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 1895 
 
QUR COMMON BIRDS 
 
 AND HOW TO KNOW THEM 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN B. GRANT 
 
 WITH SIXTY-FOUR. FOLATES 
 
 FIFTH EDITION 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 
 1893 
 
Copyright, 1891, by 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 
 
 Press of J. J Little & Co. 
 Astor Place, New York 
 

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 INTRODUCTION 
 
 In offering this little book to the public, the author desires to disclaim great scientific 
 knowledge of birds and their ways, his object being not so much to impart information, 
 as to point his readers to the way of acquiring it for themselves. He believes, indeed, 
 that by reason of his own experience, recent and consequently fresh in his memory, he is 
 fitted to make some suggestions, particularly looking toward the economy of time and 
 labor, which will be of value to the beginner in the art of observing birds. He thinks also 
 that, in view of such measure of proficiency as has been attained by him, he can give 
 encouragement by the promise of ultimate success, thus affording cheer to the student, 
 and it may be preventing the abandonment of a study, which, if persevered in, cannot 
 fail to increase the substantial enjoyment of all out-of-door life. 
 
 Doubtless, the beginner who has no friend learned in Natural History to counsel 
 him, but is, dependent wholly upon the books for guidance and his own untrained 
 observation for facts, will experience certain discouragements. It will seem to him that 
 if he reads up on any one bird and then sets out to find it, that particular variety will be 
 the one which by no chance will he be able to meet with on his immediate excursions ; 
 
 3 
 
Introduction 
 
 while other kinds, unknown to him, will swarm about him. And, if he reverses the 
 method, and singles out a specimen from those he does find, noting its markings, song 
 and habits, with the intention of subsequently identifying it in the written descriptions, 
 it will similarly appear to him that either such peculiarities as he has observed appertain 
 equally to several varieties, or, worse still, if the books are to be trusted, they belong 
 to none at all. Hence, whichever way he turns the result is the same — many birds 
 seen but none identified. 
 
 This is, indeed, a serious dilemma, sufficiently embarrassing and disheartening ; but 
 it is to the student arrived at such a despondent frame of mind that the writer hopes to 
 be of use, both with his advice and by means of the plates herewith presented. 
 
 As for the advice, though of the simplest, it is believed that it will prove effective. 
 It will be given in detail in the following pages ; but the most important, if the least 
 startling features of it, may be here briefly stated. 
 
 Study one bird at a time. 
 
 Begin with the commonest, that is, the most abundant and most easily recognized 
 ones ; it is the province of this book to point such out. 
 
Introduction 
 
 Do not attempt, at the commencement, to identify any bird which presents puzzling 
 characteristics, or rather any which does not present some striking mark either of song or 
 plumage to serve as a sign for certain classification. 
 
 If these rules are observed, discouragements will be avoided, and progress will be 
 realized more rapid than might at first thought be expected. 
 
 Regarding the plates, it may be observed that these not only afford the writer his 
 principal hope of aiding the learner, but they serve as his chief excuse for this little volume. 
 Many books have been written about birds, and by those, too, far more learned upon the 
 subject than the present writer is. Reliable and handsome plates also have been published. 
 But the books have either been of a purely literary character, delightful indeed to read, 
 but conveying no detailed instruction to the beginner, or so voluminous and scientific 
 as to repel him who desires only a naming acquaintance with such birds as he con- 
 stantly sees. The plates thus far published have been in a form so bulky as to forbid 
 their being carried into the field for use, and so expensive as to prevent many from ever 
 owning them. 
 
 The plates presented in this volume are photographs of specimens mounted by an 
 
Introduction 
 
 expert taxidermist,* which represent the birds in characteristic attitudes, sometimes 
 modified, however, to positions best calculated to display plumage marks. Of course, 
 the absence of color will be regretted. But colored plates are costly, and the object here 
 has been to make an inexpensive book. Photograph v cannot, as yet, reproduce color, 
 but it may, aided by description, indicate it. 
 
 Ninety specimens have been selected and described, all of them males, and all repre- 
 senting varieties so abundant that anv person may surely find them if he chooses to seek. 
 Of these birds, sixtv-four portraits have been given. The descriptions, it is hoped, will be 
 found to be trustworthy, although there is no pretense in them of exhaustive detail. The 
 aim has been to furnish sufficient data to serve the purpose of identification, while avoid- 
 ing the danger of confusion. The book has been put into such form as to be conveniently 
 taken into the field for the learner’s use, while he is actually regarding the living bird. It 
 is not expected to take the place of a larger Manual, but to be supplementary to such a 
 work. A complete Ornithological Treatise is a desirable possession for the bird-lover 
 from the start, and it will become gradually indispensable to him as he grows in knowledge 
 
 *J. Wallace, i6 North William St., New York City. 
 
 6 
 
Introduction 
 
 and desires fuller and more detailed information than a small volume such as the present 
 one can supply. 
 
 The birds which have come under the author’s own observation, and whose habits 
 are here recorded, were seen on Long Island, near Flushing, and at various points upon 
 the Hudson River between New York City and Peekskill ; and in this connection it must 
 be borne in mind that birds’ habits vary greatly in different localities, so that absolute 
 conformity to customs mentioned here must not in other places be invariably expected. 
 Thus, to mention a single example, birds which, in one part of the country, nest upon the 
 ground, may, in another part, be found building in trees. 
 
 Until a comparatively recent date, no universally accepted system of bird nomen- 
 clature has been in vogue. Naturalists have, perhaps, not always been wise in the names 
 they have bestowed upon the several varieties, and their successors have not hesitated to 
 christen again and again according to their supposed better judgment or knowledge. 
 It therefore came to pass that a bird could have several scientific, that is, Latin names, 
 and it was even necessary in some instances, when making use of one of them, to append 
 the name of the man who had applied it, to indicate with certainty what bird was meant. 
 
Introduction 
 
 This state of things naturally created considerable confusion— a confusion which 
 must unfortunately continue to exist in all our bird literature antedatiiy<r in publication 
 the year 1885. 
 
 In that year the American Ornithologist’s Union adopted a Code of Rules, and 
 issued a Check List prepared by a committee appointed by the Society. This document 
 was compiled with so much learning and conservative wisdom, that its authority has 
 been recognized by most if not all ornithologists and its nomenclature adopted. The 
 arrangement and nomenclature of this List have been followed as a matter of course, in the 
 present book, so far as the Latin names are concerned. In regard to the common names 
 of birds, however, which are in no sense scientific, the author has frequently allowed 
 himself to make use of those which seem to him more familiar. For example. Pine 
 Finch instead of Pine Siskin, Indigo-bird instead of Indigo Bunting, Red Crossbill instead 
 of American Crossbill, etc., etc. 
 
 Many books have been consulted to correct or confirm the author’s own statements ; 
 likewise to furnish authority for the descriptions appertaining to a small number of 
 specimens which he has not seen in life, but which, for the sake of completeness, he 
 
Introduction 
 
 has thought it best to include in his list. Two of these works require special mention, 
 because of the liberal use made of them. They are Dr. Elliott Coues’ Key to North 
 American Birds, and A List of the Birds of the Hudson Highlands, by Dr. Edgar A. 
 Mearns. The measurements of birds given in the latter of these works have, with slight 
 modifications, been adopted here. The figures are the average lengths of from half a 
 dozen to about half a hundred specimens, and may serve as a general indication of 
 size. Dr. Mearns’ List is the source also from which most of the dates of migration 
 have been taken. 
 
 It should also be said that the idea of a calendar of bird arrivals and departures is 
 not an original one. Dr. Allen published a somewhat similar list of New England birds 
 in the first volume of the American Naturalist, issued in 1867-8. 
 
 Thanks for assistance are due to Mr. E. A. Fairchild, Principal of the Flushing 
 Institute, and to Mr. Clifford Smyth, of New York City. 
 
 To Dr. j. A. Allen, Curator of the Ornithological Department of the Museum of 
 Natural History of New York City, the authoi is particularly indebted for kindly advice 
 and much valuable help in various ways. 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
Whan shaws beene sheeiie, and shraddes hill fayre, 
 
 And leaves both large and longe, 
 
 Itt’s merrye walkyng in the fayre forrbst 
 To heare the small birdes songe.” 
 
 — Ballad of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne 
 
OUR COMMON BIRDS AND HOW TO KNOW THEM 
 
 The equipment necessary for an observer of birds is not large. He needs only a 
 pocket note-book, a good opera or field glass, stout and easy boots or shoes and clothing 
 of strong texture and inconspicuous color ; these for the field. For the study he must 
 have a good book of reference (there is none better than A Key to the Birds of North 
 America, by Dr. Elliott Coues), and a journal. The notes made during a ramble will, 
 of course, be hasty, incomplete, in short mere memoranda ; but the transcriptions of 
 these into the journal should be elaborated with care, and in the best literary style 
 possible. This journal will be frequently read, both by its writer and probably by his 
 friends, and it may with great likelihood form the basis of future publication. Moreover, 
 it should be written out as soon as possible after the excursion whose results are to be 
 recorded, and while the observations regarding markings and habits of specimens remain 
 clear in the memory ; for, if this be not systematically done, and if the notes of several 
 days’ ramblings be allowed to accumulate, it is more than likely that there will be a 
 confusion of the facts beyond the power of the field book to disentangle. 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Tliem 
 
 But if the would-be observer looks forward to what may be called professional 
 work, and intends to make an exhaustive study of ornilholoi^v, he must kill birds 
 and learn to skin and preserve them ; and for this purpose he must have a ^un 
 and a set of taxidermist’s instruments. Dr. Cones, in his Key, gives full directions 
 regarding the use of these, together with ample instruction in the formation and care 
 of a collection. In the present little woik this branch of the subject will not be 
 discussed, and only such familiarity with birds will be sought for as may be attained 
 by observation alone and through the instrumentalitv of no weapon more deadlv than 
 the opera-glass. 
 
 Armed, therefore, with opera-glass and note-book, start out in the early morning 
 or towards sunset. It is at these times during the summer season, that birds are active. 
 In the heat of the day, no observations can be made of sufficient importance to repay 
 the personal discomfort and even risk which exercise at such a time involves. The few 
 hours immediately succeeding day-break are best of all, but for obvious reasons a some- 
 what later period will be chosen by most people, and indeed there is enough occurring 
 for quite a large portion of the morning to repay the watcher. After all, the occupation 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 is undertaken for recreation, and let him to whom early rising is an abomination, in the 
 name of Morpheus, slumber on ; only, when his tardy start is effected, he shall not witness 
 bird-life so exuberant, nor listen to such floods of melody, nor inhale such richness of 
 perfume, nor find refreshment in airs so balmy, as he might have done had he been 
 earlier astir. 
 
 In Spring and Fall, however, the conditions are somewhat different, and mid-day 
 walks may well be productive of good ; while in Winter they are sometimes best of all. 
 
 When exploring open country, such as field and meadow, walk briskly. Flere 
 you cannot hope to steal up to your bird and study him, yourself unobserved. The 
 most you can do is to come upon him suddenly, mark the spot whence he starts that 
 his nest may be searched for ; note his manner of flight, getting at the same time such 
 details of plumage as may be possible, and perhaps stalk him in the tree or thicket 
 where he has taken refuge. And this stalking must be deftly done. Approaches must 
 be accomplished by detours, with advantage taken of trees, bushes, rocks and mounds 
 for partial concealment. Nor may you push your investigations too far ; a bird’s 
 quickness of sight and hearing is remarkable, and its dislike of inspection a universal 
 
Oiir Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 trait. It is also surprisingly clever in discriminating between the casual wayfarer who 
 is oblivious of its presence, and him who comes to spv upon its privacv. 
 
 Therefore, your hunting must be full of Indian-like craft and subtlety, and your 
 standpoint for observing chosen with good judgment. But, should it happen, as 
 too often it will, that the bird you are following is unusually shy, and vou feel doubtful 
 of being able to attain a sufficiently near position, artifice may still enable you to carry 
 out voLir design. Throw off now all appearance of stealth or watchfulness, and, assum- 
 ing the guileless and unconcerned manner of the purposeless loiterer, stroll along, not 
 too directly towards the bird, and particularly avoid any steadfast gazing. Duplicity 
 of this sort will frequently outmatch your adversary’s sagacity, and should be practiced 
 in its proper time. 
 
 Another expedient for retarding a bird’s too hasty departure, sometimes adopted 
 with success, is to give utterance to sundry chirps and whistles to which you will 
 endeavor to impart some resemblance to bird-language. It is a Dct, unlikely as it may 
 seem, that a bird will often remain to answer, and will sometimes even approach quite 
 near to the accomplished mimic. 
 
 i6 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 When wandering in woods or groves, tactics of another sort should govern your 
 proceedings. Here you may confidently expect to surprise many a bird, and therefore 
 you should go slowly, with your attention given mostly to the tree-tops, quick to notice 
 and investigate each motion among the branches, and with ears alert for every chirp 
 or twitter. In such a place, you will, perhaps hear the chatter and see the bright eyes 
 or bushy tail of the saucy squirrel. Fur or feathers, quills or scales, all creatures will 
 be objects of interest to you even from the beginning of your investigations, while their 
 importance will intensify as increase of knowledge is obtained. 
 
 When you have come upon a bird, of course your opera-glass will be put to use. 
 But even in raising it to your eyes your movement should be deliberate. Never forget 
 that a hasty motion or the quick glancing of the sun upon the barrel or lens of the 
 glass is sufficient to betray your presence. Now that you are watching your specimen, 
 it might, perhaps, seem that your end is attained and that no further special qualifications 
 are needful for what remains to be done, the simple act of observation. Not so ; your 
 observing faculties must be trained before good results can be assured. It is not sufficient 
 that you see in a merely superficial way ; you must be capable of detecting special and 
 
 17 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 distinctive peculiarities, and the ability to do this comes to few except throu^di training. 
 The bird’s markings should be carefully studied ; the tail and wings should be noted, 
 whether they be long or short, slender or full, and whether the former be rounded, square 
 or notched ; the tints of bill and legs should be remarked ; attention should be given 
 to characteristic habits, such as the llight, whether straight or undulatory ; the position 
 maintained in the tree, whether high or low in the branches ; the general deportment, 
 whether restless or composed ; the nature of the environment, whether marsh, meadow, 
 wood, upland or lowland ; and above all, the song or note of the bird should be so 
 thoroughly learned that it will be instantly recognized when again heard. These and 
 a host of other observations of a kindred nature should be diligently made and faithfully 
 transcribed in your note-book. They will assist you greatly, not only in determining 
 the species when you have opportunity to consult your reference book, but, if you chance 
 already to know the individual, they will strengthen former records of its habits, not 
 unfrequently show variations either before not remarked or peculiar to locality, and will 
 always tend to increase your intimacy with the bird. 
 
 During the actual inspection of a specimen, it is usually unadvisable to withdraw 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 one’s eyes for the purpose of making memoranda, since, if one loses sight of a bird. 
 It is frequently difficult to regain it. Before the next specimen is sought, however, 
 the notes descriptive of the one just observed should habitually be made, and that too, 
 be it remembered, with the thoroughness which has already been strenuously advised. 
 Depend upon it, the time and trouble bestowed upon these notes will be certainly and 
 speedily rewarded. 
 
 A third, and for an indolent nature an extremely pleasant, nTethod of studying birds 
 is to seek some spot which possesses peculiarly attractive features for them, and whither 
 they are accustomed to resort in great numbers, and there, properly sheltered, seat your- 
 self and quietly wait for what may come within the range of your vision. 1 have in 
 mind two localities that have always proved wonderfully rich in bird-life. One is a 
 bluff, perhaps forty feet in height, rather steep, and with a number of good-sized forest 
 trees growing upon its slope. Rolling fields spread backwards from its brow, and at 
 its foot runs a line of shrubbery, somewhat thicket-like in character and forming a sort 
 of natural hedge, which fittingly bounds a boggy meadow beyond. Several small springs 
 issue from the sides of this declivity and trickle down in gentle streams until lost in the 
 
Our Conimou Birds and How to Know Theni 
 
 ditches which intersect the meadow. Meadowlarks, Blackbirds, Marsh Wrens, Bitterns, 
 Bobolinks and an occasional Duck frequent the lowland. In the upland, the C^owbird, 
 the Robin and the Song Sparrow disport themselves ; into the trees and shrubs upon 
 the bluff come Woodpeckers, Thrushes, Orioles, Catbirds, Flycatchers and Warblers, 
 and all of these, and, indeed, more than 1 have named, take turns in visiting the springs 
 and rivulets ; now indulging in a hasty bath, now daintly slaking their thirst, now 
 breaking forth into song, now making love, and now, must it be confessed, waging war, 
 all utterly unconscious of the observer, who, reclining upon a mossy bank, or sitting 
 motionless upon a log or stump, or leaning fixedly against the trunk of some friendly 
 tree, is watching with intense interest the scenes of svlvan life unwittingly enacted 
 before him. 
 
 Such is one of the favored spots. The other is an old, deserted and gone-to-ruin 
 apple orchard, far from any habitation, except a few scattering farm-houses. This orchard 
 is skirted on three sides by forest trees, and on the remaining side by a swamp, which 
 is a tangle of alders and other water-loving growths. Here may be seen the Orchard 
 Oriole, the Black-billed Cuckoo, the Indigo-bird, the Summer Redbird, the Towhee, the 
 
 20 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 Redstart, the American Goldfinch, Wrens, Thrashers, Vireos, and numerous other 
 varieties of birds in great profusion. It was at this place that a friend of the writer 
 pitched a tent, and, with his dog as his only companion, spent four delightful months, 
 solitary, indeed, except for an occasional visit from a few of his acquaintances who were 
 lovers enough of Nature to be willing to accept in her service the limited, but by no 
 means comfortless, accommodations of a canvas house and a somewhat rudimentary 
 couch. It was the writer’s good fortune to be reckoned among the favored ones, and 
 the days spent there in delightful rambles and the evenings passed in luxurious repose 
 will linger long in the memory. 
 
 Here I made my first acquaintance with the Black-billed Cuckoo. It was at dawn, 
 or shortly after. We were wakened by a loud and continuous and rather hoarse cooing 
 note. We rose and stole out of the tent, and upon the large tree, whose branches over- 
 hung our habitation, sat a long, grey bird, with a light breast. It looked somewhat like 
 a Pigeon, and, indeed, its utterance bore a certain resemblance to the croon of that 
 bird. It was not long, however, before we knew it to be the Cuckoo, and we stood 
 and watched it with interest for many minutes. After a time we perceived several 
 
 21 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 Others of its companions noiselessly Hitting among the branches of some adjacent trees, 
 and our first friend finally joined these and all departed. 
 
 Doubtless, there are specially favored spots in every region, where the observer will 
 meet with the objects of his search in greater variety and profusion than in other places, 
 and to him who once becomes attentive to ornithological pursuits, they will speedily 
 become well-known and favorite resorts. Mr. Burroughs, a constant observer and a 
 charming writer, tells of a certain hemlock wood where, during one ramble, he counted 
 “ over forty varieties.” But it is not essential that multitudes of birds should be present 
 to render the occupation of the student attractive. In fact, it is not certain that too 
 great a variety would not be a means of confusing the beginner. His attention would 
 possibly be diverted from one specimen to another with such rapidity that he could not 
 sufficiently familiarize himself with any. Certainly, the closest observers have never 
 made it a matter of complaint that objects for study were not at hand. Mr. Bradford 
 Torrey, either from necessity or choice, made the Common in the City of Boston a field 
 for his study of birds. One would say that this was not a promising site. In fact, Mr, 
 Torrey admits that the place is not an ideal one for such a purpose, though in justice 
 
 22 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 to him, it must be stated that it is not of the scarcity of objects that he complains, but 
 of the publicity of the situation. He says : “Other things being equal, a modest 
 ornithologist would prefer a place where he could stand still and look up without becom- 
 ing himself a gazing-stock.” Nevertheless, Mr. Torrey did “stand still and look up,” 
 and to good purpose, too. He says : “ Within the last seven or eight years 1 have watched 
 there some thousands of specimens, representing not far from seventy species.” That 
 is what it is to have the love of observing and to know how to exercise it. The ordinary 
 citizen of Boston passes through the Common every day of his life noticing only English 
 Sparrows, and perhaps a few Robins. But Mr. Torrey finds “ not far from seventy species,” 
 among them birds most unlikely to be in such a place, as the Butcherbird, the Sapsucker, 
 the Maryland Yellow-throat, the Cuckoo, the Kingfisher and the Owl, not to mention a 
 Mockingbird, a Cardinal Grosbeak and a Paroquet, which he guesses to be escaped 
 cage-birds. 
 
 Gilbert White’s researches were confined to the single parish of Selborne in the 
 county of Hampshire, England; and his diaries and letters to his friends, “Thomas 
 Pennant, Esquire,” and “The Honorable Daines Barrington,” in which he discusses and 
 
 23 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know d hcmi 
 
 comments upon the quadrupeds, birds, insects, worms, vegetables, weather and 
 antiquities of his parish, have been the delight of succeeding generations of readers, 
 whether naturalists or simply cultivated people of no especial calling. 
 
 “1 find,” he writes, “that that district produces the greatest varietv which is the 
 most examined ; ” a significant remark, and, coming from a past-master in his art, 
 worthy of full credence. We may, therefore, be assured that whatever place we are in 
 will be found to offer full scope for studies in natural historv. All that need concern us 
 is lest we ourselves fall short in requisite diligence. 
 
 It has been intimated that special training, if not special faculties for precise observa- 
 tion are needful to make one a really good observer. Henry D. Thoreau may be cited 
 as a type of this sort of student, and though his personal character may repel one by 
 reason of its intense egotism ; and though one be constantly excited to resent the scorn 
 with which he regarded his fellow-men and which he did not hesitate to express ; still 
 his reverent love of nature must produce sympathy, and his untiring energy in the 
 pursuit of a knowledge of her secrets must command respect, while the contemplation 
 of his life and work must always be of use to a person engaged in similar research. 
 
 24 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 Thoreau had the faculty of quick and accurate observation to a most extraordinary 
 degree. Emerson, in a biographical sketch of him, says: “He noted what repeatedly 
 befell him, that after receiving from a distance a rare plant, he would presently find 
 the same in his own haunts. And those pieces of luck which happen only to good 
 players happened to him. One day, walking with a stranger who inquired where 
 Indian arrow-heads could be found, he replied, ‘Everywhere,’ and, stooping forv/ard, 
 picked one on the instant from the ground. At Mt. Washington, in Tuckerman’s 
 Ravine, Thoreau had a bad fall, and sprained his foot. As he was getting up from his 
 fall, he saw for the first time the leaves of Arnica mollis/' 
 
 Read in his journals how he chronicles the reddening of the maple buds, the first 
 appearance of the skunk-cabbage, the earliest note of the tree-frog, the arrangement of the 
 sand upon the rail-road embankments in tiny ridges caused by showers of rain. Nothing 
 is too trivial to escape him, and there is nothing that does not secure the interest of his 
 reader also when once pointed out and commented upon in his own happy manner. 
 
 Not every one may hope to equal White or Thoreau. Eew people have either their 
 talent or the leisure for its exercise. But there are many, nevertheless, whose love of nature 
 
 25 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Tlicm 
 
 is similar in kind if not in degree to that which dominated them. Some of these, who are 
 now simply conscious of a general, undefined feeling of pleasure when contemplating a 
 charming view, and who, when brought by chance into contact with a bird or an animal 
 in its native haunts, experience only a momentary interest and admiration at the sight — 
 some of these (and more, perhaps, than are themselves aware of any such predilection) are 
 fitted to share that glorious thrill and glow which nature bestows with liberal hand upon 
 her devotees. If they have not already felt that delight it is only because they have hitherto 
 slighted her. 
 
 Let us suppose a person of this kind ; one, susceptible indeed to rural delights, but 
 engrossed in other affairs, and hitherto inattentive to natural incidents or objects. Let us 
 suppose some such incident or object to be thrust upon his sight in a way strongly to 
 attract his notice. Say that upon one of his rambles he finds a bird’s nest containing a 
 complement of eggs, and is struck with the cleverness of the structure and the beauty 
 of its fragile contents. Can we not perceive that here may be the starting-point from 
 which he will become an accomplished observer ? And may we not easily fancy the 
 succeeding steps of his progress ? His curiosity is roused, and he takes his station near by 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 to await the coming of the owner of the nest. He is not long delayed, for he soon dis- 
 covers that yonder little bird, flitting and chirping in the adjoining thicket with manifest 
 uneasiness must be the one he seeks. After some time spent in watching, he departs, only 
 to come next day and the next, until the eggs have given place to young birds ; and now 
 he has attained such dexterity of approach that he is able to come near enough, himself 
 undetected, to witness the parents as they feed their fledglings. One day he arrives when 
 one or more of the young birds essay their first flight. But long before this he has found 
 means to inform himself of the species of the birds he is studying, and he is well on the 
 way to become a bird observer. Indeed it may be confidently asserted that he has not 
 confined his interest to this single group. Led on by that pleasurable initial experience, he 
 has noticed many other birds and has to some degree studied their actions too. He has 
 learned the songs of some kinds, he has seen them feeding, he begins to know in what 
 places to look for certain varieties, and at last he discovers that his acquaintance not only 
 with birds, but with insects, quadrupeds, plants and trees has become considerable, and he 
 is forced to acknowledge that all nature has taken on a new aspect for him. Moreover, his 
 daily enjoyment has enormously increased, in that his resources have been multiplied 
 
 27 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 and his capacity to comprehend has been enlarged, while his health, by reason of abundant 
 out-of-door exercise, and in consequence of the relaxation which comes from a diversity 
 of agreeable pursuits, has received great beneht. 
 
 It has been thus with many who have been led on bv insensible degrees, until they 
 have attained considerable proficiency in natural lore ; and so it will doubtless be with 
 many more ; and while it is not to be expected that every one who desires an intelligent 
 understanding of the subject will aim to become a learned scientist, still it is desirable that 
 every one should start in the right direction and then the point to which he will arrive 
 may be safely left to the determination of the manv circumstances and conditions which 
 govern the conduct of each individual. 
 
 Concerning that branch of natural history termed Ornithology, which we are here 
 briefly considering, three methods of procedure have been indicated and advice has been 
 given concerning each. In the first two, the student walks through woods and forests, 
 and in open fields and meadows. In the last he is seated at ease in some favorable spot 
 known to be inhabited or frequently visited by birds. And while it has been pointed out 
 that each of these methods requires different treatment, it has been assumed that all of them 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 will be practised, since they are all not only dependent upon each other, but are also 
 equally valuable in their results and delightful in their prosecution. The discussion has 
 been slight, but sufficient, it is believed, in connection with the few words of advice which 
 follow to start the novice upon the right way. 
 
 Cultivate a noiseless foothill, and avoid jerky movements. Choose firm, turfy ground 
 when possible, shunning gravel that crunches, sticks that snap, or leaves that rustle. 
 Proceeding through bushes and undergrowth, part the branches softly and release them 
 with care, that they may not fly back and by their swaying alarm the birds. Train your 
 ear to catch every sound and to note its source, not allowing a chirp or twitter to escape 
 you or to remain unexplained. Accustom your eye to mark every movement, teaching it 
 to discriminate betwixt the wind-stirred leaf and that set in motion by bird or squirrel. 
 All this, with practice, will become more and more easy until it will be accomplished 
 mechanically — then, a chirp, which once would not have been heard at all, or if by chance 
 noticed, would have conveyed no information beyond the simple fact that some unknown 
 bird, insect, or, it maybe, toad, was in the branches of yonder tree, will now tell you what 
 the creature is and allure you to investigations of delightful interest. 
 
 29 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 But be patient. Do not expect to learn immediately all there is to be known. And 
 do not try to identify too many kinds of birds at the commencement of your career. 
 Choose for your earlier studies those that are at the same time abundant and that are 
 striking in plumage or song, or both ; confining yourself to male birds, that is to say, 
 to precisely those which alone as a rule possess these well-marked characteristics. For 
 if you puzzle over each bird you see, and with all your pains fail to become satisfied 
 as to its identity, you must be a person of uncommon perseverance, if you do not soon 
 grow disheartened. 
 
 You now probably know the Robin and the Crow. Who does not Well, begin 
 with these. Study them. They alone, if really studied, are capable of affording much 
 entertainment. As for the Robin you need not leave the precincts of your own garden 
 to find him. But there are other birds probablv not known to you, and yet always 
 present in great numbers, which you may immediately add to your list for present study ; 
 confident that after reading about them in the books you will recognize them on sight ; 
 or even should you chance to meet them without preparation that vou will be able to 
 identify them by subsequent reference to the books. They are the Red-winged Black- 
 
 30 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 bird, the Catbird, the Thrush (at first you will not be able to say which one of the 
 Thrushes), the American Goldfinch, the Baltimore Oriole, the Cuckoo, the Flicker, the 
 Hummingbird, the Indigo-bird, the Bobolink, the Meadowlark, the Scarlet Tanager, the 
 Bluebird, the Summer Redbird, the Blue Jay, the Chickadee, the Kingfisher, the Chimney 
 Swift, the Barn Swallow, the Owl and Woodpecker (perhaps the particular kind of these 
 last two will puzzle you), the House Wren, the Cedarbird, and, after you have learned 
 the song, the Song Sparrow. 
 
 This is no mean catalogue, and, when you have become familiar with the birds 
 comprising it, you will feel that you have added to the number of your acquaintances a 
 very goodly company. But before this is accomplished, and it will not require a long 
 time to do it, you will have unconsciously learned to know many less easily distinguished 
 birds among the Flycatchers and Warblers, not to mention some of the more soberly 
 attired partners of those birds which have been mentioned. 
 
 In selecting such a list as has been given however, it must be borne in mind that 
 some of these birds vary in color according to the time of year. The Bobolink, for 
 example, in Spring and Summer is strongly marked with white, black and bull", while in 
 
 31 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know riicm 
 
 the Fall he becomes streaked with dilTerent shades of brown. The American C'joldhnch in 
 Summer is bright yellow vcith a black crown ; in the Fall the black on his head disappears 
 and the yellow of his body fades to a pale brown. And the Indigo-bird does not attain to 
 his full brilliancy of plumage until he has been with us some time. The books, however, 
 v/ill apprise you of such changes and no serious trouble on this score need be apprehended. 
 
 Prepare for yourself, therefore, a list somewhat similar to that which has here been 
 given of easily distinguished birds which vou mav expect to meet, and seek and study 
 them. When you see a brown, plainly marked bird, observe it indeed, and even transfer 
 what you may of it to your note-book, but do not puzzle too long in the attempt to 
 name it. Close your memoranda by writing “name unknown.” Rest assured that your 
 knowledge will surely augment, and such entries will occur less and less frequently. 
 It is interesting and oftentimes helpful to consult colored plates. But owing to the great 
 expense of really good ones, not everybody can do this. An extremely good plan is to 
 make an occasional visit to the institutions where stuffed specimens are kept, such as the 
 various museums of natural history. Here it may easilv happen that a glance will set at 
 rest doubts that a long period of field or book study will fail to solve. 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 The suburban dweller, who is able to continue his observations through every 
 month of the year, will have the privilege of watching the coming and going of the 
 birds in their migrations, and, knowing the periods of these, will be enabled to inspect 
 each species as it arrives, forewarned, so to speak, of the name of the particular bird 
 he may expect to see. The great advantage that an observer so circumstanced will 
 possess over him whose country life is limited to a few months of the Summer, when the 
 birds are present in bewildering confusion, is obvious. The celebrated scientist, John 
 Tyndall, when illustrating in a lecture on Sound the value of previous information concern- 
 ing what was to be expected from an experiment, relates an incident in his acquaintance 
 with Faraday. He says : “I had everything arranged, when, just before I excited the 
 magnet, he laid his hand upon my arm and asked, ‘ What am 1 to look for ? ’ ” And then 
 he adds that even “that prince of experimenters felt the advantage of having his attention 
 directed to the special point in question.” just so it is with the student of birds. When 
 told that the Song Sparrow arrives early in March ; that it is streaked above with red and 
 brown ; that it has a chestnut crown ; and that its song is “one high note thrice repeated 
 and then a canary-like cadenza ; ” and when early in March he hears such a song, and. 
 
 33 
 
Oiir Common Birds and How to Know Tliem 
 
 detecting the singer, remarks that its appearance corresponds with the above description, 
 he entertains no manner of doubt that it is the Song Sparrow which he is regarding. 
 
 Again : he is told that the Bluebird comes also early in March ; that the upper part of 
 its body is blue, its breast reddish, its belly whitish ; and its song is “a soft, pleasing 
 warble, uttered both when dying and when at rest.” When at such time he meets such 
 a bird, there can be no room for mistake in its identification. 
 
 The opportunity for watching the coming and going of the birds is indeed most 
 advantageous for the student, and a calendar of their arrivals and departures is here 
 appended. 
 
 During the months of January and February the following birds are usually to be found, 
 though few of them are numerous, while in severe winters the greater part will probably 
 be driven southward : White-throated Sparrows, Chickadees, White-bellied Nuthatches, 
 Winter Wrens, Cedarbirds, Shrikes, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Horned Larks, Pine, and 
 Purple Finches, Juncos, Snow Buntings, Crows, Blue Jays, Kingfishers, Red Crossbills, 
 American Goldfinches, Meadowlarks, Hoot Owls, Screech Owls, Snowy Owls, Saw-whet 
 Owls, Hairy, and Downy Woodpeckers, Flickers, Robins and Bluebirds. 
 
 34 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 March 
 
 I to lo Robins, Bluebirds and Song Sparrows come in small numbers. 
 
 I o to 20 These become more plentiful, and Purple Crackles and Red-winged Blackbirds 
 
 appear. Purple Finches and Flickers receive accessions, and Fox Sparrows 
 may be seen on their northward migration. 
 
 Snowy Owls retire northward. 
 
 20 to 31 All these become still more numerous. Meadowlarks are recruited, and Phoebes 
 and Vesper Sparrows begin to come. 
 
 Pine Finches, Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and Shrikes go north, 
 
 April 
 
 I to 10 Kingfishers are recruited. Red-headed Woodpeckers pass. Myrtlebirds and 
 Ruby-crowned Kinglets appear, though these go farther north in a few 
 weeks. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Cowbirds and Flermit Thrushes 
 arrive. 
 
 35 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 April 
 
 lo to 20 Palm Warblers pass. Field Sparrows and (diippini,^ Sparrows come. 
 
 Red Crossbills leave for the north. 
 
 20 to 30 White-throated Sparrows, (diewinks, Chimney Swifts, Brown Thrashers and 
 House Wrens appear. 
 
 Winter Wrens go north. Most of the Fox Sparrows have passed. 
 
 May 
 
 I to 10 Whip-poor-wills, Catbirds, Barn, and Bank Swallows, Kingbirds, Oven-birds, 
 Wilson’s Thrushes, Wood Thrushes, Blue Yellow-backed Warblers, 
 Yellow Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers, Black and White Warb- 
 lers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Solitary Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, Yellow- 
 throated Vireos, Redstarts, Grasshopper Sparrows, Rose-breasted Gros- 
 beaks, Baltimore Orioles, and Yellow-breasted Chats arrive. 
 
 Juncos and Golden-crowned Kinglets go north. Ritby-crowned Kinglets also 
 resume their northward flight. 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 May 
 
 10 to 20. Magnolia Warblers, Bay-breasted Warblers, and Blackburnian Warblers may 
 be seen on their northern migrations. Bobolinks, Orchard Orioles, Red- 
 eyed Vireos, Wood Pewees, Scarlet Tanagers, Maryland Yellow-throats, 
 Black-throated Green Warblers, Worm-eating Warblers, Hooded Warblers, 
 Cuckoos, Indigo-birds, Great Crested Flycatchers, Least Flycatchers and 
 Hummingbirds come. 
 
 White-throated Sparrows leave for the north. Hermit Thrushes become less 
 common, most of these also retiring northward. Myrtlebirds also resume 
 their northward journey 
 
 20 to 31. Black-poll Warblers and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers pass, going north. Marsh 
 Wrens appear, and one may hope for an occasional sight of a Cardinal 
 Grosbeak. 
 
 During June, July and August the birds effect little change of locality, ns nests have 
 been constructed and the duties of incubation assumed. In many cases young birds have 
 
 37 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 entered into existence nnd by their immature and changing plumage have added to the 
 difficulties which the unaccustomed observer has already had in identifying specimens. 
 Indeed, unless the student has by this time made considerable progress in his acquaintance 
 with birds, he will now experience that embarrassment which arises from a superabund- 
 ance of material, and will find the number of birds present bewildering to classify, both 
 because of the great variety and because of the dissimilarity of the male, female and young 
 of each species. 
 
 Let him, however, not despair ; much may still be done by observation, and even 
 from the order of their retirement specimens may be identified. 
 
 Sept. 
 
 I to 15 Wilson’s Thrushes, Yellow-breasted Chats, Yellow Warblers, Hooded Warblers, 
 Barn Swallows, Bank Swallows, Baltimore Orioles, Kingbirds, Whip-poor- 
 wills, and Hummingbirds now go south. 
 
 Blackburnian Warblers, Magnolia Warblers and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers 
 pass on their southern migration. 
 
 38 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 Sept. 
 
 1510 30 Wood Thrushes, Chimney Swifts, Yellow-throated Vireos, Redstarts, Wood 
 Pewees, Great Crested Flycatchers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo-birds, 
 Orchard Orioles, Worm-eating Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Cuckoos 
 and Bobolinks follow. 
 
 Red-headed Woodpeckers, ^ay-breasted Warblers, Palm Warblers, Myrtle- 
 birds and Ruby-crowned Kinglets pass, going south. 
 
 Juncos arrive from the north. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 I to 15 Hermit Thrushes, Grasshopper Sparrows, Marsh Wrens, House Wrens, Cat- 
 birds, Brown Thrashers, Red-eyed Vireos, Solitary Vireos, White-eyed 
 Vireos, Cowbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Black and White Warblers, Blue 
 Yellow-backed Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers and Least Fly- 
 catchers go. 
 
 White-throated Sparrows pass. Golden-crowned Kinglets, Horned Larks, 
 Pine Finches and Winter Wrens appear. 
 
 39 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 Oct. 
 
 15 to 31 Oven-birds, Maryland Yellow-throats, Son£>: Sparrows, (diipping Sparrows, Field 
 Sparrows, Phcrbes, Chewinks and Black-throated (jfeen Warblers ^o ; so 
 do the most of the Flickers, Purple Finches, and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. 
 
 Fox Sparrows and Black-poll Warblers now visit ns as they go south. 
 
 Nov. 
 
 I to 15 Purple Crackles, Vesper Sparrows, and Red-winged Blackbirds now go, also 
 most of the Meadowlarks, Robins and Bluebirds ; leaving us our Winter- 
 resident birds. 
 
 Snow ‘Buntings and Shrikes arrive. 
 
 Just what prominence to give to the purely scientific phase of Ornithology in a book 
 of the limited scope and modest pretensions of this one is not easy to determine. But 
 that some attention should be bestowed upon this branch of the subject, seems advisable 
 for several reasons. Continual reference is made in bird literature to family, species and 
 genus, and a clear conception of just what these terms mean is essential to the reader. 
 Again, even though a knowledge of the common names only of birds be all that is at first 
 intended, the time will shortly arrive when the Latin name will be applied, and when this 
 is done, the genus, the species, and sometimes the sub-species, is indicated by the simple 
 
 40 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 use of the name. The Latin name of the Hermit Thrush is Turdiis aonalaschkce pallasU ; 
 lurdiis being the genus, aonalaschkce the species and pallasii the sub-species. Again, the 
 Latin name of the Wood Thrush is Turdiis miisteliniis. Here Tiirdiis is the genus, and 
 musteliniis the species. And finally, when the Manuals and Keys are used in identifying 
 specimens, some familiarity with scientific terms and nomenclature is absolutely needful 
 for an intelligent perusal of the volumes. 
 
 It is thought therefore that these considerations justify the insertion of a few remarks 
 of a somewhat scientific character. 
 
 Naturalists have arranged the kinds of birds in many divisions and sub-divisions. As 
 an illustration of such arrangement Dr. Coues in his Key gives the following example of 
 the classification of one bird, namely, Alice’s Thrush : 
 
 Kingdom, Animalia : Animals. 
 
 Branch, Vertebrata : Back-boned Animals. 
 
 Province, Sauropsida : Lizzard-like Vertebrates. 
 Class, Aves : Birds. 
 
 Sub-class, CarinatcB : Birds with Keeled Breast-bone. 
 Order, Passeres : Perching Birds. 
 
 Sub-order, Oscines : Singing Birds. 
 
 Family, Turdidcc : Thrush-like Birds. 
 Sub-family, 7'urdina; : True Thruslres. 
 Genus, 7'itrdus : Typical Thrushes. 
 Sub-genus, llylocichla : Wood Thrushes. 
 Species, Ustulatus : Olive-backed 'Thrush. 
 Sub-species, Alicice : Alice’s Thrush. 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 A scale of sixteen steps is recommended in the Code of the American Ornithologist’s 
 Union as being “adequate to all practical requirements of even a refined system of classi- 
 fication.” 
 
 It is as follows : 
 
 1 Kingdom. 
 
 2 Sub-kingdom. 
 
 3 Class. 
 
 4 Sub-class. 
 
 Super-order. 
 
 6 Order. 
 
 7 Sub-order. 
 
 8 Super-family. 
 
 9 Family, 
 lo Sub-family. 
 1 I Genus. 
 
 12 Sub-genus. 
 
 I ■? Species. 
 
 14 Sub-species. 
 I s Variety. 
 
 16 Individual. 
 
 It would indeed seem to a layman that these sixteen grades afforded sufficient scope 
 for the classification of any ordinary bird. 
 
 All birds, whether living or extinct, belong to the Class Aves. In this Class there are 
 five sub-classes, viz. : 
 
 SaURUR/E. 
 
 OoONTOTORM.4’:. 
 
 Odontolc.^. 
 
 42 
 
 Ratit/e. 
 
 Carinat.^. 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 The last two are the only ones of which there are living specimens and it is only con- 
 cerning birds which belong to the last sub-class of all, that is CarinaT/^, that we have 
 here to deal. 
 
 Birds of this sub-class are characterized, besides other particulars, by — 
 
 The keeled breast-bone, 
 
 A special adaptation to flight, and 
 The absence of teeth. 
 
 The sub-class Carinat.t-: is separated into the following Orders : 
 
 1 Pygopodes : Diving Birds. 
 
 2 Longipennes : Long-winged Swimmers. 
 
 3 Tubinares : Tube-nosed Swimmers. 
 
 d Steganopodes : Totipalmate Swimmers. 
 
 5 Anseies ; Lamellirostral Swimmers. 
 
 6 Odontoglossre : Lamellirostral grallatoies. 
 
 7 Herodiones : Herons, Storks, Ibises, etc. 
 
 8 PaludicoUe : Cranes, Rails, etc. 
 
 9 Lirnicolae : Shore Birds. 
 
 lo Gallime : Gallinaceous Birds. 
 
 1 1 Columbae : Pigeons. 
 
 12 Raptores : Birds of Piey. 
 
 I "5 Psittaci : Parrots, Macaws, Paroquets, etc. 
 iq Coccyges : Crfckoos, etc. 
 
 15 Pici : Woodpeckers, Wrynecks, etc. 
 
 1 6 Macrocliires : Goatsuckers, Swifts, etc. 
 
 1 7 Passeres : I^a'ching Birds. 
 
 43 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 And into the following sub-orders : 
 
 1 Podicipedes : Grebes. 
 
 2 Cepphi : Loons and Auks. 
 
 ' Ibides : Spoonbills and Ibises. 
 
 4 Ciconiae : Storks, etc. 
 
 5 Herodii : Herons, Hgrets, Bitterns, etc. 
 
 6 Grnes ; Cranes. 
 
 7 Ralli : Rails, Gallinules, Coots, etc. 
 
 <S Phasiani : Pheasants, Grouse, Partridges, 
 Quails, etc. 
 
 9 Penelopes ; Curassows and Guans. 
 lo Saicorhamphi : American Vultures. 
 
 11 Falcones: Vultures, Falcons, Hawks, Buzzards, 
 
 Fagles, Kites, Harriers, etc. 
 
 1 2 Striges ; Owls. 
 
 I ■; CucLili : Cuckoos, etc. 
 
 14 Trogones : Trogons. 
 
 15 .Alcyones : Kingfishers. 
 
 10 Caprimulgi : Goatsuckers, etc. 
 
 I 7 Cypseli : Swifts. 
 iS Trochili ; Hummingbirds. 
 
 19 Clamatores : Songless Perching Birds. 
 
 20 Oscines : Song Birds. 
 
 And these, again, into sixty-six families and fortv-six sub-families, and into genera, 
 species and varieties to a bewildering extent. 
 
 There are about one thousand kinds mentioned in the Check List of the American 
 Ornithologist’s Union, some of which are not properly North American Birds ; and Dr. 
 Coues in his Key describes nearly nine hundred varieties, including birds like the Skylark, 
 
 44 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 which, he says, “occurs as a straggler from Europe in Greenland, and also, it is said, in 
 Bermuda and Alaska,” — and the Great Auk, of which he writes, “It seems very im- 
 probable that the species lived down to 1870,” having “lost the use of his wings and 
 perished off the face of the earth in consequence.” 
 
 It is not likely that the unprofessional observer will meet with one-quarter of this 
 number. Indeed, three hundred kinds would be a great many to be observed by the most 
 enthusiastic and diligent professional ornithologist in any one locality. 
 
 The birds forming the little collection described in this book, are embraced under five 
 of the Orders, viz. : 
 
 Raptores, Coccyges, Pici, Macrochires and Passeres, and belong to the following families : 
 
 Bubonidse. 
 
 Trochilidae. 
 
 Tanagridae. 
 
 Mniotiltidae. 
 
 Cuculidae. 
 
 Tyrannidie. 
 
 Hirundinidre 
 
 Troglodytidae. 
 
 Alcedinidse. 
 
 Alaudidas. 
 
 AmpelidcC. 
 
 ParidiE. 
 
 Picidae. 
 
 Corvidae. 
 
 Laniidae. 
 
 SylviidiE, and 
 
 Capriniulgidae. 
 
 Icteridae. 
 
 Vireonid^e. 
 
 Turdidre. 
 
 Micropodida?. 
 
 Fringillidie. 
 
 
 
 They are representatives of eleven sub-families and number ninety individuals. 
 
A table is here given which is intended to show at a 
 glance the order, sub-order, family and sub-family of each 
 bird. 
 
 Ordhr — Raptorks. Birds of Prey. 
 
 Sub-order Striges. Owls. 
 
 Family Buhonidcc. Horned Owls, etc. 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 c 
 
 t /5 
 
 
 c /5 
 
 O 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 . u 
 
 /n ^ 
 
 
 
 c/i 
 
 
 < -A 
 
 <LI 
 
 
 
 s 
 
 
 oo ^ 
 
 
 
 
 'J 
 
 O < 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 •d 
 
 Oo 
 
 in 
 
 At: 
 
 u ti: 
 
 Zj ^ 
 
 CJ 
 
 o 
 
 Us: 
 
 o 
 
 IJ .X 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 U 5 
 
 o 
 
 <£» 
 
 CJ 
 
 'd 
 
 c: '' ^ 
 
 At: 
 
 u 
 
 X 
 
 u 
 
 ^ U 
 
 
 At! 
 
 5 ."1 ^ 
 
 U 
 
 .'S >- 
 
 > 
 
 o 
 
 .g 
 
 o 
 
 in 
 
 i-L) 
 
 P 
 
 G 
 
 u 
 
 0 
 
 u 
 
 1 
 
 d; 
 
 w 
 
 c 
 
 o 
 
 
 0 
 
 
 >- oc 
 
 < I 
 
 5— ^ 
 
 c/) 
 
 00 
 
 u 
 
 u 
 
 Oo 
 
 At: 
 
 o 
 
 o' 
 
 UJ 
 
 Q 
 
 Oi. 
 
 o 
 
 X 
 
 I 
 
 o 
 
 lo 
 
 in 
 
 5 
 
 iTj 
 
 >- Cti u. - 
 
 I 
 
 UJ 
 
 Q 
 
 q; 
 
 o 
 
 Xt 
 
 'Ji 
 
 At: 
 
 c 
 aj 
 
 jt: 
 
 c/i ^ 
 
 00 , ^ ^ 
 
 
 c -a: 
 
 O -E ^ 
 
 CA ^ 
 • r: ^ 
 in t y :::- 
 UJ ^ ^ 
 
 Di •- ;a 
 
 X p: 
 
 U u! 
 
 g ? 
 
 A Al 
 < X 
 
 C/) 
 
Sub-order Cypseli. Swifts. 
 
 Family Tvrannida\ Tyrant Flycatchers. 
 
 Kingbird. 
 
 Great Crested Flycatcher. 
 Phoebe. 
 
 Wood Pewee. 
 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. 
 
 o 
 
 . C/D 
 
 "u ’ t : 
 £ —I 
 b/) 
 
 i ^ 
 
 1/1 rs 
 
 
 CL -S 
 bi) "3 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 O 
 
 U 
 
 ion 
 
 rt 
 
 
 ^2 
 
 2 
 
 D 
 
 00 
 
 Sub-family Corvin.'F. Crows. 
 
Family TauagricUv, Tanagers. 
 
 Scarlet Tannger. 
 
 Summer Tannger (or Summer Redbird). 
 
Family JroglOilytidLV. Wrens, Thrashers, etc. 
 
 Sub-family Mimin.-f,. Thrashers. 
 
 White-breasted (or bellied) Nuthatch. 
 
Our Common Birds and How to Know Them 
 
 The largest family of North American birds is the Fringillidce, and comprises Finches, 
 Buntings, Sparrows, Linnets, Crossbills, Grosbeaks, etc. The observer will meet numbers 
 of these and will doubtless at first find it difficult to identify many of them. The next 
 largest family that he will have to examine is the Mniotiltidce or Wood-warblers, a family 
 perhaps still more difficult of identification, since they are mostly small, shy birds, im- 
 patient of close inspection and songsters of small ability. Dr. Cones calculates that these 
 two families constitute about one-fourth of the species inhabiting any one inland locality. 
 Flycatchers and Vireos are also usually abundant and are likewise not the easiest of birds 
 to identify. But, with few exceptions, and referring always to the males only, the birds 
 of the remaining families can be easily learned. They present such notable features of 
 plumage, song or habits that they need only to be seen or heard to make identification 
 certain. 
 

PLATES 
 
 AND 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE TEXT 
 
PLATE I.— ACADIAN OWL. SAW-WHET OWL 
 
 Nyctala acadica. 
 
 Above reddish-brown spotted with white ; beneath grayish-white 
 splashed with brown ; much white on throat and neck ; tail somewhat 
 barred ; iris yellow ; bill and claws, dark. Length, 8 inches. 
 
 Resident.* The smallest of oLir Owls, and, though from its shyness not frequently 
 seen, not an uncommon bird. It nests in hollow trees or stumps, or in holes in rocks. 
 Audubon says: “The sound of its love-notes bears a great resemblance to the noise pro- 
 duced by filing the teeth of a large saw." It is this similarity which has gained the bird 
 its common name Saw-whet. 
 
 It is believed that no individual bird inhabits permanently, that is throughout the year, any one locality, but 
 that all birds are migratory. Some species, as tlie American Goldfinch, the Chickadee and the Hairy, and Downy 
 Woodpeckers, usually have representatives here at all seasons. But the individuals seen in Winter have spent the 
 
 55 
 
PLATE II. HOOT OWL. 
 
PLATE 11 . -GREAT HORNED OWL. HOOT OWL. 
 
 Bubo virginianus. 
 
 Mottled all over with brown, gray, tawny and black ; a light collar 
 about the throat ; large ears tufted ; iris yellow ; bill and claws black. 
 Length, 21.4“) inches. 
 
 Resident. One of the largest of our Owls, and so tierce, that when slightly wounded 
 he is a formidable antagonist. 
 
 Said to breed in February. Nests in trees. Though somewhat variable in color, the 
 light collar is always present. 
 
 Summer farther north, those seen in Summer having gone southward. Tliese, and other birds of similar habits, 
 are here classed Resident. 
 
 Some of the Warblers visit us for a few weeks as they pass northward in the Spring, and southward in the 
 Fall. Some birds, as the Snowtlake, are seen here only in Winter. Others, as the Swallow, the House Wren and 
 many more, come only in Summer. Birds with such habits are here classed Migratory. 
 
 57 
 
PLATE III. SNOWY OWL. 
 
LITTLE HORNED OWL SCREECH OWL RED OWL 
 
 Megascops asio. 
 
 Mottled with black, brown and gray ; ears tufted ; iris yellow ; bill 
 and clav/s horn color. Length, 9.40 inches. 
 
 Resident. Breeds in stumps, holes of trees or in buildings. The commonest Owl we 
 have, but so variable in color that the above slight description must not be regarded as 
 universal. It is sometimes mottled, sometimes brown and sometimes red, “ entirely in- 
 dependent,” as Dr. Cones remarks, “of age, season or sex.” 
 
 PLATE III.— SNOWY OWL 
 
 Nvciea nyctea. 
 
 White, spotted all over with brown, except on face, throat and legs, 
 which are immaculate ; iris yellow ; bill and claws dark. Length, 
 23.50 inches. 
 
 59 
 
PLATE IV. BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 
 
“This remarkable owl,” says Dr. Coues, “ conspicuous in size and color, abounds in 
 the boreal regions of both hemispheres, whence it comes southward irregularly in Winter, 
 sometimes raiding in large numbers. With us, it is of every Winter occurrence in the North- 
 ern and Middle States, sometimes even pushing its way to the Carolinas and Texas ; there 
 being no part of the United States where it may not appear at that season. It is far from 
 being exclusively nocturnal, and hunts abroad in the day-time as readily as any hawk.” 
 
 PLATE IV.— BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 
 
 Coccy:ius erythrophthalmus. 
 
 Above olive-green ; beneath white ; a circle of red skin around the 
 eye ; bill black, long and arched ; tail long and rounded. Length, 
 11.80 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves late in September. Nests in bushes. Call 
 kuk-htik-huk-kuk, many times repeated, commencing rapidly, but with slower enunciation 
 at the close. The sound does not in the least suggest the note of the European variety, 
 neither does it resemble the common pronunciation of its name. It has a hoarse quality, 
 
however, which distinguishes it from the utterance of any other bird. He who once hears 
 the note will at once feel sure of its identity. 
 
 Mr. Burroughs writes of the (dickoo : “ Nothwithstanding the disparity of size and 
 color, the black-billed species has certain peculiarities that remind one of the passenger- 
 pigeon. 
 
 “ His eye, with its red circle, the shape of his head, and his motions on alighting and 
 taking tlight, ciuickly suggest the resemblance ; though in grace and speed, when on the 
 wing, he is far inferior. His tail seems disproportionately long, like that of the red thrush 
 (Brown Thrasher), and his tlight among the trees is very still, contrasting strongly with 
 the honest clatter of the robin or pigeon.” 
 
 The Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccy^iis awericaiius) is a more southern bird, much 
 less frequently seen here than the Black-billed, which it closely resembles. Its salient 
 peculiarities are that it has no red around the eyes, its lower mandible is yellow, and 
 it has large white blotches on the under side of its tail. 
 
 Its nest is very slightly constructed and is commonly placed in a tree. 
 
PLATE V.— BELTED KINGFISHER. 
 
 Ceiyle a I cyan. 
 
 Above ashy blue ; a band of the same across the breast ; remainder 
 of underparts and a spot before the eye white ; tail sciuare, banded and 
 spotted with white ; head large, and splendidly crested ; bill long, black ; 
 feet dark. Length, 13 inches. 
 
 Resident, except when driven sonthward by excessive cold, Note, a loud rattle. 
 Nests in holes dug in a drv, sandy bank. Its haunts are brooks and river-banks, where it 
 may be seen stationed upon some overhanging branch ready to plunge into the stream 
 after its prey. 
 
 Watch it, and it will soon dart down into the water with a heavy splash, and then 
 mount again to its perch, generally bearing a fish in its beak. The tl sh is beaten upon the 
 limb until killed, or until the spines of its fins have been crushed, after which it is swallowed, 
 a feat of seeming difficulty and little apparent enjoyment, and only accomplished after 
 much gulping and stretching of neck, jerking of wings and contortion of body. 
 
 Now draw nearer, and the bird will take its fight, springing its rattle with angry in- 
 
 63 
 
PLATE V. BELTED KINGFISHER 
 
tonation as it goes, but alighting again at no great distance beyond, and always following 
 the course of the stream. 
 
 Thus gently urged along, it will make many successive short flights before taking its 
 final departure. 
 
 The phrase “halcyon days” is derived from a legend concerning this bird. The 
 Halcyon (Kingfisher), was believed to build its nest upon the water, where, with its com- 
 plement of eggs, it floated out to sea, the parent bird meanwhile brooding and exerting 
 the occult power possessed by it of preventing storms or tempests during the period of 
 incubation. The continuance of this elemental peace and quietude was called “halcyon 
 days,” and later, all times of tranquility, whether physical or moral, came to bear the 
 same appellation. Another common, classical mention of the Kingfisher, and more than 
 once referred to by Shakespeare, indicates that the stuffed skin of this bird, suspended 
 by a thread, was used by the ancients as a weather-vane. One can readily perceive 
 that the skin of a bird might be so adjusted that the beak must always point to the 
 source of the wind. That the Kingfisher alone was selected for this purpose is probably 
 due to its handsome appeara-nce, and to the ease with which it would be possible to 
 discern the position of its beak and magnificent head. 
 
 65 
 
PLATE Vi. HAIRY WOODPECKER. 
 
PLATE VI.— HAIRY WOODPECKER. 
 
 Drvobales villosiis. 
 
 .Head black, with a white streak under and one over the eye, and 
 with a scarlet band on the crown : back black, with a white stripe down 
 the centre — “the feathers composing this stripe are loose and unwebbed, 
 resembling hairs ; ” beneath white ; wings black, much spotted with 
 white ; tail black, the two outer pairs of feathers white ; bill and legs 
 black. Length, 9.40 inches. 
 
 Resident. Flight undulatory. Nests in a hole which it has dug in a tree situated 
 commonly in the woods. Its call is a harsh scream. 
 
 Closely resembling the Hairy Woodpecker in tippearance and habits, but smaller, is 
 the Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens). 
 
 A peculiarity of this bird, sufficient to prevent confounding it with the preceding, is, 
 that its white outer tail-feathers are barred with black. 
 
 6/ 
 
PLATE VII. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. 
 
PLATE VII.— YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER. YELLOW- 
 
 BELLIED SAPSUCKER. 
 
 Sphvrapiciis varius. 
 
 Crown crimson, inclosed by a half-moon of black, and that similarly 
 bordered for most of its circumference by a band of yellowish-white ; 
 back mottled with black and yellowish-white : sides of head yellowish- 
 white, cut by a black streak which passes through the eye ; throat and 
 upper-breast black,- with a large crimson patch on chin ; remainder of 
 under-parts yellowish-white, marked on the sides with brown ; wings 
 black, much barred, spotted and tipped with white; tail black, with a 
 white streak down the centre, wedge-shaped, the feathers pointed and 
 some of them bordered with white ; bill and feet dark. Length, 8.55 
 inches. 
 
 The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is represented here at all times of the year ; but only 
 during Spring and Fall is it present in any considerable force. 
 
 Dr. Coues writes : “ Birds of this remarkable genus feed much upon fruits as well as 
 
 6g 
 
PLATE VIII. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 
 
insects, and also upon soft, inner bark ; they injure fruit-trees by stripping off the bark, 
 sometimes in large areas, instead of simply boring holes. 
 
 “Of the several small species (of Woodpeckers) commonly called ‘ Sapsuckers,’ they 
 alone deserve the name. In declaring war against Woodpeckers, the agriculturist will do 
 well to discriminate between this somewhat injurious and the highly beneficial species.” 
 
 Its nest is in a hole which it has dug, usuallv in a dead forest-tree. 
 
 It has a number of harsh cries. 
 
 PLATE Vlll.— RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 
 
 Melanerpes eryihrocepbalns. 
 
 Head and neck all round, crimson ; back black to rump, which is 
 white; lower breast and belly white ; wings black, with a broad white 
 band ; tail black, somewhat tipped with white, rounded, and feathers 
 pointed ; bill and feet dark. Length, 9.75 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Seen here most frequentlv in the Spring and Fall. Digs a hole for ti nest 
 in a tree in wood or orchard. Its note is high-pitched tind resembles that of a tree-frog. 
 
 A paragraph in the columns of the New York Tribune, in the Fall of iSqo, stated that 
 a bird of this species fluttered one night tigainst a window of the editorial room, doubtless 
 
 r 
 
PLATE IX FLICKER. 
 
attracted and confused by the lights. The bird was admitted, allowed to rest, and then 
 speeded on its way. 
 
 The writer was walking one Autumn in the City Hall Park of Nev/ York City, and 
 observed a number of people earnestly regarding some object high up on the trunk of a 
 neighboring tree. He asked a boot-black what they were all looking at, and was told, 
 ‘‘A Woodchuck is up in that ’ere tree.” Curious to witness a Woodchuck in so unusual 
 a situation, the writer joined the concourse of gazers, and soon perceived a fine Red-headed 
 Woodpecker clamber into sight from the further side of the tree-trunk, drumming assidu- 
 ously and wholly unconscious of the excitement and interest he was provoking. Thinking 
 it a good opportunity to bestow a bit of ornithological knowledge, the writer informed his 
 boot-black friend that the bird was a Woodpecker. “O yes,” was the rejoinder, “we 
 calls ’em Woodchucks.” 
 
 PLATE IX.— FLICKER. GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 
 
 CLAPE. HIGH-HOLE. 
 
 Colaptes auratiis. 
 
 Sides of head, throat and breast lilac-brown, with black patches on 
 cheeks and a large black half-moon on breast ; back brown barred with 
 
 73 
 
PLATE X. WHIP-POOR WILL, 
 
black ; belly ashy, with many black spots ; tail black above, golden 
 beneath, rounded, the feathers pointed ; lining of wings golden ; rump 
 white ; scarlet crescent on nape ; bill and feet dark. Length, 12.60 inches. 
 
 A resident species ; the majority of them, however, coming in March and leaving 
 by November. No bird has attracted more universal attention and interest than this one, 
 a fact due, perhaps, no less to its size than to its great beauty and admirable proportions. 
 As might be expected, it bears many local names ; according to one authority, thirtv-six. 
 Its nest is built in a hole, dug, often in solid wood, high up in a tree ; hence one of its 
 commonest popular names, High-hole. Audubon writes, “Its note is merriment itself, 
 as it imitates a prolonged and jovial laugh, heard at a considerable distance.” 
 
 The black crescent on the breast is very prominent, and is clearly discernible when 
 the bird is at rest, and the white rump is equally conspicuous during Ihght. The observer 
 will lind no difficulty in identifving this handsome species on sight. 
 
 PLATH X.— WHIP-POOR-WILL 
 
 Antrostomns vociferus. 
 
 Mottled all over with reddish-brown, gray-black and soiled white ; 
 a white collar on neck ; many bristles around the mouth ; tail 
 
 75 
 

 PLATE XI. CHIMNEY SWIFT. 
 
rounded and with patches of white on its under side. Length, 9.75 
 indies. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves about the middle of September. Builds no 
 nest, but lays its eggs on the ground or upon a stump. It is a nocturnal bird, lying closely 
 in cover by day, and consequently not often seen ; at night, however, its call, clearly sug- 
 gesting its common name, is frequently heard, a mournful, but not disagreeable, sound. 
 
 In general appearance the Whip-poor-will resembles the Night Hawk. 
 
 • PLATE Xl.^CHIMNEY SWIFT. 
 
 Chcetiira pelagica. 
 
 Sooty brown all over except the throat, which is light gray ; eyes 
 surrounded by a black skin ; wings long, extending when folded beyond 
 the tail ; tail short, spiny, square. Length, 5.40 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives here about April 30, and leaves late in September. Although the 
 Chimney Swift superficially resembles the Swallow, it, in fact, has no real affinity with 
 that bird, and the common practice of naming it a Swallow is an error. Its closest afhnity 
 is with the Hummingbird, which is its only superior in the art of dying. 
 
 77 
 
It inhabits chiinneys or hollow trees, in which it builds nests of twigs glued together 
 with its own saliva. 
 
 Its note is a sw'allow-like twitter, and it is ecjuallv vokilde whethei' upon the wing or 
 in its nest. 
 
 Seeininglv rejoicing in its niarvelous power of flight, it is never seen to alight except 
 in chininevs, but it feeds its young, captures its insect prey, and even breaks twigs from 
 trees for nest construction while flying. 
 
 RUBY-THROATHI) HUMMIN('.BIRI). 
 
 Trochiliis colubris. 
 
 Above briglit metallic green ; beneath light gray ; sides of body 
 greenish ; throat riiby-red ; wings and tail dusky violet, the latter deeply 
 forked ; bill straight, long and dilated at the tip. Length, 3.75 inches. 
 
 Migratorv. Arrives early in May, leaves in September. Its nest, which is a tiny 
 affair, is usually placed on the upper side of a limb ; it is made of lichens and is lined 
 with vegetable down. 
 
 78 
 
The humming noise, which has occasioned its popular name, is pi'oduced by the 
 air set in vibi'ation by the extraoi'dinarily I'apid beats of its wings when it poises over 
 the dower from which it extracts both honey and the insects which, like itself, at'e 
 fond of that sweet substance, or perhaps are entrapped in its viscous grasp. Its only 
 utterance is a sharp chirp or squeak. 
 
 No bird is so easily or quickly tamed as this, or so difficult to maintain alive when 
 in captivitv. A lady friend of the writer once found one on her porch overcome bv the 
 coldness of an unseasonable Summer day. She took it to her I'oom and revived it 
 by the warmth of her hands, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing it flitting about 
 with apparent cheerfulness, hovering over some potted plants or alighting on her hand 
 or head with charming confidence. The bird was detained for several weeks, fed mean- 
 while on sweetened water presented to it by means of a medicine dropper, into the 
 tube of which it thrust its long bill, poising itself in the air for the operation. 
 
 One fine, bright day it darted out through an opened window and was seen no more. 
 
 79 
 
PLATE XII. KINGBIRD. 
 
 ■^1 
 
PLATE XII.— KINGBIRD. BEE-MARTIN. 
 
 Tyranmis tyrannus. 
 
 Above dark ash ; beneath white shaded with light ash ; head black, 
 with an erectile crest in which is a spot of red : tail black, square and 
 with a terminal white band; wing-feathers much edged with white; 
 bill and feet black. Length, 8.50 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in September. It is brave and pugna- 
 cious, bullying small birds and attacking large ones. 
 
 Against the Crow particularly it seems to bear special enmity, and it charges this 
 ‘‘ dusky marauder ” on sight with equal fury and pertinacity. In such an encounter it would 
 be natural to suppose that the Crow’s many times greater size would be sure to give it the 
 advantage. This, however, is not the case. The Crow does not attempt even to defend 
 itself, much less to retaliate, but dies stolidly on, seeking safety only in llight. 
 
 The honey-bee affords a most highly-prized tidbit to the Kingbird, and the gratification 
 of the bird’s taste has earned for it the name. Bee-martin. A swarm of bees consists of so 
 many individuals that the disappearance of an occasional worker is no great loss to the 
 insect community. But when it happens that the queen bee, out on her single wedding 
 
 81 
 
flight, is snapped up by a discriminating Kingbird, then a calamity indeed has befallen the 
 swarm which can only be remedied by manufacturing another queen, an operation in- 
 volving both time and trouble. Fortunately the Kingbird atones for its lapses into bee-diet 
 by devouring great quantities of harmful insects. 
 
 PLATE XIIL— GREAT CRESTED ELYCATCHER. 
 
 Myiarchiis crinitus. 
 
 Above olive-green, darkest on the head, which is crested ; throat 
 and breast ash ; belly yellow ; wings and tail reddish-brown, the former 
 with a pale, transverse bar, and the latter long and nearly even ; bill 
 and feet dark. Length, 9 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives about May 10, leaves about September 2 s. Builds its nest in 
 trees and is said to use the cast off skins of snakes in its construction. This constant use 
 of snake-skins is commonly supposed to be in accordance with a desire to frighten off 
 marauders by the display of what they shall haply take to be the live presence of their 
 dreaded common enemy. A recent writer states that in all the nests of the Great 
 Crested Flycatcher found by him, only once was the snake-skin absent, and, in this 
 
 83 
 
PLATE XIV. PHCEBE, 
 
instance, upon his second visit, he found a skin ostentatiously displayed, whence he 
 conjectured that his first visit had alarmed the birds, and that they had subsequently pro- 
 vided themselves with the talisman and put it in place with a view to avert, if not a 
 recurrence of the intrusion, at least any danger as a result of it. The note of the bird is 
 harsh and unmusical. 
 
 PLATE XIV.-PHCEBE. 
 
 Sayornis phoebe. 
 
 Head dark brown, with a slight erectile crest ; back and sides of 
 body dull olive-brown ; underparts soiled white with yellow tinges ; 
 wings and tail dusky, their feathers somewhat edged with lighter ; bill 
 and feet black. Length, 7 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives late in March, leaves late in October. It commonly builds its 
 nest under the eaves of buildings, or under a ledge of rock. 
 
 Closely resembling the Phoebe in note, habits and appearance, is the Wood Pewee, 
 ( Contopus virens). Both the Phoebe and the Wood Pewee are tlycatchers, and seize their 
 prey upon the wing. Both give utterance to a drawling, mournful note quite similar in 
 sound ; that of the Phoebe being slightly the more abrupt of the two, as pee-wit rather 
 than pee-ee-wee-ee. 
 
 85 
 
PLATE XV. YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. 
 
The Phoebe also is the larger bird, and both of its mandibles are black, while the lower 
 mandible of the Pewee is lighter than its upper one. The Pewee nests in trees. 
 
 A characteristic habit common to both of these birds is that of drooping wings and 
 tail as they perch, presenting a languid appearance quite in keeping with the lugubrious 
 tone of their note. Let an unwary lly approach, however, and this lassitude quickly 
 vanishes. A lightning dart with unerring aim, a snap of the beak audible at a distance of 
 several yards ; a twist, almost a somersault in the air, is made, the bird regains his station 
 and resumes his despondent attitude, and there is one less insect abroad. 
 
 PLATE XV.— YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. 
 
 Em pido nax flaviveutri s . 
 
 Head and body, above olive-green; beneath greenish-yellow, except 
 on the belly, where the yellow is pure ; a yellowish ring encircles the 
 eye ; vUngs brown with yellowish bands ; tail brown, square ; bill 
 broad, the upper mandible dark brown, the lower one pale. Length, 
 5.60 inches. 
 
 Migratory. This Flycatcher does not nest here. It is rather abundant, however, 
 when on its migrations, and may be seen during the last three weeks of May ; and, again, 
 
 87 
 
PLATE XVI. LEAST FLYCATCHER. 
 
as it goes southward, during most of the month of September. The note is a soft pe-a 
 given in a languid, drawn-out way, suggestive of the first syllable of the Pewee’s plaintive 
 utterance. 
 
 PLATE XVI. -LEAST ELYCATCHER. 
 
 Empidouax mi n im us . 
 
 Above gray, with a green tinge, darkest on the head and growing 
 lighter towards the rump ; beneath dull white, but darker and with 
 olivaceous tinges on the breast and sides ; a pale ring around the eye ; 
 wings dark, many of the feathers pale-edged ; tail dusky, square ; bill 
 dark ; feet black. Length, 5.40 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in October. The nest is usually placed 
 in the crotch of a small tree at no great height from the ground. This little bird frec^uents 
 orchards or light woods, sometimes even gardens, for it is very sociable. Dr. Brewer 
 makes mention of a pair which built in a honeysuckle attached to his piazza where they 
 reared their brood unmindful of the constant presence of the family. The note is peculiar, 
 and, once heard, will be instantly recognized. It is uttered quickly, and has been written 
 variously as chebec, cadet and sewick. The first is closest to the actual sound. 
 
 89 
 
PLATE XVII. BLUE JAY. 
 
 mi 
 
PLATE XVII.— BLUE JAY. 
 
 Cyanocitta cristata. 
 
 Above light blue ; head splendidly crested ; cheeks, throat and 
 under-parts bluish white ; wings and tail a darker blue, barred with 
 black, and many of the feathers broadly tipped with white ; a black 
 band encircles the neck ; tail much rounded ; mouth, tongue, bill and 
 legs black. Length, 11.75 inches. 
 
 A thieving, mischievous, handsome creature. It devours the eggs and young of other 
 birds, and feeds also, upon acorns, chestnuts, berries, fruit, corn, insects, caterpillars, etc. 
 Nests in trees and bushes. Much of great interest has been written about the Blue Jay ; 
 see, for example, Thoreau’s Succession of Forest Trees ; Olive Thorne Miller’s A Bird of 
 Affairs, and an amusing though unscientific chapter in Mark Twain’s Tramp Abroad. 
 
 Samuels says: “Its notes consist of a shrill cry like jay -jay -jay, repeated often and in 
 a high key ; a shrill whistle like wheeo-wbeeo-wheeo ; a hoarse rattle and an exceedingly 
 sweet, bell-like note.” 
 
 The Blue Jay is a permanent resident here. Although large flocks may be seen 
 traveling southward in the Autumn, the number of the birds does not seem to be dimin- 
 ished in our woods during Winter. The difference, in respect of domiciliation, between 
 
 91 
 
PLATE XVIII. AMERICAN CROW. 
 
their Summer habits and those of Winter is that, when breeding, the individuals remain con- 
 stant to one locality ; but after the nesting season is done, they roam about, their movements 
 being governed bv the distribution of favorable feeding grounds rather than by an instinct 
 of migration. 
 
 PLATE XVIII.— AMERICAN CROW. CROW. 
 
 Corviis americanus. 
 
 No description is needed to identify this well-known bird. The 
 following is DeKay’s, and is sufficiently explicit; “Black and glossy, 
 with violet retlections. Tail slightly ronnded, extending but little be- 
 yond the wings. Tail feathers somewhat acute.” Length, 1Q.30 inches. 
 
 Resident. Most of the year gregarious ; but late in May, it pairs, and breeds. The 
 nest is roughly made of sticks, leaves and grass. 
 
 Its hoarse caw is a familiar sound, and, with few varving inllections, is its only utter- 
 ance. A walker. 
 
 HORNED LARK. 
 
 Otocoris alpestris. 
 
 Above lilac-brown, the leathers edged with a lighter tinge, and the 
 brown on shoulders and rump redder than elsewhere ; forehead, chin, 
 
 93 
 

 PLATE XIX, BOBOLINK, 
 
throat, and sides of head yellow ; a black stripe commencing at the 
 bill runs back through the eye then downwards on the cheek ; a black 
 crescent on the throat ; belly white ; breast spotted ; sides of body lilac- 
 brown ; a black tuft on each side of the head connected by a black 
 band across the crown ; wings brown, their feathers somewhat edged 
 and tipped with lighter ; tail notched, the middle feathers brown, 
 the others black, but the outermost ones with white edges ; bill and 
 feet dark. Length, 7.2^ inches. 
 
 Migratory. A Winter visitor. Arrives fro/ii the north in small flocks in October, 
 returns in March. 
 
 PLATH XIX.— BOBOLINK. REEDBIRD. 
 
 Dolichonyx oryiivorus. 
 
 In Spring and Summer, breast, wings and tail black ; hind neck 
 cream-color ; back and rump white ; bill and legs brown. 
 
 In Fall, yellowish-brown, streaked with darker. Length, 7.55 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves late in September. During the breeding 
 
PLATE XX. COWBIRD, 
 
season a vigorous and persistent singer. Samuels calls its song “a most curious, incom- 
 prehensible, jingling, roundabout, joyous, laughable medley.” When the young have 
 flown, the Bobolink loses its bright plumage and its rollicking song, and indulges for the 
 remainder of its sojourn in nothing more melodious than a peculiar chirp. 
 
 A bird of the meadows, and nests upon the ground. 
 
 PLATE XX.— COWBIRD. 
 
 Molothrus ater. 
 
 General color iridescent black; head and neck deep brown; tail 
 square ; bill and feet black. Length, 7.90 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in April, leaves early in October. The Cowbird does not 
 pair, it builds no nest, and the hatching of its eggs is imposed upon some other bird after 
 the fashion of the European Cuckoo. It is, in short, a polygamist, a parasite, and altogether 
 “a bird of loose principles.” It is found in flocks, usually in the company of cattle, 
 and has a harsh call, suggesting the syllables cluck -see -see. A walker. 
 
 97 
 
PLATE XXf. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 
 
PLATE XXl.-RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 
 
 Agelains phcenicetts. 
 
 General color black, with a greenish lustre ; shoulders crimson 
 bordered with buff ; tail full and rounded ; bill and legs black, the 
 former thick at the base. Length, 9.50 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in March, leaves early in November. Nests usually in low 
 bushes in meadows or marshes. 
 
 After breeding, large flocks collect and are said to consume great quantities of grain. 
 Its call has been rendered quonk-a-ree. A walker. 
 
PLATE XXII. MEADOWLARK. 
 
PLATE XXIL— MEADOWLARK. 
 
 Sturnella magna. 
 
 Back brown spotted with black ; breast bright yellow, with a large 
 black crescent ; a yellow stripe over the eye and one on the crown ; tail 
 feathers pointed, the outer ones white ; legs and feet tlesh-color. Length, 
 10.75 inches. 
 
 Resident ; though not numerous in Winter. Most of these birds come late in March 
 and leave late in the Fall. 
 
 The Meadowlark nests on the ground in open fields, sometimes in marshes. It is a 
 walker and flies clumsily and with manifest labor. Its note is a plaintive whistle. 
 
 lOI 
 
PLATE XXIIl. ORCHARD ORIOLE. 
 
PI,ATF XXlll. -ORCHARD ORIOLE. 
 
 Icterus spur ins. 
 
 Breast and belly chestnut ; head, neck and upper-back black ; lower- 
 back chestnut ; wings black with chestnut shoulders and a transverse 
 band, some of the quills edged with lighter ; tail rounded, black, some 
 of its quills tipped with lighter ; bill and feet, dark. Length, 7.30 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves middle cf September. Nests in trees, 
 oftenest in orchards. The structure is woven in the same manner as that of the Baltimore 
 Oriole, but unlike the latter, it is placed upon the branch and is not dependent from it. 
 “The Orchard Oriole,” to quote Nuttall, “is an exceedingly active, sprightly and restless 
 bird ; in the same instant, almost, he is on the ground after some fallen insect, fluttering 
 amidst the foliage of the trees, prying and springing after his lurking prey ; or flying, and 
 tuning his lively notes in a manner so hurried, rapid and seemingly confused, that the ear 
 is scarce able to thread out the shrill and lively syllables of his agitated ditty. Between 
 these hurried attempts, he also gives others which are distinct and agreeable ; but still his 
 tones are neither so full nor so mellow as those of the brilliant and gay Baltimore.” 
 
 103 
 
BAI.TIMORH ORIOl.H. FIRHHIRI). 
 
 Ic/enis gci/hiila. 
 
 Head, neck, throat and upper-back black ; lower-back, breast and 
 belly brilliant orange ; wings black, with a patch of orange on shoulders, 
 a white transverse band and some tippings and edgings of white ; tail 
 full, nearly square, with two large teriniiral patches of orange ; feet and 
 bill black. Length, 7.50 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves about September 1 5. It builds an elaborate 
 nest, which is, says Nuttall, “a pendulous, cylindrical pouch usually suspended from near 
 the extremities of the high, drooping branches of trees such as the elm, the pear or apple 
 tree, wild cherry, weeping willow, tulip tree or buttonwood.” 
 
 Its popular name was given it because the black and orange of its plumage were the 
 colors forming the livery of the first Lord Baltimore. 
 
 An abundant and beautiful bird, with a piping note, lively and agreeable in quality but 
 limited in scope. 
 
 A pair of Baltimore Orioles have made their nest for several successive seasons in an 
 elm near the house in which the writer has passed many Summers, and it is needless to say 
 
 104 
 
that these birds are always watched with interest, from their advent until their departure. 
 One morning the unusual actions of the female led to the discovery that one of the young, 
 half-hedged nestlings had fallen to the ground, where it was struggling helplessly. It was 
 carefully taken up and a straw was observed protruding from its mouth. The straw had 
 been mostly svcallowed, and resisted the gentle force that was used for its extraction. 
 Rather hard pulls were then given, which must have been distressing to that part of the 
 bird’s anatomy to which the swallowed end was anchored. At last the straw broke, 
 leaving an end visible, but beyond reach far down the throat, so that nothing more could 
 be done to take it away. A box lined with cotton was then provided, the young bird 
 placed in it, and hauled up close to the nest by means of a string. After this the parent 
 birds were seen feeding, or trying to feed, the sufferer ; but all was in vain. The little 
 one died. 
 
 105 
 
PLATE XXIV. PURPLE CRACKLE. 
 
PLATE XXIV.— PURPLE CRACKLE. COMMON CROW 
 
 BLACKBIRD. 
 
 Quiscalus quiscula. 
 
 Clossy black all over ; iridescent on head and neck ; tail long and 
 rounded; eyes light yellow; bill and feet black. Length, 12.50 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in March, leaves early in November. Its nest is a roughly 
 built affair, made of any trash plastered with mud, and is irregularly placed on tree, bush 
 or ground. The bird is gregarious even during the breeding season, but in August it may 
 be seen in immense docks, in company with equally large numbers of Red-winged Black- 
 birds foraging in the grain fields, where they create sad havoc. The tail of the Purple 
 Crackle is what is called a keel or boat-tail. It is very much rounded, and during flight 
 the outer quills slant upwards in such fashion as to cause a depression in the centre with a 
 corresponding rise on each side, suggesting, it must be confessed remotely, the keel and 
 sides of a boat. 
 
 The bird’s notes are harsh and discordant, and many of its attitudes are ungraceful, 
 but, nevertheless, it is not without beauty. The gloss of its black coat and the sheen of 
 purple and violet, green and blue upon its head and breast, compel admiration. A walker. 
 
 107 
 
PLATE XXV. PURPLE FINCH. 
 
PLATE XXV.-PURPLE FINCH. 
 
 Carpodactis piirpiireus. 
 
 Body crimson, paler on rump and belly ; back streaked with 
 brown ; wings, brown, some of the feathers edged with reddish ; tail, 
 tlie same color as the wings, forked; bill conical, horn-color; feet 
 brown. Length, 6.20 inches. 
 
 Resident. Nests in trees, sometimes rather high in the branches. It is difficult to 
 say why this bird has been called purple. Dr. Coues writes : “The shade of red is very 
 variable, almost anything but purplish.” Mr. Burroughs has caught the purple tint; he 
 says: “The color is peculiar, and looks as if it might have been imparted by dipping a 
 brown bird in diluted pokeberry juice. Two or three more dippings would have made 
 the purple complete.” 
 
 The song of the Purple Finch is a charming one, which coupled with the gentle 
 deportment and trustful and social disposition of the bird, renders it a general favorite. 
 
 During the breeding season it pairs ; but after parental duties are over, it is generally 
 seen only in small flocks. 
 
 [09 
 
PLATE XXVI. AMERICAN CROSSBILL. 
 
PLATE XXVI.— AMERICAN CROSSBILL. RED CROSSBILL 
 
 Loxia ciirvirostra minor. 
 
 General color red ; darkest on the back, and with a gray tinge on 
 the belly ; wings and tail dark brown, the latter forked ; mandibles 
 crossed at tips. Length, 6.20 inches. 
 
 “Irregularly migratory,” says Dr. Coues, “according to exigencies of weather and 
 food-supply, * * coming southward in docks in the Fall.” 
 
 Wilson writes : “On first glancing at the bill of this extraordinary bird, one is apt to 
 pronounce it deformed and monstrous ; but on attentively observing the use to which it is 
 applied by the owner, and the dexterity with which he detaches the seeds of the pine-tree 
 from the husks that enclose them, we are obliged to confess * * that no other confor- 
 mation could have been so excellently adapted to the purpose. * * p has a loud, sharp 
 
 and not unmusical note. It chatters as it flies.” 
 
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. YELLOWBIRD. THISTl.EBIRD. 
 
 Spill US tristis. 
 
 In Summer the body is bright yellow, shading to white towards 
 the tail ; crown black ; wings black, some of the feathers edged with 
 white ; tail the same, slightly forked ; bill and feet llesh-color. 
 
 In Fall it loses the black on the crown, and the yellow of the body 
 becomes brownish-olive above, grayish-white below, tinged with 
 yellow. Length, 5. lo inches. 
 
 Resident. Nests in trees or tall bushes. Flight undulatory. It has several plaintive 
 calls and a song of considerable length but of little power, which is suggestive of the 
 canary. 
 
 Care must be taken not to confound the American Goldfinch with the Summer Yellow- 
 bird. The two birds are not sufficiently similar in appearance to make this caution 
 needful, but verbal confusion does sometimes occur, because one of the popular names of 
 the American Goldfinch is Yellowbird, while the most commonly used name of the Yellow 
 Warbler is Summer Yellowbird. It would be well if the example of the A. O. U. Check- 
 
 112 
 
list were followed and one were invariably called the American Goldfinch, and the other 
 the Yellow Warbler. 
 
 Although the American Goldfinch is a resident species, and has representatives here 
 both Summer and Winter, as Autumn progresses it will be gradually lost sight of by the 
 observer who is a beginner. But as the Goldfinch has faded from sight, an unfamiliar 
 bird, apparentlv a new comer, will have challenged attention — a small bird, yellowish- 
 white beneath and with a greenish-brown back. It will be difficult to believe that this 
 soberly attired bird is the same smart little fellow who was seen in Summer in livery of 
 brightest black and yellow. But so it is ; he has laid aside all brilliancy of plumage. No 
 black remains, and but little yellow. To the superficial observer he is no longer the Gold- 
 finch, but, an unknown, insignificant, uninteresting little brownish bird. 
 
 Through the Winter he wears this inconspicuous suit. He remains in flocks. He 
 roves about, now here now there, where facilities for obtaining food tempt him. But in 
 Spring, when the dandelions show yellow, so does he. Then he no longer roves in 
 Hocks, but pairs and builds his nest. Travelling some unfrequented country road you will 
 come across him swaying on a thistle-top in the Summer breeze ; or. bounding before 
 you in graceful curves through the air, he will precede you with several short successive 
 flights as you saunter along ; no brighter, cheerier, prettier creature alive than he. 
 
PLATE XXVII. PINE SISKIN. 
 
PLATE XXVII.— PINE SISKIN. PINE EINCH. PINE LINNET. 
 
 Spinus pinus. 
 
 Above streaked with greenish-brown and dingy white ; beneath 
 dingy white streaked with light brown ; wings dnsky, with two light 
 bands and many of the feathers edged with lighter; tail dnsky, the 
 feathers with lighter edges, forked ; the whole body has a tinge of 
 yellow, most noticeable on the rnmp and on the tail-feathers ; bill and 
 feet brown. Length, 4.75 inches. 
 
 Migratory. A Winter visitor, seen here in flocks from October to March. Flight 
 undulatory. Mr. Burroughs describes its song as “ singularly secret and elusive * * * 
 
 delicate and plaintive ; a thin, wavering, tremulous whistle, which disappoints one, 
 however, as it ends when it seems only to have begun.” He elsewhere calls this Finch : 
 “A dark brown or brindlish bird allied to the common Yellowbird, which it much 
 resembles in its manners and habits.” It nests in trees, and, conformably to the sug- 
 gestion conveyed by its name, oftenest in those of the pine species. 
 
PLATE XXVIII. SNOWFLAKE. 
 
 
PLATE XXVIIL— SNOWFLAKE. SNOW BUNTING. 
 
 Piectrophenax nivalis. 
 
 In full plumage the middle of the back, the two innermost tail- 
 feathers and the ends of some of the wing-feathers black ; all else white. 
 
 In its Winter plumage, as it is seen here, the white, particularly on 
 the head, is tinged with reddish-brown, and a brown collar almost 
 completely encircles the neck. Bill light; legs dark. Length, 6.90 
 inches. 
 
 Migratory. A Winter visitor, and seen here always in flocks. Breeds in the arctic 
 regions. 
 
 FIELD SPARROW. 
 
 Spi^ella pusilla. 
 
 Crown chestnut ; back streaked with dull red, black and dull white ; 
 cheeks, throat and breast pale brown ; belly white ; a light line over 
 the eye ; wings and tail brown, many of the feathers pale-edged — the 
 
 17 
 
PLATE XXIX. VESPER SPARROW, 
 
wings witli two liglit bands; bill pale red; feet light. Length, 5,65 
 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives late in April and is seen in flocks inhabiting the open fields 
 and road-sides. In May it pairs and builds a nest which is placed sometimes in low 
 bushes and sometimes upon the ground. At this season its simple song is heard, a 
 warble of little variety, but uttered by the male bird with commendable vigor and 
 persistency, as, perched upon a stump or low branch close by, he watches over his 
 brooding mate. In September docks are again formed, and, late in October, or early in 
 November, all depart. 
 
 PLATE XXIX.— VESPER SPARROW. BAY-WINGED BUNTING. 
 
 GRASS FINGH. 
 
 Pooca^tes%graniineus. 
 
 Above light brown streaked with darker; beneath yellowish- 
 white streaked on breast and sides with brown ; wings light brown, 
 reddish on the shoulders, and with two pale bands ; tail slightly notched, 
 
 '9 
 
PLATE XXX. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 
 
 .2 
 
the outermost feathers almost entirely white ; bill and feet pale. Length, 
 6.10 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives late in March, leaves early in November. Oftenest found in- 
 habiting up-lying fields and pastures, and along the road-sides. Nests on the ground. 
 Its sweet song, with a likeness to that of the Song Sparrow, is frequently continued until 
 after sunset, whence the pretty name Vesper Sparrow. 
 
 “When disturbed by day,” Mr. Burroughs writes, “they tly with a quick, sharp 
 movement, showing the two white quills in the tail.” 
 
 PLATE XXX.— WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. PEABODY BIRD. 
 
 Zonotrichia albicollis. 
 
 Head with one central white stripe, then two black ones, and then 
 two stripes which are yellow from bill to eye and white beyond ; cheeks 
 dark ash bordered with black; chin while; breast dark ash shading to 
 white on the belly ; back streaked with black, reddi.sh-brown and pale 
 yellow ; rump ash ; wings reddish-brown, with two transverse white 
 
 I2I 
 
bands ; tail reddish-brown, slightly rounded ; bill dark, feet lighter. 
 Length, 6.75 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Abundant during the migratory periods, that is, in Spring, from the 
 20th of April to the 20th of May ; and again, in Autumn, from the latter part of September 
 to the middle of November. Through the Summer this Sparrow is not found here ; 
 in Winter occasional stragglers are seen. Thoreau, in his Maine Woods, mentions the 
 song of the White-throated Sparrow as being the bird-note constantly heard by him 
 upon three excursions into the northern part of the state. These excursions were made 
 in Summer, and the places visited were undoubtedly favorite breeding resorts of the 
 bird. 
 
 The nest is said to be built upon the ground, and, during its occupancy, the birds 
 pair ; but, when the young have flown, they assemble in small flocks and haunt the 
 thickets. 
 
 The song, though an agreeable one, is not free from monotony. It has been rendered 
 ee-ee-peahody , and its syllabic suggestions are answerable for one of the bird’s popular 
 names. 
 
 22 
 
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. YELLOW-WINGED SPARROW. 
 YELLOW-WINGED BUNTING. 
 
 Ammodranms savannarum passeriniis. 
 
 Crown black with a central yellowish stripe ; back streaked and 
 spotted with black, brown, red and dull white ; a light stripe over the 
 eye ; breast pale drab, lighter in the centre ; belly soiled white ; wings 
 dusky, the shoulders edged with yellow; tail dusky, the outer feathers 
 wholly lighter than the inner ones, notched ; the feathers of both tail 
 and wings more or less edged with paler ; bill stout, short, rather pale ; 
 feet pale. Length, 5.35 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in October. Nests on the ground. A 
 frequent but shy and unobtrusive little creature. As you ramble through the helds vou 
 will hear his “peculiar, chirring note,” and probably will suppose it to be made by 
 some insect ; for the sound is very similar to that produced by the grasshopper. It is 
 because of this note that the name Grasshopper Sparrow has been given. 
 
 [Proceeding on your way, you may chance to catch a glimpse of a small bird flitting 
 
 23 
 
PLATE XXXI. CHIPPING SPARROW. 
 
among the taller weeds and grasses with evident desire to avoid notice. This is probably 
 the Grasshopper Sparrow. Set your wits against the bird’s, and strive for a nearer and 
 more distinct view. When you are able to detect the back, oddly mottled with black and 
 reddish-brown, the cone-like bill, the crown with its central lateral stripe of pale yellow, 
 and, above all, the bright yellow shoulders, you may set doubts aside ; you have 
 established the identity of the bird. 
 
 PLATE XXXI.— CHIPPING SPARROW. CHIPPY. HAIR-BIRD. 
 
 Spi^^ella socialis. 
 
 Forehead black ; crown chestnut ; a light streak over the eye, a 
 black one from base of bill backward through the eye ; under-parts and 
 back of neck ash-gray ; back streaked with black, brown and dull red ; 
 wings and tail dusky, the latter notched ; bill short, dark : legs pale. 
 Length, 5.3s inches. 
 
 Migratory. Comes early in April, leaves late in October. Builds its nest in trees or 
 bushes, and so constantly employs horse-hair for the purpose that Hair-bird has become 
 one of its popular names. Referring to this habit, Thoreau says : “ If 1 wish for a horse- 
 
 25 
 
PLATE XXXII. JUNCO. 
 
hair for my compass-sight, I must go to the stable ; but the Hair-bird, with her sharp eyes, 
 goes to the road.” 
 
 Chippy is notably a bird fond of man’s society ; at least he finds in the neighborhood 
 of gardens, human habitations and domestic animals the shelter, food and building 
 materials best suited to his wants. 
 
 He is one of the first of the birds to come, and among the last to go, and his constant 
 presence about the door-yard in the garden lends more of homeliness and comfort to 
 rural dwellings than he is apt to gain credit for. His note is a trill of considerable duration, 
 suggestive of the sound of the cicada ; certainly not a beautiful song, but because of 
 familiarity and association, one whose loss would be deplored. 
 
 PLATE XXXIL— SLATE-COLORED JUNCO. JUNCO. SNOWBIRD. 
 
 Junco hyemalis. 
 
 Above dark ash ; below, throat and breast ash, belly white ; wings and 
 tail dark slate, many of the feathers gray-edged, but tbe outermost tait- 
 feafbers white ; bill pinkish-white; length, 6.2s inches; legs ruddy. 
 
 Migratory. Common through the winter months, coming from the north late in 
 
PLATE XXXIII, SONG SPARROW. 
 
September, and retiring thither to breed late in April or early in May. During its stay 
 here the Junco usually forages in flocks of considerable size, and is seen oftenest by the 
 road-sides. In severe weather, however, and compelled by hunger, it approaches barns 
 and dwellings, and, laying aside its customary timidity, becomes cquite fearless. 
 
 Its song is not much more than a high-pitched trill and is not often heard. 
 
 Probably the bird is more voluble in its northern nesting-places, for only in Spring, 
 just upon the eve of its departure, do we detect the song, and we may reasonably suppose 
 that what we catch is but the preparatory tuning up, so to say, a sort of making ready 
 for the real nuptial chant. It has a call, while with us, which Dr. Coues terms “its 
 snapping note.” 
 
 PLATE XXXlll.— SONG SPARROW. 
 
 Melospi^a fasciata. 
 
 Above streaked with black and brown ; crown chestnut with small 
 black stripes ; under-parts white streaked with black and brown ; a 
 brown stripe behind the eye ; wing feathers edged with dull red ; tail 
 
 29 
 
PLATE XXXIV. FOX SPARROW. 
 
brown, long and nearly even ; bill and feet pale brown. Length, 
 6.30 inches. 
 
 A migratory species ; though individuals, probably those with the northernmost 
 range, may be found here in Winter. Comes in force early in March and leaves about 
 November 1. Has a charming song, one high note thrice repeated, then a canary-like 
 cadenza. This is perhaps the most noticeable song heard in fields and borders of woods, 
 as the bird is abundant everywhere and never wearies of singing. The song, and through 
 it the singer, will easily be identified, notwithstanding that different individuals have a 
 puzzling habit of imparting a good deal of variation to their utterances. 
 
 The nest is usually placed upon the ground, sometimes, however, in bushes and even 
 in low trees. 
 
 PLATE XXXIV.-FOX SPARROW. 
 
 Passer el I a iliaca. 
 
 Above ash streaked with reddish-brown ; below white thickly spotted 
 and dashed with reddish-brown, except on the belly which is un- 
 
PLATE XXXV. CHEWINK. 
 
marked ; wings and tail bright rufous, the former with two light bands, 
 the latter rounded ; bill conical, the lower mandible lighter than the 
 upper one ; feet pale. Length, 7.2s inches. 
 
 Migratory. Comes early in March, remains until the middle of April, then passes to 
 the north to breed. On its return it is here from the middle of October until the middle 
 of November, when it leaves for the south. The Fox Sparrow is the largest and hand- 
 somest of the sparrows, and is also a fine singer. No difficulty need be apprehended 
 in identifying it, for its sparrow-like appearance, its size, color and markings are striking 
 and unmistakable. 
 
 PLATE XXXV.— TOWHEE. CHEWINK. 
 
 Pipilo erythrophthalmus. 
 
 Upper-parts, head, neck and upper-breast black ; lower-breast and 
 middle of belly white ; sides chestnut ; wings black with white bands 
 
 33 
 

and spots ; tail rounded, black, the outer feathers patched with white ; 
 bill black ; legs brown. Length, 8.35 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives middle of April, leaves late in October. Nests on the ground. 
 
 Its notes, chewink and towhee, suggest its popular names. 
 
 A bird not given to long flights nor fond of lofty situations, but commonly found in 
 thickets or upon the ground scratching among the leaves. 
 
 PLATE XXXVL— CARDINAL GROSBEAK. CARDINAL. 
 
 Cardinal is cardinal is. 
 
 Prevailing color red, darker on back ; splendidly crested ; face and 
 throat black ; upper surface of wings and tail grayish, the latter long 
 and nearly square ; bill light, tinged with red ; feet brown. Length, 
 8.40 inches. 
 
 Migratory. A shy and rather rare, but strikingly handsome, bird. It usually visits 
 us only during the hottest months, and seldom nests so far north as our latitude. Dr. 
 
 '35 
 
PLATE XXXVII. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 
 
Allen informs me, however, that a small colony has been for some years resident in 
 Central Park, New York City, remaining in Winter and nesting there in Summer. 
 
 Dr. Cones describes the Cardinal’s notes as “rich, rolling, whistling.” 
 
 PLATE XXXVII. -ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 
 
 Habia 1 udoviciana . 
 
 Head, neck, throat and back black ; belly and rump white ; breast 
 and lining of wings rose-red ; wings and tail black, the former with two 
 white bands, the latter notched, and patched with white ; bill large, 
 conical, light ; feet dark. Length, 8.10 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves late in September. Nests in bushes and low 
 trees. Song, “ a sweet warble with various emphatic passages, and sometimes a plain- 
 tive strain, exceedingly tender and affecting.” 
 
 A beautiful but rather rare bird ; and the day upon which its acquaintance is made 
 may be justly regarded as a most fortunate one. 
 
 137 
 
PLATE XXXVIII. SUMMER TANAGER. 
 
INDIGO BUNTING. INDIGO-BIRD. 
 
 Passer Ilia cyanea. 
 
 Blue all over ; wings and tail darker than the body ; lower mandible 
 paler than the upper one; tail nearly even ; legs dark. Length, 5.55 
 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives late in May, leaves middle of September. Nests in bushes. A 
 persistent singer, whose song, of little power or variety, is extremely sweet. The 
 graceful little fellow is rather abundant in lightly wooded country. The lovely blue of his 
 coat, glistening in the sunlight as the bird sits swaying on the tip of a juniper, and the 
 soft tones of his song, afford equal pleasure to the eye and ear of the observer. 
 
 PLATE XXXVIll.— SUMMER TANAGER. SUMMER REDBIRD. 
 
 Pirauga rubra. 
 
 Red all over, including wings and tail, the red of the wings less 
 
 »39 
 
brilliant than elsewhere; tail square; bill li.iibt ; le,((s darker. I.enf,dh, 
 7.50 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Not a frequent visitor here, though seen oftener some seasons than 
 others, this region being probably about the northernmost limit of its range. It is not 
 so rare a bird, however, that it may not be sought with full confidence of ultimate success. 
 
 Like all of the Tanager family, it is an unmusical but handsome bird. 
 
 SCARLET TANAGER. 
 
 Piranga erythromelas. 
 
 General color scarlet ; wings and tail black, the latter nearly even ; 
 bill pale, legs darker. Length, 7.25 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives middle of May, leaves early in October. Nests in trees in woods 
 or orchards. Its song has been thought to resemble that of the Robin, and indeed there is 
 a likeness between the two ; the Robin’s excelling, however, in heartiness if not in 
 variety. 
 
 The Scarlet Tanager is a bird of gorgeous appearance, and is a conspicuous adorn- 
 ment of the groves which it inhabits. 
 
 140 
 
PLATE XXXIX.— BARN SWALLOW. 
 
 Chelidon erythrogaster. 
 
 Above steel blue ; throat deep chestnut ; belly light chestnut ; a blue 
 band across the breast ; forehead chestnut ; wings and tail black and 
 long, the latter deeply forked and spotted with white ; bill black ; legs 
 purple. Length, 6.9s inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives late in April, leaves early in September. Its nest of mud and 
 straw is attached to rafters and eaves of houses or barns. 
 
 The wonderfully agile and graceful flight of this bird is made the theme of Mr. 
 Ruskin’s fascinating essay, Love’s Meine, which will afford the keenest enjoyment to 
 all bird-lovers. 
 
 Much discussion has prevailed as to whether the Barn Swallow migrates or hibernates. 
 More than a century ago Gilbert White was full of speculation regarding it, as many pages 
 of his Natural History oe Selborne show. 
 
 Dr. Chas. C. Abbott, in A Naturalist’s Rambles About Home, has devoted an inter- 
 esting chapter to the subject ; and, indeed, writers on birds have all found the theme a 
 
 14 
 
PLATE XXXIX. BARN SWALLOW. 
 
fruitful one for argument. The consensus of expert opinion at the present day is against 
 hibernation, but there are, nevertheless, ornithologists who are not convinced ; while 
 nearly all uneducated rural observers assert that in Winter the Swallow retires to a pond, 
 where, sinking into its depths, he rolls himself in a mud casing or shell, and in a state of 
 torpidity, awaits the coming of Spring. 
 
 It is strange that such a curious belief, unsupported by evidence, should take 
 possession of men’s minds ; but the conviction of hibernation in this manner on the part 
 of the Swallow is certainly common, and is, say most eminent ornithologists, totally 
 unsubstantiated by proof. 
 
 Mr. Bicknell calls the song of the Barn Swallow “ a low, chattering trill * * often 
 terminating with a clear, liquid note * * not unlike one of the notes of a Canary.” 
 
 43 
 
PLATE XL. BANK SWALLOW. 
 
PLATE XL— BANK SWALLOW. 
 
 Clivicola riparia. 
 
 Above gray-browii ; beneath white, with a brown band across the 
 breast ; wings and tail darker than body (the tail nearly square) ; bill 
 dark ; feet lighter. Length, 5.20 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives about May 20, leaves in September. The Bank Swallow is 
 recorded as seen in large numbers in Rockland Countv, New York, so late as November, 
 but this is exceptional. Its nest is placed in a hole excavated in a sand-bank. Lives in 
 colonies. Note soft and lisping. 
 
 *45 
 
PLATE XLI. CEDAR WAXWING. 
 
PLATE XLL— CEDAR WAXWING. CEDARBIRD. 
 
 Ampelis cedrorum. 
 
 Head crested ; forehead and sides of head black, indistinctly bor- 
 dered with white ; a small white streak under the eye, and a larger one 
 on the lower cheek commencing under the base of the bill ; crest and 
 back of head cinnamon, shading lighter along the back to the rump 
 where it is ash ; chin black shading into cinnamon on breast, that into 
 yellow on belly, and that into white under the tail ; wings dark with 
 red; horny tips on some of the quills; tail dark, square, with a yellow 
 terminal band and (sometimes) with red, horny tips ; bill and legs dark. 
 Length, 7.1s inches. 
 
 ‘Mt wanders about,” says Dr. Coues, “ according to food supply ; winters in most 
 of the United States.” It nests in trees late in the season ; remains in Hocks, except while 
 breeding. Its note is a feeble peep. 
 
 147 
 
PLATE XLIl. NORTHERN SHRIKE, 
 
PLATE XLII.— NORTHERN SHRIKE. BUTCHER-BIRD. 
 
 Lmiius borealis. 
 
 Above light bluish-gray shading to still lighter on the rump ; beneath 
 white, crossed with dark, wavy lines ; sides of head hoary white, with 
 a black stripe passing through and behind the eye ; wings and tail black, 
 the former with a white patch and some white tippings, the latter much 
 rounded, and edged and broadly tipped with white ; bill and feet dark. 
 Length, lo inches. 
 
 The Shrike is usually seen here from November to April. Truly a bird of prey, though 
 not classed as such by ornithologists. Besides insects, it captures small birds and even 
 animals, which it devours. It has a curious habit, from which it derives its name. Butcher- 
 bird, of impaling the creatures which it has seized upon thorns, as a butcher would hang 
 up a carcass. 
 
 'fhe observer who is fortunate enough to have witnessed the Shrike thus slaughtering 
 its victim, has probably condemned the bird as a monster of needless cruelty. But in this 
 
 149 
 
judgment he is wrong. Wallace, in his Darwinism, has shown that the death occasioned 
 by creatures of prey is probably a painless one. Several cases are cited to prove this ; 
 among them the well-known instance of Livingstone, who thus describes his sensations 
 when seized by a lion: “He caught my shoulder as he sprang * * he shook me as a 
 
 terrier-dog does a rat. The shock produced a stupor similar to that which seems to be felt 
 by a mouse after the first shake of the cat. It causes a sense of dreaminess in which there 
 was no sense of pain or feeling of terror, though 1 was quite conscious.” 
 
 If, therefore, we may conclude that the Shrike’s methods of obtaining food entail the 
 least possible amount of suffering, we must at least acquit the bird of the charge of cruelty. 
 But we may go farther than this and claim for the Shrike, and for all birds and animals of 
 prey, that they actually confer a benefit upon the species, the individuals of which they 
 kill. The victims which they seize and put to death are the least active and are generally 
 those which are diseased. The vigorous and healthy escape, and since these perpetuate 
 the race, increased vigor and health in the offspring result. 
 
 John Watson, an English writer on game-birds, has shown that by the trapping and 
 extermination of Eagles, Hawks, Owls, Weasels, etc., sportsmen interfere with the balance 
 of power among wild creatures, and destroy the very agents appointed to keep the moors 
 healthful. As the Otter takes the Salmon blinded by fungoid disease, so Hawks and 
 the like capture the slowest of the Grouse. Now the slowest Grouse is such by reason of 
 
 50 
 
weakness or disease, and since the Grouse-disease is infectious, one such bird allowed at 
 large may taint a whole covey. 
 
 The substance of this reasoning is implied by Darwin himself in the concluding- 
 sentence of his chapter on the struggle for existence : “ When we retlect on this struggle, 
 we may console ourselves with the full belief that the war of nature is not incessant, that 
 no fear is felt, that death is generally prompt, and that the vigorous, the healthy, and the 
 happy survive and multiply.” 
 
 YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. YELLOW-THROATED 
 
 GREENLET. 
 
 yireo ft avif rolls. 
 
 Above olive-green, brightest on the lieadand shading to bine-gray on 
 the rump; sides of neck and of breast olive-green ; throat and centre 
 of breast yellow ; belly white ; forehead yellow and a ring of yellow 
 encircling the eye ; wings brown with two white bands, and many of 
 
 51 
 
PLATE XLIII. RED EYED VIREO. 
 
the feathers light-edged ; tail short, square, brown, many of tlie quills 
 light-edged; bill and feet lead-color. Length, 5.9s inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves late in September. Nests rather low in trees, 
 chiefly in woods or orchards. A beautiful bird and an accomplished vocalist. 
 
 PLATE XLllL— RED-EYED VIREO. RED-EYED GREENLET. 
 
 l^ireo olivaceiis. 
 
 Above light olive-green ; crown ash edged with darker ; a white 
 streak passes through and beyond the eye ; cheeks pale green ; throat 
 and breast yellowish ; belly white tinged on sides with yellow, and 
 terminating under the rump in light yellow ; tail short, nearly even, 
 brown, the quills edged with greenish ; lowe^^ mandible lighter than the 
 upper one ; wings long, in color like the tail ; feet lead-color : eyes 
 red. Length, 6.20 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives middle of May, leaves early in October. Its nest is pensile and 
 is attached to the branch of a tree, usually in woods. A sweet singer. 
 
 153 
 
MW 
 
 PLATE XLIV. SOLITARY VIREO. 
 
PLATE XLIV.— BLUE-HEADED VIREO (OR GREENLET). SOLI- 
 TARY VIREO (OR GREENLET.) 
 
 l^ireo solitarius. 
 
 Above olive-green ; head and cheeks blue-gray ; a white line from 
 the nostrils to the eye and encircling it ; breast pale ash ; belly white ; 
 wings dark, with two white bars and many of the feathers edged with 
 white ; tail short, square, dark, the outermost feathers edged with white ; 
 bill and feet dark. Length, 5.60 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in October. Nests in bushes or low 
 trees. Like all of the Vireos, it is fearless and confiding towards man. 
 
 Bradford Torrey relates an incident illustrative of this docility. He once found a 
 Solitary’s nest, the female sitting at the time upon her eggs, and was allowed to approach 
 until he almost touched the bird. He made daily visits, bringing food, until finally the 
 little creature became so tame as to eat insects and other dainties from his hand, allowing 
 him meanwhile gently to smooth her feathers. 
 
 The Solitary Vireo is not a rare bird though it is less common than the Red-eyed, the 
 
 155 
 
PLATE XLV. WHITE-EYED VIREO. 
 
Yellow-throated or the White-eyed. Probably the majority of the species nest farther 
 north than this locality ; for on their first arrival, about May i, and again, as they go south 
 in September, they are quite numerous, while during the actual breeding season, they 
 are less plentiful. 
 
 PLATE XLV.— WHITE-EYED VIREO. WHITE-EYED GREENEET. 
 
 l^ireo noveboracensis. 
 
 Above olive-green; a yellow line from the nostrils to the eye and 
 encircling it ; eyes white ; breast and belly dull white ; sides of body 
 yellow ; wings dusky, with two light bands, some of the feathers light- 
 edged ; tail dusky, nearly even ; bill and feet dark. Length, 5.25 
 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves the middle of October. Its nest is pensile 
 and is usually placed in a bush. A sweet and persistent singer. 
 
 :‘57 
 
PLATE XLVI BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER. 
 
 
 
PLATE XLVI.— BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER. BLACK AND 
 
 WHITE CREEPER. 
 
 Mniotilta varia. 
 
 Black above, feathers much edged witli white ; white stripes on the 
 crown, through the eye, and on the cheeks ; belly white with black 
 streaks on the sides ; wings black, many of the feathers edged with 
 white, and having two white, transverse bands ; tail nearly even, black 
 with some edging and spots of white ; bill and feet dark. Length, 
 5.30 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives May i, leaves early in October. Its nest is placed on the ground ; 
 often near the root ot a stump or tree. 
 
 Dr. CoLies writes: “A common bird of woodland, thicket and swamp, generally seen 
 scrambling actively about the trunks and larger branches of trees, rather like a Nuthatch 
 than like a Creeper, the tail not being used as a prop.” 
 
 A poor singer. 
 
 *59 
 
WORM-FATING WARBI.FR. 
 
 Hehuitberus verniiverus. 
 
 Above olive-green ; beneath biilT, paler almost to whiteness on the 
 belly ; head all round bnlT with two black stripes on the crown extend- 
 ing from the bill to the nape, and a similar though narrower stripe 
 through the eye ; wings and tail olive-green, the latter rounded ; bill 
 and feet pale. Length, 4.8s inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives about the uiiddle of Mav, leaves late in September. It nests on 
 the ground and is usually seen on the ground or near it. Sometimes, however, quitting 
 its scratching among the leaves, it will scramble up and down the tree-trunks hunting in a 
 somewhat listless manner for insects and spiders. A shv, inactive bird, not very handsome, 
 a feeble singer and burdened with a name disagreeable in its suggestions. 
 
PARULA WARBLER. BLUE YELLOW-BACKED WARBLER. 
 
 Compsothlypis americana. 
 
 Above light-blue, with a patch of yellow in centre of the back ; 
 chin and throat yellow ; breast yellow, spotted with brown ; belly dull 
 white ; wings brown, with two light bands, some of the feathers edged 
 with blue : tail brown, some of the feathers edged with blue, and the 
 outer ones spotted near the tips with white ; upper mandible dark, 
 lower one lighter ; legs pale. Length, 4.70 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives middle of May, leaves early in October. Nests in trees. It is not 
 easy to examine this bird, since it not only usually keeps to lofty situations in the tree, but 
 it is exasperatingly restless and active ; at least so will say the observer who, with opera- 
 glass to eye, strives to watch it as it clambers and tlutters among the branches and foliage. 
 The best periods for observation are during migration ; for, in common with many 
 Warblers, and some other birds as well, the majority of this species breed farther north. 
 
 d'he bird student will not have prosecuted his researches for a long period without 
 remarking a fact concerning the migrations of the Warblers which will give a pleasurable 
 
 i6t 
 
interest to his rambles. He will (Ind that, though to-day none of them are visible, to- 
 morrow the trees and bushes may swarm with the active little creatures, while on the next 
 day, perhaps, all will have departed. It is this clement of uncertainty as to what a walk 
 will disclose that fascinates the observer, and tempts him into the woods and fields even 
 upon unpromising days and in the most inclement weather. 
 
 The Parula Warbler is a trim, graceful little bird, but a poor singer. 
 
 YELLOW WARBLER. SUMMER YELLOWBIRD. 
 
 Dendroica cvstiva. 
 
 Above greenish-yellow ; crown and under-parts golden, streaked with 
 reddish-brown ; wings and tail dusky, most of the feathers edged with 
 yellow (tail nearly square) ; bill brown ; feet paler. Length, 5.10 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in September. Orchards and gardens 
 furnish the conditions it prefers for a nesting site. 
 
 Flight undulatory ; song pleasing but unimportant. 
 
 “This species is remarkable,” writes DeKay, “for its instinctive sagacity in getting 
 
rid of the eggs of the Cowbird. As the egg is too large to be thrust out, the Yellow 
 Warbler commences a new nest above it. In one instance such reconstruction was twice 
 effected ; thus forming a nest of three stories.” 
 
 The clever method taken by the Yellow Warbler to baffle its persecutor indicates 
 intelligence of a comparatively high order, since most birds are easily imposed upon and 
 hatch and tend the greedy interloper to the ultimate destruction of their own offspring. 
 The young Cowbird, once established, is able, by reason of its superior size and strength, 
 not only to appropriate most of the food brought by its foster parents, but entirely to 
 dispossess its luckless companions by crowding them out of the nest, when, falling to 
 the ground, they perish miserably. 
 
 1631 
 
MYRTLE WARBLER. YEI.LOW-RUMBEI) WARBLER. 
 
 MYRTI.EBIRL). 
 
 Dendroica coronata. 
 
 Above slaty-blue streaked with black ; below white, except the 
 upper-breast and sides of body which are black : crown, rump and a spot 
 on each side of the breast yellow; sides of head black, with a light streak 
 over the eye; wings brown, with two light bands; tail brown, slightly 
 notched, and somewhat spotted with white ; bill and feet dark. Length, 
 5.65 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Passes to the north in April and May, and again southward, in September. 
 At these times, for shoit periods, it is rather abundant. 
 
 Different individuals are varied in their markings, but the four yellow spots on crown, 
 rump and sides of breast are constant, and afford means of confident identification. 
 
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. 
 
 Dendroica blackhurnix. 
 
 Black above including wings and tail, but wilh an orange stripe on 
 crown, a white patch on wings and a light stripe on back ; neck, upper- 
 breast, and sides of head, bright orange — except a black streak through 
 the eye widening from the bill backwards (in this black streak, under the 
 eye, is a small orange crescent); lower-breast lighter orange (or yellow) 
 shading to white on the belly ; sides of body striped with black and 
 white ; tail nearly even, with much white on outer feathers ; bill and 
 feet dark. Length, 5.25 inches. 
 
 Migratory. A shy bird inhabiting tall trees with dense foliage, and consequently not 
 often seen nor easily studied. A single glimpse of its uncommon beauty, however, will 
 fully repay the labor of much arduous search. Its times of migration are May, northward, 
 and September, southward. It is then abundant, though, as intimated, a sharp eye, and 
 some perseverance are required to detect it. 
 
PLATE XLVIl. BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, 
 
PLATE XLV!I.— BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER. 
 
 Dendroica avridescens. 
 
 Above gray-blue ; sides of head, throat and sides of body black ; 
 breast and belly white ; wings dark, with a white patch, and some of 
 the feathers edged with blue ; tail dark, nearly even, some of its feathers 
 bordered on the outer edge with blue, and patched on some of the 
 inner webs with white ; bill black ; feet brown. Length, 5.25 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in October. Nests in bushes. Most 
 abundant during the migrations. 
 
 The following extracts from Mr. Burroughs admirably characterize the song and 
 habits of this Warbler : 
 
 Song : “ twea-twea-tuceaee in the upward slide, and with the peculiar ^-iug of Summer 
 insects, but not destitute of a certain plaintive cadence. It is one of the most languid, 
 unhurried sounds in all the woods. 1 feel like reclining upon the dry leaves at once. 
 Audubon says he has never heard his love-song ; but this is all the love-song he has.” 
 
 Habits : “He has a preference for dense woods of beech and maple, moves slowly 
 amid the lower branches and smaller growths, keeping from eight to ten feet from the 
 ground, and repeating now and then his listless, indolent strain.” 
 
 167 
 
PLATE XLVIll MAGNOLIA WARBLER. 
 
PLATE XLVIIL— BLACK AND YELLOW WARBLER. MAGNOLIA 
 
 WARBLER. 
 
 Dendroica maculosa. 
 
 Crown ash ; back black ; rump yellow ; a white stripe commences 
 over the eye and extends backward to the neck ; chin and throat yellow ; 
 breast yellow, but crossed and bordered by lateral black streaks which 
 also extend along the sides of the body ; wings dark with a white patch, 
 and many of the feathers pale-edged ; tail dark and rounded, with white 
 patches on the inner web of all the feathers except the middle pair ; bill 
 and feet dark. Length, 5.10 inches. 
 
 Migratory. A sharp and constant watch will be necessary to insure a sight of this 
 little beauty in Spring, for he does not at thtit time give us more than a week or ten days 
 of his company as he hastens northward. In the Fall he tarries longer, coming to us 
 about the middle of September and continuing his journey rather early in October. Dr. 
 Mearnssays: “This beautiful species is partial to the hemlock-trees, where it feeds in 
 company with the Black-throated Green Warbler ; but it is found in all kinds of woods. 
 
 “It frequently descends to the ground ; sometimes inhabits low bushes.” 
 
 169 
 
PLATE XLIX, CHESTNUT SIDED WARBLER. 
 
 
PLATF XLIX.-CHFSTNUT-SIDF.D WARBLFR. 
 
 Dendroica pensylvauica. 
 
 Back streaked with black and greenish-yellow ; a chestnut stripe on 
 sides of bod}^ ; crown yellow enclosed in white, and that in black ; sides 
 of head and entire under-parts white, but the white of the cheek and 
 throat is cut by a black streak which runs from base of bill to the 
 beginning of the chestnut side-stripe ; wings brown, with two indistinct 
 bands, and some of the feathers edged with yellow ; tail brown, nearly 
 square, and somewhat spotted and streaked with white ; bill dark ; feet 
 pale. Length, 5. 10 inches. 
 
 Migratoiy. Arrives early in May, leaves late in September. Nests in bushes and 
 small trees. Note monotonous and uninteresting. 
 
 I7I 
 
PLATE L. RAY-BREASTED WARBLER. 
 
PLATE L— BAY-BREASTED WARBLER. 
 
 Dendroica castanea. 
 
 Above slate streaked with black ; throat and sides chestnut ; centre 
 of breast and belly reddish-white ; crown chestnut ; forehead and 
 cheeks black ; a buff patch on each side of the neck ; wings dark 
 brown with two white bars ; tail dark brown with some white blotches ; 
 bill and feet dark. Length, 5.60 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Seen passing northward the latter half of May, and returning to the 
 south late in September. Dr. Mearns says: “Its habits are very similar to those of the 
 Black-poll. It is usually seen in the tree-tops, where its movements are rather heavy and 
 slow. It seems to be especially fond of bathing in the brooks.” Its song is cheerful but 
 simple. 
 
 ‘73 
 
PLATE Ll. BLACK-POLL WARBLER, 
 
 L 
 
PLATE LI.-BLACK-POLL WARBLER. 
 
 Dendroica striata. 
 
 Head black streaked with brown ; back dark ash streaked with black; 
 cheeks white ; throat, breast and belly white, but all of them streaked 
 on the sides with black ; wings brown with two light bands ; tail square, 
 brown with white spots on some of the inner webs; lower mandible 
 lighter than the upper one ; feet pale. Length 5.50 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Passes toward the north late in May, and again, southward, late in 
 October. A brisk little fellow, but even less of a singer than most of the so-called 
 “ Warblers.” Rather abundant during migration. 
 
 175 
 
PLATE Lll. BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER 
 
 ! ' ”i;. 
 
PLATE LII.-BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. 
 
 Dendroica virens. 
 
 Back and crown light yellowish-green ; forehead, a band over the 
 eye, cheeks and sides of the neck rich yellow ; chin, throat and breast 
 black ; wings brown, with two white bars, many of the feathers pale- 
 edged ; tail brown ; the outer three feathers almost wholly white ; bill 
 and feet dark. Length, 5.10 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives May lo, leaves October 25. This Warbler, like others of 
 its family, is most frequently observed during its migrations, when for short periods 
 it is rather abundant. It breeds here, however, and can be seen through the whole 
 Summer. 
 
 It seems to prefer pine or hemlock trees, and usually chooses them to nest in. 
 
 Dr. Mearns says: “It is seen in large companies, clinging to the tips of the branches, 
 exhibiting a fluttering of wings and incessant activity. Its attitudes and notes remind one 
 of the Titmice ; but it possesses a very pleasant song besides.” 
 
 »77 
 
PLATE Llll. PALM WARBLER. 
 
PLATE LIII.-YELLOW RED-POLL WARBLER. PALM WARBLER. 
 
 Dendroica palmarum. 
 
 Above brownish-olive, rump yellowish-green ; crown dark bay ; 
 beneath yellow, streaked on the breast with bay ; a bright yellow streak 
 over, and a brownish line through the eye ; the two outer tail-feathers 
 tipped with square white spots; no white wing-bars. Length, 5.40 
 inches. 
 
 Migratory. One of the earliest of the Warblers to come, and one of the latest to go. 
 Its times of migration are late in April northward, and late in September or early in 
 October southward. We see it here only as it passes. It generally keeps to fields and 
 road-sides, and is oftener seen hopping upon the ground and flitting among bushes than in 
 more elevated situations. Dr. Mearns thus points out one of its notable habits : “The 
 Red-poll’s tail executes a perpetual lateral vibratory movement, which is as characteristic 
 as is the tilting of the Wagtails ; this motion is often accompanied by a feeble chip, the 
 only note 1 have heard it utter.” 
 
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. 
 
 Geothlypis irichas. 
 
 Above olive-green, brownish on the head ; chin, throat and upper- 
 breast yellow ; belly light bull, shaded on the sides with brown ; under- 
 side of the rump yellow ; a black band on the forehead passes back- 
 ward through and beyond the eyes ; wings brown, many of the feathers 
 edged with light olive ; tail nearly even, same color as wings ; bill dark ; 
 feet pale. Length, 5.30 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in October. Nests usually upon the 
 ground, sometimes low in thickets. 
 
 A shy bird ; not given to frequent flights, and generally seen hopping about upon the 
 ground or hitting amongst the shrubbery. Song vigorous and rich, but not varied. 
 
 180 
 
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. 
 
 Icteria virens. 
 
 Above uniform olive-green ; throat, breast and lining of wings yellow ; 
 belly white, tinged on sides with brown ; a white stripe over, and a 
 white patch under the eye ; tail nearly even ; bill black ; feet brown. 
 Length, 7.50 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in September. Nests in bushes. A 
 shy bird, odd and uncouth in its motions and with an extraordinary song, which Nuttall 
 thus rather fancifully describes : “ Some of these notes resemble the whistling of the wings 
 of a flying duck, at first loud and rapid, then sinking till they seem to end in single notes. 
 Other tones are now heard like the barking of young puppies, with a variety of hollow, 
 guttural, uncommon sounds, and terminated occasionally by something like the mewing 
 of a cat.” The song is frequently heard moonlight nights. 
 
 The Chat is noted for its ventriloquial powers. This art it employs with good success 
 in luring enemies from its nest. 
 
 Dr. Mearns, writing of one of “its ridiculous performances, ” savs : “It has the habit 
 of Hying up in the air, with its legs dangling, then allowing itself to drop nearly to the 
 ground.” 
 
PLATE LIV. OVEN-BIRD. 
 
PLATE LIV. -OVEN-BIRD. GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH. 
 
 Seiurus a u r oca pill us . 
 
 Upper-parts, including wings and tail, uniform olive-green ; crown 
 with two lateral stripes of black inclosing a wider stripe of brownish- 
 orange; a pale ring around the eye ; underneath white with black spots 
 and streaks on breast and sides ; tail nearly even ; bill and feet pale. 
 Length, 6 . is inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves late in October. Its nest is built on the 
 ground and is roofed with leaves and grass resembling a “Dutch-oven ” in shape, hence 
 the popular name Oven-bird. 
 
 The song has been likened to the syllables qiiicha-quicha-qiiicba repeated rapidly and 
 often. It is begun softly, and grows continuously louder with an even crescendo. 
 
 There is another song indeed, less often uttered, more elaborate than the ordinary per- 
 formance ; Dr. Coues calls it a “ luxurious, nuptial song.” The bird is a walker. 
 
HOODED WARBLER. 
 
 Syiviana mitrata. 
 
 Above olive-yellow ; forehead, cheeks, breast and belly bright yellow ; 
 crown, chin and neck all round jet black : wings and tail brown, the 
 latter spotted on the three outer feathers near the tip with white ; bill 
 black; feet pale. Length, 5.6s inches. 
 
 Migratory- Arrives early in May, leaves early in September. A rather abundant 
 bird, lovely in plumage, and a charming singer. It must be sought in remote spots, since 
 it loves dense woods whose shelter it seldom abandons. It nests in low situations. 
 
AMERICAN REDSTART. REDSTART. 
 
 Setophaga riiticilla. 
 
 Head, neck, back and middle-breast blue-black ; sides of breast 
 orange ; belly white ; wings with an orange band and lined with orange ; 
 tail slightly rounded, black, broadly patched on each side near ibe base 
 with orange ; bill and feet black. Length, 5.40 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves late in September. Nests on small trees in 
 woods or meadows. A rather shy bird, with a sweet but monotonous song. 
 
PLATE LV. CATBIRD. 
 
PLATE LV.— CATBIRD. 
 
 Galeoscoptes carolinensis. 
 
 Prevailing color slate, palest below ; under-side of rump reddish ; 
 crown, tail, bill and feet black ; tail full and rounded. Length, 8.90 
 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves about October 13. Nests in bushes A 
 common bird, lurking in the shrubbery of gardens or in the tangle of road-side thickets, and 
 uttering its well-known cat-like mezv with a persistency worthy of a more agreeable sound. 
 Another of its calls, even still less musical, resembles the syllables trat-tat-tat-tat given in 
 quick succession. 
 
 It has, however, a beautiful song which has been called a medley, imitative of the 
 Robin and the Thrush. This song is heard only during the breeding season, and though 
 truly an admirable performance, a quick ear may detect in it a slight, whining quality 
 suggestive of the feline note. 
 
 The bird is really a handsome one, but, owing to its skulking habits, and the unsocial 
 manner with which it resents inspection, scarcely a favorite. 
 
 187 
 
PLATE LVI. BROWN THRASHER. 
 
PLATE LVl. -BROWN THRASHER. BROWN THRUSH. 
 
 Harporhyncus riifus. 
 
 Above light reddisli-brown ; throat, middle of belly and under- 
 rump white — but, inclosing the throat, and on breast and flanks much 
 spotted with brown ; two white bars on wings ; tail long and rounded ; 
 bill dark ; feet pale ; iris yellow. Length, 1 1.40 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives late in April, leaves early in October. Nests in bushes or on the 
 ground. A gifted vocalist, scarcely surpassed either in sweetness or variety by any other 
 bird. During the nesting season it is said to sing at night. The Brown Thrasher remains 
 for the most part in the cover of thickets in whose recesses he has his nest, but when the 
 singing frenzy is on him he may be seen on the top of some rather low tree pouring forth 
 his melody. 
 
 When the sun illumines his brown coat, the tint of red in it is strikingly apparent. 
 
PLATE LVIl. WINTER WREN. 
 
PLATE EVIL— WINTER WREN. 
 
 Troglodytes hiemalis. 
 
 Reddish-brown all over, darker on the back ; barred and spotted 
 everywhere except on head and neck ; tail very short and rounded ; a 
 pale, indistinct line over the eye. Length, 4 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives from the north in October and returns in the Spring. Next to 
 the Hummingbird, the smallest bird we have. It is extremely shy, and, as Dr. Cones re- 
 marks, “less often seen than other Wrens no less common; voice strong and highly 
 musical.” 
 
PLATE LVIll. LONG. BILLED MARSH WREN. 
 
PLATE LVIIL— LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN. 
 
 Cistothoriis palnstris. 
 
 Above reddish-brown ; head and back of the neck black, sometimes 
 streaked with white ; beneath white, shaded on the sides with brown ; 
 wings and tail much barred, the latter short and rounded ; a pale 
 streak over the eye. Length, s.20 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives late in May, leaves early in October. Builds a nest much like a 
 cocoanut in size and shape, with a hole for entrance near the top. This it attaches to the 
 reeds and rushes growing in swamps or marshes. 
 
 Wilson calls its song “a low, crackling sound, somewhat similar to that produced by 
 air bubbles forcing their way through mud or boggy ground when trod upon.” 
 
 DeKay more truthfully says that the bird is “highly musical,” but adds, curiously 
 enough, “It breeds * probably (!) in this State (N.Y.), but 1 have not yet met with 
 its nest.” The writer has found the bird a very common one ; he has seen many of its 
 nests ; and, in his judgment, its song is nearly as important as that of the House Wren, 
 and somewhat similar to it. 
 
 At a junction of the railroad track which leads into Flushing, Long Island, where 
 
 93 
 
many of the trains stop to be separated into sections, is a marsh inhabited by Marsh 
 Wrens. The writer has often noticed the birds singing lustily at twelve o'clock in the 
 night, and supposed that they were wakened by the noise of the cars. He is i.nterested, 
 therefore, in Dr. Mearns’ statement that birds of this species have “the habit of singing at 
 night when the moon is bright." He intends to learn if the Flushing colony sing when 
 there is no moon. If he finds this to be the case, he will continue to ascribe the midnight 
 serenade to the disturbing inlluence of the passing trains. 
 
 HOUSE WREN. 
 
 Troglodytes a'edon. 
 
 Above reddish-brown, lighter towards tiie rump : beneath soiled 
 white with brown tinges on the breast ; wings and tail much barred, 
 the latter rounded ; a light line over the eye. Length, s inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives late in April, leaves middle of October. Nests in holes of stumps 
 and fences, or in boxes which are often prepared for it in gardens, where it sometimes 
 brings forth three broods. 
 
 He who studies the House Wren as it is seen about men’s habitations, will say that it 
 
 194 
 
is a cheerful, industrious little creature, with charming confidence in mankind. He also 
 will esteem it a persistent vocalist, with a trilling, gushing song of much sweetness and 
 considerable length. And he will be right, if he limits the bird’s possession of these good 
 qualities to the breeding season. But this Wren is a bird of a dual character. While its 
 household cares are upon it, the admirable traits predominate ; but when the young have 
 been sent forth, it lays aside the familiarity which had so endeared it to us, withdraws to 
 some remote, barren and inaccessible spot, where, songless, secluded and aloof, wholly 
 transformed in demeanor, it lurks among the tangled shrubbery until the time of its final 
 departure. 
 
 *95 
 
PLATE LIX. WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 
 
PLATE LIX.— WHITE-BREASTED (OR BELLIED) NUTHATCH. 
 
 Sitta carolinensis. 
 
 Crown and back of neck black ; back gray-blue ; cheeks, throat, 
 breast and belly dull white ; wings dark, many of the feathers light- 
 edged ; the middle feathers of the tail gray-blue, the outer ones marked 
 strongly with black and white ; bill and feet dark. Length, 6 inches. 
 
 Resident. Nests in a hole generally made by the bird itself in a tree or stump. It 
 has no song, but utters a short, harsh call, which resembles the syllable qiiank. It clambers 
 up, down or around tree-trunks, or runs along the upper or under side of a branch with 
 equal ease, industriously searching for insects or nuts, on both of Vvdiich it feeds. 
 
 In separating the kernels of nuts from the husk or shell, it wedges the nut into a 
 crevice of bark or limb, and pounds upon it until the shell gives way. 
 
 The bird is an accomplished gymnast, hanging, says Dr. Coues, “in every conceivable 
 attitude, head downward as often as otherwise.” 
 
 IQ7 
 
PLATE LX. CHICKADEE. 
 
PLATE LX.— CHICKADEE. BLACK-CAPPED TITMOUSE. 
 
 Parus atricapillns. 
 
 Prevailing color gray-brown ; crown and throat black ; cheeks white ; 
 breast and belly dull white ; tail nearly square ; Length, 5.2s inches. 
 
 Resident. Nests in holes in trees or stumps. Flight wavering. A nervously active 
 little fellow, constantly in motion. Fearless and confiding, it will pursue its avocations in 
 close proximity to an observer, apparently unconscious of his presence. Its familiarity 
 with man and confidence in him are very touching, and this trait, no less than its cheery 
 call and industrious habits, endears it to all bird-lovers. It is often observed in company 
 with Wrens and Nuthatches. In Fall and Winter the Chickadee is one of the most abund- 
 ant birds we have, and it is then, perhaps, more frequently seen than any other kind. Its 
 Summer call is chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee , and that of Winter is day-day-day. 
 
PLATE LXI. GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, 
 
 -la -.-j 
 
 ■L- .fL. 
 
PLATE LXL— GOLDEN-CROWNED (OR CRESTED) KINGLET. 
 
 Regidus satrapa. 
 
 Above olive-green ; beneath dull white ; crown as follows : in the 
 centre a stripe of orange surrounded on front and sides by yellow, and 
 that in the same manner by black, and that again similarly by light 
 gray ; wings brown, most of the feathers with pale edges ; tail brown, 
 notched ; bill black ; feet dark. Length, 4 inches. 
 
 Migratory. This exquisite little creature, fragile in appearance, and, excepting the 
 Winter Wren and the Hummingbird, the tiniest of our birds, is, in fact, a hardy, cold- 
 loving species. It comes to us from the boreal regions about the first of October, and 
 remains through the Winter. Look for it then among the pines and cedars. It has an 
 artless little song, unpretentious but pleasing ; a simple whistle repeated quickly three or 
 four times. This it utters in a sort of antiphone to the day-day-day of the Chickadee, and 
 the quank-quank of the Nuthatch, for these three birds are sworn friends and constant 
 companions. 
 
 The Golden-crowned Kinglet is no lover of warm weather. Such experience as 
 comes to him in the early Spring warns him to be off, and about May i he wends 
 his way northward. 
 
RUBY-CROWNHD (OR CRHSTHD) KINGLF.T. 
 
 Re(yuhis calendula. 
 
 Much like the preceding, except th;it it is ;t trille larger, the olive- 
 green of the back is darker, and the crown is as follows : general color 
 olive-green, a vermilion patch in the centre, and the forehead light 
 gray. Length, 4.40 inches. 
 
 Migratory. The habits of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet differ somewhat from those 
 of its congener. 
 
 It has a more southerly range, and spends its Winters in the south. It comes to us 
 the middle of April, remains about one month, and then follows its Golden-crowned name- 
 sake. Whether or not it goes as far north, 1 do not know, but it is not again seen here 
 until late in September. At this time, and about two weeks in advance of the Golden- 
 crown, it pays us a month's visit, when it finally departs for its southern Winter home. 
 
 Dr. Mearns points out that this Kinglet “is one of our earliest singing migrants,” and 
 remarks that “ its song is one of the sweetest, and much louder than would be supposed, 
 coming from such a little bird.” 
 
 202 
 
HERMIT THRUSH. 
 
 Tmdus aonalaschka’ pallasii. 
 
 Above olive-brown, passing to a decidedly reddish color on the tail; 
 beneath white, tinged with yellow on the breast, and with gray on the 
 sides ; throat pure white, bordered with brown spots, — these spots 
 extend down upon the breast and are of a shape called arrow-headed ; 
 a yellowish ring around the eye ; tail rather short, nearly even ; bill 
 dark brown, — the lower mandible much the lighter ; legs light brown. 
 Length, 7.1s inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in April, leaves early in October. Nests near or on the 
 ground. Its song is notable and resembles that of the Wood Thrush. Mr. Burroughs 
 says: “The Wood Thrush and the Hermit stand at the head as songsters, no two persons, 
 perhaps, agreeing as to which is the superior.” Mr. Burroughs’ own preference, however, 
 is evident, for he mentions the “divine soprano of the Hermit,” and again says: “A 
 
 203 
 
PLATE LXII. WOOD THRUSH. 
 
strain has reached mv ears ^ that to me is the finest sound in nature — the song 
 
 of the Hermit Thrush.” 
 
 The beginner will be puzzled to discriminate between the several Thrushes. As 
 regards the three here mentioned, the Wood, the Veery and the Hermit, the differences in 
 the color of the back will guide him aright. 
 
 Miss Merriam thus concisely states these variations : 
 
 “The brown of the Wood Thrush is reddest on the head and shoulders. 
 
 “The brown of the Hermit is reddest on the tail. 
 
 “The Tawny has a uniformly tawny back.” 
 
 PLATE LXIL— WOOD THRUSH. 
 
 Tnrdus mustelinus. 
 
 Above cinnamon-brown, reddest on the bead, shading into olive on 
 the rump and tail ; beneath white, thickly spotted on breast and sides 
 with dark-brown, but the chin, throat and middle of belly are im- 
 maculate ; tail nearly even ; bill brown; feet pale. Length, 8.2s inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves late in September. Nests usuallv in woods, 
 
 205 
 
PLATE LXIII. WILSON’S THRUSH. 
 
though trequently near dwellings, and seldom in lofty situations, preferring low trees or 
 even bushes for its dwelling place. 
 
 Its song is one of the most beautiful of bird utterances ; strong, rich and varied, and 
 with a peculiar metallic quality belonging to no other bird. 
 
 PLATE LXIIL— WILSON’S THRUSH. TAWNY THRUSH. 
 
 VEERY. 
 
 Turdiis fuscescens. 
 
 Above reddish-brown, nearly continiwns m ^bade, including tail ; 
 beneath white, less pure on sides, and even yellowish on throat and 
 upper-breast ; spotted with brown on the breast and sides of the 
 throat ; tail rather short and slightly notched ; upper mandible darker 
 than lower one; feet pale. Length, 7.50 inches. 
 
 Migratory. Arrives early in May, leaves early in September. Nests low, often upon 
 the ground. 
 
 A shy bird, frequenting dark woods or swamps. 
 
 A line singer. 
 
 207 
 
PLATE LXIV. AMERICAN ROBIN. 
 
PLATE LXIV.-AMERICAN ROBIN. ROBIN. 
 
 Mend a migratoria. 
 
 Above olive-gray; head black; throat white streaked with black; 
 eye-lids and a spot before the eye white ; breast and belly chestnut- 
 brown ; under-side of rump white ; wings dark brown, some of the 
 feathers with light edges ; tail black, slightly rounded, the outside 
 feathers tipped with white ; bill yellow; feet dark. Length, lo inches. 
 
 A migratory species. Those individuals which sometimes pass the Winter here are 
 probably birds with a more northerly range than the others of their kind. The Robin 
 arrives in full force early in March and remains until late in the Fall. 
 
 Nests usually in trees, the structure being composed largely of mud. 
 
 During the breeding season a persistent vocalist, and if the song has not much variety, 
 its heartiness and good cheer render it one of the most agreeable of bird utterances. 
 
 Many persons who cultivate cherries, grapes and other small fruits are prejudiced 
 against the Robin, believing it to be destructive to their crops. Such enmity is ill-founded, 
 for fruit is a small part of Robin’s diet, and, by the havoc he creates among worms and 
 
 20Q 
 
insects, he much more than compensates for the damage done by his occasional lapses into 
 vegetarianism. The quantity of worms and insects which he devours is enormous, 
 indeed hardly credible. Professor Treadwell experimented on some voung Robins kept in 
 captivity, with a view of determining the amount of food necessary to maintain them, 
 and found that each one required sixty-eight worms per day. 'fhat is to say, each bird 
 “ate forty-one percent, more than its own weight in twelve hours. The length of these 
 worms, if laid end to end, would be about fourteen feet. Man at this rate would eat about 
 seventy pounds of flesh a day, and drink five or six gallons of water.” 
 
 Well may Mr. Thomas Wentworth Higginson, in Out of Door Paphrs, exclaim at the 
 “exhausting labor of yonder Robin, whose winged, picturesque day is spent in putting 
 worms into insatiable beaks at the rate of one morsel in every three minutes.” 
 
 The American Robin must not be confounded with the Robin Redbreast of English 
 nursery tales. The two are not at all alike. The American Bluebird approaches most nearly 
 of any of our birds to those which provided the celebrated sleeping babes with their leafy 
 covering. 
 
 2TO 
 
BLUEBIRD. 
 
 Si alia sialis. 
 
 Above azure-blue ; throat and upper-breast ciunaiuoii ; belly dull 
 white ; eyes large ; tail and wings broad, the former slightly notched ; 
 bill and legs black. Length, 7 inches. 
 
 A migratory species; individuals, probably those with the northernmost range, being 
 usually present with us through the Winter. 
 
 Arrives early in March or even in February, leaves kite in November. Song a soft, 
 pleasing warble in which a resemblance to the syllables trii-al-ly often repeated has been 
 noticed. The bird utters this song when he is dying and when he is at rest. 
 
 Nests in holes of trees or posts, or in boxes placed for his use in gardens. 
 
 One of the earliest comers, the Bluebird is gladly welcomed as a harbinger of Spring, 
 and his arrival is more widely remarked than that of most of the other birds. As the 
 
 season advances and the tide of migration sets fully in, he loses his prominence, until, in 
 
 Fall, many of the Summer visitors having departed, he again assumes importance ; 
 
 21 1 
 
then, after greeting the Juncos and Snowflakes just come from the north, and bidding 
 adieu to his intimate friends, the Chickadees, he joins the Kinglets and Warblers, now on 
 their southern journey, and who tarry long enough for him to make his final preparations, 
 and with them he seeks a sunnier clime. On some pleasant November morning, when we 
 hear his sweet warble fiom an adjacent fence, though at the time we are unable to interpret 
 the burden of his lay, he is, in his own “gentle, high-bred manner,” bidding us 
 
 Farewell. 
 
 7i2 
 
COLOR-GUIDE 
 
 The following color-guide is intended to help in identifying birds. To use it, scan 
 the teft cotumn until a heading is found that indicates a color corresponding to the most 
 noticeable marking of the bird whose name is desired. If, under this heading, there 
 stand sub-headings, see if the unknown bird has peculiarities mentioned in one of these. 
 The comparisons having been accuratety made, the reader may feel reasonably sure that 
 he has reached the right name. Further confirmation may be sought from the descriptions 
 in the body of the book, to which the figures in the right column refer. 
 
 ^ack ash. 
 
 Bank Swallow. 145 
 
 Kingbird. 81 
 
 Back ash, streaked with black. 
 
 Head black; cheeks white. 
 
 Black-poll Warbler. 175 
 
 Back black. 
 
 Head, neck and middle-breast black; 
 sides of breast and tail-patches or- 
 ange; belly white. 
 
 American Redstart. 185 
 
 Back black. 
 
 Belly white; sides chestnm. 
 
 Chewink. 133 
 
 Belly and rump white; breast rose- 
 red. 
 
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 137 
 Rump yellow. 
 
 Magnolia Warbler. 169 
 
 Back black and orange. 
 
 Baltimore Oriole. 104 
 
 213 
 
pAr.E 
 
 t*AOH 
 
 Back black and white. 
 
 Downy W()oi)pi-:cki;r. 67 
 
 Hairy Woodpkckhr. 67 j 
 
 Breast orange. 1 
 
 Blackburnian Warbler. 16s j 
 
 Head, and neck all round, crimson. 
 
 Red-headed Woodpecker. 71 ; 
 
 Back ashy-blue. 
 
 Northern Shrike. 149 ' 
 
 Crested. 
 
 Belted Kingfisher. 63 
 
 Throat, sides of head and of body 
 black. 
 
 Black-Throated Blue War- 
 bler. 167 
 
 Crown and back of neck black ; 
 under-parts white. 
 
 Whiti:-breasti:d Nuthatch. 197 | 
 
 Back ayure-blue. 
 
 Breast cinnamon ; belly dull white. 
 
 Bluebird. 211 
 
 Back light blue. 
 
 Blue Jay. 91 
 
 A patch of yellow in centre of the 
 back ; breast yellow, somewhat 
 spotted with brown. 
 
 Parula Warbler. 161 
 
 Back slaty-blue, streaked with black. 
 
 Crown, rump and a spot on each side 
 of the breast yellow. 
 
 Myrtle Warbler. 164 
 
 Back steel-blue. 
 
 Underneath chestnut. 
 
 Barn Swallow. 141 
 
 Back gray. 
 
 Least Flycatcher. 
 
 89 
 
PAGE 
 
 Back olive-gray. 
 
 Head black; throat white streaked 
 with black; breast and belly chest- 
 nut. 
 
 Robin. 209 
 
 Back ol ive-browii . 
 
 Phcebe. 8 s 
 
 Wood Pewee. 8 s 
 
 Beneath white with many brown 
 spots. 
 
 Hermit Thrush. 20s 
 
 Back metal lie-green . 
 
 Ruby-Throat’d Humm’g Bird. 78 
 
 Back olive-green. 
 
 Great Crested Flycatcher. 83 
 Kinglets (very small birds). 
 
 201, 202 
 
 Beneath white, spotted and streaked 
 with black. 
 
 Oven-bird. i8s 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ^ack olive-green. 
 
 Beneath yellow (more or less pure). 
 
 Maryland Yellow-Throat. 180 
 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. 87 
 
 Yellow-breasted Chat. 181 
 
 Yellow-Throated ViREo. isi 
 
 Eyes red. 
 
 Red-eyed Vireo. iss 
 
 Eyes white. 
 
 White-eyed Vireo. 137 
 
 Head blue-gray. 
 
 Solitary Vireo. iss 
 
 Head buff, striped with black. 
 
 Worm-eating Warbler. 160 
 
 Back olive-yellow. 
 
 Eorehead, cheeks, breast and belly 
 bright yellow; neck all round, 
 crown and chin black. 
 
 Hooded Warble;r. 184 
 
 15 
 
I’AGF. 
 
 Back reddisb-hrowii. 
 
 Beneath white spotted with brown. 
 
 Brown Thrasher. 
 
 i8g 
 
 Wfi.son’s Thrush. 
 
 207 
 
 Wood Thrush. 
 
 20s 
 
 Back slate, streaked with black. 
 
 
 Thi'oat and sides chestnut; belly 
 
 and 
 
 centre of breast I'eddish-white. 
 
 
 Bay-breasted Warbler. 
 
 
 Back sooty-brown. 
 
 
 Throat light gray. 
 
 
 Chimney Swift. 
 
 77 
 
 Back white. 
 
 Hind-neck cream color; all else black. 
 
 Boboi.ink (in nuptial plumage), qs 
 ‘Back yellowish-green . 
 
 Chin, throat and breast black; fore- 
 head, a band over the eye, cheeks 
 and sides of neck yellow. 
 
 Bi.ack-throathi) Gkehn War- 
 
 BLI-.K. 
 
 177 
 
 Beneath white {more or less pure). 
 
 Cuckoos. Oi, 62 
 
 Downy Wooi)I>i.cki-:r. 67 
 
 Hairy Wooi)|>hckf;r. 67 
 
 Kincbiri). 81 
 
 LkaST pLYCATCHFiR. 89 
 
 Northhrn Shrikh. 149 
 
 Phchbh. 85 
 
 Rhd-hf{af)EF) Woof)I>hckhr. 7f 
 Whfte-breastef) Nuthatch. 197 
 Woof:) Pewee. 85 
 
 A brown band across the breast. 
 
 Bank Swaef.ow. f4s 
 
 Sides chestnut. 
 
 Chewfnk. 133 
 
 Streaked on sides of body with black. 
 
 Bi.ack ANF) White Warbler, f s9 
 
 Streaked on sides of body with black ; 
 head black; cheeks white. 
 
 Black-f’oll Warbler. F75 
 
 ,6 
 
PAGE 
 
 beneath white {more or less pure). 
 
 Throat, sides of head and of body 
 black ; back grayish-blue. 
 
 Black-throated Blue War- 
 bler. 167 
 
 A chestnut stripe on each side of the 
 body. 
 
 Chestnut-sided Warbler. 171 
 
 Spotted with brown or black on breast 
 and belly. 
 
 Brown Thrasher. 189 
 
 OyEN-BiRD. 183 
 
 Thrushes (Hermit, Wilson’s 
 and Wood). 203-207 
 
 Breast or belly [or both) bright orange. 
 
 Baltimore Oriole. 104 
 
 Blackburnian Warbler. i6s 
 
 Breast or belly {or both) chestnut. 
 
 Barn Swallow. 14 i 
 
 Bluebird. 
 
 2 1 1 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Breast or belly {or both) chestnut. 
 
 Orchard Oriole. 
 
 Robin. 
 
 Breast rose-red. 
 
 Belly white. 
 
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 
 
 103 
 
 209 
 
 U7 
 
 Breast or belly {or both) spotted or dashed. 
 
 Brown Thrasher. 189 
 
 Flicker. 73 
 
 Fox Sparrow. 13 i 
 
 Horned Lark. 93 
 
 OyEN-BIRD. 183 
 
 Thrushes (Hermit, Wilson’s 
 and Wood). 203-207 
 
 Breast or belly {or both) more or less 
 yellow. 
 
 American Goldfinch. 112 
 
 Great Crested Flycatcher. 83 
 
 Maryland Yellow-Throat. 180 
 
 Parula Warbler. 16 i 
 
 Red-eyed Vireo. 133 
 
"Breast or belly (or both) more or less 
 yellow, 
 
 Yfxlow-beli ihh Flycatcuhr. 87 
 Yellow-bellied Sabsucker. 69 
 Yellow-breasted Chat. 18 i 
 Yellow-throated Vireo. isi 
 Yellow Warbler. 162 
 
 Crown bay. 
 
 l^ALM Warbler. 179 
 
 Forehead and cheeks yellow ; neck 
 all round, crown and chin black. 
 
 FIooded Warbler. 184 
 
 Large black crescent on neck. 
 
 Meadowlark. 10 i 
 
 Throat, chin and rump yellow; back 
 black ; black streaks on breast and 
 sides of body. 
 
 Maonolia Warbler. 169 
 
 Breast lilac-brown, ivith a large, black 
 half -moon. 
 
 Belly ashy, plentifully spotted with 
 
 black ; rump white. 
 
 Flicker. 73 
 
 Crested (more or less). 
 
 Belted KiNCiFisHER. 63 
 
 Blue Jay. 91 
 
 Cardinal. 135 
 
 Cedar Waxwing. 147 
 
 Great Crested Flycatcher. 83 
 Kingbird. 81 
 
 Phcebe. 85 
 
 Wood Pewee. 85 
 
 General color ash. 
 
 Plead crested ; tail with a yellow 
 terminal band. 
 
 Cedar Waxwing. 147 
 
General color black. 
 
 COWBIRD. 97 
 
 Crow. 93 
 
 Purple Crackle. 107 
 
 Shoulders red. 
 
 Red-winged Blackbird. 99 
 
 Sides of body chestnut. 
 
 Chewink. 133 
 
 Tail -patches and sides of breast 
 orange ; belly white. 
 
 American Redstart. i8s 
 
 General color blue. 
 
 Indigo Bunting. 139 
 
 Crested. 
 
 Belted Kingfisher. 63 
 
 Blue Jay. 91 
 
 Breast cinnamon ; belly dull white. 
 
 Bluebird 21 i 
 
 Underneath chestnut. 
 
 Barn Swallow. 14 i 
 
 General color a brilliant variegation of 
 
 black, white and orange. 
 
 Baltimore Oriole. 104 
 
 Blackburnian Warbler. 165 
 
 General color pale crimson. 
 
 Back streaked with brown. 
 Purple Finch. 
 
 109 
 
 General color gray. 
 
 Crown and throat black ; 
 
 cheeks 
 
 white. 
 
 Chickadee. 
 
 199 
 
 General color red. 
 
 American Crossbill. 
 
 1 1 1 
 
 Cardinal. 
 
 13s 
 
 Summer Tanager. 
 
 139 
 
 Wings and tail black. 
 
 Scarlet Tanager. 
 
 140 
 
 General color reddish-brown, much barred 
 and spotted. 
 
 Wrens (very small birds). 
 
 191-104 
 
PAOR 
 
 PACK 
 
 General color slate. 
 
 Belly white; tail with white outside 
 feathers. 
 
 juNCO. 127 
 
 Crown and tail black. 
 
 Catbird. 187 
 
 General color streaked ‘with brown [or 
 reddish) and dull while (or yellowish). 
 
 (Shipping Sparrow. 12s 
 
 Field Sparrow. i i 7 
 
 Fox Sparrow. 131 
 
 Pine Siskin. iis 
 
 Song Sparrow. 129 
 
 Chin white. 
 
 White-throated Sparrow. 121 
 
 Shoulders reddish ; outer tail-feathers 
 white. 
 
 Vesper Sparrovc. 1 19 
 
 Shoulders yellow. 
 
 Grasshopper Sparrow. 123 
 
 General color white. 
 
 Snoweiake. 1 17 
 
 General color yellow. 
 
 Oown, win'fs and tail black. 
 
 American ('joldeinch. 112 
 
 Under-parts streaked with reddish- 
 brown. 
 
 Yellow Warbler. 162 
 
 Head and neck all round bright crimson. 
 Back black ; rump white. 
 
 Red-headed Woodpecker. 71 
 
 Tail with a white terminal band. 
 
 Kingbird. 81 
 
 Tail with a yellow terminal band. 
 
 Cedar Waxwing. 147 
 
 Throat ruby-red. 
 
 Back metallic-green. 
 
 Ruby-throat'd Humm’g Bird. 78 
 
INDEX 
 
 Bee-Martin, see Kingbird. 
 
 Blackbird, Crow (or Common Crow), see Purple Crackle. 
 
 Marsh (or Swamp), see Red-winged Blackbird. 
 Red-winged, 30, 33, 40, 48, 99. PI. XXI. 
 Skunk, see Bobolink. 
 
 Bluebird, 31, 34, 33, 40, 50, 211. 
 
 Bobolink, 31, 37, 39, 48, 93. PI. XIX. 
 
 Bunting, Bay-winged, see Vesper Sparrow. 
 
 Indigo, 31, 32, 37, 39, 48, 1 ^ 9 - 
 Snow, see Snowflake. 
 
 Towhee, see Towhee. 
 
 . Yellow-winged, see Crasshopper Sparrow. 
 Butcher-bird, see Northern Shrike. 
 
 Cardinal, 23, 37, 48, 135. PI. XXXVI. 
 
 Catbird, 31, 36, 39, 30, 187. PI. LV. 
 
 Cedarbird, see Cedar Waxwing. 
 
 Chat, Yellow-breasted, 36, 38, 40, 181, 
 
 Chebec, see Least Flycatcher. 
 
 Cherrybird, see Cedar Waxwing. 
 
 I Chewink, see Towhee. 
 
 Chickadee, 31, 34, 3o, 19Q. PI. LX. 
 
 Chippy, see Chipping Sparrow. 
 
 Clape, see Flicker. 
 
 CowBiRD, 33, 39, 48, 97, 103. PI. XX. 
 
 Creeper (or Creeping Warbler), Black and White, see 
 Black and White Warbler. 
 
 Crossbill, American (or Red), 34, 36, 48, i i i. PI. XXVI. 
 Crow, American, 30, 34, 47, 81, 93. PL XVIII. 
 Cuckoo, Black-billed, 2 1 , 23, 31, 37, 39, 46, 01 . PI. IV. 
 
 Yellow-billed, 46, 62. 
 
 Finch, Grass, see Vesper Sparrow. 
 
 Pine, see Pine Siskin. 
 
 Purple, 34, 3S, 40, 48, 100. PI. XXV. 
 Firebird, see Baltimore Oriole. 
 
 Flicker, 31, 34, 33, 40, 46, 73. PL IX. 
 
 Flycatcher, Great Crested, 37, 30 , 47, 83. PI. XIII 
 Least, 37, 39, 47, 80. PL XVI. 
 Yellow-bellied, 37, 38, 47, 87. PI. XV. 
 
 22 
 
Index 
 
 Goldfinch, American, 31, 32, 34, 48, 112. 
 
 Crackle, Purple, 3^, 40, 48, 107. 1 ^ 1 . XXIV 
 
 Greenlet, see Vireo. 
 
 Grosbeak, Cardinal, see Cardinal. 
 
 Rose-breasted, 36, 39, 48, 137, PI. XXXVII. 
 Hair-bird, see Chipping Sparrow. 
 
 Hangnest, see Baltimore Oriole. 
 
 High-hole (or High-holder), see Flicker. 
 
 Hummingbird, Ruby-throated, 31, 37, 38, 47, 78. 
 Indigo-bird, see Indigo Bunting. 
 
 Jay, Blue, 31, 34, 47, Qi. PI. XVII. 
 
 JuNco, (or Slate-colored Junco), 48, 127. PI. XXXIl. 
 Kingbird, 30, 38, 47, 81. PI. Xll. 
 
 Kingfisher, Belted, 23, 31, 34, 33, 46, 63. PI. V. 
 Kinglet, Golden-crowned (or crested), 34, 36, 39, 50, 
 201. PI. LXI. 
 
 Ruby-crowned (or crested), 33, 36, 39, 50, 202. 
 Lark, Horned, 34, 35, 39, 47, 93. 
 
 Linnet, Pine, see Pine Siskin. 
 
 I Lettuce-bird, see American Goldfinch. 
 
 I Meadowlark, 31, 34, 33 , 40, 48, loi. PL XXIL 
 j Meadow-wink, see Bobolink. 
 
 Myrtlebird, see Myrtle Warbler. 
 
 Night-jar, see Whip-jwor-will. 
 
 Nuthatch, White-breasted (or bellied), 34, 50, 197. 
 PL LIX. 
 
 Old Fieldlark, see Meadowlark. 
 
 Oriole, Baltimore, 31, 36, 38, 48, 104. 
 
 Orchard, 37, 39, 48, 103. PI. XXI 11 . 
 Oven-bird, 36, 40, 49, 183. PL LIV. 
 
 Owl, Great Horned (or Hoot, or Cat), 34, 46, 57, PI. 11 . 
 
 Little Horned (or Mottled, or Red, or Screech), 
 34, 46 , 59- 
 
 Saw-whet (or Acadian), 34, 46, 53. PI. I. 
 Snowy, 34, 33, 46, 59. PL III. 
 
 Peabody-bird, see White-throated Sparrow. 
 
 Pewee, Water, see Phoebe. 
 
 Wood, 37 , 39, 47, 83 . 
 
 Pewit Flycatcher, see Phoebe. 
 
 222 
 
Index 
 
 Phcebe, 35, 40, 47, 85. PI. XIV. 
 
 Reedbird, see Bobolink. 
 
 Redbird, Summer, see Summer Tanager. 
 
 Redstart, American, 36, 30, 40, i8s. 
 
 Ricebird, see Bobolink. 
 
 Robin, American, 30, 34, 3s, 40, 50, 209. PI. LXIV. 
 Golden, see Baltimore Oriole. 
 
 Ground, see Towhee. 
 
 Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied, 23, 35, 40, 46, 69. PI. VII. 
 Shrike, Northern, 23, 34, 35, 40, 49, 149. PI. XLII. 
 Siskin, Pine, ^4, 55, 39, 48, 115. PI. XXVII. 
 Snowbird, seejunco. 
 
 Snowflake, "54, 35, 40, 48, i i 7. PI. XXVIII. 
 
 Sparrow, Chipping, 36, 40, 48, 125. PI. XXXI. 
 
 Field, 36, 40, 48, I I 7. 
 
 Fox, 35, 36, 40, 48, 131 . PI. XXXIV. 
 Grasshopper(or Yellow-winged), 36, 39,48, 123. 
 Song, 31, 33, 35, 40, 48, 129. PI. XXXIII. 
 Vesper, 35, 40, 48, i 19. PI. XXIX. 
 White-throated, 34, 36, 37, 39, 48, 121 
 PI. XXX. 
 
 Swallow, Bank, 36, 38, 49, 145. PI. XL. 
 
 Barn, 31, 36, 38, 49, 141. PI. XXXIX. 
 Chimney, should be Chimney Swift ep v. 
 Swift, Chimney, 31, 36, 39, 47, 77. PI. XI. 
 
 Tanager, Scarlet, 31, 37, 39, 48, 140. 
 
 Summer, 31, 48, 139. PL XXXVIII. 
 Thistle-bird, see American Goldfinch. 
 
 Thrasher (or Thrush), Brown, 36, 39, 30, 189. PL LVL 
 Thrush, Golden-crowned, see Oven-bird. 
 
 Flermit, 35, 37, 39, 50, 203, 203. 
 
 Red, see Brown Thrasher. 
 
 Wilson’s (or Tawny), 36, 38, 30, 203, 207. 
 PI. LXIII. 
 
 Wood (or Song), 36, 39, 30, 203. PL LXII. 
 Titmouse, Black-capped, see Chickadee. 
 
 Towhee, 36, 40, 48, 133. PL XXXV. 
 
 Veery, see Wilson’s Thrush. 
 
 ViREO, Blue-headed (or Solitary, 36, 39, 49, 155. 
 
 PL XLIV. 
 
 Red-eyed, 37, 39, 4Q, » 53 - RL XLIII. 
 White-eyed, 36, 39, 49, 157. PL XLV. 
 
 223 
 
Index 
 
 ViREO, Yellow-throated, "56, 39, 49, isi. 
 
 Warbler, Bay-breasted, 37, 39, 49, 173. Id. L. 
 
 Black and White, 36, 39, 49, 139. Id. XLVl. 
 Black and Yellow, see Magnolia Warbler. 
 Blackburnian, 37, 38, 49, 163. 
 
 Black-poll, 37, 40, 49, 173. Id. LI. 
 Black-throated Blue, 36, 39,49, 107. PI. XLVII. 
 Black-throated Green, 37, 40, 49, 177. Id. LII. 
 Blue Yellow-backed, see Myrtle Warbler. 
 Chestnut-sided, 36, 39, 49, 171. Id. XLIX. 
 Hooded, 37, 38, 49, 184. 
 
 Magnolia, 37, 38, 49, 109, PI. XLVlll. 
 %rtle, 35, 38, 39, 49, 164. 
 
 Palm, 36, 39, 49, 179, Id. LlII. 
 
 Parula, 36, 39, 49, 161. 
 
 Worm-eating, 37, 39, 49, lOo. 
 
 Yellow, 36, 37, 49, 162. 
 
 Yellov/ Red-poll, see Palm Warbler. 
 Yellow-rumped, see Myrtle Warbler. 
 
 Waxwing, Cedar, 31, 34, 49, 147. PI. XLI. 
 Whip-poor-will, 36, 38, 46, 73. PL X. 
 
 Woodpecker, Downy, 34, 40, 67. 
 
 Colden-winged, see Flicker. 
 
 Hairy, 34, 46, 67. PL VI. 
 
 Pigeon, see Flicker. 
 
 Red-headed, 33, 39, 46, 71. PL VI 11 . 
 Yellow-bellied, see Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 
 Wren, Golden-crowned (or crested), see Golden-crowned 
 Kinglet. 
 
 House, 31, 30, 39, 50, 194. 
 
 Long-billed Marsh, 37, 39, 50, 193. PL LVIIL 
 Ruby-crowned (or crested), see Ruby-crowned 
 Kinglet. 
 
 Winter, 34, 36, 39, 50, 191. PL LVIl. 
 Yellowbird, see American Goldfinch. 
 
 Summer, see Yellow-Warbler. 
 
 Yellowthroat, Maryland, 23, 37, 40, 49, 180. 
 
 Yucker (or Yellowhammer), see Flicker. 
 

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