questions relative to the
object of my visit. The goodman rubbed his hands with joy as I spoke
of shooting and fishing, and of long excursions through the swamps
and marshes around.
My host was then, and I hope still is, a tall strong-boned muscular
man, of dark complexion, with eyes as keen as those of the Sea-eagle.
He was a tough walker, laughed at difficulties, and could pull an oar
with any man. As to shooting, I have often doubted whether he or Mr
EGAN, the worthy pilot of Indian Isle, was best; and rarely indeed
have I seen either of them miss a shot.
At day-break on Monday, I shouldered my double-barrelled gun, and
my host carried with him a long fowling-piece, a pair of oars, and
a pair of oyster-tongs, while the wife and daughter brought along
a seine. The boat was good, the breeze gentle, and along the inlets
we sailed for parts well known to my companions. To such naturalists
as are qualified to observe many different objects at the same time,
Great Egg Harbour would probably afford as ample a field as any part
of our coast, excepting the Florida Keys. Birds of many kinds are
abundant, as are fishes and testaceous animals. The forests shelter
many beautiful plants, and even on the dryest sand-bar you may see
insects of the most brilliant tints. Our principal object, however,
was to procure certain birds known there by the name of Lawyers, and
to accomplish this we entered and followed for several miles a winding
inlet or bayou, which led us to the interior of a vast marsh, where
after some search we found the birds and their nests. Our seine had
been placed across the channel, and when we returned to it the tide
had run out and left in it a number of fine fishes, some of which we
cooked and ate on the spot. One, which I considered as a curiosity,
was saved and transmitted to Baron CUVIER. Our repast ended, the
seine was spread out to dry, and we again betook ourselves to the
marshes, to pursue our researches until the return of the tide. Having
collected enough to satisfy us, we took up our oars, and returned
to the shore in front of the fisherman’s house, where we dragged the
seine several times with success.
In this manner I passed several weeks along those delightful and
healthy shores, one day going to the woods to search the swamps in
which the Herons bred, passing another amid the joyous cries of the
Marsh Hens, and on a third carrying slaughter among the White-breasted
Sea Gulls, by way of amusement sometimes hauling the fish called the
Sheep-head from an eddy along the shore, or watching the gay Terns
as they danced in the air, or plunged into the waters to seize the
tiny fry. Many a drawing I made at Great Egg Harbour, many a pleasant
day I spent along its shores; and much pleasure would it give me once
more to visit the good and happy family in whose house I resided there.
THE BARNACLE GOOSE.
_ANSER LEUCOPSIS_, BECHST.
PLATE CCXCVI. MALE AND FEMALE.
Several old gunners on the coast of Massachusetts and Maine, who
were Englishmen by birth, assured me that they had killed Barnacles
there, and that these birds brought a higher price in the markets
than the Common Brent Geese. The Prince of Musignano states in his
Synopsis that they are very rare and accidental in the United States,
and Mr NUTTALL says that they are “mere stragglers” there. For my
part, I acknowledge that I never met with one of them, either along
the coast or in the interior, although I have seen beautiful mounted
specimens in various parts. Being neither anxious to add to our Fauna,
nor willing unnecessarily to detract from it, I have figured a pair
of these birds, with the hope that ere long, the assertions of the
gunners, and those of the authors above mentioned, may be abundantly
verified by the slaughter of many geese. In the mean time I must
further confess my ignorance of the habits of the Barnacle.
Mr SELBY thus speaks of it in the second volume of his
Illustrations:—“The Bernicle is amongst the number of our winter
visitants, annually resorting in vast numbers, upon the approach of
autumn, to the western shores of Britain, and to the north of Ireland.
Upon the Lancashire coast, the Solway Frith, &c. it is very abundant;
frequenting the marshy grounds that are occasionally covered by the
spring-tides, and such sands as produce the sea-grasses and plants
upon which it feeds. Upon the eastern and southern shores of Britain
it is of rare occurrence, its place being supplied by its nearly
allied congener, the Brent Goose (_Anser Brenta_); which again is as
rarely seen upon the opposite coast of the island. Like the rest of the
genus, the Bernicle is a very wary bird, and can only be approached by
the most cautious manœuvres. It is sometimes shot by moonlight, when
it comes on the sands to feed, by persons couched on the ground, or
from behind any occasional shelter in such places as the flocks are
known to frequent. Its flesh is sweet and tender, and highly esteemed
for the table. Upon the approach of spring it leaves our shores for
more northern countries, and by the middle of March the whole have
retired.” It is known to breed in Iceland, Spitzbergen, Greenland,
&c. as well as in Lapland, the northern parts of Russia, and northern
Asia. It also inhabits Hudson’s Bay and other polar districts of the
American continent. During its equatorial or winter migration, it is
abundant in Holland, France, and parts of Germany.
The eggs, which I describe from specimens deposited in the rich museum
of the University of Edinburgh, measure two inches and seven-eighths
by one inch and seven-eighths, and are of a uniform yellowish-cream
colour.
I have represented an adult male in spring, and a female of the
preceding year.
ANAS ERYTHROPUS, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 197.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 843.
ANSER LEUCOPSIS, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of the
United States, p. 377.
BARNACLE GOOSE, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 355.
Adult Male in Spring. Plate CCXCVI. Fig. 1.
Bill much shorter than the head, higher than broad at the base,
somewhat conical, slightly depressed towards the end, narrowed and
rounded at the tip. Upper mandible with the dorsal line sloping,
the ridge broad and flattened, the sides sloping, the edges soft and
obtuse, the oblique marginal lamellæ short, transverse, about thirty
on each side, besides minute anterior ones; the unguis roundish,
convex, striato-denticulate on the inner edge. Nasal groove elliptical,
commencing at the base and extending to the middle of the bill,
parallel to the ridge, filled by the soft membrane of the bill;
nostrils lateral, submedial, longitudinal, narrow-elliptical, open,
pervious. Lower mandible straight, with the angle very long, rather
wide, and rounded, the sides sloping rapidly upwards, the edges soft
and obtuse, with about thirty-eight distinct lamellæ on an inflected
plane.
Head small, oblong, compressed. Neck rather long and slender. Body
full, slightly depressed. Feet short, stout, placed a little behind the
centre of the body; legs bare a little above the tibio-tarsal joint.
Tarsus short, a little compressed, covered all round with angular
reticulated scales, which are smaller behind. Hind toe extremely
small, with a very narrow membrane; third toe longest, fourth a little
shorter, but longer than second all the toes reticulated above at
the base, but with narrow transverse scutella towards the end; the
three anterior connected by a reticulated membrane, the outer with
a thick margin, the inner with the margin extended into a two-lobed
web. Claws small, arched, rather compressed, except that of the middle
toe, which is bent obliquely outwards, depressed, with a curved edge.
Wings of moderate length, with an obtuse protuberance at the flexure.
Plumage close, rather short, compact above, blended on the head,
neck, and lower parts of the body. The feathers of the head and neck
very narrow, of the back very broad and abrupt, of the breast and
belly broadly rounded. Wings when closed extending about an inch and
a quarter beyond the tail, acute; primaries very strong, curved, the
second longest; secondaries long, broad, rounded. Tail very short,
rounded, of sixteen stiff rounded and acuminate feathers.
Bill, feet, and claws black. Iris dark hazel. Anterior part of the
head, including a broad space above the eye, the sides of the head,
and the throat, white; the feathers margining the bill, and a line
from the bill to the eye, curving below the lower eyelid, and running
along the upper, brownish-black. Neck all round glossy black, of
which colour are the anterior or dorsal feathers, the scapulars, and
the wing-coverts, towards their extremities, while their bases are
ash-grey, and their terminal margins white. The shorter feathers on the
middle of the back are similar; those on the rump and the tail-feathers
deep black. The quills are greyish-black, darker towards the tips,
the outer webs more or less tinged with ash-grey. The breast, sides,
and abdomen greyish-white, the upper feathers of the sides with more
grey; the upper and lower tail-coverts, and the sides of the rump,
pure white.
Length 27 inches, extent of wings 4 feet 8 inches; bill along the
ridge 1-1/2, in depth at the base 10/12, in breadth 9/12; tarsus
2-10/12, middle toe and claw 2-10/12; wing from flexure 17; tail 6;
the feet extend beyond the tail 3-1/2 inches. Weight 4 lb. 1 oz.
Adult Female. Plate CCXCVI. Fig. 2.
The Female, which is much smaller, has the same colours, the black
parts being tinged with brown, and the tints generally duller.
Length 23-1/2 inches, extent of wings 4 feet 4 inches; the feet extend
beyond the tail 2-1/2 inches. Weight 2 lb. 9 oz.
THE HARLEQUIN DUCK.
_FULIGULA HISTRIONICA_, BONAP.
PLATE CCXCVII. MALE AND FEMALE.