Adele

State Bird of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin

2012-04-26T00:21:00.001-07:00

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

AMERICAN ROBIN OR MIGRATORY THRUSH.
[American Robin.]

TURDUS MIGRATORIUS, Linn.
[Turdus migratorius.]
PLATE CXLII.--MALE, FEMALE, YOUNG, AND NEST.

The first land-bird seen by me, when I stepped upon the rugged shores of Labrador, was the Robin, and its joyful notes were the first that saluted my ear. Large patches of unmelted snow still dappled the surface of that wild country; and although vegetation was partially renewed, the chillness of the air was so peculiarly penetrating, that it brought to the mind a fearful anxiety for the future. The absence of trees, properly so called, the barren aspect of all around, the sombre mantle of the mountainous distance that hung along the horizon, excited the most melancholy feelings; and I could scarcely refrain from shedding tears when I heard the song of the Thrush, sent there as if to reconcile me to my situation. That song brought with it a thousand pleasing associations referring to the beloved land of my youth, and soon inspired me with resolution to persevere in my hazardous enterprise.

The traveller who, for the first time in his life, treads the wastes of Labrador, is apt to believe that what he has been told or read of it, must be at least in part true. So it was with me: I had conceived that I should meet with numberless Indians who would afford me much information respecting its rivers, lakes, and mountains, and who, like those of the far west, would assist me in procuring the objects of my search. But alas! how disappointed was I when, in rambling along three hundred miles of coast, I scarcely met with a single native Indian, and was assured that there were none in the interior. The few straggling parties that were seen by my companions or myself, consisted entirely of half-bred descendants of "the mountaineers;" and, as to Esquimaux, there were none on that side of the country. Rivers, such as the Natasguan, which on the maps are represented as of considerable length, degenerated into short, narrow, and shallow creeks. Scarcely any of its innumerable lakes exceeded in size what are called ponds in the Southern States; and, although many species of birds are plentiful, they are far less numerous than they were represented to us by the fishermen and others before we left Eastport. But our business at present is with the Robin, which greeted our arrival.

This bird breeds from North Carolina, on the eastern side of the Alleghany Mountains, to the 56th degree of north latitude, and perhaps still farther. On the western side of those mountains, it is found tolerably abundant, from the lower parts of Kentucky to Canada, at all times of the year; and, notwithstanding the snow and occasional severe winters of Massachusetts and Maine, flocks remain in those States the whole season. Thousands, however, migrate into Louisiana, the Floridas, Georgia, and the Carolinas, where, in winter, one cannot walk in any direction without meeting several of them. While at Fayetteville, in North Carolina, in October 1831, I found that the Robins had already arrived and joined those which breed there. The weather was still warm and beautiful, and the woods, in every direction, were alive with them, and echoed with their song. They reached Charleston by the end of that month. Their appearance in Louisiana seldom takes place before the middle of November. In all the Southern States, about that period, and indeed during the season, until they return in March, their presence is productive of a sort of jubilee among the gunners, and the havoc made among them with bows and arrows, blowpipes, guns, and traps of different sorts, is wonderful. Every gunner brings them home by bagsful, and the markets are supplied with them at a very cheap rate. Several persons may at this season stand round the foot of a tree loaded with berries, and shoot the greater part of the day, so fast do the flocks of Robins succeed each other. They are then fat and juicy, and afford excellent eating.

During the winter they feed on the berries and fruits of our woods, fields, gardens, and even of the ornamental trees of our cities and villages. The holly, the sweet-gum, the gall-berry, and the poke, are those which they first attack; but, as these fail, which is usually the case in January, they come nearer the towns and farm-houses, and feed voraciously on the caperia berry (Ilex caperia), the wild-orange berry (Prunus carolinianus), and the berries of the pride of India (Melia azedarach). With these they are often choked, so that they fall from the trees, and are easily caught. When they feed on the berries of the poke-plant, the rich crimson juices colour the stomach and flesh of these birds to such an extent as to render their appearance, when plucked, disagreeable; and although their flesh retains its usual savour, many persons decline eating them. During summer and spring they devour snails and worms, and at Labrador I saw some feeding on small shells, which they probed or broke with ease.

Toward the approach of spring they throw themselves upon the newly ploughed grounds, into the gardens, and the interior of woods, the undergrowth of which has been cleared of grass by fire, to pick up ground-worms, grubs, and other insects, on which, when perched, they descend in a pouncing manner, swallowing the prey in a moment, jerking their tail, beating their wings, and returning to their stations. They also now and then pick up the seed of the maize from the fields.

Whenever the sun shines warmly over the earth, the old males tune their pipe, and enliven the neighbourhood with their song. The young also begin to sing; and, before they depart for the east, they have all become musical. By the 10th of April, the Robins have reached the Middle Districts; the blossoms of the dogwood are then peeping forth in every part of the budding woods; the fragrant sassafras, the red flowers of the maple, and hundreds of other plants, have already banished the dismal appearance of winter. The snows are all melting away, and nature again, in all the beauty of spring, promises happiness and abundance to the whole animal creation. Then it is that the Robin, perched on a fence-stake, or the top of some detached tree of the field, gives vent to the warmth of his passion. His lays are modest, lively, and ofttimes of considerable power; and although his song cannot be compared with that of the Thrasher, its vivacity and simplicity never fail to fill the breast of the listener with pleasing sensations. Every one knows the Robin and his song. Excepting in the shooting season, he is cherished by old and young, and is protected by all with anxious care.

The nest of this bird is frequently placed on the horizontal branch of an apple-tree, sometimes in the same situation on a forest-tree; now and then it is found close to the house, and it is stated by NUTTALL that one was placed in the stern timbers of an unfinished vessel at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in which the carpenters were constantly at work. Another, adds this admirable writer, has been known to rebuild his nest within a few yards of the blacksmith's anvil. I discovered one near Great Egg Harbour, in the State of New Jersey, affixed to the cribbing-timbers of an unfinished well, seven or eight feet below the surface of the ground. To all Such situations this bird resorts, for the purpose of securing its eggs from the Cuckoo, which greedily sucks them. It is seldom indeed that children meddle with them.

Wherever it may happen to be placed, the nest is large and well secured. It is composed of dry leaves, grass, and moss, which are connected internally with a thick layer of mud and roots, lined with pieces of straw and fine grass, and occasionally a few feathers. The eggs are from four to six, of a beautiful bluish-green, without spots. Two broods are usually raised in a season.

The young are fed with anxious care by their tender parents, who, should one intrude upon them, boldly remonstrate, pass and repass by rapid divings, or, if moving along the branches, jerk their wings and tail violently, and sound a peculiar shrill note, evincing their anxiety and displeasure. Should you carry off their young, they follow you to a considerable distance, and are joined by other individuals of the species. The young, before they are fully fledged, often leave the nest to meet their parents, when coming home with a supply of food.

During the pairing season, the male pays his addresses to the female of his choice frequently on the ground, and with a fervour evincing the strongest attachment. I have often seen him, at the earliest dawn of a May morning, strutting around her with all the pomposity of a pigeon. Sometimes along a space of ten or twelve yards, he is seen with his tail fully spread, his wings shaking, and his throat inflated, running over the grass and brushing it, as it were, until he has neared his mate, when he moves round her several times without once rising from the ground. She then receives his caresses.

Many of these birds shew a marked partiality to the places they have chosen to breed in, and I have no doubt that many which escape death in the winter, return to those loved spots each succeeding spring.

The flight of the Robin is swift, at times greatly elevated and capable of being long sustained. During the periods of its migrations, which are irregular, depending upon the want of food or the severity of the weather, it moves in loose flocks over a space of several hundred miles at once, and at a considerable height. From time to time a few shrill notes are heard from different individuals in the flock. Should the weather be calm, their movements are continued during the night, and at such periods the whistling noise of their whigs is often heard. During heavy falls of snow and severe gales, they pitch towards the earth, or throw themselves into the woods, where they remain until the weather becomes more favourable. They not unfrequently disappear for several days from a place where they have been in thousands, and again visit it. In Massachusetts and Maine, many spend the most severe winters in the neighbourhood of warm springs and spongy low grounds sheltered from the north winds. In spring they return northward in pairs, the males having then become exceedingly irritable and pugnacious.

The gentle and lively disposition of the Robin when raised in the cage, and the simplicity of his song, of which he is very lavish in confinement, render him a special favourite in the Middle Districts, where he is as generally kept as the Mocking-bird is in the Southern States. It feeds on bread soaked in either milk or water, and on all kinds of fruit. Being equally fond of insects, it seizes on all that enter its prison. It will follow its owner, and come to his call, peck at his finger, or kiss his mouth, with seeming pleasure. It is a long-lived bird, and instances are reported of its having been kept for nearly twenty years. It suffers much in the moult, even in the wild state, and when in captivity loses nearly all its feathers at once.

The young obtain their full plumage by the first spring, being spotted on the breast, and otherwise marked, as in the plate. When in confinement they become darker and less brilliant in the colours, than when at liberty.

So much do certain notes of the Robin resemble those of the European Blackbird, that frequently while in England the cry of the latter, as it flew hurriedly off from a hedge-row, reminded me of that of the former when similarly surprised, and while in America the Robin has in the same manner recalled the Blackbird to my recollection.

The extent of migration of this bird, and its breeding from the Texas to the 56th degree of north latitude, and from the Atlantic coast to the Columbia river, seem to me to afford a strong argument against the necessity of migration in birds. In countries, like ours, of great extent and varied climate, migrating birds find many favourable places at which to stop during the summer months for the purpose of breeding. I have repeatedly mentioned that young birds regularly advance farther southward in winter than their parents, which may be accounted for by the capability of enduring cold being greater in the latter. Now, is it not probable that young birds of a second or third brood, which are urged at an earlier period than those of the first set, but late in the season, to force their way southward, and save themselves from the rigours of approaching winter, are at this period of weaker constitution than those which have been born earlier, and have been less pressed by time in prosecuting their journey southward? In consequence of this, the last young broods may be unwilling, perhaps unable, on the approach of spring, to start and follow their stronger companions to the land of their nativity. They may thus remain and breed in their first year's winter quarters, or advance so far as their strength will allow them. In the course of my studies, I have, in a great number of instances, observed that such birds as produced three broods in one season and in the same district, were all much older than those which produced only one brood. Of this any one can easily assure himself by shooting the breeding birds, and either bending or breaking their bones, or tearing asunder their pectoral muscles, which will be found harder or tougher in proportion to their age. Thus I am inclined to believe, that the farther south breeding individuals are found, the younger they are, and vice versa. This general rule is well exhibited in most of the species of birds, whether of the land or of the water, that are known to proceed in spring northward, and to return southward at the appearance of the inclement season; for in them the gradual progress of the young may easily be compared with the much slower advance of the old.

I have, on many occasions, when certain species returned to the nest or spot where they bred the previous season, observed, that what I considered to be the parents of the first year's young, were again the occupants. In the Swallow tribe, and in some of our travelling Woodpeckers, as well as in the Summer Duck, the Dusky Duck, the Mallard, the Hooded Merganser, Crow Blackbirds, Starlings, Kingfishers, Canada Geese, &c., this has proved correct, in as far as I could ascertain by the comparative softness of their bones and pectoral muscles. I think, further, that such species as merely enter the southern parts of our country in the breeding season, as the Mississippi Kites, Fork-tailed Hawks, Roseate Spoonbills, Flamingoes, Scarlet Ibises, &c. would all prove, if their winter retreats were well ascertained, to advance much farther southward than any of those which reach us first, and which continue their movements northward; with the exception of such species, however, as would not be likely to meet with the food they are accustomed to live upon, or the same degree of warmth as that to which they have been habituated, as our Parrakeets, the White-headed Pigeon, Zenaida Dove, Booby Gannet, several Terns, Gallinules, Herons, and others, which are by no means deficient in the power of flight, were nothing else required.

Another thought has frequently recurred to me while making observations on the habits of our birds: the nests of all those which advance least to the northward are less bulky than those of the same species found in higher latitudes. This difference I have not considered altogether as depending upon the state of the temperature, but upon the longer time afforded these birds for rearing their young, the old and strong individuals arriving at an early period of the season, so that they have abundance of time to rear their broods before a decided change of temperature takes place. Again, it has become a matter of great doubt with me, whether the necessity of migration has not, in some parts of our countries, been increased in many species by the great increase of the individuals of a species that have settled there, and which have so encroached upon the original occupants as to force them to seek other retreats. In times long gone by, the country was in a manner their own, and being free of annoyance, they probably bred in every portion of the land that proved favourable in regard to food. On the other hand, I am fully aware that many species, now unknown in certain districts, have formerly been abundant there, but have been induced to remove to other sections of the country, enticed thither by the accumulation of food produced by the increase of civilized men. This I would look upon as a proof that migration is not caused solely by an organic or instinctive impulse which induces birds to remove at a particular period to a distant part, to spend a season there for the purpose of reproducing only; but also for the reasons stated above.

Dr. T. M. BREWER has favoured me with the following remarks:--"Your account of the Robin hardly leaves me any thing to add, except the fact that Mr. CABOT found the nest of this bird on the ground (a bare rock) near Newport, Rhode Island. Such a situation is certainly unusual, if not altogether unprecedented. It appears to me that the opinion commonly entertained, that the Robin passes the winter in Massachusetts, is not strictly correct. Sure it is that Robins are to be found here pretty much at all seasons, but I have no idea that the same individuals remain any length of time. They are rather successions of flocks slowly moving towards warmer regions, and have about all passed through the State by the first week of February; from which time until March none are to be found there, when those that visit the extreme northern parts again commence their migrations. In the gardens in the vicinity of Boston, the Robins have become a great nuisance, from the boldness with which they appropriate to their own use the largest, earliest, and best cherries, strawberries, currants, buffalo-berries, raspberries, and other fruit. The Robin generally has three broods in a season, in this State, and in the third nest it is not unusual to find the eggs last laid to be only about a third of the size of the others. Albinoes of this species have sometimes been seen."

The interior of the mouth has the same general structure as that of the Mocking-bird; its width 4 twelfths. The tongue is 8 twelfths long, narrow, tapering, thin, horny, with the margins slightly lacerated, and the tip slit. The posterior aperture of the nares is oblongo-linear, 7 twelfths long. The oesophagus is three inches long, funnel-shaped at the commencement, afterwards of the nearly uniform width of 3 1/2 twelfths, until it enters the thorax, when it contracts; the proventriculus bulbiform, 5 twelfths in breadth. The stomach is of moderate size, broadly elliptical, 9 twelfths in length, 7 1/2 twelfths in breadth; the epithelium light red, longitudinally rugous; the muscles of moderate thickness. The intestine is of moderate length and great width, the former being 13 inches, the latter 4 twelfths. It passes downwards in front, at the distance of 1 1/2 inches, bends forward, inclosing the pancreas, opposite the right lobe of the liver receives the biliary ducts, then passes backwards to the right side until it reaches the hind part of the abdomen, forms two short convolutions, afterwards a larger one, and over the stomach terminates in the rectum. The coeca are 3 twelfths long, 1 twelfth in width; their distance from the extremity 1 inch. The cloaca is an oblong sac, of which the width is 1/2 an inch.

The trachea is 2 inches 2 twelfths long, a little flattened, firm, the rings about 78, with 2 terminal half rings. The bronchi are short, of about 12 half rings. The muscles are as described in the Mocking-bird.

ROBIN, Turdus migratorius, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. i. p. 35.
TURDUS MIGRATORIUS, Bonap. Syn., p. 75.
MERULA MIGRATORIA, Red-breasted Thrush, Swains. and Rich. F. Bor. Amer.,vol. ii. p. 176.
AMERICAN ROBIN or MIGRATORY THRUSH, Turdus migratorius, Nutt. Man., vol. i.p.338.

AMERICAN ROBIN or MIGRATORY THRUSH, Turdus migratorius, Aud. Orn. Biog.,vol. ii. p. 190; vol. v. p. 442.

Male with the bill yellow, the upper part and sides of the head black; upper parts dark grey, with an olivaceous tinge; quills blackish-brown, margined with light grey; tail brownish-black, the outer two feathers tipped with white; three white spots about the eye, throat white, densely streaked with black; lower part of fore neck, breast, sides, axillars, and lower wing-coverts reddish-orange; abdomen white; lower tail-coverts dusky, tipped with white. Female with the tints paler. Young with the fore neck, breast, and sides pale reddish, spotted with dusky, the upper parts darker than in the adult. Bill at first dusky, ultimately pure yellow.

State Bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,Oregon and Wyoming

2012-04-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

MISSOURI MEADOW-LARK.
[Western Meadowlark.]

STURNELLA NEGLECTA, Aud.
[Sturnella neglecta.]
PLATE CCCCLXXXIX.--MALE.

Although the existence of this species was known to the celebrated explorers of the west, LEWIS and CLARK, during their memorable journey across the Rocky Mountains and to the Pacific; no one has since taken the least notice of it.

These travellers mention it at page 236 of the first volume, edited by PAUL ALLEN, Esq., and revised by ARCHIBALD M'VICAR. They say, on the 21st June, 1805, "There is also a species of Lark, much resembling the bird called the Old Field Lark, with a yellow breast and a black spot on the croup. * * * * The beak, too, is somewhat larger and more curved, and the notes differ considerably." The expedition was, at the period mentioned, in the neighbourhood of the great Falls of the Missouri.

We found this species quite abundant on our voyage up the Missouri, above Fort Croghan, and its curious notes were first noticed by Mr. J. G. BELL, without which in all probability it would have been mistaken for our common species (Sturnella Ludoviciana). When I first saw them, they were among a number of Yellow-headed Troupials, and their notes so much resembled the cries of these birds, that I took them for the notes of the Troupial, and paid no farther attention to them, until I found some of them by themselves, when I was struck with the difference actually existing between the two nearly allied species.

In their fight, manners on the ground, and general habits, nothing different from S. Ludoviciana could be observed; but on comparing the Missouri Meadow Lark with specimens of S. Ludoviciana, procured near New York, the differences are quite sufficient to warrant me to describe the former as a new and hitherto undescribed species. The bill of the Missouri Meadow Lark is more curved, and considerably narrower, than in the common species, indeed it in scarcely more than one half the breadth of the bill of the latter. The Missouri Lark is also considerably smaller, but the greatest difference is in the form of the tail, which in this species is nearly square, and consequently has the feathers nearly equal, whilst in the common one, the tail is rounded, and the two lateral feathers are nearly three quarters of an inch shorter than the middle ones; besides which, the central tail-feathers of the present bird are narrowly barred, and not scalloped on their margins as in Sturnella Ludoviciana. The nest in not covered over, and the eggs are considerably smaller, and differently marked. This species is very shy, but abundant on all the prairies; its flesh resembles that of the common bird, and is indifferent eating.

MISSOURI MEADOW-LARK, Sturnella neglecta, Aud. 10, 16.

Upper Missouri. Abundant.

Adult Male.

The male measures 10 inches from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, to end of claws 11 1/4; alar extent 16; wing from flexure 4 7/8; tail 3. Third quill longest. Bill along the ridge 1 and nearly 3/8, along the edge 1 3/8; tarsus 1 5/8; middle toe 1, its claw 3/8; hind toe 5/8, its claw 1/2.

The eggs, which are usually four or five in number, measure 1 1/8 inches in length, by 3/4 in breadth, pure white ground. The spots are more bold, larger, and of a brighter reddish colour than those of S. Ludoviciana, and are diffused over the whole surface, instead of being crowded toward the larger end, as is the case in the common species. The irides are brownish, and the hairs on the upper eye-lid longer and more numerous. The general colours and markings are much the same in both species, but much paler in the present one

State Bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina,Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia

2012-04-26T00:20:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK.
[Northern Cardinal.]

PITYLUS CARDINALIS, Linn.
[Cardinalis cardinalis.]
PLATE CCIII.--MALE, AND FEMALE.

In richness of plumage, elegance of motion, and strength of song, this species surpasses all its kindred in the United States. It is known by the names of Red-bird, Virginia Nightingale, Cardinal-bird, and that at the head of the present article. It is very abundant in all our Southern States, as well as in the peninsula of the Floridas. In the western country a great number are found as far up on the Ohio as the city of Cincinnati, and they extend to considerable distances into Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. They are found in the maritime districts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where they breed, and where a few remain the whole year; some are also seen in the State of New York, and now and then a straggler proceeds into Massachusetts; but farther eastward this species has never been observed.

This fine songster relishes the interior of the forest, and the heart of the deepest cane-brakes or retired swamps, as well as the neighbourhood of cities. It is constantly found in our fields, orchards and gardens; nay, it often enters the very streets of our southern towns and villages to breed; and it is rare that one goes into a planter's yard without observing the Red-bird skipping about the trees or on the turf beneath them. Go where it may, it is always welcome, and every where a favourite, so rich is its song, and so brilliant its plumage.

The Cardinal-bird breeds in the Floridas. In the beginning of March I found them already paired in that country, and on the 8th of February near General HERNANDEZ's. In the neighbourhood of Charleston, as well as in Louisiana, they are nearly a month later, and much the same lapse of time takes place again before they form a nest in the State of New Jersey or in that of Kentucky.

The nest is placed, apparently without much consideration, in some low briar, bush, or tree, often near the fence, the middle of a field, or the interior of a thicket, not far from a cooling stream, to which they are fond of resorting, for the purpose of drinking and bathing. Sometimes you find it placed close to the planter's house or in his garden, a few yards from that of the Mocking-bird or the Thrasher. It is composed of dry leaves and twigs, together with a large proportion of dry grass and slips of grape-vines, and is finished within with bent-grass, wrought in a circular form. The eggs are from four to six, of a dull white colour, marked all over with touches of olive-brown.

In the Southern Districts they now and then raise three broods in the season, but in the Middle States seldom more than one. The young on leaving the nest, frequently follow their parents on the ground for several days, after which they disperse and seek for food apart. During the pairing season, the males are so pugnacious, that although they breed near birds of other species, they never allow one of their own to nestle in their vicinity. One male may be seen following another from bush to bush, emitting a shrill note of anger, and diving towards the fugitive antagonist whenever an opportunity offers, until the latter has escaped quite beyond his jurisdiction, when the conqueror, elated, returns to his grounds, ascends his favourite tree, and pours out his song in full exultation.

Those which migrate to the eastward begin to move about the commencement of March, usually in the company of the Towhe Bunting and other Sparrows, hopping and passing from bush to bash during the whole day, announcing to the traveller and husbandman the approach of a more genial season, and resting at night in the secluded swamps. The males precede the females about ten days.

Towards autumn they frequently ascend to the tops of tall trees in search of grapes and berries, being as fond of succulent or pulpy fruits as they are of the seeds of corn and grasses. On the least appearance of dancer they at once glide into the interior of the nearest thickets. During the summer heats they frequently resort to sandy roads to dust themselves, carelessly suffering people to approach them until within a few yards, when they only remove to the nearest bushes, until the intruders pass.

They are easily raised when taken from the nest, and breed when kept in aviaries. My friend Dr. SAMUEL WILSON of Charleston, has had them breeding with him, having placed straw-baskets for the purpose, in which the female deposited her eggs, without improving the nest any more than by placing in it a few grass-blades, perhaps pilfered from some of her neighbours. The purity of its colouring is soon lost when it is kept in confinement, where it is gentle, easily fed on corn or hemp-seed, and it sings when placed in a cage for several months in the year.

During winter the Cardinal Grosbeak frequently shews itself in the farm-yard, among Turtle-Doves, Jays, Mocking-birds, and various species of Sparrows, picking up its food from the store daily supplied to the poultry. It now and then seeks refuge at night in the lee of some haystack, or throws itself with many other birds among the thickest branches of the nearest evergreen tree.

The flight of the species is strong and rapid, although seldom continued to any great distance. It is performed by glidings and jerks of the tail. When the bird is alighted it also frequently juts its tail with grace. Like all birds of the genus it hops, but does not walk.

Its song is at first loud and clear, resembling the finest sounds produced by the flageolet, and gradually descends into more marked and continued cadences, until it dies away in the air around. During the love-season the song is emitted with increased emphasis by this proud musician, who, as if aware of his powers, swells his throat, spreads his rosy tail, droops his wings, and leans alternately to the right and left, as if on the eve of expiring with delight at the delicious sounds of his own voice. Again and again are those melodies repeated, the bird resting only at intervals to breathe. They may be heard from long before the sun gilds the eastern horizon, to the period when the blazing orb pours down its noonday floods of heat and light, driving the birds to the coverts, to seek repose for awhile. Nature again invigorated, the musician recommences his song, when, as if he had never strained his throat before, he makes the whole neighbourhood resound, nor ceases until the shades of evening close around him. Day after day the song of the Red-bird beguiles the weariness of his mate as she assiduously warms her eggs; and at times she also assists with the modesty of her gentler sex. Few individuals of our own race refuse their homage of admiration to the sweet songster. How pleasing is it, when, by a clouded sky, the woods are rendered so dark, that were it not for an occasional glimpse of clearer light falling between the trees, you might imagine night at hand, while you are yet fir distant from your home--how pleasing to have your ear suddenly saluted by the well known notes of this favourite bird, assuring you of peace around, and of the full hour that still remains for you to pursue your walk in security! How often have I enjoyed this pleasure, and how often, in due humbleness of hope, do I trust that I may enjoy it again!

This species is very abundant in Texas, where, as in our Southern States, it is a constant resident. Mr. TOWNSEND has observed it on the waters of the Upper Missouri. According to Dr. T. M. BREWER, it is but a chance visitor in Massachusetts during summer, indeed so rare, that he never knew certainly but of one pair which bred in the Botanical Garden, Cambridge, about six years ago, and departed in the fill, with their young. The eggs measure one inch and half an eighth in length, five-eigths and a third in breadth, and are thus elongated, although the smaller end is well rounded.

Male, 8 1/2, 11 1/2.

Breeds abundantly from Texas to New York. Very rare in Massachusetts. Valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio. Resident from Maryland southward.

CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Loxia cardinalis, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 38.
FRINGILLA CARDINALIS, Bonap. Syn., p. 113.
CARDINAL GROSBEAK or RED-BIRD, Fringilla cardinalis, Nutt. Man., vol. i.p. 519.

CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Fringilla cardinalis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 336;vol. v. p. 514.

Adult Male.

Bill short, very robust, conical, acute, deeper than broad at the base; upper mandible with its dorsal outline a little convex, the sides rounded, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip slightly declinate; lower mandible broader than the upper, with its dorsal line straight, the back broad, the sides rounded, the edges inflected; the gap-line deflected at the base. Nostrils basal, roundish, concealed by the feathers. Head large, neck short, body robust. Legs of moderate length, rather strong; tarsus compressed, anteriorly covered with a few scutella, posteriorly sharp; toes scutellate above, free, the lateral ones nearly equal; claws slender, arched, compressed, acute, that of the hind toe considerably larger.

Plumage soft and blended, slightly glossed. Wings of moderate length, broad, much rounded, the fourth quill longest; primaries rather broad, rounded, from the second to the sixth slightly cut out on the outer web, secondaries rather narrow and rounded. Tail long, straight, rounded. Feathers of the crown long, pointed, and erectile.

Bill of a tint approaching to coral-red. Iris dark hazel. Feet pale umber. The whole upper parts of a deep dusky-red, excepting the head, which is vermilion. The anterior part of the forehead, the lores, and the upper anterior part of the neck, black. The under parts are vermilion, which is brightest anteriorly. Inner webs of the quills light brown, their shafts and those of the tail-feathers blackish-brown.

Length 8 1/4 inches, extent of wings 11 1/2; bill along the back 7/12, along the edge 3/4; tarsus (1 1/2)/12.

Adult Female.

The female has a crest as well as the male, which it resembles in the texture of its plumage, but the tail is proportionally shorter. The general colour of the upper parts is dull greyish-brown, slightly tinged with olive; the longer crest-feathers are streaked with dull red, the wings, coverts, and outer edges of the quills, are of the same tint; the edge of the wings and the lower coverts are pale vermilion, and the inner edges of the quills are of the same tint, but paler. The parts surrounding the base of the bill, which are black in the male, are blackish-grey, and the lower parts in general are pale greyish-brown.

Length 7 1/2 inches.

In a male preserved in spirits, the palate ascends very abruptly, and has two very elevated soft ridges, at the junction of which anteriorly is a prominent soft space, on the lower mandible beneath are three longitudinal ridges with four grooves, of which the two lateral are much wider. The tongue is 4 1/2 twelfths long, emarginate and papillate at the base, convex and fleshy above, as high as broad, horny beneath, tapering to a point. The width of the mouth is 6 twelfths. The lower mandible is broader than the upper, exceedingly strong, and very deeply concave. The oesophagus is 2 inches 5 twelfths in length, 3 twelfths in width. The stomach pretty large, roundish, 7 1/2 twelfths long, 7 twelfths broad; its lateral muscles strong, the tendons large, the epithelium very dense, longitudinally rugous, brownish-red. The stomach is filled with seeds, which have all been husked. Intestine 10 1/4 inches long, its width from 3 twelfths to 2 twelfths. Coeca 3 twelfths long, 1/2 twelfth broad, 1 inch distant from the extremity. Cloaca ovate, 4 twelfths in width.

Trachea 1 inch 10 twelfths long, from 1 1/4 twelfths to 1/2 twelfth in breadth; its rings 52; the muscles as in the other species. Bronchial half rings about 12. THE WILD ALMOND.

PRUNUS CAROLINIANA, Willd., Sp. Pl., vol. ii. p. 987. Pursch, Fl. Amer. Sept., vol. i. p. 330.--ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn.--ROSACEAE, JUSS.

Flowers in racemes; leaves evergreen, oblong-lanceolate, mucronate, serrate, without glands at the base. The wild almond is altogether a southern tree. Its height now and then is as much as twenty-five feet, the stem in that case being a foot or more in diameter. The usual rounded form of its top, and the persistence of its foliage, together with its white flowers, and dark coloured fruits, render it a very agreeable object. Many are planted around the plantation grounds or the gardens of our southern cities, on account of their beautiful appearance. The fruits are greedily devoured by many species of birds, but are unpalatable to man. I have not observed it to the east of Virginia, nor farther west than the town of Memphis on the Mississippi. The wood is seldom applied to any useful purpose.

State Bird of Iowa, New Jersey, and Washington

2012-04-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.
[American Goldfinch.]

CARDUELIS TRISTIS, Linn.
[Carduelis tristis.]
PLATE CLXXXI.--MALE AND FEMALE.

This species merely passes over the State of Louisiana in the beginning of January, and at that season is seen there for only a few days, alighting on the highest tops of trees near water-courses, in small groups of eight or ten, males and females together. They feed at that period on the opening buds of maples, and others that are equally tender and juicy. In the month of November they are again seen moving southwards, and for a few days only.

A few breed in Kentucky and the State of Ohio, but the Middle Districts are their principal places of resort during summer, although they extend their migrations to a high latitude. They arrive in the State of New York about the middle of April; and as they become very abundant in that State during the summer, I shall describe their habits as observed there.

The flight of the American Goldfinch is exactly similar to that of the European bird of the same name, being performed in deep curved lines, alternately rising and falling, after each propelling motion of the wings. It scarcely ever describes one of these curves without uttering two or three notes whilst ascending, such as its European relative uses on similar occasions. In this manner, its flight is prolonged to considerable distances, and it frequently moves in a circling direction before alighting. Their migration is performed during the day. They seldom alight on the ground, unless to procure water, in which they wash with great liveliness and pleasure, after which they pick up some particles of gravel or sand. So fond of each other's company are they, that a party of them passing on the wing will alter its course at the calling of a single one perched on a tree. This call is uttered with much emphasis: the bird prolongs its usual note, without much alteration, and as the party approaches, erects its body, and moves it to the right and left, as if turning on a pivot, apparently pleased at shewing the beauty of its plumage and the elegance of its manners. No sooner has the flock, previously on wing, alighted, than the whole party plume themselves, and then perform a little sweet concert. So much does the song of our Goldfinch resemble that of the European species, that whilst in France and England, I have frequently thought, and with pleasure thought, that they were the notes of our own bird which I heard. In America again, the song of the Goldfinch recalled to my remembrance its transatlantic kinsman, and brought with it too a grateful feeling for the many acts of hospitality and kindness which I have experienced in the "old country."

The nest also is perfectly similar to that of the European bird, being externally composed of various lichens fastened together by saliva, and lined with the softest substances. It is small and extremely handsome, and is generally fixed on a branch of the Lombardy poplar, being sometimes secured to one side of a twig only. I have also found it in elder bushes, a few feet above the ground, as well as in other trees. The female deposits from four to six eggs, which are white, tinged with bluish, and marked at the larger end with reddish-brown spots. They raise only one brood in a season. The young follow the parents for a long time, are fed from the mouth, as Canaries are, and are gradually taught to manage this themselves. When it happens that the female is disturbed while on her nest, she glides off to a neighbouring tree, and calls for her mate, pivoting herself on her feet, as above described. The male approaches, passes and repasses on the wing at a respectful distance from the intruder, in deeper curves than usual, uttering its ordinary note, and when the unwelcome visitant has departed, flies with joy to his nest, accompanied by the female, who presently resumes her occupation.

The food of the American Goldfinch consists chiefly of seeds of the hemp, the sun-flower, the lettuce, and various species of thistle. Now and then, during winter, it eats the fruit of the elder.

In ascending along the shores of the Mohawk river, in the month of August, I have met more of these pretty birds in the course of a day's walk than anywhere else; and whenever a thistle was to be seen along either bank of the New York canal, it was ornamented with one or more Goldfinches. They tear up the down and withered petals of the ripening flowers with ease, leaning downwards upon them, eat off the seed, and allow the down to float in the air. The remarkable plumage of the male, as well as its song, are at this season very agreeable; and so familiar are these birds, that they suffer you to approach within a few yards, before they leave the plant on which they are seated. For a considerable space along the Genessee river, the shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and even Lake Superior, I have always seen many of them in the latter part of summer. They have then a decided preference for the vicinity of water.

It is an extremely hardy bird, and often remains the whole winter in the Middle Districts, although never in great numbers. When deprived of liberty, it will live to a great age in a room or cage. I have known two instances in which a bird of this species had been confined for upwards of ten years. They were procured in the market of New York when in mature plumage, and had been caught in trap-cages. One of them having undergone the severe training, more frequently inflicted in Europe than America, and known in France by the name of galerien, would draw water for its drink from a glass, it having a little chain attached to a narrow belt of soft leather fastened round its body, and another equally light chain fastened to a little bucket, kept by its weight in the water, until the little fellow raised it up with its bill, placed a foot upon it, and pulled again at the chain until it reached the desired fluid and drank, when, on letting go, the bucket immediately fell into the glass below. In the same manner, it was obliged to draw towards its bill a little chariot filled with seeds; and in this distressing occupation was doomed to toil through a life of solitary grief, separated from its companions, wantoning on the wildflowers, and procuring their food in the manner in which nature had taught them. After being caught in trap-cages, they feed as if quite contented; but if it has been in spring that they have lost their liberty, and they have thus been deprived of the pleasures anticipated from the previous connexion of a mate, they linger for a few days and die. It is more difficult to procure a mule brood between our species and the Canary, than between the latter and the European Goldfinch, although I have known many instances in which the attempt was made with complete success.

The young males do not appear in full plumage until the following spring. The old ones lose their beauty in winter, and assume the duller tints of the female. In fact, at that season, young and old of both sexes resemble each other.

There is a trait of sagacity in this bird which is quite remarkable, and worthy of the notice of such naturalists as are fond of contrasting instinct with reason. When a Goldfinch alights on a twig imbued with bird-lime expressly for the purpose of securing it, it no sooner discovers the nature of the treacherous substance, than it throws itself backwards, with closed wings, and hangs in this position until the bird-lime has run out in the form of a slender thread considerably below the twig, when feeling a certain degree of security, it beats its wings and flies off, with a resolution, doubtless, never to alight in such a place again; as I have observed Goldfinches that had escaped from me in this manner, when about to alight on any twig, whether smeared with bird-lime or not, flutter over it, as if to assure themselves of its being safe for them to perch upon it.

This interesting species is found on the shores of the Columbia river. It is mentioned by Dr. RICHARDSON as visiting the Fur Countries, where it arrives at a very late period, as it retires in September, after a stay of less than three months. The eggs described by that most zealous naturalist agree in every particular with some now before me, which I collected myself. They measure a trifle more than five and a half eighths in length, by four and a half eighths in breadth, and are very obtuse at one end and sharp at the other. My friend Dr. BACHMAN informs me, that "although this bird is not uncommon in the maritime districts of South Carolina during winter, it has not been observed to breed nearer than one hundred miles from Charleston." Dr. T. M. BREWER states, that "it remains through the year at Boston, breeds in large numbers, and is seen during winter in great flocks, in dull plumage, constantly flitting about."

Abundant in the Middle and Western Districts during summer. Accidental in the Southern States during winter. Columbia river and Fur Countries. Abundant. Migratory.

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, Fringilla tristis, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. i. p. 20.
FRINGILLA TRISTIS, Bonap. Syn., p. 111.

CARDUELIS AMERICANA (Edwards), American Goldfinch, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 268.

YELLOW-BIRD or AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 507.

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, Fringilla tristis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 172;vol. v. p. 510.

Bill rather slender, second and third quills longest. Male rich lemon-yellow, fading behind into yellowish-white; upper part of head, wings, and tail black; smaller coverts yellow, quills margined, and secondary coverts tipped with yellowish-white; inner webs of tail-feathers in their terminal half white. Female brownish-olive above, without black on the head; fore neck and breast greyish-yellow, the rest of the lower parts greyish-white. Young like the female, as is the male in winter.

Male, 4 1/2, 8. THE COMMON THISTLE.

CNICUS LANCEOLATUS, Willd., Sp. Pl., vol. iii. p. 1666. Pursch, Flora Amer., vol. ii, p. 506. Smith, Engl. Bot., vol. iii. p. 388.--SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA AEQUALIS, Linn.--CINAROCEPHALAE, Juss.

This well known species of thistle, common in the temperate and colder parts of both continents, it is unnecessary to describe.

State Bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina,Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia

2012-04-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK.
[Northern Cardinal.]

PITYLUS CARDINALIS, Linn.
[Cardinalis cardinalis.]
PLATE CCIII.--MALE, AND FEMALE.

Male, 8 1/2, 11 1/2.

Breeds abundantly from Texas to New York. Very rare in Massachusetts. Valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio. Resident from Maryland southward.

CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Loxia cardinalis, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 38.
FRINGILLA CARDINALIS, Bonap. Syn., p. 113.
CARDINAL GROSBEAK or RED-BIRD, Fringilla cardinalis, Nutt. Man., vol. i.p. 519.

CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Fringilla cardinalis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 336;vol. v. p. 514.

Adult Male.

Length 8 1/4 inches, extent of wings 11 1/2; bill along the back 7/12, along the edge 3/4; tarsus (1 1/2)/12.

Adult Female.

Length 7 1/2 inches.

Trachea 1 inch 10 twelfths long, from 1 1/4 twelfths to 1/2 twelfth in breadth; its rings 52; the muscles as in the other species. Bronchial half rings about 12. THE WILD ALMOND.

PRUNUS CAROLINIANA, Willd., Sp. Pl., vol. ii. p. 987. Pursch, Fl. Amer. Sept., vol. i. p. 330.--ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn.--ROSACEAE, JUSS.

State Bird of Vermont

2012-04-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

HERMIT THRUSH.
[Hermit Thrush .]

TURDUS SOLITARIUS, Wils.
[Catharus guttatus.]
PLATE CXLVI.--MALE AND FEMALE.

This, kind reader, is another constant resident in the Southern States, more especially those of Mississippi and Louisiana, where it abounds during the winter months, and is found in considerable numbers during spring and summer. In the lower parts of Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, it is also observed during spring and summer; but it becomes scarcer as you advance towards the Middle Districts, where a few are occasionally seen about the low woodlands of the Atlantic shores.

Except during winter, this Thrush prefers the darkest, most swampy, and most secluded cane-brakes along the margins of the Mississippi, where it breeds and spends the summer, retiring to higher lands during the period when the alluvial grounds are covered with the water which, during freshets, generally inundates these low cane-brakes and swampy retreats.

The flight of the Hermit Thrush is performed low over the ground, and in a gliding manner, as the bird shifts from one place to another at a short distance. In this respect, it differs greatly from its relative, my great favourite, the Wood Thrush, the flight of which is more protracted, and is performed at a greater elevation.

This Thrush is most frequently seen on the ground, where it hops with the same movements employed by the well-known little Red-breast of Europe, in other words, before it hops its breast almost comes in contact with the ground, the tail is a little raised, the wings droop, and after hopping, it runs a few steps, erects its head, and looks around.

All the nests of the Hermit Thrush which I have found were in every instance placed lower on the branches of trees than those of the Wood Thrush, seldom above seven or eight feet from the ground, and sometimes so low that I could easily look into them. These nests were fixed to a horizontal bough, but were not saddled upon it so deeply, as those of the Wood Thrush are. They were smaller, and had no mud or plaster of any kind, but were extremely compact, the outer parts being formed of coarse dry weeds, and here and there a withered leaf, the interior composed of a long delicate kind of grass, which is found growing along the edges of cane-brakes. This grass is arranged in a circular manner, to the whole extent of its length, and waives the inner part of the nest of this bird a remarkable appearance of neatness and finish. The female lays from four to six eggs, of a light blue colour, sprinkled with dark dots towards the large end. The first set are laid early in April, the second about the middle of June; for, in Lower Louisiana, this species rears two broods in the year. The female is much attached to her nest, and glides off silently from it when closely approached, not, however, unless she thinks herself or her nest observed. The young run after the parents, on the ground, for several days after they leave the nest.

As soon as the waters of the Mississippi become so swelled as to overflow the banks, the Hermit Thrush retires to the nearest hills, and mixes with many other birds, amongst which the Wood Thrush is preeminent. The former is, however, easily recognised at once, by its single plaintive note, heard from the boughs of low trees, on the berries of which it feeds. In fact, its food is altogether composed of different fruits and berries which are at all seasons abundant in our woods.

In the Middle Districts the Hermit Thrush is only observed during a few weeks in the spring and again in autumn. It arrives in the States of New Jersey and New York between the end of April and the middle of May, generally in a desultory manner, and, throwing itself into the depths of the forests, there spends the summer months, frequenting the lowest and most shady thickets. Its song is sometimes agreeable.

HERMIT THRUSH, Turdus solitarius, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. v. p. 95.
TURDUS MINOR, Bonap. Syn., p. 75.
LITTLE or HERMIT THRUSH, Turdus minor, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 346.
MERULA SOLITARIA, Hermit Thrush, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii.p. 184.

HERMIT THRUSH, Turdus minor, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 303; vol. v.p. 445.

Adult Male.

Bill of ordinary length, nearly straight, compressed towards the end; upper mandible with the dorsal outline a little convex, the tip slightly declinate, the margins acute, inflected towards the end, slightly notched close upon the tip; lower mandible slightly convex in its dorsal line, the tip rather obtuse. Head of ordinary size; neck and body rather slender. Feet rather long; tarsus longish, compressed, slender, anteriorly covered with a few elongated, indistinct scutella, posteriorly edged, longer than the middle toe; toes scutellate above, lateral ones almost equal, the outer connected as far as the second joint.

Plumage rather loose. A few longish bristles at the base of the upper mandible. Wings of ordinary length, the third quill longest, the first very short. Tail rather short, even, of twelve broad feathers, the shafts of which project a little beyond the extremity of the webs, as is the case with the outer primaries.

Bill dark brown, yellowish towards the base of the lower mandible. Iris hazel. Feet flesh-colour. The general colour of the upper parts is light yellowish-brown, changing on the rump and tail into dull yellowish-red. Quills dusky, margined externally with yellowish-brown. Primary coverts yellowish-brown, dusky at the end; secondary coverts tipped with yellowish-red. Under parts greyish-white, the neck and breast spotted with dark brown.

Length 7 inches, extent of wings 10 1/2; bill along the ridge 7/12, along the gap 5/6; tarsus 1 1/6.

Adult Female.

The female differs only in having the spots on the breast somewhat larger, and the tints of the upper parts rather deeper.

The branches so thickly covered with dull red berries, and upon which two Hermit Thrushes are seen, belong to a shrub which grows in the swampy recesses preferred by these birds. Its leaves fall off at an early period, and are of an ovato-lanceolate form, thin consistence, and deep green colour, their under surface light grey. The common name of it is Robin Wood. It seldom grows taller than from seven to eight feet, and all the branches, in a favourable season, are thickly covered with the berries, on which many birds, besides the Turdus migratorius, from which it seems to have derived its common name, are seen to feed.

State Bird of Utah

2012-04-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

THE COMMON AMERICAN GULL.
[Ring-billed Gull.]

LARUS ZONORHYNCHUS, Richardson.
[Larus delawarensis.]
PLATE CCCCXLVI.--ADULT MALE, AND YOUNG IN WINTER.

No country can afford greater facilities for the migration of water-birds than the United States of America. Even the Gulls are enabled to traverse their whole extent from north to south, and in the contrary direction, without suffering from want of food or of proper resting places. The Gull that has been bred in Labrador, or still farther north, can reach the Gulf of Mexico without being seriously incommoded by the storms that now and then rage along the Atlantic coast. The broad waters of the St. Lawrence leads it to our great lakes, from which hundreds of streams conduct it to the head waters of the Ohio or the Mississippi, by following the windings of which it at length arrives in the warm regions of the Mexican Gulf, on whose waters the traveller can spend the winter. That these advantages are embraced by many species of Gull, there can be no doubt; and should you, as I have done, repeatedly visit our broad lakes, or the great rivers just mentioned, you would find there, at particular seasons, not only this species, but several others, as well as various kinds of Terns, but none of the genus Lestris. Lake Erie supplies with food the Larus marinus, L. argentatus, L. atricilla, and some others, as well as the Great, the Arctic, the Roseate, and the Black Terns, all of which pass at times over to the Ohio, and from thence to the ocean. During these inland movements, the birds seem to be peculiarly attracted by certain places, at which they remain for awhile. Thus, at the Falls of the Ohio, some species remain for weeks, and wherever much shipping occurs on that river or the Mississippi, Gulls are sure to be seen gleaning the garbage that has been thrown overboard, or seizing such fishes as rise incautiously to the surface of the water. In the months of September and October, Gulls and Terns might almost be said to abound on our great streams, and many return thither during the spring months on their way northward. Nay, to some species of Tern, the beautiful sand-bars and rocky beaches that occur here and there, are so attractive as to induce a few to remain and breed there. This is especially the case with the Black Terns, some of which rear their young by the rapids of the Ohio below Louisville, amidst the roaring sounds of which may be heard their shrill and continued cries.

You must not suppose, however, that all the Gulls which migrate in that country take the same route; for thousands follow the sinuosities of our Atlantic coast, some of them perhaps proceeding as far south in that direction as those which follow our rivers. My opinion is, that the feebler individuals of the different species follow the inland route, while the older and more hardy birds keep along the shores of the ocean. The examination of numerous specimens on both of these extensive tracks has almost rendered this a matter of certainty, yet I should be much pleased to find this opinion corroborated by the observations of any other student of nature.

While on the coast of Florida, in the winter of 1832-33, I every day saw Gulls of many species, but among them all were no adult birds, with the exception of the Black-headed Gull of WILSON, which was very abundant. This greatly tended to strengthen my opinion, that the young Gulls are of more delicate constitution than their parents, which are better enabled to stand the rigours of the winter in the Middle States, where they are found equally abundant at that season. For similar reasons, I also feel assured that the oldest birds are those which go farthest north to breed, and that the older and stronger individuals are, larger, with more purely tinted plumage, and with the colours of their legs, feet and bills, as well as of the circle around the eye, more vivid than those which, although found breeding, yet have not acquired their full maturity. In consequence of these circumstances, some species have been described as forming several, and the great difference between the plumage of the young and the old birds has led to similar errors.

Our Common Gull is seldom seen in the adult plumage of winter beyond the shores of Maryland southward, or in full summer plumage beyond the Bay of New York, and this rarely after the middle of April, as at that period they gather into flocks, and remove farther north to breed. The places to which this species resorts for that purpose, and which I have visited, are several islands between Boston and Eastport, another close to Grand Manan at the entrance of the Bay of Fundy, the great Gannet Rock of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and certain rocky isles in the deep bays on the coast of Labrador.

This species, although one of those most abundant on our coast, is so well acquainted with the artifices of man, that it keeps more than others beyond the reach of the gun. While in our harbours or rivers it sails at a moderate height, sometimes mingling with the Silvery Gull, or even with the Great Black-backed. Its movements are graceful and easy, and it floats as it were in the air, whether proceeding in a direct line, or in irregular curves, when, suddenly checking its speed, it partially closes its wings, and descends with rapidity in a spiral manner. As it approaches the water, it allows its legs to hang, opens its bill, and while seizing its food, raises its wings erect and flaps them quickly to support its body. Now with loaded bill it sweeps off to some distance, alights, and devours its prey.

When in pursuit of a shoal of small fish, it assembles in flocks, keeps up a constant yelping noise, dips every instant among the fry, and continues to feed until so gorged as to be unable to fly. Alighting in groups, they float with great buoyancy, and it is pleasant to see them rising and falling alternately on the waves of a moderately agitated sea, the snowy whiteness of their under parts contrasting with the deep green water, and their elongated wings extending beyond the tail, giving the appearance of lightness and agility to their form,

The flight of this species is light and long sustained, and the circumstance of birds of this genus being able to find food almost anywhere, induces them at times to proceed far out to sea; and I have now and then been gratified by the sudden appearance of several birds of the present species to the lee of the ship, on whose deck I was with impatience watching for the sight of land. The winged pilgrims would no sooner come up than they also would express their pleasure by their cries, especially when they received from the passengers bits of bread or such garbage as might be at hand. Once fed, they would fly about us the whole day, and sometimes would be seen the next; and then perhaps all at once, as if made aware of the existence of land in a particular direction, they would fly off, and we would see no more of them.

When spring has fairly commenced, our Common Gulls assemble in parties of hundreds, and alight on mud flats or sandy beaches, in our eastern estuaries and bays. For awhile they regularly resort to these places, which to the Gulls are what the scratching or tooting grounds are to the Pinnated Grouse. The male Gulls, however, although somewhat pugnacious, are not very inveterate in their quarrels, making up by clamour for the deficiency of prowess in their tournaments. The males bow to the females with swollen throats, and walk round them with many odd gesticulations. As soon as the birds are paired, they give up their animosities, and for the rest of the season live together on the best terms. After a few weeks spent in these preparatory pleasures, the flocks take to wing and betake themselves to their breeding places.

On an island within a few miles of Eastport in Maine, I found these birds breeding in great numbers in the beginning of May. Their nests were there placed amid the scanty tufts of grass. On the Gannet Rock, early in June, they were breeding on the shelves towards the summit, along with the Guillemots, while the Kittiwakes had secured their nests far below. The different species kept apart, but yet exhibited no antipathy towards each other. On the 18th of July, we discovered a low rocky island at the bottom of a bay ten miles from the open sea, opposite the harbour of Little Macatina, on the coast of Labrador, where we found upwards of two hundred nests, all containing eggs with the chicks more or less advanced. The number of eggs in each nest was three or four, more generally three. They resembled those of the Great Black-backed Gull in form and colour, but were much smaller, measuring two inches and three-quarters in length, by one and five and a half eighths in their greatest diameter. There was considerable diversity both in the tint of their ground colour, and in the number and size of the spots on them, as is the case with the eggs of most water-birds. In general, however, they were of a dull dark cream-colour, thickly blotched, sprinkled and touched with different shades of purple, umber, and black. When fresh, these eggs are delicious food, as I have had abundant occasion to know. The nests were in this place all situated on the bare rock, but in all other respects resembled those found among the grass or on more elevated rocks; they were formed of sea-weeds, well constructed, about six inches across within, and twelve in their greatest diameter. Some of the nests were much thicker and larger than others; many were placed within the distance of a foot from each other; and the whole place was covered with feathers and dung, which emitted a very disagreeable stench, proving to us that it was annually resorted to by these birds. To our surprise the birds were very shy. Among those killed by us were some having all the appearance of mature age, such as I have mentioned above. The number of individuals among them having the black ring on the bill was much greater than among those found near Grand Manan; some, however, were without this ring, and on others it was but partially marked. Some had no white on the tips of the primaries, and differences were also observable in the length of the tarsus and toes; but all had the same voice, and were actually of the same species. We also found considerable differences in their size and weight, even in individuals of the same sex, some weighing one pound, others four ounces more, and some so much as one pound ten ounces. The males, at an average, were larger than the females. Not a bird of any other species was found there, or on the grassy islands.

Whatever opinion may be held as to the synonyms of this Gull, I am perfectly assured of the above mentioned variations in the colour, size, and markings of the younger and older birds. I am equally sure that no individuals acquire the full beauty of their plumage before the third spring. The young are at first of a dull greenish-yellow, spotted with dark brown on the head and rump. In a very few days they leave the nest, ramble about in its vicinity, waiting the arrival of their parents with food, and conceal themselves under stones or in crevices at the appearance of danger. When a few weeks old, they do not hesitate, on being pursued, to betake themselves to the water, where they swim with great lightness. When about the size of pigeons, they assume a brownish colour, each feather being broadly banded or tipped with light ferruginous and grey. At this season, the fishermen of Labrador and Newfoundland kill them in great numbers, and pack them in salt for winter use. I was much surprised one morning while at Labrador, to see one of the barges of the Gulnare come alongside of the Ripley after a long cruize, when officers and men were glad to have a good mess of these young Gulls in the bow of their boat, they having run short of provisions.

LARUS CANUS, Mew or Common Gull, Rich. and Swains. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii.p. 420.
LARUS ZONORHYNCHUS, Ring-billed Mew-Gull, Ibid., p. 421.
LARUS BRACHYRHYNCHUS, Short-billed Mew-Gull, Ibid., p. 422.
RING-BILLED MEW-GULL, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 300.

COMMON AMERICAN GULL, Larus zonorhynchus, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iii. p. 98;vol. v. p. 638.

Adult, 20, 48.

Common during winter from Texas, along the coast, to Maine. Up the Mississippi to Natchez. Breeds from Maine to Labrador, Hudson's Bay, and Arctic shores. Columbia river. Migratory.

Adult Male in summer plumage.

Bill shorter than the head, robust, nearly straight, compressed. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight at the base, arched and declinate towards the end, the ridge convex, the sides slightly convex, the edges sharp, inflected, arched, the tip rather obtuse. Nasal groove rather long and narrow; nostrils in its fore part, lateral, longitudinal, linear, wider anteriorly, open, and pervious. Lower mandible with a prominence at the end of the angle, which is long and narrow, the dorsal line then nearly straight and ascending, the sides convex, the edges sharp and inflected.

Head rather large. Neck of moderate length. Body rather full. Wings long. Feet of moderate length, rather slender; tibia bare below; tarsus somewhat compressed, covered before and behind with numerous broad scutella, the sides reticulated; hind toe very small and elevated, the fore toes rather long and slender, the fourth longer than the second, the third longest, all scutellate above, and connected by reticulated entire membranes, the lateral toes margined externally with a narrow membrane. Claws small, compressed, slightly arched, rather obtuse.

The plumage in general is close, elastic, very soft and blended, on the back rather compact. Wings very long, rather broad, acute, the first quill longest, the other primaries rapidly graduated; secondaries broad and rounded, the inner elongated and narrow. Tail of moderate length, even, of twelve rounded feathers.

Bill marked opposite the angle with a broad transverse band of brownish-black, between which and the base it is light greenish-yellow, the tips orange-yellow. Edges of eyelids greenish-yellow; iris bright yellow. Feet greenish-yellow, the webs tinged with orange; claws black. The general colour of the plumage is pure white, excepting the back and wings, which are light pearl-grey. The first six quills are black towards their extremities, the first and second being almost entirely so, the sixth with only a small spot. The tips of these feathers are white, that of the first having merely a narrow margin of that colour, which gradually enlarges on the rest, the first moreover has near the end a long patch of white, the second a smaller one on the inner web. The proportional size of the white marks on the outer primaries varies in individuals. The other quills and secondaries are all white at the ends.

Length to end of tail 20 inches, to end of wings 22 1/4, to end of claws 20 1/2; extent of wings 48; wing from flexure 15 1/2; tail 6; bill along the back 1 3/4, along the edge 2 5/8, depth at the base (8 3/4)/12, depth at the prominence 1/2; bare part of the tibia 3/4; tarsus 2; middle toe 1 3/12, its claw (2 1/2)/12; hind toe (2 1/2)/12, its claw 1/12. Weight 1 1/2 lbs.

Young bird, after first moult, shot on 26th November.

Bill black, base of lower mandible and edges of upper towards the base, livid flesh-colour. Edges of eyelids livid blue; iris hazel. Feet purplish-grey; claws brownish-black. The general colour of the plumage is dull white, mottled with greyish-brown beneath, on the back with large brownish-black spots, the dark markings being central. Anterior to the eye is a crescent of greyish-black. The outer primary quills are black, the two first without white at the ends, the rest margined round the ends with that colour. The abdominal and tibial feathers are white; the lower and upper tail-coverts white, with brown spots.

Length to end of tail 18 3/8, to end of wings 20 1/2, extent of wings 44 1/2; tarsus 2; middle toe 1 3/12, its claw 2/12. Weight 1 lb. 3 oz.

On a rocky island on the coast of Labrador, where this bird was breeding in great numbers, a comparatively small number of individuals only had the bill marked with the black ring, the others, although precisely similar in other respects, wanted that mark. This bird, although in many respects precisely similar to that which is usually named Larus canus in Europe, differs greatly in the size of the bill, which even in young birds is much deeper than in the oldest individuals of that species.

Female, from Dr. T. M. BREWER. Mouth 1 inch 1 twelfth in width; palate with two very prominent papillate ridges, the space between which is covered with reversed papillae, its anterior part with five prominent lines, and moderately concave; the posterior aperture of the nares oblong-linear, 11 twelfths in length. Tongue 1 inch 5 twelfths long, emarginate and finely papillate at the base; its sides nearly parallel as far as the middle, its breadth being 3 twelfths, then tapering to a narrow emarginate point, and trigonal. OEsophagus 7 inches long, extremely wide, its breadth being 1 1/2 inches; that of the proventriculus 1 inch 9 twelfths. The stomach is rather small, elliptical, 1 inch 5 twelfths long, 1 inch 2 twelfths broad; its lateral muscles distinct and of moderate size, the lower prominent, the tendons large, the epithelium dense, with very prominent large rugae; the inner coat of the oesophagus is longitudinally plicate; the proventricular belt 1 inch in breadth, with six broad plates. Intestine 30 inches long, its width at the upper part 5 twelfths, diminishing to 2 1/2 twelfths, coeca 3 twelfths long, 1 twelfth broad, 3 inches distant from the extremity, rectum 5 twelfths broad, with a globular cloaca 9 twelfths in diameter. The duodenum curves at the distance of 2 1/4 inches, advances toward the liver in the usual manner, and is afterwards very regularly coiled in an elliptical form, with 10 bends. Trachea 5 inches long, from 3 twelfths to 2 1/2 twelfths in breadth, not flattened, its rings slightly osseous, 130. Bronchi wide, of 20 half rings. The lateral and sterno-tracheal muscles are slender, and a slip on each side extends to the last half-ring of the trachea.

State Bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi,Tennessee and Texas

2012-04-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

COMMON MOCKING-BIRD.
[Northern Mockingbird.]

ORPHEUS POLYGLOTTUS, Linn.
[Mimus polyglottos.]
PLATE CXXXVIII.--MALE AND FEMALE.

It is where the great magnolia shoots up its majestic trunk, crowned with evergreen leaves, and decorated with a thousand beautiful flowers, that perfume the air around; where the forests and fields are adorned with blossoms of every hue; where the golden orange ornaments the gardens and groves; where bignonias of various kinds interlace their climbing stems around the white-flowered stuartia, and mounting still higher, cover the summits of the lofty trees around, accompanied with innumerable vines, that here and there festoon the dense foliage of the magnificent woods, lending to the vernal breeze a slight portion of the perfume of their clustered flowers; where a genial warmth seldom forsakes the atmosphere; where berries and fruits of all descriptions are met with at every step;--in a word, kind reader, it is where Nature seems to have paused, as she passed over the earth, and opening her stores, to have strewed with unsparing hand the diversified seeds from which have sprung all the beautiful and splendid forms which I should in vain attempt to describe, that the Mocking-bird should have fixed its abode, there only that its wondrous song should be heard.

But where is that favoured land?--It is in this great continent.--It is, reader, in Louisiana that these bounties of nature are in the greatest perfection. It is there that you should listen to the love-song of the Mocking-bird, as I at this moment do. See how he flies round his mate, with motions as light as those of the butterfly! His tail is widely expanded, he mounts in the air to a small distance, describes a circle, and, again alighting, approaches his beloved one, his eyes gleaming with delight, for she has already promised to be his and his only. His beautiful wings are gently raised, he bows to his love, and again bouncing upwards, opens his bill, and pours forth his melody, full of exultation at the conquest which he has made.

They are not the soft sounds of the flute or of the hautboy that I hear, but the sweeter notes of Nature's own music. The mellowness of the song, the varied modulations and gradations, the extent of its compass, the great brilliancy of execution, are unrivalled. There is probably no bird in the world that possesses all the musical qualifications of this king of song, who has derived all from Nature's self. Yes, reader, all!

No sooner has he again alighted, and the conjugal contract has been sealed, than, as if his breast was about to be rent with delight, he again pours forth his notes with more softness and richness than before. He now soars higher, glancing around with a vigilant eye, to assure himself that none has witnessed his bliss. When these love-scenes, visible only to the ardent lover of nature, are over, he dances through the air, full of animation and delight, and, as if to convince his lovely mate that to enrich her hopes he has much more love in store, he that moment begins anew, and imitates all the notes which nature has imparted to the other songsters of the grove.

For awhile, each long day and pleasant night are thus spent; but at a peculiar note of the female he ceases his song, and attends to her wishes. A nest is to be prepared, and the choice of a place in which to lay it is to become a matter of mutual consideration. The orange, the fig, the pear-tree of the gardens are inspected; the thick briar patches are also visited. They appear all so well suited for the purpose in view, and so well does the bird know that man is not his most dangerous enemy, that instead of retiring from him, they at length fix their abode in his vicinity, perhaps in the nearest tree to his window. Dried twigs, leaves, grasses, cotton, flax, and other substances, are picked up, carried to a forked branch, and there arranged. Five eggs are deposited in due time, when the male having little more to do than to sing his mate to repose, attunes his pipe anew. Every now and then he spies an insect on the ground, the taste of which he is sure will please his beloved one. He drops upon it, takes it in his bill, beats it against the earth, and flies to the nest to feed and receive the warm thanks of his devoted female.

When a fortnight has elapsed, the young brood demand all their care and attention. No cat, no vile snake, no dreaded Hawk, is likely to visit their habitation. Indeed the inmates of the next house have by this time become quite attached to the lovely pair of Mocking-birds, and take pleasure in contributing to their safety. The dew-berries from the fields, and many kinds of fruit from the gardens, mixed with insects, supply the young as well as the parents with food. The brood is soon seen emerging from the nest, and in another fortnight, being now able to fly with vigour, and to provide for themselves, they leave the parent birds, as many other species do.

The above account does not contain all that I wish you to know of the habits of this remarkable songster; so, I shall shift the scene to the woods and wilds, where we shall examine it more particularly.

The Mocking-bird remains in Louisiana the whole year. I have observed with astonishment, that towards the end of October, when those which had gone to the Eastern States, some as far as Boston, have returned, they are instantly known by the "southrons," who attack them on all occasions. I have ascertained this by observing the greater shyness exhibited by the strangers for weeks after their arrival. This shyness, however, is shortly over, as well as the animosity displayed by the resident birds, and during the winter there exists a great appearance of sociality among the united tribes.

In the beginning of April, sometimes a fortnight earlier, the Mocking-birds pair, and construct their nests. In some instances they are so careless as to place the nest between the rails of a fence directly by the road. I have frequently found it in such places, or in the fields, as well as in briars, but always so easily discoverable that any person desirous of procuring one, might do so in a very short time. It is coarsely constructed on the outside, being there composed of dried sticks of briars, withered leaves of trees, and grasses, mixed with wool. Internally it is finished with fibrous roots disposed in a circular form, but carelessly arranged. The female lays from four to six eggs the first time, four or five the next, and when there is a third brood, which is sometimes the case, seldom more than three, of which I have rarely found more than two hatched. The eggs are of a short oval form, light green, blotched and spotted with umber. The young of the last brood not being able to support themselves until late in the season, when many of the berries and insects have become scarce, are stunted in growth;--a circumstance which has induced some persons to imagine the existence in the United States of two species of Common Mocking-bird, a larger and a smaller. This, however, in as far as my observation goes, is not correct. The first brood is frequently brought to the bird-market in New Orleans as early as the middle of April. A little farther up the country, they are out by the fifteenth of May. The second brood is hatched in July, and the third in the latter part of September.

The nearer you approach to the sea-shores, the more plentiful do you find these birds. They are naturally fond of loose sands, and of districts scantily furnished with small trees, or patches of briars, and low bushes.

During incubation, the female pays such precise attention to the position in which she leaves her eggs, when she goes to a short distance for exercise and refreshment, to pick up gravel, or roll herself in the dust, that, on her return, should she find that any of them has been displaced, or touched by the hand of man, she utters a low mournful note, at the sound of which the male immediately joins her, and they are both seen to condole together. Some people imagine that, on such occasions, the female abandons the nest; but this idea is incorrect. On the contrary, she redoubles her assiduity and care, and scarcely leaves the nest for a moment; nor is it until she has been repeatedly forced from the dear spot, and has been much alarmed by frequent intrusions, that she finally and reluctantly leaves it. Nay, if the eggs are on the eve of being hatched, she will almost suffer a person to lay hold of her.

Different species of snakes ascend to their nests, and generally suck the eggs or swallow the young; but on all such occasions, not only the pair to which the nest belongs, but many other Mocking-birds from the vicinity, fly to the spot, attack the reptiles, and, in some cases, are so fortunate as either to force them to retreat, or deprive them of life. Cats that have abandoned the houses to prowl about the fields, in a half wild state, are also dangerous enemies, as they frequently approach the nest unnoticed, and at a pounce secure the mother, or at least destroy the eggs or young, and overturn the nest. Children seldom destroy the nests of these birds, and the planters generally protect them. So much does this feeling prevail throughout Louisiana, that they will not willingly permit a Mocking-bird to be shot at any time.

In winter, nearly all the Mocking-birds approach the farm-houses and plantations, living about the gardens or outhouses. They are then frequently seen on the roofs, and perched on the chimney-tops; yet they always appear full of animation. Whilst searching for food on the ground, their motions are light and elegant, and they frequently open their wings as butterflies do when basking in the sun, moving a step or two, and again throwing out their wings. When the weather is mild, the old males are heard singing with as much spirit as during the spring or summer, while the younger birds are busily engaged in practising, preparatory to the love season. They seldom resort to the interior of the forest either during the day or by night, but usually roost among the foliage of evergreens, in the immediate vicinity of houses in Louisiana, although in the Eastern States they prefer low fir trees.

The flight of the Mocking-bird is performed by short jerks of the body and wings, at every one of which a strong twitching motion of the tail is perceived. This motion is still more apparent while the bird is walking, when it opens its tail like a fan and instantly closes it again. The common cry or call of this bird is a very mournful note, resembling that uttered on similar occasions by its first cousin the Orpheus rufus, or, as it is commonly called, the "French Mocking-bird." When travelling, this flight is only a little prolonged, as the bird goes from tree to tree, or at most across a field, scarcely, if ever, rising higher than the top of the forest. During this migration, it generally resorts to the highest parts of the woods near water-courses, utters its usual mournful note, and roosts in these places. It travels mostly by day.

Few Hawks attack the Mocking-birds, as on their approach, however sudden it may be, they are always ready not only to defend themselves vigorously and with undaunted courage, but to meet the aggressor half way, and force him to abandon his intention. The only Hawk that occasionally surprises it is the Astur Cooperii, which flies low with great swiftness, and carries the bird off without any apparent stoppage. Should it happen that the ruffian misses his prey, the Mocking-bird in turn becomes the assailant, and pursues the Hawk with great courage, calling in the mean time all the birds of its species to its assistance; and although it cannot overtake the marauder, the alarm created by their cries, which are propagated in succession among all the birds in the vicinity, like the watchwords of sentinels on duty, prevents him from succeeding in his attempts.

The musical powers of this bird have often been taken notice of by European naturalists, and persons who find pleasure in listening to the song of different birds whilst in confinement or at large. Some of these persons have described the notes of the Nightingale as occasionally fully equal to those of our bird, but to compare her essays to the finished talent of the Mocking-bird, is, in my opinion, quite absurd.

The Mocking-bird is easily reared by hand from the nest, from which it ought to be removed when eight or ten days old. It becomes so very familiar and affectionate, that it will often follow its owner about the house. I have known one raised from the nest kept by a gentleman at Natchez, that frequently flew out of the house, poured forth its melodies, and returned at sight of its keeper. But notwithstanding all the care and management bestowed upon the improvement of the vocal powers of this bird in confinement, I never heard one in that state produce any thing at all approaching in melody to its own natural song.

The male bird is easily distinguished in the nest, as soon as the brood is a little fledged, it being larger than the female, and showing more pure white. It does not shrink so deep in the nest as the female does, at the sight of the hand which is about to lift it. Good singing birds of this species often bring a high price. They are long-lived and very agreeable companions. Their imitative powers are amazing, and they mimic with ease all their brethren of the forests or of the waters, as well as many quadrupeds. I have heard it asserted that they possess the power of imitating the human voice, but have never met with an instance of the display of this alleged faculty.

MOCKING-BIRD, Turdus polyglottus, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 14.
TURDUS POLYGLOTTUS, Bonap. Syn., p. 74.
MOCKING-BIRD, Turdus polyglottus, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 320.
MOCKING-BIRD, Turdus polyglottus, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 108; vol. v.p. 438.

Male.

Upper parts greyish-brown; feathers of the wings and tail greyish-black; tips of secondary coverts, edges of primary quills, and a large spot at the end of the three lateral tail-feathers, white; lower parts whitish, marked with triangular dusky spots, of which there is a distinct line from the base of the bill; throat, middle of the breast, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts unspotted.

In an adult male of this celebrated bird, the roof of the mouth is flat, with two narrow longitudinal palatal ridges, and an anterior median prominent line; the posterior aperture of the nares is oblongo-linear, margined with acute papillae, with which also the whole membrane of the palate is covered. The tongue is slender, 7 twelfths long, emarginate and papillate at the base, channelled above, horny and thin toward the end, which is slit and lacerated. The width of the mouth is 6 twelfths. The oesophagus, is 3 inches long, and of the nearly uniform width of 4 1/2 twelfths, unless at the commencement where it is a little wider. The proventricular glands form a belt 5 twelfths of an inch in breadth. The stomach, [c d e], is rather small, broadly elliptical, 9 twelfths long, 7 1/2 twelfths broad, considerably compressed; its muscular coat moderately developed, the right muscle being 1 1/2 twelfths thick, the left 1 twelfth; the epithelium dense, tough, reddish-brown, with seven longitudinal rugae on one side and three on the other. The intestine, [e f g h i j k], is of moderate length and width; the duodenum, [e f g], curves at the distance of 1 1/4 inches, and is 3 twelfths wide, as is the rest of the intestine, of which the entire length is 9 1/2 inches; the cloaca, [k], very little enlarged; the coeca, [i], 2 twelfths long, and 1/2 twelfth broad, their distance from the extremity 8 twelfths.

The right lobe of the liver is very large, being 1 inch 1 1/2 twelfths in length, and extending under the anterior part of the stomach, in the form of a thin-edged rounded lobe; the left lobe is 10 twelfths long, and lies under the proventriculus and left side of the stomach. The heart is of moderate size, 7 1/2 twelfths long, 5 twelfths in breadth, of a conical obtuse form.

The aperture of the glottis is 1 1/2 twelfths long, and furnished with the same muscles as the other singing birds, viz. the thyro-arytenoideus, which passes from the edge of the thyroid cartilage at its lower part to be inserted into the tip and sides of the arytenoid cartilage; the thyro-cricoideus, which passes from the anterior edge of the thyroid backward to the cricoid; a small muscle, the crico-arytenoideus, which assists in closing the glottis; and several small slips similar to those observed in other Thrushes, and especially in the Crows, in which the parts, being larger, are more easily seen. The trachea is 1 inch 10 twelfths in length, considerably flattened, gradually tapering from 1 1/2 twelfths to 1 twelfth; the rings, which are firm, are about 60, and 2 dimidiate rings. The lateral muscles are slender, as are the sterno-tracheal. There are four, pairs of inferior laryngeal muscles; an anterior, going to the tip of the first half-ring, another to the tip of the second, a third broader and inserted into a portion of the last half-ring, the fourth or posterior or upper, long, narrow, and inserted into the point of the same half-ring. Besides these, as in all the land-birds, there is a pair of very slender muscles, the cleido-tracheal, arising from the sides of the thyroid cartilage and inserted into the furcula. The bronchi are rather wide and short, of 12 cartilaginous half rings.

As in all the birds of this family, there is a very slender salivary gland on each side, lying between the branch of the lower jaw and the mucous membrane of the mouth, upon which latter it opens anteriorly to the frenum of the tongue. This species is abundant in the Texas, where it breeds. The eggs are generally one inch in length, and nine-twelfths and a quarter in breadth. THE FLORIDA JESSAMINE.

GELSEMINUM NITIDUM, Mich. Flor. Amer., vol. i. p. 120. Pursch, Flor. Amer., vol. i. p. 184.--PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA, Linn. APOCINEAE, Juss.

A climbing shrub, with smooth lanceolate leaves, axillary clusters of yellow flowers, which are funnel-shaped, with the limb spreading and nearly equal, the calyx five-toothed, the capsule two-celled and two-valved. It grows along the sea-coast, especially near rivers, from Virginia to Florida, flowering through the summer. The flowers are fragrant. It is also named Carolina jessamine and yellow jessamine.

State Bird of South Dakota

2012-04-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

The Chinese ring-necked pheasant is the state bird. It was introduced to South Dakota in 1898 and is easily recognized by its colorful plumage. It is also known for its delicious meat.

Since it is primarily a Midwestern bird, pheasant is considered a delicacy in many other states.

The South Dakota state bird, the Ringed-necked Pheasant, is a bird that was imported to America from Asia, and therefore has no place in Audubon's Birds of America, which is comprised exclusively of wild birds native to North America.

State Bird of South Carolina

2012-04-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

GREAT CAROLINA WREN.
[Carolina Wren.]

TROGLODYTES LUDOVICIANUS, Bonap.
[Thryothorus ludovicianus.]
PLATE CXVII.--MALE AND FEMALE.

The flight of this bird is performed by short flappings of the wings, the concave under surfaces of which occasion a low rustling, as it moves to the distance of a few steps only at each start. It is accompanied by violent jerks of the tail and body, and is by no means graceful. In this manner the Carolina Wren moves from one fence-rail to another, from log to log, up and down among the low branches of bushes piles of wood, and decayed roots of prostrate trees, or between the stalks of canes. Its tail is almost constantly erect, and before it starts to make the least flight or leap, it uses a quick motion, which brings its body almost into contact with the object on which it stands, and then springs from its legs. All this is accompanied with a strong chirr-up, uttered as if the bird were in an angry mood, and repeated at short intervals.

The quickness of the motions of this active little bird is fully equal to that of the mouse. Like the latter, it appears and is out of sight in a moment, peeps into a crevice, passes rapidly through it, and shews itself at a different place the next instant. When satiated with food, or fatigued with these multiplied exertions, the little fellow stops, droops its tail, and sings with great energy a short ditty something resembling the words come-to-me, come-to-me, repeated several times in quick succession, so loud, and yet so mellow, that it is always agreeable to listen to them. During spring, these notes are heard from all parts of the plantations, the damp woods, the swamps, the sides of creeks and rivers, as well as from the barns, the stables and the piles of wood, within a few yards of the house. I frequently heard these Wrens singing from the roof of an abandoned flat-boat, fastened to the shore, a small distance below the city of New Orleans. When its song was finished, the bird went on creeping from one board to another, thrust itself through an auger-hole, entered through the boat's side at one place, and peeped out at another, catching numerous spiders and other insects all the while. It sometimes ascends to the higher branches of a tree of moderate size, by climbing along a grape-vine, searching diligently amongst the leaves and in the chinks of the bark, alighting sidewise against the trunk, and moving like a true Creeper. It possesses the power of creeping and of hopping in a nearly equal degree. The latter kind of motion it employs when nearer the ground, and among piles of drifted timber. So fond is this bird of the immediate neighbourhood of water, that it would be next to impossible to walk along the shore of any of the islands of the Mississippi, from the mouth of the Ohio to New Orleans, without observing several on each island.

Among the many species of insects which they destroy, several are of an aquatic nature, and are procured by them whilst creeping about the masses of drifted wood. Their chirr-up and come-to-me come-to-me seldom cease for more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a time, commencing with the first glimpse of day, and continuing sometimes after sunset.

The nest of the Carolina Wren is usually placed in a hole in some low decayed tree, or in a fence-stake, sometimes even in the stable, barn, or coach-house, should it there find a place suitable for its reception. I have found some not more than two feet from the ground, in the stump of a tree that had long before been felled by the axe. The materials employed in its construction are hay, grasses, leaves, feathers, and horse-hair, or the dry fibres of the Spanish moss; the feathers, hair or moss forming, the lining, the coarse materials the outer parts. When the hole is sufficiently large, the nest is not unfrequently five or six inches in depth, although only just wide enough to admit one of the birds at a time. The number of eggs is from five to eight. They are of a broad oval form, greyish-white, sprinkled with reddish-brown. Whilst at Oakley, the residence of my friend JAMES PERRIE, Esq. near Bayou Sara, I discovered that one of these birds was in the habit of roosting in a Wood Thrush's nest that was placed on a low horizontal branch, and had been filled with leaves that had fallen during the autumn. It was in the habit of thrusting his body beneath the leaves, and I doubt not found the place very comfortable.

They usually raise two, sometimes three broods in a season. The young soon come out from the nest, and in a few days after creep and hop about with as much nimbleness as the old ones. Their plumage undergoes no change, merely becoming firmer in the colouring.

Many of these birds are destroyed by weasels and minxes. It is, notwithstanding, one of the most common birds which we have as residents in Louisiana. They ascend along the shores of the Mississippi as high as the Missouri river, and along the Ohio nearly to Pittsburgh, although they do not occur in great numbers in the neighbourhood of that city. They are common in Georgia, the Carolinas, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. A few are to be seen along the Atlantic shores as far as Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. In New Jersey I have found its nest, near a swamp, a few miles from Philadelphia. I never observed them farther to the eastward. I found it very numerous in the Floridas and all along the coast of the Mexican Gulf to within the Texas, where it spends the whole year. Mr. TOWNSEND mentions it as being found on the Missouri.

The dwarf buck-eye, on a blossomed twig of which this pair of Great Carolina Wrens are placed, is by nature as well as name a low shrub. It grows near swampy ground in great abundance. Its flowers, which are scentless, are much resorted to by Humming-birds, on their first arrival, as they appear at a very early season. The wood resembles that of the common horse-chestnut, and its fruit is nearly the same in form and colour, but much smaller. I know of no valuable property possessed by this beautiful shrub.

GREAT CAROLINA WREN, Certhia Caroliniana, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 61.
TROGLODYTES LUDOVICIANUS, Bonap. Syn., p. 93.
GREAT CAROLINA MOCKING WREN, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 429.

GREAT CAROLINA WREN, Troglodytes ludovicianus, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i.p. 399; vol. v. p. 466.

Adult Male.

Bill nearly as long as the head, subulato-conical, slightly arched, compressed towards the tip; upper mandible with the sides convex towards the end, concave at the base, the edges acute and overlapping; under mandible with the back and sides convex. Nostrils oblong, straight, basal, with a cartilaginous lid above, open and bare. Head oblong, neck of ordinary size, body ovate. Legs of ordinary length; tarsus longer than the middle toe, compressed, anteriorly scutate, posteriorly edged; toes, scutellate above, inferiorly granulate; second and fourth nearly equal, the hind toe almost as long as the middle one, third and fourth united as far as the second joint; claws long, slender, acute, arcuate, much compressed.

Plumage soft, lax, and tufty. Wings short, very convex, broad and rounded, the first quill very short, the fourth longest. Tail rather long, curved downwards, much rounded, of twelve narrowish, rounded feathers.

Bill wood-brown above, bluish beneath. Iris hazel. Legs flesh-colour. The general colour of the upper part is brownish-red. A yellowish-white streak over the eye, extending far down the neck, and edged above with dark brown. Quills, coverts and tail barred with blackish-brown; secondary and middle coverts tipped with white; shafts of the scapulars white. Throat greyish-white, under parts reddish-buff, paler behind. Under tail-coverts white, barred with blackish.

Length 5 1/2 inches, extent of wings 7 1/2; bill along the ridge 3/4, along the gap 11/12; tarsus 5/6.

Adult Female.

The female differs from the male in being lighter above, tinged with grey beneath, and in wanting the white tips of the wing-coverts.

The roof of the mouth is flat, with two slight rides on the palate, and a prominent median line anteriorly, the posterior aperture of the nares linear, 4 twelfths long, papillate; the tongue 7 1/2 twelfths long, very slender, 1 1/4 twelfths broad at the base, where it is emarginate and papillate, channelled above, tapering to a rather obtuse bristly and horny point. The width of the mouth is 4 twelfths. The oesophagus, [ a b c], is 1 inch 9 twelfths long, 3 twelfths in width; the proventriculus, [b c], 3 1/4 twelfths. The stomach, [c d e], is elliptical, a little compressed, 7 1/2 twelfths long, 5 1/2 twelfths broad; its muscles moderate, the lower very thin, the tendons rather large; the epithelium tough, with large longitudinal rugae, and of a red-dish-brown colour. The contents of the stomach are insects and seeds. The intestine, [e f g h], is 5 inches 9 twelfths long, its width 1 1/2 twelfths; the cloaca, [j], globular, 6 twelfths in width; the coeca, [i], 1 1/2 twelfths long, and 1/2 twelfth wide.

The trachea is 1 1/2 inches long, considerably flattened, scarcely 1 twelfth broad at its widest part, and contracting to 1/2 twelfth; the rings 58, with 2 additional dimidiate rings. The muscles as in all the singing birds, those of the inferior larynx considerably developed. Bronchial half rings about 15.

There is a pretty large oblong salivary gland in the usual place, opening with a single duct into the fore part of the mouth. THE DWARF BUCK-EYE.

AESCULUS PAVIA, Willd. Sp. Pl., vol. ii. p. 286. Pursch, Fl. Amer.,vol. ii. p. 254.--HEPTANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn.--ACERA, Juss.

Leaves quinate, smooth, unequally serrated; racemes lax; generally with ternate flowers; corollas tetrapetalous, their connivent claws of the length of the calyx; stamens seven, shorter than the corolla. The flowers are scarlet.

State Bird of Rhode Island

2012-04-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

The Rhode Island Red Hen became Rhode Island's official state bird on May 3, 1954.

A portrait of the Rhode Island Red was presented to Governor Roberts. It had been painted in the 1920's by Arthur O. Schilling, the United Statesï¿½ leading poultry artist.

The Rhode Island Red, Governor Roberts said, ï¿½has become a symbol of Rhode Islanders all over the world.

The Rhode Island state bird, the Rhode Island Red, is a domestic bird (chicken) and therefore has no place in Audubon's Birds of America, which is comprised exclusively of wild birds native to North America.

State Bird of Pennsylvania

2012-04-25T23:29:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME V.

THE RUFFED GROUSE.
[Ruffed Grouse.]

TETRAO UMBELLUS, Linn.
[Bonasa umbellus.]
PLATE CCXCIII.--MALES AND FEMALE.

You are now presented, kind reader, with a species of Grouse, which, in my humble opinion, far surpasses as an article of food every other land-bird which we have in the United States, except the Wild Turkey, when in good condition. You must not be surprised that I thus express an opinion contradictory to that of our Eastern epicures, who greatly prefer the flesh of the Pinnated Grouse to that of the present species, for I have had abundant opportunity of knowing both. Perhaps, after all, the preference may depend upon a peculiarity in my own taste; or I may give the superiority to the Ruffed Grouse, because it is as rarely met with in the Southern States, where I have chiefly resided, as the Pinnated Grouse is in the Middle Districts; and were the bon-vivants of our eastern cities to be occasionally satiated with the latter birds, as I have been, they might possibly think their flesh as dry and flavourless as I do.

The names of Pheasant and Partridge have been given to the present species by our forefathers, in the different districts where it is found. To the west of the Alleghanies, and on those mountains, the first name is generally used. The same appellation is employed in the Middle Districts, to the east of the mountains, and until you enter the State of Connecticut; after which that of Partridge prevails.

The Ruffed Grouse, although a constant resident in the districts which it frequents, performs partial sorties at the approach of autumn. These are not equal in extent to the peregrinations of the Wild Turkey, our little Partridge, or the Pinnated Grouse, but are sufficiently so to become observable during the seasons when certain portions of the mountainous districts which they inhabit becomes less abundantly supplied with food than others. These partial movings might not be noticed, were not the birds obliged to fly across rivers of great breadth, as whilst in the mountain lands their groups are as numerous as those which attempt these migrations; but on the north-west banks of the Ohio and Susquehanna rivers, no one who pays the least attention to the manners and habits of our birds, can fail to observe them. The Grouse approach the banks of the Ohio in parties of eight or ten, now and then of twelve or fifteen, and, on arriving there, linger in the woods close by for a week or a fortnight, as if fearful of encountering the danger to be incurred in crossing the stream. This usually happens in the beginning of October, when these birds are in the very best order for the table, and at this period great numbers of them are killed. If started from the ground, with or without the assistance of a dog, they immediately alight on the nearest trees, and are easily shot. At length, however, they resolve upon crossing the river; and this they accomplish with so much ease, that I never saw any of them drop into the water. Not more than two or three days elapse after they have reached the opposite shore, when they at once proceed to the interior of the forests, in search of places congenial to the general character of their habits. They now resume their ordinary manner of living, which they continue until the approach of spring, when the males, as if leading the way, proceed singly towards the country from which they had retreated. The females follow in small parties of three or four. In the month of October 1820, I observed a larger number of Ruffed Grouse migrating thus from the States of Ohio, Illinois and Indiana into Kentucky, than I had ever before remarked. During the short period of their lingering along the north-west shore of the Ohio that season, a great number of them were killed, and they were sold in the Cincinnati market for so small a sum as 12 1/2 cents each.

Although these birds are particularly attached to the craggy sides of mountains and hills, and the rocky borders of rivers and small streams, thickly mantled with evergreen trees and small shrubs of the same nature, they at times remove to low lands, and even enter the thickest cane-brakes, where they also sometimes breed. I have shot some, and have heard them drumming in such places, when there were no hills nearer than fifteen or twenty miles. The lower parts of the State of Indiana and also those of Kentucky, are amongst the places where I have discovered them in such situations.

The charming groves which here and there contrast so beautifully with the general dull appearance of those parts of Kentucky and Tennessee, to which the name of Barrens is given, are sought by the Ruffed Grouse. These groves afford them abundant food and security. The gentle coolness that prevails in them during the summer heat is agreeable and beneficial to these birds, and the closeness of their undergrowth in other spots moderates the cold blasts of winter. There this species breeds, and is at all times to be found. Their drumming is to be heard issuing from these peaceful retreats in early spring, at the same time that the booming of their relative, the Pinnated Grouse, is recognised, as it reaches the ear of the traveller, from the different parts of the more open country around. In such places as the groves just mentioned, the species now before you, kind reader, is to be met with, as you travel towards the south, through the whole of Tennessee and the Choctaw Territory; but as you approach the city of Natchez they disappear, nor have I ever heard of one of these birds having been seen in the State of Louisiana.

The mountainous parts of the Middle States being more usually the chosen residence of this species, I shall, with your permission, kind reader, return to them, and try to give you an account of this valuable Grouse.

The flight of the Ruffed Grouse is straight-forward, rather low, unless when the bird has been disturbed, and seldom protracted beyond a few hundred yards at a time. It is also stiff, and performed with a continued beating of the wings for more than half its duration, after which the bird sails and seems to balance its body as it proceeds through the air, in the manner of a vessel sailing right before the wind. When this bird rises from the ground at a time when pursued by an enemy, or tracked by a dog, it produces a loud whirring sound, resembling that of the whole tribe, excepting the Black Cock of Europe, which has less of it than any other species. This whirring sound is never heard when the Grouse rises of its own accord, for the purpose of removing from one place to another; nor, in similar circumstances, is it commonly produced by our little Partridge. In fact, I do not believe that it is emitted by any species of Grouse, unless when surprised and forced to rise. I have often been lying on the ground in the woods or the fields for hours at a time, for the express purpose of observing the movements and habits of different birds, and have frequently seen a Partridge or a Grouse rise on wing from within a few yards of the spot in which I lay unobserved by them, as gently and softly as any other bird, and without producing any whirring sound. Nor even when this Grouse ascends to the top of a tree, does it make any greater noise than other birds of the same size would do.

I have said this much respecting the flight of Grouse, because it is a prevalent opinion, both among sportsmen and naturalists, that the whirring sound produced by birds of that genus, is a necessary effect of their usual mode of flight. But that this is an error, I have abundantly satisfied myself by numberless observations.

On the ground, where the Ruffed Grouse spends a large portion of its time, its motions are peculiarly graceful. It walks with an elevated, firm step, opening its beautiful tail gently and with a well-marked jet, holding erect its head, the feathers of which are frequently raised, as are the velvety tufts of its neck. It poises its body on one foot for several seconds at a time, and utters a soft cluck, which in itself implies a degree of confidence in the bird that its tout ensemble is deserving of the notice of any bystander. Should the bird discover that it is observed, its step immediately changes to a rapid run, its head is lowered, the tail is more widely spread, and if no convenient hiding-place is at hand, it immediately takes flight with as much of the whirring sound as it can produce, as if to prove to the observer, that, when on wing, it cares as little about him as the deer pretends to do, when, on being started by the hound, he makes several lofty bounds, and erects his tail to the breeze. Should the Grouse, however, run into a thicket, or even over a place where many dried leaves lie on the ground, it suddenly stops, squats, and remains close until the danger is over, or until it is forced by a dog or the sportsman himself to rise against its wish.

The shooting of Grouse of this species is precarious, and at times very difficult, on account of the nature of the places which they usually prefer. Should, for instance, a covey of these birds be raised from amongst Laurels (Kalmia latifolia) or the largest species of Bay (Rhododendron maximum), these shrubs so intercept the view of them, that, unless the sportsman proves quite an adept in the difficult art of pulling the trigger of his gun at the proper moment, and quickly, his first chance is lost, and the next is very uncertain. I say still more uncertain, because at this putting up of the birds, they generally rise higher over the bushes, flying in a straight course, whereas at the second start, they often fly among the laurels, and rise above them in a circuitous manner, when to follow them along the barrel of the gun is considerably more difficult. Sometimes, when these birds are found on the sides of a steep hill, the moment they start, they dive towards the foot of the declivity, take a turn, and fly off in a direction so different from the one expected, that unless the sportsman is aware of the trick, he may not see them again that day. The young birds often prove equally difficult to be obtained, for as they are raised from amongst the closely tangled laurels, they only fly a few yards, and again drop among them. A smart cur-dog generally proves the best kind on these occasions; for no sooner does he start a covey of Ruffed Grouse than his barking alarms the birds as much as the report of a gun, and causes them to rise and alight on the nearest trees, on which they may be shot at with great success.

This leads me to remark, that the prevailing notion which exists in almost every district where these birds are numerous, that on firing at the lowest bird perched on a tree, the next above will not fly, and that by continuing to shoot at the lowest in succession, the whole may be killed, is contradicted by my experience; for on every attempt which I have made to shoot several in this manner on the same tree, my efforts have proved unsuccessful, unless indeed during a fall of snow, when I have killed three and sometimes four. The same cause produces the same effect on different birds. It may happen, however, that in districts covered with deep snow for several weeks, during severe winters, these birds, becoming emaciated and weak, may stand a repetition of shots from a person determined to shoot Grouse even when they are good for nothing; but, kind reader, this barbarous taste is, I hope, no more yours than it is mine.

During spring, and towards the latter part of autumn, at which time the Ruffed Grouse is heard drumming from different parts of the woods to which it resorts, I have shot many a fine cock by imitating the sound of its own wings striking against the body, which I did by beating a large inflated bullock's bladder with a stick, keeping up as much as possible the same time as that in which the bird beats. At the sound produced by the bladder and the stick, the male Grouse, inflamed with jealousy, has flown directly towards me, when, being prepared, I have easily shot it. An equally successful stratagem is employed to decoy the males of our little Partridge by imitating the call-note of the female during spring and summer; but in no instance, after repeated trials, have I been able to entice the Pinnated Grouse to come towards me, whilst imitating the booming sounds of that bird.

Early in spring, these birds are frequently seen feeding on the tender buds of different trees, and at that season are more easily approached than at any other. Unfortunately, however, they have not by this time recovered their flesh sufficiently to render them worthy of the attention of a true sportsman, although their flavour has already improved. When our mountains are covered with a profusion of huckleberries and whortleberries, about the beginning of September, then is the time for shooting this species, and enjoying the delicious food which it affords.

The Ruffed Grouse, on alighting upon a tree, after being raised from the ground, perches amongst the thickest parts of the foliage, and, assuming at once an erect attitude, stands perfectly still, and remains silent until all appearance of danger has vanished. If discovered when thus perched, it is very easily shot. On rising from the ground, the bird utters a cackling note repeated six or seven times, and before taking wing emits a lisping sort of whistle, which seems as if produced by the young of another bird, and is very remarkable.

When the ground is covered with snow sufficiently soft to allow this bird to conceal itself under it, it dives headlong into it with such force as to form a hole several yards in length, re-appears at that distance, and continues to elude the pursuit of the sportsman by flight. They are sometimes caught while beneath the snow. Many of them are taken alive in trap boxes during winter, although the more common method of catching or rather destroying them is by setting dead falls with a figure-of-four trigger.

Early in April, the Ruffed Grouse begins to drum immediately after dawn, and again towards the close of day. As the season advances, the drumming is repeated more frequently at all hours of the day; and where these birds are abundant, this curious sound is heard from all parts of the woods in which they reside. The drumming is performed in the following manner. The male bird, standing erect on a prostrate decayed trunk, raises the feathers of its body, in the manner of a Turkey-cock, draws its head towards its tail, erecting the feathers of the latter at the same time, and raising its ruff around the neck, suffers its wings to droop, and struts about on the log. A few moments elapse, when the bird draws the whole of its feathers close to its body, and stretching itself out, beats its sides with its wings, in the manner of the domestic Cock, but more loudly, and with such rapidity of motion, after a few of the first strokes, as to cause a tremor in the air not unlike the rumbling of distant thunder. This, kind reader, is the "drumming" of the Pheasant. In perfectly calm weather, it may be heard at the distance of two hundred yards, but might be supposed to proceed from a much greater distance. The female, which never drums, flies directly to the place where the male is thus engaged, and, on approaching him, opens her wings before him, balances her body to the right and left, and then receives his caresses.

The same trunk is resorted to by the same birds during the season, unless they are frequently disturbed. These trunks are easily known by the quantity of excrements and feathers about them. The males have the liberty of promiscuous concubinage, although not to such an extent as those of the Pinnated Grouse. They have frequent and severe battles at this season, which, although witnessed by the females, are never interrupted by them. The drumming sounds of these birds lead to their destruction, every young sportsman taking the unfair advantage of approaching them at this season, and shooting them in the act.

About the beginning of May, the female retires to some thicket in a close part of the woods, where she forms a nest. This is placed by the side of a prostrate tree, or at the foot of a low bush, on the ground, in a spot where a heap of dried leaves has been formed by the wind. The nest is composed of dried leaves and herbaceous plants. The female lays from five to twelve eggs, which are of a uniform dull yellowish colour, and are proportionate in size to the bird. The latter never covers them on leaving the nest, and in consequence, the Raven and the Crow, always on the look out for such dainties, frequently discover and eat them. When the female is present, however, she generally defends them with great obstinacy, striking the intruder with her wings and feet, in the manner of the Common Hen.

The young run about and follow the mother, the moment after they leave the egg. They are able to fly for a few yards at a time, when only six or seven days old, and still very small. The mother leads them in search of food, covers them at night with her wings, and evinces the greatest care and affection towards them on the least appearance of danger, trying by every art in her power to draw the attention of her enemies to herself, feigning lameness, tumbling and rolling about as if severely wounded, and by this means generally succeeding in saving them. The little ones squat at the least chuck of alarm from the mother, and lie so close as to suffer one to catch them in the hand, should he chance to discover them, which, however, it is very difficult to do. The males are then beginning to associate in small parties, and continue separated from the females until the approach of winter, when males, females, and young mingle together. During summer, these birds are fond of dusting themselves, and resort to the roads for that purpose, as well as to pick up gravel. I have observed this species copulating towards autumn, but have not been able to account for this unseasonable procedure, as only one brood is raised in the season.

These birds have various enemies besides man. Different species of Hawks destroy them, particularly the Red-tailed Hawk and the Cooper's Hawk. The former watches their motions from the tops of trees, and falls upon them with the swiftness of thought, whilst the latter seizes upon them as he glides rapidly through the woods. Pole-cats, weasels, racoons, opossums, and foxes, are all destructive foes to them. Of these, some are content with sucking their eggs, while others feed on their flesh.

I have found these birds most numerous in the States of Pennsylvania and New York. They are brought to the markets in great numbers, during the winter months, and sell at from 75 cents to a dollar apiece, in the eastern cities. At Pittsburg I have bought them, some years ago, for 12 1/2 cents the pair. It is said that when they have fed for several weeks on the leaves of the Kalmia latifolia, it is dangerous to eat their flesh, and I believe laws have been passed to prevent their being sold at that season. I have, however, eaten them at all seasons, and although I have found their crops distended with the leaves of the Kalmia, have never felt the least inconvenience after eating them, nor even perceived any difference of taste in their flesh. I suspect it is only when the birds have been kept a long time undrawn and unplucked, that the flesh becomes impregnated with the juice of these leaves.

The food of this species consists of seeds and berries of all kinds, according to the season. It also feeds on the leaves of several species of evergreens, Although these are only resorted to when other food has become scarce. They are particularly fond of fox-grapes and winter-grapes, as well as strawberries and dewberries. To procure the latter, they issue from the groves of the Kentucky Barrens, and often stray to the distance of a mile. They roost on trees, amongst the thickest parts of the foliage, sitting at some distance from each other, and may easily be smoked to death, by using the necessary precautions.

I cannot conclude this article, kind reader, without observing how desirable the acquisition of this species might be to the sportsmen of Europe, and especially to those of England, where I am surprised it has not yet been introduced. The size of these birds, the beauty of their plumage, the excellence of their flesh, and their peculiar mode of flying, would render them valuable, and add greatly to the interest of the already diversified sports of that country. In England and Scotland there are thousands of situations that are by nature perfectly suited to their habits, and I have not a doubt that a few years of attention would be sufficient to render them quite as common as the Grey Partridge.

It is now ascertained that this species extends over the whole breadth of the Continent, it being found from our Atlantic districts to those bordering the Pacific Ocean, Mr. TOWNSEND having observed it on the Missouri and along the Columbia river, and Mr. DRUMMOND having procured specimens in the valleys of the Columbia river. According to Dr. RICHARDSON, it reaches northward as far as the 56th parallel, and spends the winter on the banks of the Saskatchewan, where it is plentiful. It also exists in the Texas. It is more abundant in our western, middle, and eastern districts than in our southern states. In the maritime portions of South Carolina it does not exist. In Massachusetts, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, it is very plentiful; but I saw none in Labrador, although I was assured that it occurs there, and did not hear of it in Newfoundland.

RUFFED GROUSE, Tetrao umbellus, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. vi. p. 46.
TETRAO UMBELLUS, Bonap. Syn., p. 126.
TETRAO UMBELLUS, Ruffed Grouse, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 342.
RUFFED GROUSE, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 657.
RUFFED GROUSE, Tetrao umbellus, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 211;vol. v. p. 560.

Male, 18, 24.

Common from Maryland to Labrador, and in the interior from the mountainous districts to Canada and the Saskatchewan. Columbia river. Resident.

Adult Male.

Bill short, robust, slightly arched, rather obtuse, the base covered by feathers; upper mandible with the dorsal outline straight in the feathered part, convex towards the end, the edges overlapping, the tip declinate; under mandible somewhat bulging toward the tip, the sides convex. Nostrils concealed among the feathers. Head and neck small. Body bulky. Feet of ordinary length; tarsus feathered, excepting at the lower part anteriorly, where it is scutellate, spurless; toes scutellate above, pectinated on the sides; claws arched, depressed, obtuse.

Plumage compact, glossy. Feathers of the head narrow and elongated into a curved tuft. A large space on the neck destitute of feathers, but covered over by an erectile ruff of elongated feathers, of which the upper are silky, shining, and curved forwards at the end, which is very broad and rounded. Wings short, broad, much rounded and curved, the third and fourth quills longest. Tail long, ample, rounded, of eighteen feathers.

Bill horn-colour, brownish-black towards the tip. Iris hazel. Feet yellowish-grey. Upper part of the head and hind part of the neck bright yellowish-red. Back rich chestnut, marked with oblong white spots, margined with black. Upper wing-coverts similar to the back. Quills brownish-dusky, their outer webs pale reddish, spotted with dusky. Upper tail-coverts banded with black. Tail reddish-yellow, barred and minutely mottled with black, and terminated by a broad band of the latter colour, between two narrow bands of bluish-white, of which one is terminal. A yellowish-white band from the upper mandible to the eye, beyond which it is prolonged. Throat and lower part of the neck light brownish-yellow. Lower ruff feathers of the same colour, barred with reddish-brown, the upper black, with blue reflections. A tuft of light chestnut feathers under the wings. The rest of the under parts yellowish-white, with broad transverse spots of brownish-red; the abdomen yellowish-red; and the under tail-coverts mottled with brown.

Length 18 inches, extent of wings 2 feet; bill along the ridge 3/4, along the gap 1 1/2; tarsus 1 7/12, middle toe 1 3/4.

Adult Female.

The plumage of the female is less developed and inferior in beauty. The feathers of the head and ruff are less elongated, the latter of a duller black. The tints of the plumage generally are lighter than in the male.

A remarkable difference of plumage is observed in specimens from the opposite parts of the continent, those from the eastern districts being invariably much greyer, especially on the tail-feathers, than those procured along the Ohio, or in Virginia. These constant differences have tempted some persons to suppose that we have two nearly allied species, instead of one; but after the closest examination of all their parts, as well as of their habits, I never could find any thing tending to support this supposition. In some instances, the eggs of what I conceive a young female, have proved much smaller than others, and Dr. T. M. BREWER has procured in Massachusetts a laying of them minutely spotted with dull reddish-brown, on a ground of a light salmon colour. The eggs usually measure an inch and a half in length, by an inch and two-twelfths in breadth, and are of a uniform dull yellowish tint.

In this species the palate is flat, with two longitudinal ridges converging anteriorly; the space between these ridges and the slit covered with small papillae. The tongue is triangular, flattened, sagittate and papillate at the base, 9 twelfths long, fleshy and pointed. The width of the mouth is 8 twelfths. The liver is extremely small, its lobes equal, and 1 inch in length. The heart is also small, 11 twelfths long, 7 twelfths in breadth. The oesophagus, [a b f], is 7 1/4 inches in length; for three inches, [a b], it has a width of only 5 twelfths; it then enlarges to form a vast crop, [b c d], 3 1/2 inches in breadth, and 2 1/2 inches in length, that part of it connected with which is 1 inch 5 twelfths in length; it then contracts to 1/2 inch, [e]; the proventriculus, [e f], 7 1/2 twelfths in breadth. The stomach, [c d], is a very powerful muscular gizzard, 1 inch 8 twelfths long, 1 inch 9 twelfths broad; the inferior muscle very large, 1 twelfth thick; the lateral muscles extremely developed, the left 6 twelfths, the right 5 twelfths in thickness; the epithelium thick, tough, yellowish-brown, with two concave surfaces, which are deeply grooved longitudinally. The proventricular glands are large, 3 twelfths long, occupying a space of only 7 twelfths of an inch in breadth. The duodenum, [h i], curves at the distance of 4 inches. The intestine, [h i j k], is 4 feet 1 inch long; the coeca come off at the distance of 6 1/4 inches from the extremity; one of them 17 1/2, the other 16 1/2 inches long; their width for three inches 4 twelfths, in the rest of their extent 6 twelfths; they are narrowed toward the end, and terminate in a blunt nipple-like point; their inner surface has 7 longitudinal ridges, and they are filled with a pultaceous mass. The width of the duodenum is 5 1/2 twelfths; that of the greater part of the rest of the intestine 6 twelfths; the cloaca, [k], is not enlarged.

The trachea is 6 inches long, rather slender, its breadth at the top 3 twelfths, at the lower part 2 1/2 twelfths. The rings are feeble and unossified, 100 in number. There are no inferior laryngeal muscles. The bronchi are very short, rather wide, of about 12 half rings. The lateral muscles are rather large, the sterno-tracheal slips moderate.

State Bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,Oregon and Wyoming

2012-04-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

MISSOURI MEADOW-LARK.
[Western Meadowlark.]

STURNELLA NEGLECTA, Aud.
[Sturnella neglecta.]
PLATE CCCCLXXXIX.--MALE.

MISSOURI MEADOW-LARK, Sturnella neglecta, Aud. 10, 16.

Upper Missouri. Abundant.

Adult Male.

State Bird of Oklahoma

2012-04-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME I.

SWALLOW-TAILED FLYCATCHER.
[Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.]

MILVULUS FORFICATUS, Gmel.
[Tyrannus forficatus.]
PLATE LIII.--MALE.

Not having seen this handsome bird alive, I am unable to give you any account of its habits from my own observation; but I have pleasure in supplying the deficiency by extracting the following notice from the "Manual of the Ornithology of the United States and of Canada," by my excellent friend THOMAS NUTTALL.

"This very beautiful and singular species of Flycatcher is confined wholly to the open plains and scanty forests of the remote south-western regions beyond the Mississippi, where they, in all probability, extend their residence to the high plains of Mexico. I found these birds rather common near the banks of Red river, about the confluence of the Kiamesha. I again saw them more abundant near the Great Salt river of the Arkansas, in the month of August, when the young and old appeared, like our King-birds, assembling together previously to their departure for the south. They alighted repeatedly on the tall plants of the prairie, and were probably preying upon the grasshoppers, which were now abundant. At this time also, they were wholly silent, and flitted before our path with suspicion and timidity. A week or two after, we saw them no more, they having retired probably to tropical winter-quarters.

In the month of May, a pair, which I daily saw for three or four weeks, had made a nest on the horizontal branch of an elm, probably twelve or more feet from the ground. I did not examine it very near, but it appeared externally composed of coarse dry grass. The female, when first seen, was engaged in sitting, and her mate wildly attacked every bird which approached their residence. The harsh chirping note of the male, kept up at intervals, as remarked by Mr. SAY, almost resembled the barking of the prairie marmot, 'tsh, 'tsh, 'tsh. His flowing kite-like tail, spread or contracted at will while flying, is a singular trait in his plumage, and rendered him conspicuously beautiful to the most careless observer."

SWALLOW-TAILED FLYCATCHER, Muscicapa forficata, Bonap. Amer. Orn., vol. i. p. 15.
MUSCICAPA FORFICATA, Syn., p. 275.
SWALLOW-TAILED FLYCATCHER, Muscicapa forficata, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 275.
SWALLOW-TAILED FLYCATCHER, Muscicapa forficata, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 426.

Tail longer than the body; upper part of the head, cheeks, and hind neck ash-grey; back brownish-grey, rump dusky; anterior wing-coverts scarlet, quills brownish-black, tail-feathers deep black, the three outer on each side rose-coloured to near the end; lower parts white before, rose-coloured behind

State Bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina,Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia

2012-04-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK.
[Northern Cardinal.]

PITYLUS CARDINALIS, Linn.
[Cardinalis cardinalis.]
PLATE CCIII.--MALE, AND FEMALE.

Male, 8 1/2, 11 1/2.

Breeds abundantly from Texas to New York. Very rare in Massachusetts. Valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio. Resident from Maryland southward.

CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Loxia cardinalis, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 38.
FRINGILLA CARDINALIS, Bonap. Syn., p. 113.
CARDINAL GROSBEAK or RED-BIRD, Fringilla cardinalis, Nutt. Man., vol. i.p. 519.

CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Fringilla cardinalis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 336;vol. v. p. 514.

Adult Male.

Length 8 1/4 inches, extent of wings 11 1/2; bill along the back 7/12, along the edge 3/4; tarsus (1 1/2)/12.

Adult Female.

Length 7 1/2 inches.

Trachea 1 inch 10 twelfths long, from 1 1/4 twelfths to 1/2 twelfth in breadth; its rings 52; the muscles as in the other species. Bronchial half rings about 12. THE WILD ALMOND.

PRUNUS CAROLINIANA, Willd., Sp. Pl., vol. ii. p. 987. Pursch, Fl. Amer. Sept., vol. i. p. 330.--ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn.--ROSACEAE, JUSS.

State Bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,Oregon and Wyoming

2012-04-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

MISSOURI MEADOW-LARK.
[Western Meadowlark.]

STURNELLA NEGLECTA, Aud.
[Sturnella neglecta.]
PLATE CCCCLXXXIX.--MALE.

MISSOURI MEADOW-LARK, Sturnella neglecta, Aud. 10, 16.

Upper Missouri. Abundant.

Adult Male.

State Bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina,Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia

2012-04-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK.
[Northern Cardinal.]

PITYLUS CARDINALIS, Linn.
[Cardinalis cardinalis.]
PLATE CCIII.--MALE, AND FEMALE.

Male, 8 1/2, 11 1/2.

Breeds abundantly from Texas to New York. Very rare in Massachusetts. Valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio. Resident from Maryland southward.

CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Loxia cardinalis, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 38.
FRINGILLA CARDINALIS, Bonap. Syn., p. 113.
CARDINAL GROSBEAK or RED-BIRD, Fringilla cardinalis, Nutt. Man., vol. i.p. 519.

CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Fringilla cardinalis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 336;vol. v. p. 514.

Adult Male.

Length 8 1/4 inches, extent of wings 11 1/2; bill along the back 7/12, along the edge 3/4; tarsus (1 1/2)/12.

Adult Female.

Length 7 1/2 inches.

Trachea 1 inch 10 twelfths long, from 1 1/4 twelfths to 1/2 twelfth in breadth; its rings 52; the muscles as in the other species. Bronchial half rings about 12. THE WILD ALMOND.

PRUNUS CAROLINIANA, Willd., Sp. Pl., vol. ii. p. 987. Pursch, Fl. Amer. Sept., vol. i. p. 330.--ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn.--ROSACEAE, JUSS.

State Bird of Missouri and New York

2012-04-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

COMMON BLUE-BIRD.
[Eastern Bluebird.]

SIALIA WILSONII, Swains.
[Sialia sialis.]
PLATE CXXXIV.--MALE, FEMALE, AND YOUNG.

This lovely bird is found in all parts of our country, and is generally a permanent resident of the Southern States. It adds to the delight imparted by spring, and enlivens the dull days of winter. Full of innocent vivacity, warbling its ever pleasing notes, and familiar as any bird can be in its natural freedom, it is one of the most agreeable of our feathered favourites. The pure azure of its mantle, and the beautiful glow of its breast, render it conspicuous, as it flits through the orchards and gardens, crosses the fields or meadows, or hops along by the road-side. Recollecting the little box made for it, as it sits on the roof of the house, the barn, or the fence-stake, it returns to it even during the winter, and its visits are always welcomed by those who know it best.

When March returns, the male commences his courtship, manifesting as much tenderness and affection towards his chosen one, as the dove itself. Martins and House Wrens! be prepared to encounter his anger, or keep at a respectful distance. Even the wily cat he will torment with querulous chirpings, whenever he sees her in the path from which he wishes to pick up an insect for his mate.

The Blue-bird breeds in the Floridas as early as January, and pairs at Charleston in that month, in Pennsylvania about the middle of April, and in the State of Maine in June. It forms its nest in the box made expressly for the purpose, or in any convenient hole or cavity it can find, often taking possession of those abandoned by the Woodpecker. The eggs are from four to six, of a pale blue colour. Two and often three broods are raised in the year. While the female sits on the second set of eggs, the male takes charge of the first brood, and so on to the end.

The food of this species consists of coleoptera, caterpillars, spiders, and insects of various kinds, in procuring which it frequently alights against the bark of trees. They are also fond of ripe fruits, such as figs, persimmons, and grapes, and during the autumnal months they pounce on grasshoppers from the tops of the great mullein, so frequent in the old fields. They are extremely fond of newly ploughed land, on which, especially during winter and early spring, they are often seen in search of the insects turned out of their burrows by the plough.

The song of the Blue-bird is a soft agreeable warble, often repeated during the love-season, when it seldom sings without a gentle quivering of the wings. When the period of migration arrives, its voice consists merely of a tender and plaintive note, perhaps denoting the reluctance with which it contemplates the approach of winter. In November most of the individuals that have resided during the summer in the Northern and Middle Districts, are seen high in the air moving southward along with their families, or alighting to seek for food and enjoy repose. But many are seen in winter, whenever a few days of fine weather occur, so fond are they of their old haunts, and so easily can birds possessing powers of flight like theirs, move from one place to another. Their return takes place early in February or March, when they appear in parties of eight or ten of both sexes. When they alight at this season, the joyous carols of the males are heard from the tops of the early-blooming sassafras and maple.

During winter, they are extremely abundant in all the Southern States, and more especially in the Floridas, where I found hundreds of them on all the plantations that I visited. The species becomes rare in Maine, still more so in Nova Scotia, and in Newfoundland and Labrador none were seen by our exploring party.

My excellent and learned friend Dr. RICHARD HARLAN of Philadelphia, told me that one day, while in the neighbourhood of that city, sitting in the piazza of a friend's house, he observed that a pair of Blue-birds had taken possession of a hole cut out expressly for them in the end of the cornice above him. They had young, and were very solicitous for their safety, insomuch that it was no uncommon thing to see the male especially, fly at a person who happened to pass by. A hen with her brood in the yard came within a few yards of the piazza. The wrath of the Blue-bird rose to such a pitch that, notwithstanding its great disparity of strength, it flew at the hen with violence, and continued to assail her, until she was at length actually forced to retreat and seek refuge under a distant shrub, when the little fellow returned exultingly to his nest, and there carolled his victory with great animation.

This species has often reminded me of the Robin Redbreast of Europe, to which it bears a considerable resemblance in form and habits. Like the Blue-bird the Redbreast has large eyes, in which the power of its passions are at times seen to be expressed. Like it also, he alights on the lower branches of a tree, where, standing in the same position, he peeps sidewise at the objects beneath and around, until spying a grub or an insect, he launches lightly towards it, picks it up, and gazes around intent on discovering more, then takes a few hops with a downward inclination of the body, stops, erects himself, and should not another insect be near, returns to the branch, and tunes his throat anew. Perhaps it may have been on account of having observed something of this similarity of habits, that the first settlers in Massachusetts named our bird the Blue Robin, a name which it still retains in that state.

I have not received any intimation of the occurrence of this interesting bird to the west of the Rocky Mountains, although it was observed by Mr. TOWNSEND on the head waters of the Missouri. Dr. RICHARDSON mentions it as being found in summer to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, up to the 48th parallel of latitude, beyond which none were seen by the members of the expedition. I found it abundant and breeding in the Texas. The eggs measure seven and a half eighths of an inch in length, five-eighths and three-fourths in breadth, and are rather more bulky than is usual in birds of this family. In the United States, when in an uncultivated district, it forms its nest in the hollow or hole of a tree.

BLUE-BIRD, Sylvia Sialis, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. i. p. 56.
SAXICOLA SIALIS, Bonap. Syn., p. 39.
ERYTHACA (SIALIA) WILSONII, Swains. and Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii.p. 210.
BLUE-BIRD, Ampelis Sialis, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 444.
BLUE-BIRD, Sylvia Sialis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 84; vol. v. p. 452.

Adult Male.

Bill of ordinary length, nearly straight, broader than deep at the base, compressed towards the end; upper mandible with the dorsal line convex, the tip declinate, the edges sharp. Nostrils basal, oval. Head rather large, neck short, body rather full. Feet of ordinary length, slender; tarsus compressed, covered anteriorly with a few long scutella, acute behind, scarcely longer than the middle toe; toes scutellate above, the two lateral ones nearly equal; claws arched, slender, compressed, that of the hind toe much larger.

Plumage soft and blended, slightly glossed. Wings of ordinary length, broad, the first quill longest, the second scarcely shorter, the secondary quills truncato-emarginate. Tail rather long, broad, nearly even, of twelve broad, rounded feathers. Short bristle-pointed feathers at the base of the mandible.

Bill and feet black, the soles yellow, iris yellowish-brown. The general colour of the upper parts is bright azure-blue, that of the lower yellowish-brown, the belly white. Shafts of the quills and tail-feathers dusky.

Length 7 inches, extent of wing 10; bill along the ridge 1/2, along the edge 3/4; tarsus 8/12.

Adult Female.

The female has the upper part of a tint approaching to leaden, the foreneck and sides yellowish-brown, but duller than in the male, the belly white.

Length 6 1/2 inches.

Young Bird.

When fully fledged, the young have the upper part of the head, the back of the neck, and a portion of the back broccoli-brown; the rest of the upper part much as in the female. The lower parts are light grey, the feathers of the breast and sides margined with brown.

In a male preserved in spirits, the roof of the mouth is flat, and similar to that of the Thrushes; the tongue triangular, deeply emarginate and papillate at the base, very thin, flat above, horny towards the end, tapering to a slit point, and having the edges lacerated. The oesophagus, is 2 1/2 inches long, its width at the upper part 4 twelfths; the proventriculus, large. The stomach, is of moderate size, broadly elliptical, a little compressed, 8 twelfths long, 7 twelfths broad; its muscles distinct, the lateral of considerable thickness, the lower very thin, the tendons elliptical; the epithelium tough, dense, with longitudinal rugae. The intestine, [e f g h i], is rather short and wide, its length being 7 1/4 inches, its breadth in the duodenal portion 2 3/4 twelfths, contracting to 2 twelfths; the rectum of the same width at first, but enlarging into an oblong cloaca, [i], 5 twelfths wide; the coeca, [h], 2 twelfths long, 1/2 twelfth broad, cylindrical, 1 inch 1 twelfth distant from the extremity. Elongated salivary glands.

The trachea is 1 inch 10 twelfths long, moderately flattened, its rings 65, firm, with 2 additional half rings. There are four pairs of inferior laryngeal muscles; the bronchi of about 15 half rings. THE GREAT MULLEIN.

VERBASCUM THAPSUS, Willd., Sp. Pl., vol. i. p. 1001. Pursch, Flor. Amer., vol. i. p. 142. Smith, Engl. Flor., vol. i. p. 512. --PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn.--SOLANEAE, Juss.

This plant, which is well known in Europe, is equally so in America; but whether it has been accidentally or otherwise introduced into the latter country, I cannot say. At present there is hardly an old field or abandoned piece of ground on the borders of the roads that is not overgrown with it. In the Middle and Southern Districts, it frequently attains a height of five or six feet. The flowers are used in infusion for catarrhs, and a decoction of the leaves is employed in chronic rheumatism.

State Bird of New Mexico

2012-04-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

New Mexico's state bird is the Roadrunner
(Geococcyx californianus).

Officially adopted March 16, 1949. It was adopted under the name "Chaparral Bird". In Spanish, it is called "El Correcaminos".

The comical roadrunner prefers running to flying and has been clocked at speeds of 15 miles per hour. They are approximately 22 inches in length and their diet consists of insects, lizards, centipedes, mice and snakes.

The New Mexico state bird, the Roadrunner, was a bird not known to Audubon in his time, and was therefore not included in the 1840 edition of Birds of America.

However, in keeping with Audubon's central theme of "wild birds native to North America", CMC has decided to include with this file a photograph.

State Bird of Iowa, New Jersey, and Washington

2012-04-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.
[American Goldfinch.]

CARDUELIS TRISTIS, Linn.
[Carduelis tristis.]
PLATE CLXXXI.--MALE AND FEMALE.

The food of the American Goldfinch consists chiefly of seeds of the hemp, the sun-flower, the lettuce, and various species of thistle. Now and then, during winter, it eats the fruit of the elder.

Abundant in the Middle and Western Districts during summer. Accidental in the Southern States during winter. Columbia river and Fur Countries. Abundant. Migratory.

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, Fringilla tristis, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. i. p. 20.
FRINGILLA TRISTIS, Bonap. Syn., p. 111.

CARDUELIS AMERICANA (Edwards), American Goldfinch, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 268.

YELLOW-BIRD or AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 507.

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, Fringilla tristis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 172;vol. v. p. 510.

Male, 4 1/2, 8. THE COMMON THISTLE.

CNICUS LANCEOLATUS, Willd., Sp. Pl., vol. iii. p. 1666. Pursch, Flora Amer., vol. ii, p. 506. Smith, Engl. Bot., vol. iii. p. 388.--SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA AEQUALIS, Linn.--CINAROCEPHALAE, Juss.

This well known species of thistle, common in the temperate and colder parts of both continents, it is unnecessary to describe

State Bird of New Hampshire

2012-04-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

THE PURPLE FINCH.
[Purple Finch.]

ERYTHROSPIZA PURPUREA, Gmel.
[Carpodacus purpureus.]
PLATE CXCVI.--MALE AND FEMALE.

From the beginning of November until April, flocks of the Purple Finch, consisting of from six to twenty individuals, are seen throughout the whole of Louisiana and the adjoining States. They fly compactly, with an undulating motion, similar to that of the Common Greenfinch of Europe. They alight all at once, and after a moment of rest, and as if frightened, all take to wing again, make a circuit of no great extent, and return to the tree from which they had thus started, or settle upon one near it. Immediately after this, every individual is seen making its way toward the extremities of the branches, husking the buds with great tact, and eating their internal portion. In doing this, they hang like so many Titmice, or stretch out their necks to reach the buds below. Although they are quite friendly among themselves during their flight, or while sitting without looking after food, yet, when they are feeding, the moment one goes near another, it is strenuously warned to keep off by certain unequivocal marks of displeasure, such as the erection of the feathers of the head and the opening of the mouth. Should this intimation be disregarded, the stronger or more daring, of the two drives off the other to a different part of the tree. They feed in this manner principally in the morning, and afterwards retire to the interior of the woods. Towards sunset they reappear, fly about the skirts of the fields and along the woods, until, having made choice of a tree, they alight, and, as soon as each bird has chosen a situation, stand still, look about them, plume themselves, and make short sallies after flies and other insects, but without interfering with each other. They frequently utter a single rather mellow clink, and are seen occupied in this manner until near sunset, when they again fly off to the interior of the forest. I one night surprised a party of them roosting in a small holly tree, as I happened to be brushing by it. In their consternation they suddenly started all together, and in the same direction, when, not knowing what birds they were, I shot at them and brought down two.

It is remarkable that, at this season, males in full beauty of plumage are as numerous as during the summer months in far more northern parts, where they breed; and you may see different gradations of plumage, from the dingy greenish-brown of the female and young to the richest tints of the oldest and handsomest male; while along with these there are others which, by my habit of examining birds, I knew to be old, and which are of a yellowish-green, neither the colour of the young males, nor that of the females, but a mixture of all.

The song of the Purple Finch is sweet and continued, and I have enjoyed it much during the spring and summer months, in the mountainous parts of Pennsylvania, where it occasionally breeds, particularly about the Great Pine Forest, where, although I did not find any nests, I saw pairs of these birds flying about and feeding their young, which could not have been many days out, and were not fully fledged. The food which they carried to their young consisted of insects, small berries, and the juicy part of the cones of the spruce pine.

They frequently associate with the Common Cross-bills, feeding on the same trees, and like them are at times fond of alighting against the mud used for closing the log-houses. They are seldom seen on the ground, although their motions there are by no means embarrassed. They are considered as destructive birds by some farmers, who accuse them of committing great depredations on the blossoms of their fruit-trees. I never observed this in Louisiana, where they remain long after the peach and pear trees are in full bloom. I have eaten many of them, and consider their flesh equal to that of any other small bird, excepting the Rice Bunting.

This species was seen by Dr. RICHARDSON on the banks of the Saskatchewan river only, where it feeds on willow-buds. It arrives there in May, and resides during the summer. The eggs have been procured in the State of Massachusetts by my friend Dr. T. M. BREWER. They measure seven-eighths and a quarter in length, four-eighths and a half in breadth, and are thus of an elongated form, rather pointed. Their ground-colour is a bright emerald-green, sparingly marked with dots and a few streaks of black, accumulated near the apex, and some large marks of dull purple here and there over the whole surface. The following, note is from the same gentleman:--"The passage of the Purple Finch through this State on its way north, is so rapid, and the number of those that stop to breed here so small, that I can furnish nothing respecting its habits, except that there is good reason to believe the accusation which has been brought against it, of injuring the blossoms of fruit trees. Last year, the trees were in full bloom at the time this bird was migrating, and I saw them plainly clinging to the branches, and at work upon the blossoms; so that under some trees the ground was literally strewed with the result of their destructiveness, although they did not appear to feed on the blossoms. I have had the good fortune to meet with its nest and eggs this season. Mr. CABOT found another, and is probably the first naturalist who has done so. The nest which I found was built in a cedar tree, at the distance of five feet from the ground. The tree stood by itself in a small sandy pasture, which was sparingly covered with half-grown cedars. The nest itself was rudely constructed: it was composed externally of coarse grass and weeds, lined with fine roots of the same, and little care seemed to have been bestowed on its completion. The diameter of the exterior was 9 inches, the brim 3 inches, the depth 1 inch, the external depth 2 inches, giving it thus a shallow or flattish appearance. The eggs, four in number, were of a bright emerald-green."

I have found this species from Labrador to the Texas. Mr. NUTTALL and Mr. TOWNSEND met with it on the Columbia river, and all the way to St. Louis. In South Carolina, where it appears only during severe winters, it feeds on the berries of the Virginian juniper, commonly called the red cedar; and when the berries fall to the ground, it alights to secure them. Dr. BACHMAN has kept it in aviaries, where it became very fat, silent, and only uttered its usual simple feeble note. After moulting, the males assumed the plumage of the females. The next spring a very slight appearance of red was seen, but they never recovered their original brilliancy, and it was difficult to distinguish the sexes. It breeds sparingly in the northern parts of the State of New York. In June 1837, I met with three pairs, within a few miles of Waterford, that evidently had nests in the neighbourhood.

Palate gently ascending; upper mandible considerably concave, with three prominent lines, of which the two lateral are much larger; mandibles nearly equal in breadth, the lower deeply concave. Width of mouth 5 twelfths. Tongue 5 twelfths long, sagittate and papillate at the base, much compressed, being higher than broad, channelled above, the channel becoming somewhat dilated toward the end, and approaching to that of the Pine Grosbeak and the Crossbills. OEsophagus 2 inches 2 twelfths in length, its greatest width 4 twelfths. Stomach 5 1/2 twelfths long, 4 1/2 twelfths broad; its lateral muscles of moderate size, the epithelium tough and longitudinally rugous. Contents of stomach, seeds of various sorts. Intestine 8 3/4 inches long, its width from 1 1/2 twelfths to 3/4 twelfth; coeca 1/2 twelfth long, 1/4 twelfth broad 9 twelfths distant from the extremity.

Trachea 1 inch 7 1/2 twelfths long, flattened, nearly 1 twelfth in breadth; the rings 66 and 2 additional; bronchial rings 12; muscles as usual in this family; as are the salivary glands.

Male, 6, 9.

During winter, from Texas to the Carolinas, and northward to Kentucky. In summer, from St. Louis to the Columbia, and in the Fur Countries. Abundant.

PURPLE FINCH, Fringilla purpurea, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol., i. p. 119.
PURPLE FINCH, Bonap. Syn., p. 114.

FRINGILLA PURPUREA WILSON, Crested Purple Finch, Swains. and Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 264.

PURPLE FINCH, Fringilla purpurea, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 24;vol. v. p. 500.

Adult Male.

Bill Shortish, robust, bulging, conical, acute; upper mandible with its dorsal outline a little convex, under mandible with its outline also slightly convex, both broadly convex transversely, the edges straight to near the base, where they are a little deflected. Nostrils basal, roundish, open, partially concealed by the feathers. Head rather large. Neck short and thick. Body full. Legs of moderate size; tarsus of the same length as the middle toe, covered anteriorly with a longitudinal plate above and a few transverse scutella below, posteriorly with an acutely angular longitudinal plate; toes scutellate above, free, the lateral ones nearly equal; claws slender, arched, compressed, acute, that of the hind toe not much larger.

Plumage compact above, blended beneath, wings of moderate length, third and fourth primaries longest, second and first very little shorter. Tail forked. The lateral feathers curved outwards toward the tip.

Bill deep brown above, paler and tined with blue beneath. Iris blackish-brown. Feet and claws brown. Head, neck, breast, back, and upper tail-coverts of a rich deep lake, approaching to crimson on the head and neck, and fading into rose-colour on the belly. Fore part of the back streaked with brown. Quills and larger coverts deep brown, margined externally and tipped with red. Tail feathers deep brown, similarly margined. A narrow band of cream-colour across the forehead, margining the base of the upper mandible.

Length 6 inches, extent of wings 9, beak along the ridge 5/12, along the gap 7/12, tarsus 2/3.

Female.

The young bird so closely resembles the adult female, that the same description will answer for both. The general colour of the upper parts is brownish-olive, streaked with dark brown. There is a broadish white line over the eye, and another from the commissure of the gap backwards. The under parts are greyish-white, the sides streaked with brown. The quills and tail-feathers are dark brown, margined with olive. THE RED LARCH.

LARIX AMERICANA, Pursch, Fl. Amer., vol. ii. p. 645. Mich., Arbr. Forest. de l'amer. Sept., vol. iii. p. 137, pl. 4.--MONOECIA POLYANDRIA, Linn. --CONIFERAE, Juss.

This species of larch, which is distinguished by its short, deciduous, fasciculate leaves, and short ovate cones, occurs in the more northern parts of the United States, and in the mountainous regions of the middle states. It attains a height of sixty feet, and a diameter sometimes of two feet. The wood is highly esteemed on account of its excellent qualities.

State Bird of Idaho and Nevada

2012-04-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

ARCTIC BLUE-BIRD.
[Mountain Bluebird.]

SIALIA ARCTICA, Swains.
[Sialia currucoides.]
PLATE CXXXVI.--MALE AND FEMALE.

This beautiful species, first introduced to the notice of ornithologists by Dr. RICHARDSON, who procured a single specimen at Fort Franklin in July 1825, is merely a summer visitor to the Fur Countries. Both the male and the female are represented in my plate. The latter I believe has not hitherto been figured. Mr. NUTTALL'S notice respecting this interesting bird, so closely allied to Sialia Wilsoni, is as follows:

"Sialia arctica. Ultramarine Blue-bird. About fifty or sixty miles north-west of the usual crossing place of that branch of the Platte called Larimie's Fork, in the early part of June, this species of Sialia is not uncommon. The female utters a low plaint when her nest is approached, the place for which is indifferently chosen in a hole in a clay cliff, or in that of the trunk of a decayed cedar. At this time the young were hatched. The nest is made of the usual material of dry grass in very insignificant quantity. They are more shy than the common species, and have the same mode of feeding by watching on some low bush or plant, and descending for an insect. We afterwards saw a nest of this species on a cliff of the Sandy river, a branch of the Colorado of the West. The female and male were both feeding their brood. The former chirped and appeared uneasy at my approach, and at intervals uttered a plaintive yeow. The male sings more quaintly and monotonously than the common kind, but in the same general tone and manner."

To this Mr. TOWNSEND adds that it is found in the "Forests on the banks of the Platte river, in the vicinity of the Black Hills, and in the same situations on the banks of the Columbia. This species," he continues, "was observed in the winter at Fort Vancouver, associating with S. occidentalis. They confine themselves chiefly to the fences in the neighbourhood of the Fort, occasionally flying to the ground, and scratching in the earth for minute insects, the fragments of which were found in their stomachs. After procuring an insect, the male usually returned to the fence, and warbled for a minute most delightfully. Its note, although like that of our common Sialia, is still so different as to be easily recognised. It is equally sweet and clear, but of so little power (at least at this season) as to be heard only at a short distance. In the spring it is louder and bolder, but is at all times much less strong than that of the common species."

ERYTHACA (SIALIA) ARCTICA, Arctic Blue-bird, Swains. and Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 209.

ARCTIC BLUE-BIRD, Sialia Arctica, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 573.

ARCTIC BLUE-BIRD, Sylvia Arctica, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. v. p. 38.

Adult Male.

Bill of ordinary length, nearly straight, broader than high at the base, compressed towards the end; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight and declinate, until near the end, when it becomes convex, the ridge narrow, the sides convex towards the end, the edges direct and overlapping, with a distinct notch close to the narrow deflected tip; lower mandible with the angle of moderate length and narrow, the dorsal line straight, the sides convex, the edges direct, the tip narrow. Nostrils basal, oval.

Head rather large; neck short; body moderately full. Feet of ordinary length, slender; tarsus compressed, covered anteriorly with seven long scutella, posteriorly with two very long plates meeting so as to form a sharp edge; toes of moderate length; the first stouter, the second and fourth nearly equal, the third much longer; claws moderate, well curved, slender, compressed, laterally grooved, tapering to a fine point.

Plumage soft and blended, with considerable gloss; short bristles at the base of the upper mandible. Wings very long; the first quill very small, being only seven-twelfths of an inch long, the second one-twelfth shorter than the third, which is longest, but exceeds the fourth only by half a twelfth, the other primaries rapidly graduated; the outer secondaries emarginate, the inner not elongated. Tail long, deeply emarginate, of twelve strong feathers, of which the medial are five-twelfths shorter than the lateral.

Bill and feet black; iris brown. The general colour of the upper parts is light azure blue, approaching to smalt blue; the quills and larger coverts dark greyish-brown, the outer tinged with blue, the primaries broadly margined with light blue, the secondaries with greyish-blue, the inner chiefly with dull white. The tail-feathers are also brown, gradually more blue toward the base, and all broadly margined externally with that colour. The sides of the head, the fore part and sides of the neck, and the anterior half of the breast, light greenish-blue; that colour gradually fading on the hind part of the breast; the abdomen and lower tail-coverts greyish-white.

Length to end of tail 7 1/4 inches; bill along the ridge 6/12, along the edge of lower mandible (7 3/4)/12; wing from flexure 4 (7 1/2)/12; tail 2 11/12; tarsus (10 1/2)/12, hind toe 4/12, its claw 4/12; middle toe (7 1/2)/12, its claw (2 3/4)/12.

Adult Female.

The female differs greatly. The parts which retain the same colour are the rump, wings, and tail, of which, however, the blue edgings are less pure and of less extent, and the outer primary and outer tail-feathers are margined externally with white. The upper part of the head, the hind neck, the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts are light greyish-brown, margined with pale greenish-blue; the cheeks and sides of the neck are paler; the fore part of the neck and the anterior portion of the breast are light greyish-brown, on the breast tinged with red; the rest of the lower parts of an undecided brownish-white tint; the lower wing-coverts pale greyish-brown, edged with white, the lower tail-coverts with a medial dusky streak.

Length to end of tail 6 3/4 inches; bill along the ridge (6 1/2)/12; wing from flexure 4 2/12; tail 2 7/12; tarsus 10/12; hind toe 4/12, its claw (4 1/4)/12, middle toe (6 3/4)/12, its claw (3 1/4)/12.

The above descriptions are taken from skins procured by Mr. TOWNSEND on the Columbia river. That of the male is from a specimen shot in June 1835; and that of the female from one shot on the 26th of the same month and year. Of two other specimens in my possession, a male agrees with that described, but has the blue of the upper parts deeper, and of a tint approaching to that of the common species. The female is also similar to that described, but has a dull white spot before, the eye, and the upper part of the throat brownish-white

State Bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,Oregon and Wyoming

2012-04-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

MISSOURI MEADOW-LARK.
[Western Meadowlark.]

STURNELLA NEGLECTA, Aud.
[Sturnella neglecta.]
PLATE CCCCLXXXIX.--MALE.

MISSOURI MEADOW-LARK, Sturnella neglecta, Aud. 10, 16.

Upper Missouri. Abundant.

Adult Male.

State Bird of Missouri and New York

2012-04-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

COMMON BLUE-BIRD.
[Eastern Bluebird.]

SIALIA WILSONII, Swains.
[Sialia sialis.]
PLATE CXXXIV.--MALE, FEMALE, AND YOUNG.

Adult Male.

Length 7 inches, extent of wing 10; bill along the ridge 1/2, along the edge 3/4; tarsus 8/12.

Adult Female.

The female has the upper part of a tint approaching to leaden, the foreneck and sides yellowish-brown, but duller than in the male, the belly white.

Length 6 1/2 inches.

Young Bird.

VERBASCUM THAPSUS, Willd., Sp. Pl., vol. i. p. 1001. Pursch, Flor. Amer., vol. i. p. 142. Smith, Engl. Flor., vol. i. p. 512. --PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn.--SOLANEAE, Juss.

State Bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi,Tennessee and Texas

2012-04-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

COMMON MOCKING-BIRD.
[Northern Mockingbird.]

ORPHEUS POLYGLOTTUS, Linn.
[Mimus polyglottos.]
PLATE CXXXVIII.--MALE AND FEMALE.

Male.

GELSEMINUM NITIDUM, Mich. Flor. Amer., vol. i. p. 120. Pursch, Flor. Amer., vol. i. p. 184.--PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA, Linn. APOCINEAE, Juss.

Adele

State Bird of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin

By John James Audubon,F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

State Bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,Oregon and Wyoming

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

State Bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina,Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia

By John James Audubon,F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

State Bird of Iowa, New Jersey, and Washington

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

State Bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina,Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia

By John James Audubon,F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

State Bird of Vermont

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

State Bird of Utah

By John James Audubon,F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

State Bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi,Tennessee and Texas

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

State Bird of South Dakota

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

State Bird of South Carolina

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

State Bird of Rhode Island

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

State Bird of Pennsylvania

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME V.

State Bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,Oregon and Wyoming

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

State Bird of Oklahoma

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME I.

State Bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina,Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia

By John James Audubon,F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

State Bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,Oregon and Wyoming

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

State Bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina,Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia

By John James Audubon,F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

State Bird of Missouri and New York

By John James Audubon,F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

State Bird of New Mexico

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

State Bird of Iowa, New Jersey, and Washington

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

State Bird of New Hampshire

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

State Bird of Idaho and Nevada

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

State Bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,Oregon and Wyoming

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME VII.

State Bird of Missouri and New York

By John James Audubon,F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

State Bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi,Tennessee and Texas

By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME II.

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.