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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5264e9c --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #52600 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52600) diff --git a/old/52600-0.txt b/old/52600-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2bcd2b1..0000000 --- a/old/52600-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1810 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Bird Portraits, by Ernest Seton-Thompson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Bird Portraits - -Author: Ernest Seton-Thompson - -Commentator: Ralph Hoffmann - -Release Date: July 18, 2016 [EBook #52600] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BIRD PORTRAITS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - BIRD PORTRAITS - - -[Illustration: THE SONG SPARROW] - - - - - BIRD PORTRAITS - - - _By_ Ernest Seton-Thompson - - - WITH DESCRIPTIVE TEXT - - _By_ Ralph Hoffmann - - - BOSTON - Ginn & Company - The Athenæum Press - 1901 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1901 - BY GINN & COMPANY - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - THE SONG SPARROW 1 - - THE FLICKER 3 - - THE BROWN THRASHER 5 - - THE BARN SWALLOW 7 - - THE CHIMNEY SWIFT 9 - - THE KINGBIRD 11 - - THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE 13 - - THE WOOD THRUSH 15 - - THE SCARLET TANAGER 17 - - THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK 19 - - THE REDSTART 21 - - THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD 23 - - BOB-WHITE 25 - - THE GOLDFINCH 27 - - THE BLUE JAY 29 - - THE BROWN CREEPER 31 - - THE BUTCHER BIRD 33 - - THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET 35 - - THE HERRING GULL 37 - - THE CHICKADEE 39 - - - - - _INTRODUCTION_ - - -_This book is called "Bird Portraits" because Mr. Seton-Thompson's -pictures are always faithful and charming portraits of the birds which -he draws. But since a bird's portrait, no matter how accurate, can show -its subject in only one position, singing, feeding, flying, or sitting, -a short account of some of the main events of the bird's life has been -added to each picture._ - -_Any one who learns from such books as Mr. Seton-Thompson's how beset -with perils is the life of every wild creature will take the greatest -pains at all times, and especially in the nesting season, not only not -to injure or persecute such defenseless little creatures as our song -birds, but also to protect them in every way. Whoever seeks their -acquaintance, in the spirit of friendship, will always be grateful for -the interest and pleasure to be gained from such friends._ - -_Of the twenty birds whose portraits are here presented, a majority are -only summer residents in the Northern States; some visit us only in -winter; a few spend the whole year near the same spot. The birds which -are first described are those that are most closely associated with the -return of spring; then follow those whose gay colors and bright songs -give much of its charm to early summer; last come those that brave, even -in the North, the tempests of winter._ - - R. H. - - - - - BIRD PORTRAITS - - - - - THE SONG SPARROW - - -After a severe winter, while snow and ice still remind us of the past, -the Song Sparrow, mounting to the top of some bush or small tree, -repeats his cheerful tinkling song, "helping," as Thoreau says, "to -crack the ice" in the ponds. Few people are so unobservant as not to -notice this bright strain, after the silence of winter. A peculiarity of -the song is the amount of variation shown by different individuals and -often by the same bird. At almost regular distances along the bushy -roadside, or over the hedge-intersected fields, one will meet on the -early spring mornings one Song Sparrow after another, each restricted to -his part of the road or field. If one notices the songs of each, it is -evident that, though the songs have the same general character, there -are almost as many ways of beginning a strain as there are singers. -Moreover, the same bird has been observed to alter his song in a short -space of time to two or three different variations. Probably, if one's -ear were acute enough, all birds of one species would be found to sing -with slight differences, but few show in so marked a degree as the Song -Sparrow the tendency to variation which characterizes a species. - -In early April, the Song Sparrow builds a nest of grass, either on the -ground beneath a tuft of grass, or under some brambles, or less -frequently a few feet above the ground, in a bush or on the lower limbs -of a tree. In the latter situation, twigs are of course necessary for -the support of the structure. Here again the bird shows a tendency to -vary in its habits. The eggs are from four to five in number, greenish -white, thickly marked with shades of brown, lavender, or purple. -Sometimes an egg is found in the nest much larger than the others; this -has been laid by the lazy Cowbird. As the large egg receives most warmth -and hatches first, the young Cowbird soon crowds out the rightful -occupants of the nest, and the parent Song Sparrows will be seen later, -working busily to feed a great homely youngster as large as themselves, -who will afterwards go off to join a flock of his own kind. Probably -every Cowbird has been reared at the expense of a brood of some small -bird, Sparrow, Warbler, or Vireo. - -In June, the young Song Sparrows are able to take care of themselves, -and the energetic parents build another nest and rear another brood. The -brooding time is the chief period of song, so that birds that breed -twice sing later in the summer than others. The Song Sparrow's little -strain may be heard well into August; but toward the end of that month -we hear from the cornfields and gardens a curious, husky warble, unlike -the bright spring carol of the Song Sparrow, but nevertheless made by -that bird. In the fall, and even during the winter, a warm bright day -will occasionally induce a Song Sparrow to sing his lively spring song, -so that where the Song Sparrow winters, the strain may be heard every -month of the year. - -In the late summer and fall, the neglected corners of gardens and -fields, where the seeds of weeds and grasses offer an abundance of food, -are the favorite resort of the sparrows. The Song Sparrow may be -distinguished from most of its relatives by its streaked breast, in the -middle of which the spots generally form a conspicuous blotch, and by -its long tail, which it constantly jerks as it flies. The Song Sparrow -is very retiring, and when alarmed, slips into brush heaps or bushes, -where it hides as skillfully as a mouse. - -[Illustration: THE FLICKER] - - - - - THE FLICKER - - -The Flicker is most beloved in March, when his hearty shout is one of -the characteristic sounds of the first warm days of early spring. The -same week which brings the Bluebird and the Blackbird hears the cheerful -song of the Song Sparrow and the loud call of the Flicker. - -Though a woodpecker, the Flicker has departed somewhat from the habits -of its relatives, spending considerable time on the ground, and -depending largely for its food on berries and ants. It is often startled -from lawns and hillsides, where it has been thrusting its long tongue -into colonies of black ants, seizing them on the moist, brushy tip. When -so engaged, the bird may sometimes be closely approached, and a sight of -its plumage is then a revelation to one who has seen from a distance -only its dark brown body and white rump. The ashy gray nape sets off a -bright red patch; there is a handsome black crescent across the breast, -and the male wears black mustaches. The breast is handsomely spotted, -and the quills and undersides of the wing and tail feathers are golden -yellow. Unless one can steal up close to a bird, few of these marks -show; but the Flicker may always be distinguished by his size (he is the -largest of our common birds except the Crow), by the white rump, and the -gleam of yellow which has given him the name Golden-winged Woodpecker. -The flight, too, like that of all the woodpeckers, is characteristic; -the wing strokes are slow, and between them the bird drops a little, so -that its progress is in waves instead of in a straight line. - -All the woodpeckers nest in holes, which they chisel out of decayed or -even live wood. A circular entrance leads to a vertical passage, and -this to a wide chamber some distance below. No lining of moss or -feathers is put in; the pure white, nearly round eggs are laid directly -on the chips at the bottom of the cavity, and the young birds after a -few days hang by their claws to the side of the hole. Young Flickers, -like young Humming-birds, are fed by their parents with a liquid food, -which is pumped into their wide-opened mouths, the parent's bill being -thrust far into the young one's. - -The Flicker is one of the few birds that frequently return to the old -nest. Most birds, contrary to the common notion, instead of refurnishing -the weather-beaten and insecure structure into which their last year's -home has been converted by snow, rain, and wind, prefer to build a new -one. The material is everywhere at hand, and time is not so precious -before the young are hatched. The Flicker, however, having built in a -stout limb, can safely return for several seasons to the same cavity, -or, if this becomes insecure, can cut another in the same trunk. -Branches are often seen where three or four round openings show the -tenements of several generations of these noisy birds. South of -Massachusetts, Flickers generally spend the whole year in one spot, and -in winter live largely on berries; a favorite food at this season is the -berry of the poison ivy. In the fall, the rum cherry becomes a resort -for all fruit-loving species. - -The Flicker, though not known to raise a second brood, has a second -period of song, so that we hear again in June the shout, or mating call, -of the early spring days. Besides this high-pitched _wick, wick, wick_, -the Flicker utters, when startled, a curious note like _worroo_; a sharp -_ti'ou_ is the call to its kind, and the syllables _yucker, yucker_, -often accompanied by ludicrous bowing with wings and tail outspread, are -used to show affection. - -[Illustration: THE BROWN THRASHER] - - - - - THE BROWN THRASHER - - -The Thrasher is the first great musician of the year; he arrives in the -last week of April, so that his song forms the prelude of the chorus -which is given in May by the true Thrushes, the Bobolink, and the -Oriole. There is a spirit, a brilliancy of execution, and a power in his -song which is perhaps more appropriate to early spring than the rich, -sweet tone of the birds who take up the strain in warmer days. He sings -when spring, though assured, is not everywhere manifest, and the vigor -of his ringing phrases serves to dispel any lingering doubt that the -faint-hearted may yet entertain. - -The trees are yet leafless, and the singer can be seen afar off on the -very topmost twig of some hillside tree; his long tail is held straight -below him, his head is up-lifted, and from his full throat comes phrase -after phrase, a succession of the most varied and apparently extremely -difficult notes, executed with an ease and full-hearted joy which, to -the ears of many, place the Thrasher in the class with the true -Thrushes. Like the song of all male birds, the performance is not only -an offering or an invitation to the female, but also an answer to some -rival whose fainter notes reach the ear from the neighboring grove. - -This last week of April is often one of the most delightful seasons of -the year, and particularly attractive to a beginner in bird study. There -are only a few bushes in leaf, and those of a delicate green; the dried -leaves under them are starred with white bloodroot; on the hillsides, -the purple violet and yellow five-finger are wide open in the warm sun, -and in the woods, the mayflower and the hepatica surprise the visitor in -spots where the late snow still lingers. The birds are easy to find; -there is no dense foliage to hide them, and the number of species is -still so few that their songs and figures are not difficult to -distinguish. - -The Thrasher's song ceases as you approach him. He slips down like a -wren to the undergrowth, where, if you listen, you hear him rustling and -scratching in the dry leaves. If you sit down near by, you will see him -as he mounts again from one twig to the next. His white breast is -heavily spotted with black, his head, back, and tail are of a bright -rufous shade, and his yellow eye glitters like a snake's. When he is -alarmed, he puffs like a turtle, or utters a note curiously like a loud -smack. The whole air of the bird is one of vigor and intelligence. The -sexes are alike in size and color. By watching patiently near the spot -where the male sings, it is often possible to surprise the pair bringing -bark and roots to the bush among whose roots or stems the nest is woven. - -It is one of the most delightful experiences in the study of birds thus -to watch a pair of birds building their nest, to note later the laying -of each egg, to see the female brooding till the nestlings are hatched -and finally leave the nest. One always heaves a sigh of relief at the -last moment, for so many tragedies may put an end to the story. The -female Thrasher is very bold when on the nest, and sits close till the -visitor, if he approach quietly, is within a few feet of her. She gazes -fixedly at him with her bright eye, but let him draw a step nearer and -she slips off into the bushes. The eggs are four or five, whitish, -covered with many light brown markings. - -The food of the Thrasher consists of insects and fruit. Many linger in -the North till the end of October, and spend the winter in the Southern -States, where the ground is generally free from snow. - -[Illustration: THE BARN SWALLOW] - - - - - THE BARN SWALLOW - - -There is no pleasanter sight among birds than a family of young reared -in the neighborhood of man and often on some part of his house itself. -Visit an old farmhouse; look about and see how many welcome guests the -farmer shelters without thought of pecuniary profit. Under the woodshed, -on a beam, the Phœbe has built a nest of moss, from which she flies to -the barnyard to pursue the insects that swarm there. In the vines on the -piazza, Robins and Chipping Sparrows have reared their young. In the old -elm over the door, an Oriole has woven a nest with thread twitched from -the clothesline or perhaps purposely laid out for her, and the orchard -shelters numbers of species—Bluebirds, Woodpeckers, Kingbirds, and -Chebecs. Of all these tenants, however, none seem so completely at home -as the swallows; none show so little concern at man's presence; none -take possession so coolly of the boxes, the eaves, or the rafters where -they build. Their kindred lived with man, ages ago, in Greece and Rome; -they have been welcomed each spring as heralds of a joyful season; their -departure has been watched with regret. Though they have but few notes -which are musical, yet their grace, agility, and swiftness have passed -into proverb and song. - -There are several species of swallow, or martin, which take advantage of -man's structures in or on which to place their nests, but the most -numerous, the most familiar to people in general, and perhaps the most -attractive, is the Barn Swallow. This is the only species whose outer -tail feathers are long and pointed, and form with the rest of the tail -the peculiar figure known as "swallow-tail." The head, back, wings, and -tail are all of a beautiful lustrous blue, and the tail, when spread, -shows large white spots in the inner feathers. The under parts vary from -whitish in immature birds to a rich chestnut in fully mature ones, who -have also the throat and forehead of a darker reddish brown. The bill -opens far back, so that there is a wide cavity to engulf any insect -which may be met in the ceaseless flight backward and forward over grass -and water. - -The nest of the Barn Swallow is familiar to all who have enjoyed life on -a farm. It is made of straws and grass, plastered together with mud, and -is placed on a beam or rafter in the barn. One hospitable farmer drove a -horseshoe into a beam, and on this ledge a swallow built each year. -Through the open door or window of the barn the swallows fly in and out, -and up into the gloom above, where twittering sounds tell of young that -are being fed. As soon as the young are old enough, the parents urge -them to fly, and in a few days they become skillful enough to take food -on the wing. This is an extremely pretty spectacle; the parent and the -young meet, and then fly upward for an instant, their breasts apparently -touching, while the food is passed from one bill to the other. One July -afternoon the writer watched a row of six young swallows clinging to the -shingles on a barn roof, every mouth gaping for food whenever the -parents approached. When the father brought the food, the bird sitting -nearest him got the mouthful, and in an instant later another from the -mother. Five times in succession this favored youngster was fed, while -the other five seemed neglected. But when the little fellow had all that -he could hold, he went to sleep, and the next wide-open mouth received -the food. What seemed at first an unfair arrangement was after all the -surest way to feed all alike. - -[Illustration: THE CHIMNEY SWIFT] - - - - - THE CHIMNEY SWIFT - - -The Swift is universally known as the Chimney Swallow, from a belief -that it belongs to the swallow family. It is, in fact, no relative of -the swallows, but very nearly related to the Whippoorwill and -Night-hawk. Swifts and swallows both have long, powerful wings, which -enable them to remain for long periods on the wing in a restless search -for insects. Scientists themselves were for a long time misled by the -resemblance in the appearance and habits of the two families, but a -close examination of the skeleton of the two birds has convinced -naturalists that the two families descended from different ancestors, -but have arrived at similar solutions of the problem presented to them -in their search for food. - -The Swift builds, as is well known, in the flues of chimneys. It is -often seen in May, dashing past the dead twigs of some tree, and then -off to the chimney, where the twigs are glued together and to the bricks -by the help of saliva secreted by the bird. A common and distressing -experience after a storm in summer is the discovery of the young Chimney -Swifts at the wrong end of the chimney,—on the hearth, in other words. -Even in their proper place in the chimney, the young birds can make -their presence very well known by beginning, as soon as it is light, an -incessant clamor for food. - -The long narrow wings, the powerful chest muscles, the cut of the bird's -body, and the way the keel is ballasted, so to speak, enable the bird to -remain for hours in constant flight without apparently experiencing the -least fatigue. Swallows are often seen resting on telegraph wires, but I -have never seen a Swift perch on any support outside a chimney. At night -and during such part of the day as is given up to rest, the bird -supports itself in chimneys by clinging to projections or crevices. The -stiff, sharp-pointed tail feathers aid greatly in supporting it. Before -the coming of the white man, hollow trees served as the roosting and -nesting places of the Swifts. - -There is no better practice for the eye than distinguishing swallows -from Swifts, when both species are mingled in the air. The Swift's -flight, though very powerful, suggests that of the bat, on account of -the frequency of the wing strokes; the rapid beating of the wings ceases -at intervals and the bird glides through the air or turns on set wings. -Then the twinkling flight begins again. There are none of those long -sweeping strokes with which the Barn Swallow cleaves the air. The tail -of the Swift, when the bird is flying, generally appears short and -cigar-shaped, or, if spread, it is fan-shaped, not forked like the tails -of all the swallows. - -The ordinary note of the Swift is a single sharp cry, slowly or rapidly -repeated; it is characteristic of warm summer evenings when the birds -fly about the houses in twos or threes, pursuing each other and uttering -this note _staccato_. A pretty sight at this time is the Swift sailing -with wings raised above the body, in the position of our common pigeon -just before alighting; the Swift assumes the same attitude above the -chimney, poising a moment before he drops into the flue. - -Early in September the Swifts leave the North, and may be seen high -overhead flying southward; unlike many of our small birds, they migrate -by day, their powers of flight protecting them from the birds of prey -which are such a menace to the smaller birds. - -[Illustration: THE KINGBIRD] - - - - - THE KINGBIRD - - -The swallows and swifts spend hours on the wing, turning to the right or -to the left, upward or back, in pursuit of winged insects. Many other -birds, notably the warbler family, take occasional flights after some -insect which they have startled from the leaves. The habits of another -large family of birds, the Flycatchers, are a compromise between these -two methods of obtaining food. Selecting some post of observation, such -as a dead limb, a fence, or the stalk of a stout weed, they wait -patiently, keeping a sharp watch of the air about them. At sight of an -insect flying near, they fly out in pursuit. If one is near enough to -the bird, a click of its bill will announce the fate of the insect. The -Flycatchers then return to the same or a neighboring perch. - -The family is not, on the whole, very good-humored; in fact, they might -justly be accused of irritability and pugnacity. The Kingbird, in -particular, the head of the house, is noted for his constant attacks on -any winged creature that approaches his nest. It must be admitted, -however, that when nesting time is over, he lives very peaceably with -his neighbors; but while the female is brooding the eggs or young, the -excited cry of the male is constantly heard, and every Crow that comes -in sight is pursued, sometimes for a mile. The Kingbird gets above his -victim and darts down at its head; the Crow can be seen wincing at each -vicious jab of the bill. One or two observers have actually seen the -Kingbird ride on the Crow's back for some distance. The Kingbird has a -patch of red concealed under the black feathers of his crown; when he is -angry or excited, these red feathers blaze out. They are very rarely -seen by men, but I imagine the Crows see them oftener than they like. - -Apple trees in old orchards are favorite nesting places of the Kingbird, -and no pains are taken to conceal the nest. It is composed of twigs -loosely laid together, and often festooned with white strings or the -dry, woolly heads of the mouse-ear everlasting. The inside of the nest -is neatly lined with feathers, horsehair, or roots, and contains from -three to five white eggs spotted with brown. The Kingbird is here from -the first of May to the first of September, but like all strictly -insectivorous birds, it must spend the winter far to the southward. The -bird's only notes are the shrill cries, _kipper, kipper_, given singly -or quickly repeated. In spring the birds often mount to a considerable -height, uttering this cry continually, and apparently attempting, by -this exhibition, to express the emotion common to all creatures at this -period of the year. - -The Kingbird is a very satisfactory bird to beginners; the color pattern -is so marked and the bird is so fond of exposed situations that it is -seen and recognized without difficulty. Except the Cedarbird, whose tail -is tipped with yellow, I know no other small bird of the eastern United -States whose tail feathers are all tipped with a regular edge of light -color. The Kingbird is the bird most commonly seen from a car window; in -almost every field, the mullein stalks or wire fences will display one -or more individuals, their white breasts or black and white tails -showing conspicuously in the landscape. - -The Kingbird has often been accused of destroying honeybees. Even -allowing that individuals occasionally do some damage in this way, the -good services of the race in destroying harmful insects far outweigh -these injuries, and the remedy is to drive the bird away from the hives, -not to kill it. - -[Illustration: THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE] - - - - - THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE - - -The arrival of the Orioles in the first week of May marks for many -people the return of spring. The males come first and take possession at -once of our streets and gardens, calling from the elms, or dashing into -the cherry trees white with blossoms. The females arrive a day or two -later, and the work of house-hunting begins soon after. In the selection -of a nesting site, the judgment of the female alone is naturally allowed -to have entire weight. The male is politely anxious, flying from twig to -twig, as if recommending them; but the female knows that she must sit -for days over her precious eggs, and be swung by all manner of storms, -in whatever situation she finally selects; she means, therefore, to be -sure before she builds. - -The number of trees on which hang two nests, one evidently older than -the other, is very noticeable, and probably means that the same pair -return to the same tree to build. Many people have an idea that birds -use the same nest in successive years, but it does not seem likely that -such a skillful architect as the Oriole would patch up the old nest, -when with a few days' labor she can build a new one, clean and strong, -and very likely improved by her former experience. The materials used -for the construction of the nest are tough, fibrous strips for the -framework, and softer materials for the lining. The female often comes -to the clothesline and twitches out some threads, and she is very -thankful for twine or similar material hung out where she can find it. -Lowell, who loved the Oriole next after the Bobolink, hung out -gay-colored threads for his birds, and was rewarded with the sight of a -brilliant nest. - -The female builds at first a framework of strong material, which is -attached to the several twigs on which the nest hangs. She actually ties -knots of this material with her long sharp bill, thrusting the end of -the thread through a loop, then reaching over and pulling it tight. -Tragedies sometimes occur during this process, the bird becoming -entangled in her own thread and choking or starving to death. A bit of -comedy is sometimes seen when the Oriole, returning to her half-finished -nest, catches a Summer Yellow-bird in the act of stealing some of the -material. After the frame is completed, the Oriole works from inside, -weaving the web from side to side. - -By June, the young hatch, and now the male, who has hitherto had an easy -time, becomes very busy bringing food to the young. In a few days, they -become old enough to cry for it very vigorously, and this they do so -incessantly that their _peet-teet_ becomes one of the characteristic -sounds of early summer. By the middle of July, the young leave the nest, -and then for a week or two the whole family are met with in the country -lanes, the children resembling their mother in color, but easily -distinguished by their short tails and the general downy look about the -head. - -The male suffers an eclipse during midsummer; his cheerful whistle is no -longer heard, and we should think that he had already left for the -South, did he not resume his strain in August. In fact, he has been -moulting; but, unlike the Tanager, he replaces his bright feathers by -others as gay, and before he leaves us, he is as bright as when he came. -The wild cherry trees are now a favorite resort for the whole family; -but by the first of September, they leave the Northern States and return -to Central and South America, where they lead a careless life till the -approach of spring reminds them of the village elms a thousand miles -away. - -[Illustration: THE WOOD THRUSH] - - - - - THE WOOD THRUSH - - -It is difficult to speak without enthusiasm of the song of a Thrush. He -seems wholly to outclass all other birds. When a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, -no mean singer as our birds go, has finished his song, let a Wood Thrush -utter but a phrase of his strain, and the Grosbeak's warble seems -commonplace. Except the Thrushes, we have few birds whose song appeals -to the imagination as human music does. We listen curiously to the songs -of the others, criticise them or comment on them, as we do on a -landscape; but let a Thrush sing and we fall into a reverie, recalling -sad, tender, or solemn ideas and associations. - -The Wood Thrush and the Veery, or Wilson's Thrush, are the common -Thrushes of all but the northern part of the Northern States. In the -mountains, the Hermit Thrush is found. This bird is generally considered -superior even to the Wood Thrush in the purity and solemnity of its -cadences. It has one great advantage over its rival; it sings on -mountain sides in clear, still air, so that the finest vibrations of its -voice come to the ear with perfect distinctness. The song of the two -Thrushes is readily distinguished by listening for the phrase -_ee-o-lee'_, with which the Wood Thrush regularly opens his chant. The -Veery has received its name in imitation of its song, which resembles -the syllables _ve[(e-u]ry, ve[(e-u]ry, ve[(e-u]ry_, each phrase lower in -the scale than the preceding. - -The Wood Thrush arrives in the Northern States in May, and unlike the -Veery, which is strangely silent on its first arrival, the male Wood -Thrush announces his presence on the morning of his arrival, by chanting -from some low limb his beautiful flute-like notes. In the Middle States, -it is a common and almost familiar bird, building in the gardens even of -large towns; but in wilder regions, it prefers copses, groves of young -trees, and rocky glens, particularly if there is a stream near by. By -the end of May the pair have finished their nest, which resembles that -of the Robin, but is often composed of less coarse material and is -generally placed in the fork of a sapling. The birds often take little -trouble to conceal it, sometimes placing it close to a woodland path, -and the passer-by becomes aware of its nearness by hearing the harsh, -anxious chatter of the parents. The four eggs are blue like the Robin's. -The Robin is, in fact, a near relative of the Thrushes, and the -relationship is shown not only by the shape of the body and the bill, -but by the spotted breast which the young Robins assume with their first -plumage. In the Middle States, this relationship seems to have been -recognized, as the Wood Thrush is there commonly called the Wood Robin. - -While the female is brooding the eggs, the male may be heard day after -day from some favorite perch, not too near the nest. The early morning -and the late afternoon are the favorite times for all the Thrushes, but -on cloudy days or in the cool shades of deep woods, they sing all day. -Occasionally the song ceases for several days. Some calamity has -befallen the nest; a squirrel or some other marauder has robbed the -pair, and there are no more outpourings of joy, till with renewed -courage they select some safer spot and build again. In midsummer, the -Thrushes become very silent. Occasionally we come upon a group feeding -in the cherry or viburnum bushes, but few are seen after August, and by -November they are in the tropics. Only the nest filled with snow reminds -us of the pair, whose return in May we await with impatience. - -[Illustration: THE SCARLET TANAGER] - - - - - THE SCARLET TANAGER - - -In South America, the Tanagers form a large family, but they send to the -more northern of our Eastern States only one representative, the -well-known Scarlet Tanager. A sight of this splendid bird properly, -therefore, suggests the tropics. The Tanager is considered a rare bird, -but it can always be found in suitable situations, and in certain parts -of the country is really a common bird. Oak groves are the favorite -resort of the bird, and since it does not often visit our dooryards, -even in migration, and since we, as a people, do not often visit oak -groves, the sight of a Tanager remains for most people a rare and -exhilarating experience. The bird, too, is of a rather sluggish -disposition, so that even if we visit the spot where a pair are nesting, -they display only a rather languid curiosity. The call-note used by both -sexes is well worth learning, for by its means our attention is often -attracted to a pair which we should otherwise overlook; it consists of -two syllables, resembling the syllables _tschip, tschurr_, uttered in a -hoarse voice. The song of the male is such as a Robin with a cold might -produce. - -Either because the Tanager breeds generally at some distance from man, -or because he considers that his brilliant coloring will make up for -other deficiencies, the bird has never, as far as I know, done much to -win the affection of bird lovers. They have enthusiastic praise for his -coat, but little to say of his manners. A story which Wilson tells of a -male Tanager is, however, a worthy exception to this statement. Wilson -found a young bird which had fallen out of the nest and, having brought -it home, put it into a cage with some Orioles. They altogether neglected -the orphan, and as it refused to be fed by Wilson, the latter was about -to return it to the woods, when a male appeared and tried to enter the -cage. Finding this impossible, he went off, but returned with food and -fed the young one for three or four days. At last, he showed so -unmistakably his desire for the release of the young one that the owner -set it free, and the two flew off rejoicing. If this Tanager was a type -of his kind, the species need not fear the application of the proverb, -"Handsome is that handsome does." - -Tanagers arrive early in May, and may then be easily observed, as the -trees are not yet in full leaf. Occasionally, in cold storms, all birds -seem to keep near the ground, and on such occasions Tanagers are -sometimes seen feeding on the ground itself, their splendid colors -showing to wonderful advantage. The female is a very plain personage. -Olive green above and greenish yellow below, with dull brownish wings, -is a combination of color that serves very well to keep her concealed -among the leaves. The nest is sometimes placed in orchard trees or even -in low bushes, but frequently in tall oaks. It is loosely built of straw -and twigs, and contains, by the end of May, from three to four eggs of a -light greenish blue, marked with brown and lilac. The young are fed on -insects gathered from the leaves. By the end of the summer, the male -moults his bright red feathers and comes out in a suit resembling that -of the female, but he keeps his black wings and tail. The whole family, -clothed in these inconspicuous colors, migrate southward and remain in -the tropics till the following spring. - -[Illustration: THE ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAK] - - - - - THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK - - -To see a Grosbeak for the first time gives a student of birds almost the -same feeling of exaltation as the first sight of a Scarlet Tanager. If -one should hear, in the shade trees about the house, a Robin singing -much faster and with a richer voice than ever before, and, after patient -search, find the twig where the bird was singing, one's first thought -would probably be, "Some escaped cage bird from the tropics." The head -of the male Grosbeak is black, the tail and wings black and white, but -in the center of the white breast is a triangle of pure rose, carried in -some individuals far down the breast. When the bird flies, the white -patches in the wings have a peculiar effect, like a circle of white. The -large, almost monstrous bill, not only accounts for the bird's name, but -explains why he is put into the same family with the sparrows. His -nature, too, is eminently practical, as a sparrow's should be; a -favorite food is the potato bug. - -His mate lacks the black and rose, but her beak betrays her. She is not -a particularly interesting bird, and does not even have the credit of -excellence in household matters, at any rate as far as building her nest -is concerned. It is made of a few coarse twigs loosely laid together,—a -little platform through which the eggs sometimes show from below, and -from which one would think they must certainly fall off. The nest is -placed in a bush or low tree, and contains three or four greenish blue -eggs, thickly marked with red. The young are out in July, and though a -few Grosbeaks are occasionally seen in September, most of them have -already left for the tropics by the end of the summer. The same joyous -week of May which brings the Thrushes, Bobolinks, and Orioles brings -them back again. - -Just as a knowledge of the hoarse note of the Tanager will often betray -the presence of that splendid bird, so an acquaintance with the sharp -_click_, like that of a pair of shears, which the Grosbeaks make, will -often attract the student and reward him with a sight of the beautiful -rosy breast. Grosbeaks sing for a long time on one perch,—not on the -uppermost spray of the tree, as that other tropical sparrow, the Indigo -bird, loves to do, but, like the Tanager, on some branch well inside the -canopy of leaves. In the first weeks of May, when birds of many species -are mating, two and sometimes three male Grosbeaks may occasionally be -seen pursuing each other, their white wing bars and spots making a showy -contrast to the black. The victor in the struggle then returns to the -tree near the female, and pours out a song of unusual vigor and -sweetness. In May, the Grosbeak visits the blossoming fruit trees, -snipping off the petals and the undeveloped fruit. Suspicion has -therefore fallen on him, but it is now believed by the best authorities -that this "budding" is not severe enough to injure the tree or the crop -of fruit. Nor must we forget to throw into the other balance the result -of his labors in the potato field. - -When the adult male Grosbeak moults in summer, the rose on the breast -becomes duller, and the black on the head and back is almost entirely -replaced by brown. Like the Tanager, however, he retains his black wings -and tail, and may thus be distinguished from the brown-winged young -males. - -[Illustration: THE REDSTART] - - - - - THE REDSTART - - -Almost a fourth of the birds usually seen by a good observer in a -morning's walk in May or June, belong to a family known as Warblers. If -they were really as musical as their name suggests, people might know -them better; but even as it is, their colors are often so bright that -the birds well repay one who takes the trouble to make their -acquaintance. Perhaps the best known of the family is the Yellow -Warbler, not to be confused with the Goldfinch, from which the absence -of the latter's black cap, wings, and tail will distinguish it. The -Oven-bird, whose loud _teach-er, teach-er, teach-er_ is so common a -sound in dry woods in summer, is another member of the Warbler family. -The gayest of them all, however, in most parts of our country, is the -Redstart. His coal black head, with bright orange patches at the -shoulders, and yellowish bands across the wings and tail, suggest a -miniature Oriole. - -The Redstart is a splendid bit of color; in Cuba he is known, according -to Mr. Chapman, as "Candelita," the little torch. Black and orange is a -not uncommon combination of color among birds, and never fails to be -effective. The Redstart, moreover, makes the most of his color by -keeping both wings and tail spread, so that the yellow and orange is -constantly displayed. He flits from one twig to another, spreading his -little black-and-yellow fan, flying out, turning his black head and -glowing shoulders toward one, and continually uttering a little song, -not much in itself, and only full of meaning and association to the -bird's friends, to whom it suggests leafy shade near brooks in the -summer heat. - -The name of the family to which the Redstart belongs needs, perhaps, a -word of explanation. It simply means that our Warblers are related to a -family of European birds which have well earned their name, since the -family includes the Nightingale and one or two other birds almost as -musical. The name Redstart, too, is English,—_start_ coming from the -Anglo-Saxon word for tail. It was applied in England to a bird with a -red tail, and since our bird has bright color in the tail, the name was -transferred to it by the English settlers. - -Many of the Warblers frequent the thick woods and are little noticed; -the Redstart, however, often builds in the trees or shrubbery about the -house, particularly if a brook or pool afford an abundance of insects. -In the crotch of a sapling or on a limb, the female places a pretty nest -built of bark and soft materials. The female resembles the male in the -pattern of color, but the black is replaced by gray, and the orange by a -faint yellowish shade. Males only one year old resemble the female so -closely that the sharp little song often seems to proceed from the bill -of a female; in reality it is a young male that is singing, one not yet -arrived at the full splendor of his future gay plumage. - -The Redstart is often victimized by the Cowbird, and one feels the -imposition more keenly in its case than in that of almost any other -bird, for we know that the big clumsy Cowbird is being reared at the -expense of a whole family of these pretty warblers. - -The Redstart comes early in May and stays through the summer. Some are -seen even as late as October, but these are, very likely, birds which -have bred far North, where the late summer did not permit them to rear -their young so early as our own birds. - -[Illustration: THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD] - - - - - THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD - - -The restless activity and general appearance of the Humming-bird make -one almost hesitate to believe that it is really a bird and not a -brilliant tropical insect. It possesses no song; few people see it -except on the wing, and its nest is so rarely found that to most people -the bird is merely a sudden apparition, seen hovering over a flower, its -ruby throat sparkling in the sun. When the Humming-bird's nest is -discovered, it turns out to be a structure as delicate and rare as its -little architect. It is often fixed on a lichen-covered twig, frequently -in orchards, but as often on tall forest trees. To the outside of the -nest, bits of gray lichen are fastened, so that at a distance the nest -is mistaken for a knob of the twig itself. The eggs are always two, -ridiculously small, like pea beans. - -The Humming-bird is not a good father. He neglects all the domestic -duties, being rarely seen near the nest after it is completed. The -female brings up the two young birds unaided, feeding them by thrusting -her long bill into their gaping mouths and pumping food into their -throats. The process has been described as "a frightful-looking act." -The food thus administered to the young consists, probably, of -soft-bodied insects, for when Humming-birds visit flowers, it is not -only to gather honey, but also to capture the smaller honey-gatherers. - -Many charming stories have been told of the fearlessness of the -Humming-bird. It had often been observed that birds fed from flowers -held in the hand, but it remained for Mrs. Soule to make artificial -trumpet-vine flowers, and by filling them with sugar water, to provide a -daily feast for her Humming-bird neighbors. Though the birds are very -irritable and pugnacious when wild, frequently attacking each other with -the shrill squeaks which are their only notes, yet, in captivity, they -prove very gentle and almost affectionate. The Humming-bird has -discovered another method of obtaining the sweet liquor which it loves. -The Sapsucker, or Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, is in the habit of drilling -rows of small holes into the maples of the northern forests, and sucking -out the sap which fills these little wells. Many insects are attracted -to the sweet fluid, and the Humming-birds also come as uninvited guests -to the feast; so that while the Woodpecker is drinking on one side of -the tree, butterflies, bees, wasps, and Humming-birds are fluttering -about the other. - -By the end of September, the season for honey gatherers is about over in -the North, and the wings which can support the little body for so many -seconds in front of a flower, now take it southward to the tropics, -where there are always flowers. It is not until May, not until the red -blossoms of the Japan quince are open, that the Humming-birds return. - -The Ruby-throated Humming-bird is the only species found on the Atlantic -coast; the female, however, lacks the ruby throat, and is sometimes -taken for another species. Humming-birds seen at dusk, if caught, will -prove to be, not birds but clear-winged or Humming-bird moths. In South -America, however, there are over four hundred different species of -Humming-birds. A museum case full of these is a marvel of beauty and -interest; the iridescent colors of their gorgets, or throat-pieces, the -variety of shapes which their bills assume, the development of their -throat and tail feathers, give one the impression of a show case full of -fantastic jewels. - -[Illustration: BOB-WHITE] - - - - - BOB-WHITE - - -Bob-white, unlike the majority of our birds, does not migrate southward -in winter; the whole covey, unless they are killed, spend the whole year -near the spot where they were born, feeding on the fallen grain, seeds, -and various kinds of fruit. In hard winters, they become very tame, and -if fed regularly, come to the barnyard almost like poultry. Most people -are only too familiar with this bird, but not as he looks in life. Then -he is full of energy and spirit; his pure white throat shows against the -black of his head, and his rich reddish brown wings are ready to carry -him off with a whirr that startles one. For one that we see alive, we -see a thousand hanging, bloody and bedraggled, in the markets. Few -people who become really acquainted with Bob-white, who see him sitting -on a stone wall calling his name, or see his mate hurrying her little -ones over the road into the blackberry vines, will care to make another -meal off his little body. We must consider not only the wrong, if we -acknowledge it to be one, done to the individual quail whose life has -been taken, but the danger that threatens his whole race. The cheerful -_Bob-white_ is already a much rarer sound than it used to be, and the -bird has many other dangers to contend against besides the pot-hunter's -gun. - -The greatest peril that besets quail in the North is the occasional -midwinter blizzard, followed by intense cold. The quail at night huddle -close together on the ground, their tails touching and their heads -pointing out in a circle. After a great storm in a recent winter, the -melting snow exposed a circle of quail, surprised and buried by the -snow, like the people of Pompeii buried under the falling ashes. - -In May, the male begins to whistle the two or three clear notes which -have been translated into "Bob-white," or "More wet." This call is not -only a summons to the female, but also a challenge to other males; if -one hides near by and imitates the whistle accurately enough, a sudden -flight will sometimes bring the angry bird directly to the spot. The -surprise of the visitor is then amusing enough. Stone walls, fences, the -low limbs of trees are favorite perches for the male, and his cheerful -call has long been a familiar sound in farming country, from -Massachusetts southward. - -The nest is placed in some tangle of blackberry vines, along the edge of -a field, and is a sight worth a long journey to see. The pure white -eggs, often as many as fifteen, are laid close together in such a manner -that the little body of the female may cover and warm them all. When the -young are hatched, they are covered with down, and run at once, like -chickens, and unlike the little blind naked young which we see in the -nests of song birds. They follow their mother through the tangled grass -or low bushes, feeding on fruit and insects, and later on the grain in -the stubble fields. The whole family keep together, even when the young -are able to care for themselves. When they hear any danger approaching, -they keep close to the ground, relying on their brown coloring to -conceal them. If the danger comes too near, they are off in half a dozen -directions, over walls and bushes, coming quickly to earth again when -they see some sheltering covert. Then, after an interval, one hears a -note something like a guinea hen's, issuing from different parts of the -field. Guided by these sounds, the whole covey reassemble. - -[Illustration: THE GOLDFINCH] - - - - - THE GOLDFINCH - - -Not the most sullen sky nor the bitterest cold seems to discourage -Goldfinches. They are always cheerful and affectionate, keeping together -for the greater part of the year in larger or smaller flocks, which call -to each other, if separated, by notes as sweet as those of a Canary. In -summer, Goldfinches find an abundance of food in the seeds of many -species of plants, but in winter also many remain even in the Northern -States, searching cheerfully among the dry weeds and grasses, and -uttering their sweet notes. Many people, however, do not notice them at -this season, for when winter comes the head and body of the males of -this species, as of many others, lose the bright black and yellow which -marks them so distinctly in summer, and are clothed in dull brownish -shades. About the first of April, one notices here and there in a flock -a male that shows a few bright yellow feathers, and by another month, -they have moulted their winter dress and are as gay as ever. - -In the spring and early summer, the Goldfinches are extremely musical, -spending hours in uttering a simple but pleasing song. Several males now -engage in what seems to be a musical contest, flying out from a tree and -circling about with set wings, all the time keeping up a continual -strain. When flying through the air at a considerable height, they go in -long curves, and utter during each undulation three or four simple -notes. As they seem constantly to have business in one part or other of -the country, the wave-like flight and characteristic notes become a -common feature of the summer landscape. - -Though the Goldfinches are here all winter, they delay nesting till very -much later than the other resident birds; the Chickadees have their -first brood already out in the world by the time the Goldfinches -determine on building. The female is a modest-colored little body, as is -often the case where the male is bright. The pair generally build in -July, and choose some thick leafy tree, often a maple or poplar, and -there, on a limb at a considerable height from the ground, construct a -very neat nest, deep and cup-shaped, built of fine materials and lined -with down from plants like the thistle. Here five or six bluish white -eggs are laid, and when in another month the young Goldfinches begin to -fly, it is at once evident from their sharp, insistent crying. As the -calling of the young Orioles is a mark of late June, so the notes of the -young Goldfinches become associated with August. - -Goldfinches are very fond of the seeds of many kinds of composite -flowers; they bite holes in unripe dandelion heads and take out the -seeds; thistles are another favorite food, and a row of sunflowers -planted in the garden will not fail to attract them. In winter, besides -the seeds of weeds, they feed on birch seeds, scattering the scales over -the snow, and they even pull out the seeds of the pitch pine, when the -scales begin to loosen toward spring. - -No bird has livelier, more cheerful ways than our Goldfinch, and none -becomes a greater favorite. People are often at considerable pains to -remove the dandelion plants from their lawns; if the gay flowers -themselves do not repay one for their presence, many would certainly -allow them to remain in order to have the pleasant spectacle, in summer, -of a flock of yellow Goldfinches scattered about the grass and feeding -on the seeds. - -[Illustration: THE BLUE JAY] - - - - - THE BLUE JAY - - -Most people are surprised when they first learn that the Blue Jay is a -near relative of the Crow. The difference in color is certainly marked, -but in other ways the resemblance is striking. Neither bird can utter -its most characteristic note without gesticulation. Watch a Crow from a -car window when the _caw_ is inaudible, and the bowing and opening of -the wings are all the more noticeable. The motions which the Jay makes -when screaming are not so well known, as the sound generally comes from -a screen of leaves. Both birds are thieves and seem to relish their -thieving life; both can live on almost any food; both are heartily hated -by their neighbors in bird world. The Jay is more bitterly detested by -the other birds than the Crow. He is himself suspicious, and at the -approach of a hawk, owl, or man, warns the woods by his cries. Besides -the ordinary _djay, djay_, the loud scream so familiar in the autumn -woods, the Jay has other cries; a note like a wheelbarrow turning on an -ungreased axle, a high scream exactly like the Red-shouldered Hawk's, -and such a variety of lesser notes that one never is surprised to find -that any unusual sound heard in the woods is produced by the Blue Jay. - -Though one of the noisiest of birds when pursuing an intruder, the Jay -has learned to slip through the trees without a sound, and conceals its -bright blue and white in a remarkable way. A pair of Jays may be nesting -in some evergreen in our very garden, and unless we happen to see the -female slip into the tree, we may remain entirely unaware of their -presence. The nest is roughly constructed of twigs and roots, and is -placed in a tree from six to twenty feet from the ground. On a lining of -finer roots are laid four or five brownish or greenish eggs, spotted -with yellowish brown. The young are hatched by the middle or end of -June. - -The Jay in spring is undoubtedly a reprobate. He cannot resist the -temptation to sneak through the trees and bushes, and when he finds a -nest of eggs temporarily left by its owner, to thrust his sharp bill -through the shells; even young birds are devoured. In the autumn, -however, the Jay is a hearty, open fellow, noisy and intent on acorns -and chestnuts. The woods ring with his loud screams, as he travels -through them with his companions. It is amusing at this season to -observe them obtaining chestnuts, a favorite food. They drive their -powerful bills into a nut and wrench it out of the burr, then fly off -with it to a convenient limb and hammer it open. Many Jays spend the -entire winter in the northern woods, subsisting on nuts, but the large -numbers observed in the fall are evidence that many others are moving -southward, where food is more plenty. - -Jays and squirrels are curiously associated; both live in the autumn and -winter, innocently enough, on nuts and acorns; both, in spring, poach on -the eggs and young of birds. One becomes fond of each of these rascals -in spite of his undoubted villanies, and is glad that though neither -Squirrel nor Jay is protected by law, and in some states both are -constantly persecuted, neither seems to be diminishing in numbers. - -In Europe, the Crow and the Jay have several relatives, many of whom, -such as the Magpie, Rook, and Jackdaw, share the family characteristics. -They are all thieves, clowns, and impudent fellows, and yet win, if not -affection, yet a certain degree of good-humored toleration. - -[Illustration: THE BROWN CREEPER] - - - - - THE BROWN CREEPER - - -In the bands of little birds which in winter visit the trees about the -houses, there are often three different species, all of which find their -food on the trunks or large limbs of trees, but by such different -methods that a study of their habits is not only interesting but also -extremely instructive. The little Downy Woodpecker, like all its tribe, -hitches up the trunk or along the upper side of the limb, using its -stiff tail feathers as a support, and holding on to the bark by its two -pairs of sharp claws. The Nuthatch, with a short weak tail, and toes -arranged as in all song birds, three in front and one behind, has the -toes, however, spread so wide that it can climb head downward, over, -under, or around the limb. Least known of the three is the Brown -Creeper. It, too, has three toes in front and one behind, but although -not related to the Woodpeckers, it has developed stiff and pointed tail -feathers. It therefore clings to the bark in an upright position, and it -commonly begins at the bottom of the tree and works steadily upward, -often in a spiral. - -During the winter months, the Brown Creeper probably visits every -village street and every city park in the Northern States, but as it is -just the color of the weathered bark and moves close to it, it escapes -the notice of nearly every one. If one learns to distinguish the fine -wiry note, and watches the tree from which it proceeds, one sees the -bird flutter to the base of a neighboring tree and begin again its -steady ascent. When two birds are together, they sometimes indulge in a -very pretty flight, and tumble in the air like pigeons. As a rule, -however, the Creeper is solitary, and, in this respect, offers a marked -contrast to its companions and relatives, the sociable Chickadees and -Kinglets. - -The eyes of a Creeper are so near the bark which it is inspecting, that -it is not strange that it finds food where we should look in vain. It -has, besides, a very long curved bill which will reach into crevices in -the bark, and before the end of the winter, it has undoubtedly stripped -the trees of a large proportion of the dormant insects and their eggs, -especially as, like the other winter birds, it seems to have a very -regular beat, visiting the same groups or rows of trees every day. Few -birds are so strictly arboreal as the Creepers. The writer has only once -seen one alight on the ground, when the bird flew to a little stream to -bathe. In the ice storms which occasionally clothe every trunk and limb -with a glassy covering, the Creeper has to confine itself to the leeward -side of the trees. Occasionally the Creeper, on account of its practice -of beginning at the bottom of the trunk, flies to a spot on the tree -below the band of tarred paper, which protects the shade trees from the -visits of the canker-worm moth. On reaching the band, the bird makes a -circuit of the trunk, in a vain attempt to find a passage. It is better -provided, however, than the wingless moths, and when the circuit has -been made, a short flight carries it over. - -In April, the Creeper leaves its winter quarters for the North, and -joins many other species in the great spruce forests of northern New -England and Canada. Occasionally, on warm mornings before its departure, -the male indulges in a little song, of the thinnest quality imaginable. -When the pair reach their northern home, they hunt for a crevice under -some great flake of loose bark, and there construct their nest. The bark -of trees, therefore, furnishes the Creeper with a cradle at birth and a -home for the rest of its life. - -[Illustration: THE BUTCHER BIRD] - - - - - THE BUTCHER BIRD - - -Every one who observes the habits of birds soon notices with -astonishment the regularity with which they return each summer to the -same spots to breed. This is perhaps not so strange in the case of -breeding birds; they may be so fastidious in their selection of food or -of a nesting site that only a few places suit them, or the spot where -they bred one year may appeal to their affection and so be selected -again. It is no less evident and more remarkable that birds that spend -only the winter in our neighborhood often have as well defined a home as -those that spend the summer. Every autumn, about the first of November, -if one looks carefully at the topmost twigs of the small trees that are -scattered about the edges of some marsh, the eye may finally catch, -perched on the very top, the figure of a plump gray bird, with black -wings and tail, about the size of a Robin. Its tail often moves as if -the bird were balancing itself. A nearer view would show that its bill -was stout and slightly hooked, like a hawk's. Among song birds, it is -our largest regular winter visitor, and will remain near the same spot -till the end of March, when it retires northward to breed. The same -trees serve year after year as look-out posts; no doubt the bird -remembers where to find the fattest mice and grasshoppers. - -The Butcher Bird, or Shrike, is one of the few birds that seem to have -developed a sense of humor. I have seen it attack and drive off birds -far larger than itself, apparently out of simple mischief. It often -indulges in a succession of strange noises, some of which resemble the -song of the Catbird, but the whole performance is interspersed with -chuckles, squeaks, and harsh sounds, or interrupted by a grating cry, so -that it can make no pretense to be called melodious. It seems sometimes -as if the bird were simply amusing itself. - -For a while you will regard the Butcher Bird as a good-natured, -good-looking fellow; it is not till you find, near its post of -observation, mice or birds jammed into the crotches of twigs, or -discover a thornbush decorated with grasshoppers and caterpillars, that -you recall certain unpleasant reports about its character. When you -finally see it dash into a flock of sparrows and hear their screech of -terror, or see it tear out its victim's brains with that hooked bill, -you will understand its hawk-like habit of sitting where it can survey -its whole domain. The Hawks clutch their prey in their curved talons, -and then tear it with their beak. The Shrike's claws are neither curved -nor powerful, so that it is evident that it wedges its victims into -forked twigs or impales them on thorns, so that it can then tear off -portions to devour. But why it so often leaves them uneaten (the -practice of thus displaying its wares has earned the bird its name) has -never been satisfactorily explained. Perhaps the bird means to return to -them in times of scarcity, but they are so often left uneaten that it -seems probable that it has formed the habit of hunting and hanging up -its game, often with no thought of eating it. - -The Butcher Bird has often been persecuted for the destruction of -smaller birds; it seems far wiser to protect it, not only in order to -preserve so interesting a bird, but because birds form so small a per -cent of its food. In the spring and fall, it lives very largely on -insects, and throughout the winter, mice form a large part of its diet. -There is always danger of blundering when man interferes in the concerns -of nature, and if he once exterminates any creature, it is beyond his -power to re-create it. - -[Illustration: THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET AND BROWN CREEPER] - - - - - THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET - - -The Golden-crowned Kinglet is, next to the Humming-bird, almost our -smallest bird, and it frequents thick evergreens so continually that it -is rarely seen. There is little in its voice and habits to attract -attention, and its activity and restlessness are so constant that we -rarely catch sight of the bit of color which it possesses,—the crown -which the little king carries. But if we train our ear so that it -catches every fine natural sound, no matter how trifling, we become -aware some crisp winter day of a thin _see, see, see_, often repeated -from some hedge, or group of orchard trees. If we watch, our eye will -catch sight of one or two tiny creatures, flitting restlessly among the -twigs, keeping their wings in almost constant motion, even when not -actually flying. The general color of the bird is a shade known in the -books as olivaceous, but the effect outdoors and at a distance is a dark -gray; across the wings there are little whitish bars, and over the head -dark lines enclose the little crown,—yellow in the female, orange in the -male. - -If we succeed in attracting the Chickadees to our trees, by tying up -bones, the Kinglets often come in their company, but their little bills -are too weak to pick at the frozen gristle, and they merely glean from -the twigs and buds. The little scale insects, the eggs of moths and -spiders, all manner of minute objects, are detected by their sharp eyes -and seized by their skillful little bills and tongues. At night, the -band retires to some thick evergreen hedge or grove, ready the next -morning to resume their busy rounds. In April, the male is moved to -utter a simple little song, and by the end of the month the whole -company move to the spruce forests of the North, not to return to us -until the next September. - -In the Northern States, the Golden-crowned Kinglet is the only species -that remains all winter, but from Virginia southward its cousin, the -Ruby-crowned Kinglet, is associated with it; in summer, strange to say, -the more Southern winter species goes farther North than the -Golden-crowned, breeding from northern Maine to the frigid zone. A few -years ago, no eggs or nest of either Kinglet had been described, but -when they were at last discovered, they proved as dainty as the little -builders themselves. The nest is globular, with an entrance in the upper -part; it is placed in a thick mass of spruce twigs and composed of -hanging moss, ornamented with bits of dead leaves, and lined chiefly -with feathers. In such a nest, as many as nine eggs are often laid; -imagine the little Golden-crown brooding in this bower. - -Like some of the Warbler family, the Kinglet does not let an insect -escape, though it should take wing before it could be seized. The bird, -too, has wings, and darts out after its prey. In winter, it often hovers -under the piazza roofs, or the lintels of the barn door, and while in -the air, picks off the eggs or chrysalids that have been hidden in the -crevices. Occasionally one of the birds, in its eagerness to seize some -attractive morsel, flies sharply against a windowpane. No doubt it is -the part of a thrifty householder to sweep out the insects from his -piazza roof, but there are some, like Lowell, wise enough to leave a few -decayed limbs on their apple trees for the Woodpeckers, a patch or so of -weeds for the Snowbirds, and a chrysalis or two for the hungry Kinglets -in winter. - -[Illustration: THE HERRING GULL] - - - - - THE HERRING GULL - - -All winter, a traveler along the seashore sees the great gray gulls -wheeling gracefully through the air with outstretched wings, floating -lightly on the water, or sitting in long lines or compact masses on the -bars or flats which are exposed at low tide. The harbors of all the -northern seacoast cities are visited in winter by numbers of these -birds, constantly on the watch for any bits of refuse which may be -thrown from the wharfs or vessels, or brought down by the tides or -currents. Their long and powerful wings make the flight of even so heavy -a bird a sight beautiful to watch, and the water looks deserted when the -motion and color which the gulls furnish is absent. But it is not to the -eye alone that the birds appeal. - -The ceaseless activity of the gulls in pursuit of floating refuse and -their inordinate appetite make them invaluable scavengers; without them, -the refuse dumped into the water would return at each tide to pollute -the shore. No idea can be formed of the value of the service performed -by the gulls, till one sees the countless throngs which hover over the -dumping grounds in the lower New York Bay, awaiting the arrival of the -scows with the refuse from that city. As the buzzards and vultures are -protected in all warm countries for their services in devouring carrion, -so ought these scavengers of the northern seas to be guarded from -persecution. - -The adult Herring Gull in full plumage has pure white underparts, head -and tail, but a gray mantle, as it is termed, is spread over the wings. -Young birds, however, show many shades of brown, and attain the white -only after a year or two. The small, elegantly built birds, known along -the seacoast as Mackerel Gulls, are not strictly gulls, but terns. They -may be known by their forked tails and by their black caps. It is they -that hover screaming over the water, constantly darting down to strike -at fish. - -Gulls breed commonly along the coast of Maine and far northward. Great -colonies occupy a small area, and a visit to their breeding places is a -marvelous experience. At the approach of an intruder, the parents rise -from their nests and circle about overhead, uttering hoarse cries, till -the air is full of their wheeling forms. The downy young squat in the -grass or bushes till the danger is past. - -Both gulls and terns have long been persecuted for their soft white and -gray plumage, which is coveted for the adornment of women's hats. As the -destruction of the birds on the islands where they are breeding would -soon destroy the whole race, efforts are being made by the lovers of -birds to protect the birds on all the sandy points or rocky islands -where they rear their young. - -Gulls have wonderful powers of flight, and some species often follow -ocean steamers for days, flying constantly about the vessel's stern, -watching for bits of food which may be thrown overboard. When an object -is spied the whole flock dart upon it, and it soon disappears among the -crowd of struggling birds. - -In the Eastern States gulls are always associated with the sea, but in -the Mississippi valley certain species are found on the prairies, where -they follow the plough to seize the upturned insects. - -[Illustration: THE CHICKADEE] - - - - - THE CHICKADEE - - -Throughout the winter, bands of small birds visit the orchards and -ornamental trees of every village and farm, gleaning dormant insects and -their eggs from the twigs and boughs. The best known member and the -leader, apparently, of the company is the Chickadee. There are generally -about half a dozen of these birds together, possibly the parents and -young of the preceding summer. The whole company are rarely in sight at -any one time; some are in one tree, some are flying to the next, one -perhaps is on the ground. There is a constant interchange of lisping -call-notes, which break into excited gurgles, and the familiar _tee, -dee, dee, dee_, when something excites their alarm or curiosity. It is -not hard to disturb their composure; they come more easily than almost -any other bird to the squeaking sound that bird students make to attract -the attention of birds. One fluffy head after another pitches into the -tree nearest the performer; then, by short stages, the boldest comes -nearer to the strange sight and sound, often within arm's length. When -their curiosity is appeased, they return to their examination of the -twigs and branches, or, if startled by a sudden movement, they dive into -the nearest cover. - -Their positions when feeding on slender twigs are extremely graceful, -and their agility surprising. When gathering sunflower seeds, of which -they are extremely fond, they cling to the under surface of the drooping -head and pick till they loosen the seed. Then they fly with it to a -branch and hammer it open. A favorite winter food is the berry of the -poison ivy. By tying a bone or a piece of suet to the branches of trees -near the house, not only Chickadees but other birds as well will be -attracted to the spot, and will become regular winter visitors. They are -by no means confined, however, to villages and farms. Often as we push -through the deep snows of the winter forests, the only sound will be the -distant lisp of this hardy bird. - -Besides the notes heard so commonly in winter, the Chickadee has a -pensive and extremely gentle whistle, which it utters while sitting -motionless, and oftener in spring than at other seasons, though it may -be heard in every month of the year. It consists of two notes, an exact -interval apart, and each accented. It is often mistaken, especially in -early spring, for the song of the Phœbe, but it may be distinguished by -its purity and sweetness. It is easily imitated by whistling, and the -bird will often answer, or even fly toward the person whistling, and -survey him with astonishment. - -It is generally believed by people who see the bird only in winter that -the Chickadees retire northward in spring; it is true that they then no -longer frequent the yards and gardens, but in the woods and retired -orchards many a pair have excavated some decaying birch or apple stump, -and after lining it warmly with moss and feathers, provided amply for -the continuance of their race; sometimes as many as nine eggs are laid. -In winter, the birds spend the night in holes, not necessarily the same -in which they were bred. - -Several writers have mentioned instances of the extreme boldness of this -bird; Mr. Chapman has had a Chickadee perch on his hand. One can easily -imagine it, but we do not need such a mark of confidence to feel strong -affection for this companionable and winter-loving bird. - - - - - TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical - errors. - 2. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed. - 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - 4. The term [(e-u]denotes an "e-u" with a Triple Inverted Breve over - the characters. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Bird Portraits, by Ernest Seton-Thompson - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BIRD PORTRAITS *** - -***** This file should be named 52600-0.txt or 52600-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/6/0/52600/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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} - .c002 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 4em; } - .c003 { margin-top: 2em; } - .c004 { margin-top: 1em; } - .c005 { page-break-before:auto; margin-top: 4em; } - .c006 { vertical-align: top; text-align: left; padding-right: 1em; } - .c007 { vertical-align: top; text-align: right; } - .c008 { margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - div.tnotes { padding-left:1em;padding-right:1em;background-color:#E3E4FA; - border:1px solid silver; margin:2em 10% 0 10%; } - .covernote { visibility: hidden; display: none; } - div.tnotes p { text-align:left; } - @media handheld { .covernote { visibility: visible; display: block;} } - .sc {font-style: normal; } - .footnote {font-size: 90%; } - .ph1 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: xx-large; - margin: .67em auto; } - .breve { text-decoration: overline; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Bird Portraits, by Ernest Seton-Thompson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Bird Portraits - -Author: Ernest Seton-Thompson - -Commentator: Ralph Hoffmann - -Release Date: July 18, 2016 [EBook #52600] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BIRD PORTRAITS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'> <strong>Transcriber's Note:</strong></p> - -<p class='c000'> The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='ph1'> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div>BIRD PORTRAITS</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_004.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE SONG SPARROW</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div> - <h1 class='c002'>BIRD PORTRAITS</h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='large'><em>By</em></span> <span class='xlarge'>Ernest Seton-Thompson</span></div> - <div class='c003'>WITH DESCRIPTIVE TEXT</div> - <div class='c004'><span class='large'><em>By</em> Ralph Hoffmann</span></div> - <div class='c003'>BOSTON</div> - <div><span class='large'>Ginn & Company</span></div> - <div>The Athenæum Press</div> - <div>1901</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='sc'>Copyright, 1901</span></div> - <div><span class='sc'>By GINN & COMPANY</span></div> - <div class='c004'>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary='CONTENTS'> - <tr> - <td class='c006'> </td> - <td class='c007'>PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Song Sparrow</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_1'>1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Flicker</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_3'>3</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Brown Thrasher</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_5'>5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Barn Swallow</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_7'>7</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Chimney Swift</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_9'>9</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Kingbird</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_11'>11</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Baltimore Oriole</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_13'>13</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Wood Thrush</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_15'>15</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Scarlet Tanager</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_17'>17</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_19'>19</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Redstart</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_21'>21</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Ruby-Throated Humming-Bird</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_23'>23</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>Bob-White</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_25'>25</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Goldfinch</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_27'>27</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Blue Jay</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_29'>29</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Brown Creeper</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_31'>31</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Butcher Bird</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_33'>33</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Golden-Crowned Kinglet</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_35'>35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Herring Gull</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_37'>37</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='sc'>The Chickadee</span></td> - <td class='c007'><a href='#Page_39'>39</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'><em>INTRODUCTION</em></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'><em>This book is called "Bird Portraits" because Mr. Seton-Thompson's -pictures are always faithful and charming portraits of the birds which he -draws. But since a bird's portrait, no matter how accurate, can show its -subject in only one position, singing, feeding, flying, or sitting, a short account -of some of the main events of the bird's life has been added to each picture.</em></p> - -<p class='c000'><em>Any one who learns from such books as Mr. Seton-Thompson's how -beset with perils is the life of every wild creature will take the greatest -pains at all times, and especially in the nesting season, not only not to injure -or persecute such defenseless little creatures as our song birds, but also to protect -them in every way. Whoever seeks their acquaintance, in the spirit of -friendship, will always be grateful for the interest and pleasure to be gained -from such friends.</em></p> - -<p class='c000'><em>Of the twenty birds whose portraits are here presented, a majority are -only summer residents in the Northern States; some visit us only in winter; a -few spend the whole year near the same spot. The birds which are first -described are those that are most closely associated with the return of spring; -then follow those whose gay colors and bright songs give much of its charm -to early summer; last come those that brave, even in the North, the tempests -of winter.</em></p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>R. H.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='ph1'> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div>BIRD PORTRAITS</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_1'>1</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE SONG SPARROW</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>After a severe winter, while snow and ice still remind us of -the past, the Song Sparrow, mounting to the top of some bush or -small tree, repeats his cheerful tinkling song, "helping," as Thoreau -says, "to crack the ice" in the ponds. Few people are so unobservant -as not to notice this bright strain, after the silence of winter. -A peculiarity of the song is the amount of variation shown by -different individuals and often by the same bird. At almost regular -distances along the bushy roadside, or over the hedge-intersected -fields, one will meet on the early spring mornings one Song -Sparrow after another, each restricted to his part of the road or -field. If one notices the songs of each, it is evident that, though -the songs have the same general character, there are almost as -many ways of beginning a strain as there are singers. Moreover, -the same bird has been observed to alter his song in a short space of -time to two or three different variations. Probably, if one's ear were -acute enough, all birds of one species would be found to sing with -slight differences, but few show in so marked a degree as the Song -Sparrow the tendency to variation which characterizes a species.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In early April, the Song Sparrow builds a nest of grass, either -on the ground beneath a tuft of grass, or under some brambles, or -less frequently a few feet above the ground, in a bush or on the -lower limbs of a tree. In the latter situation, twigs are of course -necessary for the support of the structure. Here again the bird -shows a tendency to vary in its habits. The eggs are from four -<span class='pageno' id='Page_2'>2</span>to five in number, greenish white, thickly marked with shades of -brown, lavender, or purple. Sometimes an egg is found in the -nest much larger than the others; this has been laid by the lazy -Cowbird. As the large egg receives most warmth and hatches first, -the young Cowbird soon crowds out the rightful occupants of the -nest, and the parent Song Sparrows will be seen later, working -busily to feed a great homely youngster as large as themselves, who -will afterwards go off to join a flock of his own kind. Probably -every Cowbird has been reared at the expense of a brood of some -small bird, Sparrow, Warbler, or Vireo.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In June, the young Song Sparrows are able to take care of -themselves, and the energetic parents build another nest and rear -another brood. The brooding time is the chief period of song, so -that birds that breed twice sing later in the summer than others. -The Song Sparrow's little strain may be heard well into August; -but toward the end of that month we hear from the cornfields and -gardens a curious, husky warble, unlike the bright spring carol of -the Song Sparrow, but nevertheless made by that bird. In the fall, -and even during the winter, a warm bright day will occasionally -induce a Song Sparrow to sing his lively spring song, so that -where the Song Sparrow winters, the strain may be heard every -month of the year.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In the late summer and fall, the neglected corners of gardens -and fields, where the seeds of weeds and grasses offer an abundance -of food, are the favorite resort of the sparrows. The Song Sparrow -may be distinguished from most of its relatives by its streaked -breast, in the middle of which the spots generally form a conspicuous -blotch, and by its long tail, which it constantly jerks as it flies. -The Song Sparrow is very retiring, and when alarmed, slips into -brush heaps or bushes, where it hides as skillfully as a mouse.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_014.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE FLICKER</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE FLICKER</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The Flicker is most beloved in March, when his hearty shout -is one of the characteristic sounds of the first warm days of early -spring. The same week which brings the Bluebird and the Blackbird -hears the cheerful song of the Song Sparrow and the loud -call of the Flicker.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Though a woodpecker, the Flicker has departed somewhat from -the habits of its relatives, spending considerable time on the ground, -and depending largely for its food on berries and ants. It is often -startled from lawns and hillsides, where it has been thrusting its -long tongue into colonies of black ants, seizing them on the moist, -brushy tip. When so engaged, the bird may sometimes be closely -approached, and a sight of its plumage is then a revelation to one -who has seen from a distance only its dark brown body and white -rump. The ashy gray nape sets off a bright red patch; there is -a handsome black crescent across the breast, and the male wears -black mustaches. The breast is handsomely spotted, and the quills -and undersides of the wing and tail feathers are golden yellow. -Unless one can steal up close to a bird, few of these marks show; -but the Flicker may always be distinguished by his size (he is -the largest of our common birds except the Crow), by the white -rump, and the gleam of yellow which has given him the name -Golden-winged Woodpecker. The flight, too, like that of all the -woodpeckers, is characteristic; the wing strokes are slow, and between -them the bird drops a little, so that its progress is in waves instead -of in a straight line.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>All the woodpeckers nest in holes, which they chisel out of -decayed or even live wood. A circular entrance leads to a vertical -passage, and this to a wide chamber some distance below. No lining -of moss or feathers is put in; the pure white, nearly round eggs -are laid directly on the chips at the bottom of the cavity, and the -young birds after a few days hang by their claws to the side of -the hole. Young Flickers, like young Humming-birds, are fed by -their parents with a liquid food, which is pumped into their wide-opened -mouths, the parent's bill being thrust far into the young one's.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Flicker is one of the few birds that frequently return to -the old nest. Most birds, contrary to the common notion, instead -of refurnishing the weather-beaten and insecure structure into which -their last year's home has been converted by snow, rain, and wind, -prefer to build a new one. The material is everywhere at hand, and -time is not so precious before the young are hatched. The Flicker, -however, having built in a stout limb, can safely return for several -seasons to the same cavity, or, if this becomes insecure, can cut -another in the same trunk. Branches are often seen where three or -four round openings show the tenements of several generations of -these noisy birds. South of Massachusetts, Flickers generally spend -the whole year in one spot, and in winter live largely on berries; a -favorite food at this season is the berry of the poison ivy. In the -fall, the rum cherry becomes a resort for all fruit-loving species.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Flicker, though not known to raise a second brood, has a -second period of song, so that we hear again in June the shout, or -mating call, of the early spring days. Besides this high-pitched -<em>wick, wick, wick</em>, the Flicker utters, when startled, a curious note -like <em>worroo</em>; a sharp <em>ti'ou</em> is the call to its kind, and the syllables -<em>yucker, yucker</em>, often accompanied by ludicrous bowing with wings -and tail outspread, are used to show affection.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_018.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE BROWN THRASHER</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE BROWN THRASHER</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The Thrasher is the first great musician of the year; he arrives -in the last week of April, so that his song forms the prelude of the -chorus which is given in May by the true Thrushes, the Bobolink, -and the Oriole. There is a spirit, a brilliancy of execution, and a -power in his song which is perhaps more appropriate to early spring -than the rich, sweet tone of the birds who take up the strain in -warmer days. He sings when spring, though assured, is not everywhere -manifest, and the vigor of his ringing phrases serves to dispel -any lingering doubt that the faint-hearted may yet entertain.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The trees are yet leafless, and the singer can be seen afar off -on the very topmost twig of some hillside tree; his long tail is -held straight below him, his head is up-lifted, and from his full -throat comes phrase after phrase, a succession of the most varied -and apparently extremely difficult notes, executed with an ease and -full-hearted joy which, to the ears of many, place the Thrasher in -the class with the true Thrushes. Like the song of all male birds, -the performance is not only an offering or an invitation to the -female, but also an answer to some rival whose fainter notes reach -the ear from the neighboring grove.</p> - -<p class='c000'>This last week of April is often one of the most delightful -seasons of the year, and particularly attractive to a beginner in bird -study. There are only a few bushes in leaf, and those of a delicate -green; the dried leaves under them are starred with white bloodroot; -on the hillsides, the purple violet and yellow five-finger are -wide open in the warm sun, and in the woods, the mayflower and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>the hepatica surprise the visitor in spots where the late snow still -lingers. The birds are easy to find; there is no dense foliage to -hide them, and the number of species is still so few that their songs -and figures are not difficult to distinguish.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Thrasher's song ceases as you approach him. He slips -down like a wren to the undergrowth, where, if you listen, you -hear him rustling and scratching in the dry leaves. If you sit -down near by, you will see him as he mounts again from one twig -to the next. His white breast is heavily spotted with black, his -head, back, and tail are of a bright rufous shade, and his yellow eye -glitters like a snake's. When he is alarmed, he puffs like a turtle, -or utters a note curiously like a loud smack. The whole air of the -bird is one of vigor and intelligence. The sexes are alike in size -and color. By watching patiently near the spot where the male -sings, it is often possible to surprise the pair bringing bark and -roots to the bush among whose roots or stems the nest is woven.</p> - -<p class='c000'>It is one of the most delightful experiences in the study of -birds thus to watch a pair of birds building their nest, to note later -the laying of each egg, to see the female brooding till the nestlings -are hatched and finally leave the nest. One always heaves a sigh -of relief at the last moment, for so many tragedies may put an -end to the story. The female Thrasher is very bold when on the -nest, and sits close till the visitor, if he approach quietly, is within -a few feet of her. She gazes fixedly at him with her bright -eye, but let him draw a step nearer and she slips off into the -bushes. The eggs are four or five, whitish, covered with many -light brown markings.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The food of the Thrasher consists of insects and fruit. Many -linger in the North till the end of October, and spend the winter in -the Southern States, where the ground is generally free from snow.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_022.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE BARN SWALLOW</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE BARN SWALLOW</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>There is no pleasanter sight among birds than a family of -young reared in the neighborhood of man and often on some part -of his house itself. Visit an old farmhouse; look about and see -how many welcome guests the farmer shelters without thought of -pecuniary profit. Under the woodshed, on a beam, the Phœbe has -built a nest of moss, from which she flies to the barnyard to pursue -the insects that swarm there. In the vines on the piazza, Robins -and Chipping Sparrows have reared their young. In the old elm -over the door, an Oriole has woven a nest with thread twitched -from the clothesline or perhaps purposely laid out for her, and the -orchard shelters numbers of species—Bluebirds, Woodpeckers, Kingbirds, -and Chebecs. Of all these tenants, however, none seem so -completely at home as the swallows; none show so little concern at -man's presence; none take possession so coolly of the boxes, the -eaves, or the rafters where they build. Their kindred lived with -man, ages ago, in Greece and Rome; they have been welcomed -each spring as heralds of a joyful season; their departure has been -watched with regret. Though they have but few notes which are -musical, yet their grace, agility, and swiftness have passed into -proverb and song.</p> - -<p class='c000'>There are several species of swallow, or martin, which take -advantage of man's structures in or on which to place their nests, -but the most numerous, the most familiar to people in general, and -perhaps the most attractive, is the Barn Swallow. This is the only -species whose outer tail feathers are long and pointed, and form -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>with the rest of the tail the peculiar figure known as "swallow-tail." -The head, back, wings, and tail are all of a beautiful lustrous blue, -and the tail, when spread, shows large white spots in the inner -feathers. The under parts vary from whitish in immature birds to -a rich chestnut in fully mature ones, who have also the throat and -forehead of a darker reddish brown. The bill opens far back, so -that there is a wide cavity to engulf any insect which may be met -in the ceaseless flight backward and forward over grass and water.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The nest of the Barn Swallow is familiar to all who have -enjoyed life on a farm. It is made of straws and grass, plastered -together with mud, and is placed on a beam or rafter in the barn. -One hospitable farmer drove a horseshoe into a beam, and on this -ledge a swallow built each year. Through the open door or window -of the barn the swallows fly in and out, and up into the gloom above, -where twittering sounds tell of young that are being fed. As soon -as the young are old enough, the parents urge them to fly, and in -a few days they become skillful enough to take food on the wing. -This is an extremely pretty spectacle; the parent and the young -meet, and then fly upward for an instant, their breasts apparently -touching, while the food is passed from one bill to the other. One -July afternoon the writer watched a row of six young swallows -clinging to the shingles on a barn roof, every mouth gaping for -food whenever the parents approached. When the father brought -the food, the bird sitting nearest him got the mouthful, and in -an instant later another from the mother. Five times in succession -this favored youngster was fed, while the other five seemed -neglected. But when the little fellow had all that he could hold, -he went to sleep, and the next wide-open mouth received the food. -What seemed at first an unfair arrangement was after all the surest -way to feed all alike.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id005'> -<img src='images/i_026.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE CHIMNEY SWIFT</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE CHIMNEY SWIFT</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The Swift is universally known as the Chimney Swallow, from -a belief that it belongs to the swallow family. It is, in fact, no -relative of the swallows, but very nearly related to the Whippoorwill -and Night-hawk. Swifts and swallows both have long, powerful -wings, which enable them to remain for long periods on the wing -in a restless search for insects. Scientists themselves were for a -long time misled by the resemblance in the appearance and habits -of the two families, but a close examination of the skeleton of the -two birds has convinced naturalists that the two families descended -from different ancestors, but have arrived at similar solutions of the -problem presented to them in their search for food.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Swift builds, as is well known, in the flues of chimneys. -It is often seen in May, dashing past the dead twigs of some tree, -and then off to the chimney, where the twigs are glued together -and to the bricks by the help of saliva secreted by the bird. A -common and distressing experience after a storm in summer is the -discovery of the young Chimney Swifts at the wrong end of the -chimney,—on the hearth, in other words. Even in their proper -place in the chimney, the young birds can make their presence very -well known by beginning, as soon as it is light, an incessant clamor -for food.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The long narrow wings, the powerful chest muscles, the cut -of the bird's body, and the way the keel is ballasted, so to speak, -enable the bird to remain for hours in constant flight without apparently -experiencing the least fatigue. Swallows are often seen resting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>on telegraph wires, but I have never seen a Swift perch on any -support outside a chimney. At night and during such part of the -day as is given up to rest, the bird supports itself in chimneys -by clinging to projections or crevices. The stiff, sharp-pointed tail -feathers aid greatly in supporting it. Before the coming of the -white man, hollow trees served as the roosting and nesting places -of the Swifts.</p> - -<p class='c000'>There is no better practice for the eye than distinguishing -swallows from Swifts, when both species are mingled in the air. -The Swift's flight, though very powerful, suggests that of the bat, -on account of the frequency of the wing strokes; the rapid beating -of the wings ceases at intervals and the bird glides through the -air or turns on set wings. Then the twinkling flight begins again. -There are none of those long sweeping strokes with which the Barn -Swallow cleaves the air. The tail of the Swift, when the bird is -flying, generally appears short and cigar-shaped, or, if spread, it is -fan-shaped, not forked like the tails of all the swallows.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The ordinary note of the Swift is a single sharp cry, slowly or -rapidly repeated; it is characteristic of warm summer evenings when -the birds fly about the houses in twos or threes, pursuing each other -and uttering this note <em>staccato</em>. A pretty sight at this time is the -Swift sailing with wings raised above the body, in the position of -our common pigeon just before alighting; the Swift assumes the -same attitude above the chimney, poising a moment before he drops -into the flue.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Early in September the Swifts leave the North, and may be -seen high overhead flying southward; unlike many of our small birds, -they migrate by day, their powers of flight protecting them from the -birds of prey which are such a menace to the smaller birds.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id006'> -<img src='images/i_030.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE KINGBIRD</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE KINGBIRD</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The swallows and swifts spend hours on the wing, turning to -the right or to the left, upward or back, in pursuit of winged -insects. Many other birds, notably the warbler family, take occasional -flights after some insect which they have startled from the -leaves. The habits of another large family of birds, the Flycatchers, -are a compromise between these two methods of obtaining food. -Selecting some post of observation, such as a dead limb, a fence, -or the stalk of a stout weed, they wait patiently, keeping a sharp -watch of the air about them. At sight of an insect flying near, they -fly out in pursuit. If one is near enough to the bird, a click of -its bill will announce the fate of the insect. The Flycatchers then -return to the same or a neighboring perch.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The family is not, on the whole, very good-humored; in fact, -they might justly be accused of irritability and pugnacity. The -Kingbird, in particular, the head of the house, is noted for his -constant attacks on any winged creature that approaches his nest. -It must be admitted, however, that when nesting time is over, he -lives very peaceably with his neighbors; but while the female is -brooding the eggs or young, the excited cry of the male is constantly -heard, and every Crow that comes in sight is pursued, sometimes -for a mile. The Kingbird gets above his victim and darts down at -its head; the Crow can be seen wincing at each vicious jab of the -bill. One or two observers have actually seen the Kingbird ride -on the Crow's back for some distance. The Kingbird has a patch -of red concealed under the black feathers of his crown; when he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>is angry or excited, these red feathers blaze out. They are very -rarely seen by men, but I imagine the Crows see them oftener -than they like.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Apple trees in old orchards are favorite nesting places of the -Kingbird, and no pains are taken to conceal the nest. It is composed -of twigs loosely laid together, and often festooned with white -strings or the dry, woolly heads of the mouse-ear everlasting. The -inside of the nest is neatly lined with feathers, horsehair, or roots, -and contains from three to five white eggs spotted with brown. The -Kingbird is here from the first of May to the first of September, -but like all strictly insectivorous birds, it must spend the winter -far to the southward. The bird's only notes are the shrill cries, -<em>kipper, kipper</em>, given singly or quickly repeated. In spring the birds -often mount to a considerable height, uttering this cry continually, -and apparently attempting, by this exhibition, to express the emotion -common to all creatures at this period of the year.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Kingbird is a very satisfactory bird to beginners; the color -pattern is so marked and the bird is so fond of exposed situations -that it is seen and recognized without difficulty. Except the Cedarbird, -whose tail is tipped with yellow, I know no other small bird of -the eastern United States whose tail feathers are all tipped with a -regular edge of light color. The Kingbird is the bird most commonly -seen from a car window; in almost every field, the mullein stalks or -wire fences will display one or more individuals, their white breasts -or black and white tails showing conspicuously in the landscape.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Kingbird has often been accused of destroying honeybees. -Even allowing that individuals occasionally do some damage in this -way, the good services of the race in destroying harmful insects far -outweigh these injuries, and the remedy is to drive the bird away -from the hives, not to kill it.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id007'> -<img src='images/i_034.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The arrival of the Orioles in the first week of May marks for -many people the return of spring. The males come first and take -possession at once of our streets and gardens, calling from the elms, -or dashing into the cherry trees white with blossoms. The females -arrive a day or two later, and the work of house-hunting begins -soon after. In the selection of a nesting site, the judgment of the -female alone is naturally allowed to have entire weight. The male is -politely anxious, flying from twig to twig, as if recommending them; -but the female knows that she must sit for days over her precious -eggs, and be swung by all manner of storms, in whatever situation -she finally selects; she means, therefore, to be sure before she builds.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The number of trees on which hang two nests, one evidently -older than the other, is very noticeable, and probably means that -the same pair return to the same tree to build. Many people have -an idea that birds use the same nest in successive years, but it -does not seem likely that such a skillful architect as the Oriole -would patch up the old nest, when with a few days' labor she can -build a new one, clean and strong, and very likely improved by her -former experience. The materials used for the construction of the -nest are tough, fibrous strips for the framework, and softer materials -for the lining. The female often comes to the clothesline and twitches -out some threads, and she is very thankful for twine or similar material -hung out where she can find it. Lowell, who loved the Oriole -next after the Bobolink, hung out gay-colored threads for his birds, -and was rewarded with the sight of a brilliant nest.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>The female builds at first a framework of strong material, which -is attached to the several twigs on which the nest hangs. She -actually ties knots of this material with her long sharp bill, thrusting -the end of the thread through a loop, then reaching over and -pulling it tight. Tragedies sometimes occur during this process, -the bird becoming entangled in her own thread and choking or -starving to death. A bit of comedy is sometimes seen when the -Oriole, returning to her half-finished nest, catches a Summer Yellow-bird -in the act of stealing some of the material. After the frame -is completed, the Oriole works from inside, weaving the web from -side to side.</p> - -<p class='c000'>By June, the young hatch, and now the male, who has hitherto -had an easy time, becomes very busy bringing food to the young. -In a few days, they become old enough to cry for it very vigorously, -and this they do so incessantly that their <em>peet-teet</em> becomes one of -the characteristic sounds of early summer. By the middle of July, -the young leave the nest, and then for a week or two the whole -family are met with in the country lanes, the children resembling -their mother in color, but easily distinguished by their short tails -and the general downy look about the head.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The male suffers an eclipse during midsummer; his cheerful -whistle is no longer heard, and we should think that he had already -left for the South, did he not resume his strain in August. In -fact, he has been moulting; but, unlike the Tanager, he replaces -his bright feathers by others as gay, and before he leaves us, he -is as bright as when he came. The wild cherry trees are now a -favorite resort for the whole family; but by the first of September, -they leave the Northern States and return to Central and South -America, where they lead a careless life till the approach of spring -reminds them of the village elms a thousand miles away.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id008'> -<img src='images/i_038.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE WOOD THRUSH</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE WOOD THRUSH</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>It is difficult to speak without enthusiasm of the song of a -Thrush. He seems wholly to outclass all other birds. When a -Rose-breasted Grosbeak, no mean singer as our birds go, has finished -his song, let a Wood Thrush utter but a phrase of his strain, and -the Grosbeak's warble seems commonplace. Except the Thrushes, -we have few birds whose song appeals to the imagination as human -music does. We listen curiously to the songs of the others, criticise -them or comment on them, as we do on a landscape; but let a -Thrush sing and we fall into a reverie, recalling sad, tender, or -solemn ideas and associations.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Wood Thrush and the Veery, or Wilson's Thrush, are the -common Thrushes of all but the northern part of the Northern -States. In the mountains, the Hermit Thrush is found. This bird -is generally considered superior even to the Wood Thrush in the -purity and solemnity of its cadences. It has one great advantage -over its rival; it sings on mountain sides in clear, still air, so that -the finest vibrations of its voice come to the ear with perfect distinctness. -The song of the two Thrushes is readily distinguished -by listening for the phrase <em>ee-o-lee'</em>, with which the Wood Thrush -regularly opens his chant. The Veery has received its name in -imitation of its song, which resembles the syllables <em>ve<span class='breve'>e-u</span>ry, ve<span class='breve'>e-u</span>ry, -ve<span class='breve'>e-u</span>ry</em>, each phrase lower in the scale than the preceding.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Wood Thrush arrives in the Northern States in May, -and unlike the Veery, which is strangely silent on its first arrival, -the male Wood Thrush announces his presence on the morning of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>his arrival, by chanting from some low limb his beautiful flute-like -notes. In the Middle States, it is a common and almost familiar -bird, building in the gardens even of large towns; but in wilder -regions, it prefers copses, groves of young trees, and rocky glens, -particularly if there is a stream near by. By the end of May the -pair have finished their nest, which resembles that of the Robin, but -is often composed of less coarse material and is generally placed in -the fork of a sapling. The birds often take little trouble to conceal -it, sometimes placing it close to a woodland path, and the passer-by -becomes aware of its nearness by hearing the harsh, anxious chatter -of the parents. The four eggs are blue like the Robin's. The Robin -is, in fact, a near relative of the Thrushes, and the relationship is -shown not only by the shape of the body and the bill, but by -the spotted breast which the young Robins assume with their first -plumage. In the Middle States, this relationship seems to have -been recognized, as the Wood Thrush is there commonly called the -Wood Robin.</p> - -<p class='c000'>While the female is brooding the eggs, the male may be heard -day after day from some favorite perch, not too near the nest. The -early morning and the late afternoon are the favorite times for all -the Thrushes, but on cloudy days or in the cool shades of deep -woods, they sing all day. Occasionally the song ceases for several -days. Some calamity has befallen the nest; a squirrel or some -other marauder has robbed the pair, and there are no more outpourings -of joy, till with renewed courage they select some safer -spot and build again. In midsummer, the Thrushes become very -silent. Occasionally we come upon a group feeding in the cherry or -viburnum bushes, but few are seen after August, and by November -they are in the tropics. Only the nest filled with snow reminds us -of the pair, whose return in May we await with impatience.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id009'> -<img src='images/i_042.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE SCARLET TANAGER</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE SCARLET TANAGER</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>In South America, the Tanagers form a large family, but they -send to the more northern of our Eastern States only one representative, -the well-known Scarlet Tanager. A sight of this splendid bird -properly, therefore, suggests the tropics. The Tanager is considered -a rare bird, but it can always be found in suitable situations, and -in certain parts of the country is really a common bird. Oak groves -are the favorite resort of the bird, and since it does not often -visit our dooryards, even in migration, and since we, as a people, -do not often visit oak groves, the sight of a Tanager remains for -most people a rare and exhilarating experience. The bird, too, is -of a rather sluggish disposition, so that even if we visit the spot -where a pair are nesting, they display only a rather languid curiosity. -The call-note used by both sexes is well worth learning, for by its -means our attention is often attracted to a pair which we should -otherwise overlook; it consists of two syllables, resembling the -syllables <em>tschip, tschurr</em>, uttered in a hoarse voice. The song of -the male is such as a Robin with a cold might produce.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Either because the Tanager breeds generally at some distance -from man, or because he considers that his brilliant coloring will -make up for other deficiencies, the bird has never, as far as I know, -done much to win the affection of bird lovers. They have enthusiastic -praise for his coat, but little to say of his manners. A story -which Wilson tells of a male Tanager is, however, a worthy exception -to this statement. Wilson found a young bird which had fallen out -of the nest and, having brought it home, put it into a cage with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>some Orioles. They altogether neglected the orphan, and as it -refused to be fed by Wilson, the latter was about to return it to the -woods, when a male appeared and tried to enter the cage. Finding -this impossible, he went off, but returned with food and fed the -young one for three or four days. At last, he showed so unmistakably -his desire for the release of the young one that the owner -set it free, and the two flew off rejoicing. If this Tanager was a -type of his kind, the species need not fear the application of the -proverb, "Handsome is that handsome does."</p> - -<p class='c000'>Tanagers arrive early in May, and may then be easily observed, -as the trees are not yet in full leaf. Occasionally, in cold storms, -all birds seem to keep near the ground, and on such occasions -Tanagers are sometimes seen feeding on the ground itself, their -splendid colors showing to wonderful advantage. The female is a -very plain personage. Olive green above and greenish yellow below, -with dull brownish wings, is a combination of color that serves very -well to keep her concealed among the leaves. The nest is sometimes -placed in orchard trees or even in low bushes, but frequently in tall -oaks. It is loosely built of straw and twigs, and contains, by the -end of May, from three to four eggs of a light greenish blue, marked -with brown and lilac. The young are fed on insects gathered from -the leaves. By the end of the summer, the male moults his bright -red feathers and comes out in a suit resembling that of the female, -but he keeps his black wings and tail. The whole family, clothed -in these inconspicuous colors, migrate southward and remain in the -tropics till the following spring.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id010'> -<img src='images/i_046.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAK</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>To see a Grosbeak for the first time gives a student of birds -almost the same feeling of exaltation as the first sight of a Scarlet -Tanager. If one should hear, in the shade trees about the house, a -Robin singing much faster and with a richer voice than ever before, -and, after patient search, find the twig where the bird was singing, -one's first thought would probably be, "Some escaped cage bird from -the tropics." The head of the male Grosbeak is black, the tail and -wings black and white, but in the center of the white breast is a -triangle of pure rose, carried in some individuals far down the breast. -When the bird flies, the white patches in the wings have a peculiar -effect, like a circle of white. The large, almost monstrous bill, not -only accounts for the bird's name, but explains why he is put into -the same family with the sparrows. His nature, too, is eminently -practical, as a sparrow's should be; a favorite food is the potato bug.</p> - -<p class='c000'>His mate lacks the black and rose, but her beak betrays her. -She is not a particularly interesting bird, and does not even have -the credit of excellence in household matters, at any rate as far -as building her nest is concerned. It is made of a few coarse -twigs loosely laid together,—a little platform through which the -eggs sometimes show from below, and from which one would think -they must certainly fall off. The nest is placed in a bush or low -tree, and contains three or four greenish blue eggs, thickly marked -with red. The young are out in July, and though a few Grosbeaks -are occasionally seen in September, most of them have already left -for the tropics by the end of the summer. The same joyous week -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>of May which brings the Thrushes, Bobolinks, and Orioles brings -them back again.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Just as a knowledge of the hoarse note of the Tanager will -often betray the presence of that splendid bird, so an acquaintance -with the sharp <em>click</em>, like that of a pair of shears, which the Grosbeaks -make, will often attract the student and reward him with a -sight of the beautiful rosy breast. Grosbeaks sing for a long time -on one perch,—not on the uppermost spray of the tree, as that other -tropical sparrow, the Indigo bird, loves to do, but, like the Tanager, -on some branch well inside the canopy of leaves. In the first weeks -of May, when birds of many species are mating, two and sometimes -three male Grosbeaks may occasionally be seen pursuing each other, -their white wing bars and spots making a showy contrast to the black. -The victor in the struggle then returns to the tree near the female, -and pours out a song of unusual vigor and sweetness. In May, the -Grosbeak visits the blossoming fruit trees, snipping off the petals -and the undeveloped fruit. Suspicion has therefore fallen on him, -but it is now believed by the best authorities that this "budding" -is not severe enough to injure the tree or the crop of fruit. Nor -must we forget to throw into the other balance the result of his -labors in the potato field.</p> - -<p class='c000'>When the adult male Grosbeak moults in summer, the rose on -the breast becomes duller, and the black on the head and back is -almost entirely replaced by brown. Like the Tanager, however, -he retains his black wings and tail, and may thus be distinguished -from the brown-winged young males.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_050.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE REDSTART</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE REDSTART</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Almost a fourth of the birds usually seen by a good observer -in a morning's walk in May or June, belong to a family known -as Warblers. If they were really as musical as their name suggests, -people might know them better; but even as it is, their colors are -often so bright that the birds well repay one who takes the trouble -to make their acquaintance. Perhaps the best known of the family -is the Yellow Warbler, not to be confused with the Goldfinch, -from which the absence of the latter's black cap, wings, and tail -will distinguish it. The Oven-bird, whose loud <em>teach-er, teach-er, -teach-er</em> is so common a sound in dry woods in summer, is another -member of the Warbler family. The gayest of them all, however, -in most parts of our country, is the Redstart. His coal black head, -with bright orange patches at the shoulders, and yellowish bands -across the wings and tail, suggest a miniature Oriole.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Redstart is a splendid bit of color; in Cuba he is known, -according to Mr. Chapman, as "Candelita," the little torch. Black -and orange is a not uncommon combination of color among birds, -and never fails to be effective. The Redstart, moreover, makes the -most of his color by keeping both wings and tail spread, so that -the yellow and orange is constantly displayed. He flits from one -twig to another, spreading his little black-and-yellow fan, flying -out, turning his black head and glowing shoulders toward one, and -continually uttering a little song, not much in itself, and only full -of meaning and association to the bird's friends, to whom it suggests -leafy shade near brooks in the summer heat.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>The name of the family to which the Redstart belongs needs, -perhaps, a word of explanation. It simply means that our Warblers -are related to a family of European birds which have well earned -their name, since the family includes the Nightingale and one or two -other birds almost as musical. The name Redstart, too, is English,—<em>start</em> -coming from the Anglo-Saxon word for tail. It was applied -in England to a bird with a red tail, and since our bird has -bright color in the tail, the name was transferred to it by the -English settlers.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Many of the Warblers frequent the thick woods and are little -noticed; the Redstart, however, often builds in the trees or shrubbery -about the house, particularly if a brook or pool afford an abundance -of insects. In the crotch of a sapling or on a limb, the female -places a pretty nest built of bark and soft materials. The female -resembles the male in the pattern of color, but the black is replaced -by gray, and the orange by a faint yellowish shade. Males only -one year old resemble the female so closely that the sharp little -song often seems to proceed from the bill of a female; in reality -it is a young male that is singing, one not yet arrived at the full -splendor of his future gay plumage.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Redstart is often victimized by the Cowbird, and one feels -the imposition more keenly in its case than in that of almost any -other bird, for we know that the big clumsy Cowbird is being reared -at the expense of a whole family of these pretty warblers.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Redstart comes early in May and stays through the summer. -Some are seen even as late as October, but these are, very likely, -birds which have bred far North, where the late summer did not -permit them to rear their young so early as our own birds.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id011'> -<img src='images/i_054.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The restless activity and general appearance of the Humming-bird -make one almost hesitate to believe that it is really a bird -and not a brilliant tropical insect. It possesses no song; few -people see it except on the wing, and its nest is so rarely found -that to most people the bird is merely a sudden apparition, seen -hovering over a flower, its ruby throat sparkling in the sun. When -the Humming-bird's nest is discovered, it turns out to be a structure -as delicate and rare as its little architect. It is often fixed -on a lichen-covered twig, frequently in orchards, but as often on -tall forest trees. To the outside of the nest, bits of gray lichen -are fastened, so that at a distance the nest is mistaken for a knob -of the twig itself. The eggs are always two, ridiculously small, -like pea beans.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Humming-bird is not a good father. He neglects all the -domestic duties, being rarely seen near the nest after it is completed. -The female brings up the two young birds unaided, feeding -them by thrusting her long bill into their gaping mouths and -pumping food into their throats. The process has been described -as "a frightful-looking act." The food thus administered to the -young consists, probably, of soft-bodied insects, for when Humming-birds -visit flowers, it is not only to gather honey, but also to capture -the smaller honey-gatherers.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Many charming stories have been told of the fearlessness of -the Humming-bird. It had often been observed that birds fed from -flowers held in the hand, but it remained for Mrs. Soule to make -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>artificial trumpet-vine flowers, and by filling them with sugar water, -to provide a daily feast for her Humming-bird neighbors. Though -the birds are very irritable and pugnacious when wild, frequently -attacking each other with the shrill squeaks which are their only -notes, yet, in captivity, they prove very gentle and almost affectionate. -The Humming-bird has discovered another method of obtaining the -sweet liquor which it loves. The Sapsucker, or Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, -is in the habit of drilling rows of small holes into the maples -of the northern forests, and sucking out the sap which fills these -little wells. Many insects are attracted to the sweet fluid, and the -Humming-birds also come as uninvited guests to the feast; so that -while the Woodpecker is drinking on one side of the tree, butterflies, -bees, wasps, and Humming-birds are fluttering about the other.</p> - -<p class='c000'>By the end of September, the season for honey gatherers is -about over in the North, and the wings which can support the little -body for so many seconds in front of a flower, now take it southward -to the tropics, where there are always flowers. It is not until May, -not until the red blossoms of the Japan quince are open, that the -Humming-birds return.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Ruby-throated Humming-bird is the only species found -on the Atlantic coast; the female, however, lacks the ruby throat, -and is sometimes taken for another species. Humming-birds seen -at dusk, if caught, will prove to be, not birds but clear-winged or -Humming-bird moths. In South America, however, there are over -four hundred different species of Humming-birds. A museum case -full of these is a marvel of beauty and interest; the iridescent colors -of their gorgets, or throat-pieces, the variety of shapes which their -bills assume, the development of their throat and tail feathers, give -one the impression of a show case full of fantastic jewels.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id012'> -<img src='images/i_058.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>BOB-WHITE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span> - <h2 class='c005'>BOB-WHITE</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Bob-white, unlike the majority of our birds, does not migrate -southward in winter; the whole covey, unless they are killed, spend -the whole year near the spot where they were born, feeding on the -fallen grain, seeds, and various kinds of fruit. In hard winters, they -become very tame, and if fed regularly, come to the barnyard almost -like poultry. Most people are only too familiar with this bird, but -not as he looks in life. Then he is full of energy and spirit; his -pure white throat shows against the black of his head, and his -rich reddish brown wings are ready to carry him off with a whirr -that startles one. For one that we see alive, we see a thousand -hanging, bloody and bedraggled, in the markets. Few people who -become really acquainted with Bob-white, who see him sitting on a -stone wall calling his name, or see his mate hurrying her little -ones over the road into the blackberry vines, will care to make -another meal off his little body. We must consider not only the -wrong, if we acknowledge it to be one, done to the individual quail -whose life has been taken, but the danger that threatens his whole -race. The cheerful <em>Bob-white</em> is already a much rarer sound than -it used to be, and the bird has many other dangers to contend -against besides the pot-hunter's gun.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The greatest peril that besets quail in the North is the occasional -midwinter blizzard, followed by intense cold. The quail at -night huddle close together on the ground, their tails touching and -their heads pointing out in a circle. After a great storm in a -recent winter, the melting snow exposed a circle of quail, surprised -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>and buried by the snow, like the people of Pompeii buried under -the falling ashes.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In May, the male begins to whistle the two or three clear notes -which have been translated into "Bob-white," or "More wet." This -call is not only a summons to the female, but also a challenge to -other males; if one hides near by and imitates the whistle accurately -enough, a sudden flight will sometimes bring the angry bird directly -to the spot. The surprise of the visitor is then amusing enough. -Stone walls, fences, the low limbs of trees are favorite perches for -the male, and his cheerful call has long been a familiar sound in -farming country, from Massachusetts southward.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The nest is placed in some tangle of blackberry vines, along -the edge of a field, and is a sight worth a long journey to see. The -pure white eggs, often as many as fifteen, are laid close together -in such a manner that the little body of the female may cover and -warm them all. When the young are hatched, they are covered -with down, and run at once, like chickens, and unlike the little blind -naked young which we see in the nests of song birds. They follow -their mother through the tangled grass or low bushes, feeding on -fruit and insects, and later on the grain in the stubble fields. The -whole family keep together, even when the young are able to care -for themselves. When they hear any danger approaching, they keep -close to the ground, relying on their brown coloring to conceal them. -If the danger comes too near, they are off in half a dozen directions, -over walls and bushes, coming quickly to earth again when they -see some sheltering covert. Then, after an interval, one hears a note -something like a guinea hen's, issuing from different parts of the -field. Guided by these sounds, the whole covey reassemble.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id013'> -<img src='images/i_062.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE GOLDFINCH</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE GOLDFINCH</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Not the most sullen sky nor the bitterest cold seems to discourage -Goldfinches. They are always cheerful and affectionate, -keeping together for the greater part of the year in larger or smaller -flocks, which call to each other, if separated, by notes as sweet as -those of a Canary. In summer, Goldfinches find an abundance -of food in the seeds of many species of plants, but in winter also -many remain even in the Northern States, searching cheerfully among -the dry weeds and grasses, and uttering their sweet notes. Many -people, however, do not notice them at this season, for when winter -comes the head and body of the males of this species, as of many -others, lose the bright black and yellow which marks them so distinctly -in summer, and are clothed in dull brownish shades. About -the first of April, one notices here and there in a flock a male that -shows a few bright yellow feathers, and by another month, they -have moulted their winter dress and are as gay as ever.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In the spring and early summer, the Goldfinches are extremely -musical, spending hours in uttering a simple but pleasing song. -Several males now engage in what seems to be a musical contest, -flying out from a tree and circling about with set wings, all the -time keeping up a continual strain. When flying through the air at -a considerable height, they go in long curves, and utter during each -undulation three or four simple notes. As they seem constantly -to have business in one part or other of the country, the wave-like -flight and characteristic notes become a common feature of the -summer landscape.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>Though the Goldfinches are here all winter, they delay nesting -till very much later than the other resident birds; the Chickadees -have their first brood already out in the world by the time the -Goldfinches determine on building. The female is a modest-colored -little body, as is often the case where the male is bright. The pair -generally build in July, and choose some thick leafy tree, often a -maple or poplar, and there, on a limb at a considerable height from -the ground, construct a very neat nest, deep and cup-shaped, built -of fine materials and lined with down from plants like the thistle. -Here five or six bluish white eggs are laid, and when in another -month the young Goldfinches begin to fly, it is at once evident from -their sharp, insistent crying. As the calling of the young Orioles is -a mark of late June, so the notes of the young Goldfinches become -associated with August.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Goldfinches are very fond of the seeds of many kinds of composite -flowers; they bite holes in unripe dandelion heads and take -out the seeds; thistles are another favorite food, and a row of -sunflowers planted in the garden will not fail to attract them. In -winter, besides the seeds of weeds, they feed on birch seeds, scattering -the scales over the snow, and they even pull out the seeds of the -pitch pine, when the scales begin to loosen toward spring.</p> - -<p class='c000'>No bird has livelier, more cheerful ways than our Goldfinch, and -none becomes a greater favorite. People are often at considerable -pains to remove the dandelion plants from their lawns; if the gay -flowers themselves do not repay one for their presence, many would -certainly allow them to remain in order to have the pleasant spectacle, -in summer, of a flock of yellow Goldfinches scattered about the grass -and feeding on the seeds.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id014'> -<img src='images/i_066.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE BLUE JAY</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE BLUE JAY</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Most people are surprised when they first learn that the Blue -Jay is a near relative of the Crow. The difference in color is certainly -marked, but in other ways the resemblance is striking. Neither bird -can utter its most characteristic note without gesticulation. Watch a -Crow from a car window when the <em>caw</em> is inaudible, and the bowing -and opening of the wings are all the more noticeable. The motions -which the Jay makes when screaming are not so well known, as -the sound generally comes from a screen of leaves. Both birds are -thieves and seem to relish their thieving life; both can live on -almost any food; both are heartily hated by their neighbors in bird -world. The Jay is more bitterly detested by the other birds than -the Crow. He is himself suspicious, and at the approach of a hawk, -owl, or man, warns the woods by his cries. Besides the ordinary <em>djay, -djay</em>, the loud scream so familiar in the autumn woods, the Jay has -other cries; a note like a wheelbarrow turning on an ungreased axle, -a high scream exactly like the Red-shouldered Hawk's, and such a -variety of lesser notes that one never is surprised to find that any -unusual sound heard in the woods is produced by the Blue Jay.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Though one of the noisiest of birds when pursuing an intruder, -the Jay has learned to slip through the trees without a sound, and -conceals its bright blue and white in a remarkable way. A pair -of Jays may be nesting in some evergreen in our very garden, and -unless we happen to see the female slip into the tree, we may remain -entirely unaware of their presence. The nest is roughly constructed -of twigs and roots, and is placed in a tree from six to twenty feet -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>from the ground. On a lining of finer roots are laid four or five -brownish or greenish eggs, spotted with yellowish brown. The young -are hatched by the middle or end of June.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Jay in spring is undoubtedly a reprobate. He cannot resist -the temptation to sneak through the trees and bushes, and when he -finds a nest of eggs temporarily left by its owner, to thrust his sharp -bill through the shells; even young birds are devoured. In the -autumn, however, the Jay is a hearty, open fellow, noisy and intent -on acorns and chestnuts. The woods ring with his loud screams, -as he travels through them with his companions. It is amusing at -this season to observe them obtaining chestnuts, a favorite food. -They drive their powerful bills into a nut and wrench it out of the -burr, then fly off with it to a convenient limb and hammer it open. -Many Jays spend the entire winter in the northern woods, subsisting -on nuts, but the large numbers observed in the fall are evidence that -many others are moving southward, where food is more plenty.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Jays and squirrels are curiously associated; both live in the -autumn and winter, innocently enough, on nuts and acorns; both, in -spring, poach on the eggs and young of birds. One becomes fond -of each of these rascals in spite of his undoubted villanies, and is -glad that though neither Squirrel nor Jay is protected by law, and -in some states both are constantly persecuted, neither seems to be -diminishing in numbers.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In Europe, the Crow and the Jay have several relatives, many -of whom, such as the Magpie, Rook, and Jackdaw, share the family -characteristics. They are all thieves, clowns, and impudent fellows, -and yet win, if not affection, yet a certain degree of good-humored -toleration.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id013'> -<img src='images/i_070.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE BROWN CREEPER</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE BROWN CREEPER</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>In the bands of little birds which in winter visit the trees -about the houses, there are often three different species, all of which -find their food on the trunks or large limbs of trees, but by such -different methods that a study of their habits is not only interesting -but also extremely instructive. The little Downy Woodpecker, like -all its tribe, hitches up the trunk or along the upper side of the limb, -using its stiff tail feathers as a support, and holding on to the bark -by its two pairs of sharp claws. The Nuthatch, with a short weak -tail, and toes arranged as in all song birds, three in front and one -behind, has the toes, however, spread so wide that it can climb head -downward, over, under, or around the limb. Least known of the -three is the Brown Creeper. It, too, has three toes in front and one -behind, but although not related to the Woodpeckers, it has developed -stiff and pointed tail feathers. It therefore clings to the bark in an -upright position, and it commonly begins at the bottom of the tree -and works steadily upward, often in a spiral.</p> - -<p class='c000'>During the winter months, the Brown Creeper probably visits -every village street and every city park in the Northern States, but -as it is just the color of the weathered bark and moves close to it, it -escapes the notice of nearly every one. If one learns to distinguish -the fine wiry note, and watches the tree from which it proceeds, one -sees the bird flutter to the base of a neighboring tree and begin -again its steady ascent. When two birds are together, they sometimes -indulge in a very pretty flight, and tumble in the air like -pigeons. As a rule, however, the Creeper is solitary, and, in this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>respect, offers a marked contrast to its companions and relatives, -the sociable Chickadees and Kinglets.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The eyes of a Creeper are so near the bark which it is inspecting, -that it is not strange that it finds food where we should look in -vain. It has, besides, a very long curved bill which will reach into -crevices in the bark, and before the end of the winter, it has -undoubtedly stripped the trees of a large proportion of the dormant -insects and their eggs, especially as, like the other winter birds, it -seems to have a very regular beat, visiting the same groups or rows -of trees every day. Few birds are so strictly arboreal as the -Creepers. The writer has only once seen one alight on the ground, -when the bird flew to a little stream to bathe. In the ice storms -which occasionally clothe every trunk and limb with a glassy covering, -the Creeper has to confine itself to the leeward side of the trees. -Occasionally the Creeper, on account of its practice of beginning at -the bottom of the trunk, flies to a spot on the tree below the band -of tarred paper, which protects the shade trees from the visits of the -canker-worm moth. On reaching the band, the bird makes a circuit -of the trunk, in a vain attempt to find a passage. It is better -provided, however, than the wingless moths, and when the circuit has -been made, a short flight carries it over.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In April, the Creeper leaves its winter quarters for the North, -and joins many other species in the great spruce forests of northern -New England and Canada. Occasionally, on warm mornings before -its departure, the male indulges in a little song, of the thinnest -quality imaginable. When the pair reach their northern home, they -hunt for a crevice under some great flake of loose bark, and there -construct their nest. The bark of trees, therefore, furnishes the -Creeper with a cradle at birth and a home for the rest of its life.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id005'> -<img src='images/i_074.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE BUTCHER BIRD</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE BUTCHER BIRD</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Every one who observes the habits of birds soon notices with -astonishment the regularity with which they return each summer to -the same spots to breed. This is perhaps not so strange in the case -of breeding birds; they may be so fastidious in their selection of -food or of a nesting site that only a few places suit them, or the -spot where they bred one year may appeal to their affection and so -be selected again. It is no less evident and more remarkable that -birds that spend only the winter in our neighborhood often have -as well defined a home as those that spend the summer. Every -autumn, about the first of November, if one looks carefully at the -topmost twigs of the small trees that are scattered about the edges -of some marsh, the eye may finally catch, perched on the very top, -the figure of a plump gray bird, with black wings and tail, about the -size of a Robin. Its tail often moves as if the bird were balancing -itself. A nearer view would show that its bill was stout and slightly -hooked, like a hawk's. Among song birds, it is our largest regular -winter visitor, and will remain near the same spot till the end of -March, when it retires northward to breed. The same trees serve -year after year as look-out posts; no doubt the bird remembers -where to find the fattest mice and grasshoppers.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Butcher Bird, or Shrike, is one of the few birds that seem -to have developed a sense of humor. I have seen it attack and -drive off birds far larger than itself, apparently out of simple mischief. -It often indulges in a succession of strange noises, some of -which resemble the song of the Catbird, but the whole performance -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>is interspersed with chuckles, squeaks, and harsh sounds, or interrupted -by a grating cry, so that it can make no pretense to be -called melodious. It seems sometimes as if the bird were simply -amusing itself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>For a while you will regard the Butcher Bird as a good-natured, -good-looking fellow; it is not till you find, near its post of observation, -mice or birds jammed into the crotches of twigs, or discover -a thornbush decorated with grasshoppers and caterpillars, that you -recall certain unpleasant reports about its character. When you finally -see it dash into a flock of sparrows and hear their screech of terror, -or see it tear out its victim's brains with that hooked bill, you will -understand its hawk-like habit of sitting where it can survey its whole -domain. The Hawks clutch their prey in their curved talons, and -then tear it with their beak. The Shrike's claws are neither curved -nor powerful, so that it is evident that it wedges its victims into -forked twigs or impales them on thorns, so that it can then tear off -portions to devour. But why it so often leaves them uneaten (the -practice of thus displaying its wares has earned the bird its name) -has never been satisfactorily explained. Perhaps the bird means to -return to them in times of scarcity, but they are so often left uneaten -that it seems probable that it has formed the habit of hunting and -hanging up its game, often with no thought of eating it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Butcher Bird has often been persecuted for the destruction -of smaller birds; it seems far wiser to protect it, not only in order -to preserve so interesting a bird, but because birds form so small a -per cent of its food. In the spring and fall, it lives very largely -on insects, and throughout the winter, mice form a large part of its -diet. There is always danger of blundering when man interferes in -the concerns of nature, and if he once exterminates any creature, it -is beyond his power to re-create it.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id013'> -<img src='images/i_078.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET AND BROWN CREEPER</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The Golden-crowned Kinglet is, next to the Humming-bird, -almost our smallest bird, and it frequents thick evergreens so continually -that it is rarely seen. There is little in its voice and habits -to attract attention, and its activity and restlessness are so constant -that we rarely catch sight of the bit of color which it possesses,—the -crown which the little king carries. But if we train our ear -so that it catches every fine natural sound, no matter how trifling, -we become aware some crisp winter day of a thin <em>see, see, see</em>, often -repeated from some hedge, or group of orchard trees. If we watch, -our eye will catch sight of one or two tiny creatures, flitting restlessly -among the twigs, keeping their wings in almost constant motion, -even when not actually flying. The general color of the bird is a -shade known in the books as olivaceous, but the effect outdoors and -at a distance is a dark gray; across the wings there are little whitish -bars, and over the head dark lines enclose the little crown,—yellow -in the female, orange in the male.</p> - -<p class='c000'>If we succeed in attracting the Chickadees to our trees, by tying -up bones, the Kinglets often come in their company, but their little -bills are too weak to pick at the frozen gristle, and they merely glean -from the twigs and buds. The little scale insects, the eggs of moths -and spiders, all manner of minute objects, are detected by their sharp -eyes and seized by their skillful little bills and tongues. At night, -the band retires to some thick evergreen hedge or grove, ready the -next morning to resume their busy rounds. In April, the male is -moved to utter a simple little song, and by the end of the month -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>the whole company move to the spruce forests of the North, not -to return to us until the next September.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In the Northern States, the Golden-crowned Kinglet is the only -species that remains all winter, but from Virginia southward its -cousin, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, is associated with it; in summer, -strange to say, the more Southern winter species goes farther North -than the Golden-crowned, breeding from northern Maine to the frigid -zone. A few years ago, no eggs or nest of either Kinglet had been -described, but when they were at last discovered, they proved as -dainty as the little builders themselves. The nest is globular, with -an entrance in the upper part; it is placed in a thick mass of spruce -twigs and composed of hanging moss, ornamented with bits of dead -leaves, and lined chiefly with feathers. In such a nest, as many as -nine eggs are often laid; imagine the little Golden-crown brooding -in this bower.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Like some of the Warbler family, the Kinglet does not let an -insect escape, though it should take wing before it could be seized. -The bird, too, has wings, and darts out after its prey. In winter, it -often hovers under the piazza roofs, or the lintels of the barn door, -and while in the air, picks off the eggs or chrysalids that have -been hidden in the crevices. Occasionally one of the birds, in its -eagerness to seize some attractive morsel, flies sharply against a -windowpane. No doubt it is the part of a thrifty householder to -sweep out the insects from his piazza roof, but there are some, like -Lowell, wise enough to leave a few decayed limbs on their apple -trees for the Woodpeckers, a patch or so of weeds for the Snowbirds, -and a chrysalis or two for the hungry Kinglets in winter.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id015'> -<img src='images/i_082.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE HERRING GULL</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE HERRING GULL</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>All winter, a traveler along the seashore sees the great gray -gulls wheeling gracefully through the air with outstretched wings, -floating lightly on the water, or sitting in long lines or compact -masses on the bars or flats which are exposed at low tide. The -harbors of all the northern seacoast cities are visited in winter by -numbers of these birds, constantly on the watch for any bits of refuse -which may be thrown from the wharfs or vessels, or brought down -by the tides or currents. Their long and powerful wings make -the flight of even so heavy a bird a sight beautiful to watch, -and the water looks deserted when the motion and color which the -gulls furnish is absent. But it is not to the eye alone that the -birds appeal.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The ceaseless activity of the gulls in pursuit of floating refuse -and their inordinate appetite make them invaluable scavengers; -without them, the refuse dumped into the water would return at -each tide to pollute the shore. No idea can be formed of the value -of the service performed by the gulls, till one sees the countless -throngs which hover over the dumping grounds in the lower New -York Bay, awaiting the arrival of the scows with the refuse from -that city. As the buzzards and vultures are protected in all warm -countries for their services in devouring carrion, so ought these -scavengers of the northern seas to be guarded from persecution.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The adult Herring Gull in full plumage has pure white underparts, -head and tail, but a gray mantle, as it is termed, is spread over -the wings. Young birds, however, show many shades of brown, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>attain the white only after a year or two. The small, elegantly built -birds, known along the seacoast as Mackerel Gulls, are not strictly -gulls, but terns. They may be known by their forked tails and by -their black caps. It is they that hover screaming over the water, -constantly darting down to strike at fish.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gulls breed commonly along the coast of Maine and far northward. -Great colonies occupy a small area, and a visit to their -breeding places is a marvelous experience. At the approach of an -intruder, the parents rise from their nests and circle about overhead, -uttering hoarse cries, till the air is full of their wheeling forms. The -downy young squat in the grass or bushes till the danger is past.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Both gulls and terns have long been persecuted for their soft -white and gray plumage, which is coveted for the adornment of -women's hats. As the destruction of the birds on the islands where -they are breeding would soon destroy the whole race, efforts are -being made by the lovers of birds to protect the birds on all the -sandy points or rocky islands where they rear their young.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gulls have wonderful powers of flight, and some species often -follow ocean steamers for days, flying constantly about the vessel's -stern, watching for bits of food which may be thrown overboard. -When an object is spied the whole flock dart upon it, and it soon -disappears among the crowd of struggling birds.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In the Eastern States gulls are always associated with the sea, -but in the Mississippi valley certain species are found on the prairies, -where they follow the plough to seize the upturned insects.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id016'> -<img src='images/i_086.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE CHICKADEE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span> - <h2 class='c005'>THE CHICKADEE</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Throughout the winter, bands of small birds visit the orchards -and ornamental trees of every village and farm, gleaning dormant -insects and their eggs from the twigs and boughs. The best known -member and the leader, apparently, of the company is the Chickadee. -There are generally about half a dozen of these birds together, possibly -the parents and young of the preceding summer. The whole -company are rarely in sight at any one time; some are in one tree, -some are flying to the next, one perhaps is on the ground. There -is a constant interchange of lisping call-notes, which break into -excited gurgles, and the familiar <em>tee, dee, dee, dee</em>, when something -excites their alarm or curiosity. It is not hard to disturb their -composure; they come more easily than almost any other bird to -the squeaking sound that bird students make to attract the attention -of birds. One fluffy head after another pitches into the tree nearest -the performer; then, by short stages, the boldest comes nearer to -the strange sight and sound, often within arm's length. When their -curiosity is appeased, they return to their examination of the twigs -and branches, or, if startled by a sudden movement, they dive into -the nearest cover.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Their positions when feeding on slender twigs are extremely -graceful, and their agility surprising. When gathering sunflower -seeds, of which they are extremely fond, they cling to the under -surface of the drooping head and pick till they loosen the seed. -Then they fly with it to a branch and hammer it open. A favorite -winter food is the berry of the poison ivy. By tying a bone or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>a piece of suet to the branches of trees near the house, not only -Chickadees but other birds as well will be attracted to the spot, and -will become regular winter visitors. They are by no means confined, -however, to villages and farms. Often as we push through the deep -snows of the winter forests, the only sound will be the distant lisp -of this hardy bird.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Besides the notes heard so commonly in winter, the Chickadee -has a pensive and extremely gentle whistle, which it utters while -sitting motionless, and oftener in spring than at other seasons, -though it may be heard in every month of the year. It consists -of two notes, an exact interval apart, and each accented. It is often -mistaken, especially in early spring, for the song of the Phœbe, but -it may be distinguished by its purity and sweetness. It is easily -imitated by whistling, and the bird will often answer, or even fly -toward the person whistling, and survey him with astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c000'>It is generally believed by people who see the bird only in -winter that the Chickadees retire northward in spring; it is true -that they then no longer frequent the yards and gardens, but in -the woods and retired orchards many a pair have excavated some -decaying birch or apple stump, and after lining it warmly with -moss and feathers, provided amply for the continuance of their race; -sometimes as many as nine eggs are laid. In winter, the birds -spend the night in holes, not necessarily the same in which they -were bred.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Several writers have mentioned instances of the extreme boldness -of this bird; Mr. Chapman has had a Chickadee perch on his -hand. One can easily imagine it, but we do not need such a mark -of confidence to feel strong affection for this companionable and -winter-loving bird.</p> - -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES</h2> -</div> - <ol class='ol_1 c003'> - <li>Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical errors. - - </li> - <li>Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Bird Portraits, by Ernest Seton-Thompson - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BIRD PORTRAITS *** - -***** This file should be named 52600-h.htm or 52600-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/6/0/52600/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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