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Male.                Female.
Young.

THE BIRD BOOK

DIVING BIRDS. Order I. PYGOPODES

GREBES. Family COLYMBIDÆ

Grebes are birds having a ducklike body, but with pointed bills. Their
feet, too, are unlike those of the Ducks, each toe having its separate web, and
having a broad flat nail. Their wings are very small for the size of the body,
making it impossible for them to rise in flight from the land. They rise from
the water by running a few yards along the surface until they have secured
sufficient headway to allow them to launch themselves into the air. After
having risen from the water their flight is very swift and strong. On land they
are very awkward and can only progress by a series of awkward hops; they
generally lie flat on their breasts, but occasionally stand up, supporting themselves
upon their whole tarsus. Grebes, together with the Loons, are the most
expert aquatic birds that we have, diving like a flash and swimming for an incredible
distance under water.

Western Grebe.
            Holboell’s Grebe.

1. Western Grebe. Aechmophorus occidentalis.

Range.–Western parts of North America, from
southern Alaska southward; east to Minnesota
and south in winter to the southern parts of the
United States and Mexico. Breeds from the Dakotas
and northern California northward. These
are the largest of the American Grebes; owing to
their unusually long necks, they are frequently
called “Swan Grebes.” They are very timid
birds and conceal themselves in the rushes on
the least suspicion of danger.

Chalky bluish white, stained buff.

At times, to escape
observation, they will entirely submerge their
body, leaving only their head and part of the
long neck visible above the water. This Grebe
cannot be mistaken for any other because of the
long slender neck and the long pointed bill,
which has a slight upward turn. They nest abundantly
in the marshes of North Dakota and central
Canada. Their nests are made of decayed rushes,
and are built over the water, being fastened to
the rushes so that the bottom of the nest rests in
the water. The nesting season is at its height
during the latter part of May. They lay from
three to five eggs, the ground color of which is a
pale blue; this color is, however, always concealed by a thin chalky deposit,
and this latter is frequently stained to a dirty white. Size 2.40 × 1.55.

White, stained buff.

2. Holboell’s Grebe. Colymbus holboellii.

Range.–Throughout North America,
breeding from northern United
States northward and wintering
from the middle to the southern
portions of the United States.
In regard to size this Grebe comes
next to the Western, being 19 in.
in length. This bird can be distinguished
by the white cheeks and
throat and the reddish brown foreneck.
They breed abundantly in
the far north placing their floating
islands of decayed vegetation in
the water in the midst of the
marsh grass. They lay from three
to six eggs of a dingy white color
which have the stained surface common to Grebes eggs. Size 2.35 × 1.25.

NEST AND EGGS OF HOLBOELL’S GREBE
Lake Winnipegosis, Manitoba.

Horned Grebe.
       Eared Grebe.

3. Horned Grebe. Colymbus auritus.

Range.–The whole of North America, breeding
in the interior from North Dakota northwest;
winters along the Gulf Coast. This species is
one of the most beautiful of the Grebes, having
in the breeding season buffy ear tufts, black
cheeks and throat, and chestnut neck, breast and
sides. They breed abundantly in the marshy flats
of North Dakota and the interior of Canada.

Buffy white, nest stained.

They build a typical Grebe’s nest, a floating mass
of decayed matter which stains the naturally
white eggs to a dirty brown. The number of
eggs varies from three to seven. Size 1.70 × 1.15.
Data.–Devils Lake, N. Dakota, June 20, 1900.
6 eggs much stained. Nest floating in 4 ft. of
water, a large mass of rotten rushes and weeds.
Collector. James Smalley.

4. Eared Grebe. Colymbus nigricollis
californicus.

Range.–North America west of the Mississippi,
breeding from Texas to Manitoba and wintering
along the Pacific Coast of the United States
and from Texas southward.

Bluish white, stained.

Eared Grebes differ from the preceding in having
the entire neck blackish. They nest very
abundantly throughout the west, in favorable localities,
from Texas to Minnesota and Dakota.
Their nests are constructed in the same manner
as the preceding varieties and are located in similar localities.
As do all
the Grebes when leaving the nest, they cover the eggs with the damp rushes from
around the base of the nest. This is probably
for the purpose of assisting incubation
during their absence, by the action of
the sun’s rays on the wet mass. As they
are nearly always thus covered upon the
approach of anyone, this may be done also
as a protection from discovery. They lay
from three to eight bluish white eggs with
the usual chalky and discolored appearance.
The breeding season is at its height
early in June, or earlier, in the southern
portion of its range. Size 1.75 × 1.20. Data.–Artesian,
S. Dakota, June 21, 1899. Nest
of rushes, floating in three feet of water.
Large colony in a small lake. Collector, F. A. Patton.

NEST AND EGGS OF HORNED GREBE
Saltcoats Marshes, Assiniboia, June 6, 1901.

Mexican Grebe.
        
        Pied-billed Grebe..

5. Mexican Grebe. Colymbus
dominicus brachypterus.

Range.–Southern Texas and Lower California
southward to South America, breeding
throughout its range.

Deep buff or rich brown.

The Least Grebe is by far the smallest of
the Grebes in this country, being but 10 in.
in length; it can not be mistaken for any
other, the Eared Grebe being the only species
of this family found in the same localities
during the summer. These little Grebes
nest very abundantly along the Rio Grande
Valley in Texas, the nesting season lasting
from the latter part of May until well into
December.

Their nests are floating piles of grass and
weeds upon which they lay from three to
five chalky white eggs, which are always
discolored, sometimes to a deep chocolate
hue. These eggs average a great deal darker
in color than do any of the other Grebes.
In a series of fifty sets fully half were a
rich brown tint. Size 1.40 × .95.

6. Pied-billed Grebe. Podilymbus
podiceps.

Range.–From the British provinces
southward to Argentine Republic, breeding
locally throughout the northern portions of
its range.

Deep buff.

The Dabchick, as this bird is called, is the most evenly distributed bird
of this family. It is nowhere especially abundant, nor is it, except in a very
few localities, regarded as rare. Consequently it is the best known bird of
the species. They do not congregate in such large numbers as the other
Grebes during the nesting season, but one
or more pairs may be found in almost any
favorable locality. These birds render their
floating nest a little more substantial than
those of the preceding varieties by the addition
of mud which they bring up from the
bottom of the pond; this addition also tends
to soil the eggs more, consequently the
eggs of this bird are, as a general rule,
browner than the other Grebes with the exception
of the Least. The bird may always
be known by the shape of its bill which is
higher than it is broad, and in the summer
is white with a black band across the middle. The throat is also black at
this season. They lay from five to nine eggs commencing about the middle
of May. Size 1.70 × 1.18.

LOONS. Family GAVIIDAE

Loons may be likened to gigantic Grebes from which they differ externally,
chiefly in the full webbed foot instead of the individually webbed toes of
the Grebe, and in the sharper, more pointed and spear-like bill. These birds
are similar in their habits to the Grebes, except that their homes are generally
more substantially built and are placed upon a solid foundation, generally
upon an island in some inland lake.

Both Loons and Grebes are literally “Water witches,” being practically,
and in the case of Grebes, actually, born in the water and living in it ever
afterwards. Loons are strong fliers, but like the Grebes, because of their
small wings they must get their first impetus from the water in order to
rise; in case there is any wind blowing they also make use of this by starting
their flight against it. They are very peculiar birds and the expression
“crazy as a loon” is not a fanciful one, being formed from their early morning
and evening antics when two or more of them will race over the top of the
water, up and down the lake, all the while uttering their demoniacal laughter.
They vie with the Grebes in diving and disappear at the flash of a gun.

EGG OF LOON.
Dark greenish brown.

Loon.
Black-throated Loon.

7. Loon. Gavia immer.

Range.–North America north of the Mexican
boundary, breeding from the northern
parts of the United States northward.

Unlike the Grebes, Loons do not build in
colonies, generally not more than one, or
at the most two pairs nesting on the same
lake or pond; neither do they seek the
marshy sloughs in which Grebes dwell, preferring
the more open, clear bodies of
water. The common Loon may be known
in summer by the entirely black head and
neck with the complete ribbon of black and
white stripes encircling the lower neck and
the narrower one which crosses the throat.
The back is spotted with white. In some
sections Loons build no nest, simply scooping
a hollow out in the sand, while in other
places they construct quite a large nest of
sticks, moss and grasses. It is usually placed
but a few feet from the waters edge, so
that at the least suspicion the bird can slide
off its eggs into the water, where it can cope
with any enemy. The nests are nearly always
concealed under the overhanging
bushes that line the shore; the one shown
in the full page illustration, however, was
located upon the top of an old muskrat
house. The two eggs which they lay are a
very dark greenish brown in color, with
black spots. Size 3.50 × 2.25. Data.–Lake
Sunapee, N. H., June 28, 1895. Nest placed
under the bushes at the waters edge. Made
of rushes, weeds and grasses; a large structure
nearly three feet in diameter. Collector,
H. A. Collins.

8. Yellow-billed Loon. Gavia adamsi.

Range.–Northwestern North America, along the Arctic and northern Alaskan
coasts.

The Yellow-billed Loon with the exception of its whitish or yellowish bill
in place of the black, is practically otherwise indistinguishable from the
common Loon. It averages somewhat larger in size. This is one of the most
northerly breeding birds and it is only within a very few years that anything
has been learned about the breeding habits. Their nesting habits and eggs
are precisely like the preceding except that the latter average a little larger.
Size 3.60 × 2.25.

9. Black-throated Loon. Gavia arctica..

Range.–From northern United States northward, breeding along the Arctic
Coast.

This species can be easily separated from the Loon by the gray crown and
white streaks down the back of the neck. Its size, too, is about five inches
shorter. The nesting habits are the same as the Loons and the eggs have
rather more of an olive tint besides having the majority of spots at the
larger end. Size 3.10 × 2.00.

Pacific Loon.
Red-throated Loon.

10. Pacific Loon. Gavia pacifica.

Range.–Western North America along the
coast chiefly, breeding from Alaska south to
British Columbia. In winter, south along the
coast to Mexico.

This species differs from the Black-throated
only in the tint of the head reflections. The
habits are the same as those of the other members
of the family. They lay two eggs of a greenish
brown or greenish gray hue with black spots.
Size 3.10 × 1.90. Data.–Yukon River, Alaska,
June 28, 1902. Nest of rubbish on an island;
found by a miner.

11. Red-throated Loon. Gavia stellata.

Range.–Northern parts of North America,
breeding from southern Canada northward in the
interior on both coasts. South to the middle portions
of the United States in winter.

This is the smallest of the Loon family, being
twenty-five inches in length. In plumage it is
wholly unlike any of the other members at all
seasons of the year. In summer the back, head
and neck are gray, the latter being striped with
white. A large chestnut patch adorns the front
of the lower part of the neck. In winter the
back is spotted with white, whereas all the others
are unspotted at this period. The nesting habits are
identical with the other species; the ground color
of the two eggs is also the same. Size 2.00 × 1.75.

NEST AND EGGS OF PIED-BILLED GREBE.

Puffins, Auks and Murres are all sea birds and are only found inland when
blown there by some severe storm of winter. At this season numbers of them
are apt to lose their bearings and may sometimes be found with their feet
frozen in some of our inland ponds. Puffins are heavily built birds in appearance,
but are very active both on the wing and in the water. Their wings are
much larger comparatively than those of the other members of this family,
so they are enabled to perform evolutions in the air, which are withheld from
the others. They stand upright on the sole of the foot and are able to walk
quite easily on land. Puffins have very heavy and deep but thin bills, which
are entirely unlike those of any other bird and often give then the name of
Parrot Auks. Puffins, Auks and Murres are otherwise recognized by the presence
of but three toes which are webbed.

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12. Tufted Puffin. Lunda cirrhata.

Tufted Puffin. Puffin.

Range.–Pacific Coast from Alaska southward
to southern California, breeding locally throughout
their range.

Tufted Puffins are the largest of the Puffins.
In the breeding plumage, they are a sooty brownish
or black color; the cheeks are white, and a
long tuft of straw colored feathers extends back
from each eye; the bill is bright red and greenish
yellow. They breed commonly on the Farallones,
where two or three broods are raised by a
bird in a single season, but much more abundantly
on the islands in the north.

White.

Their single eggs are laid in burrows in the ground or else in
natural crevices formed by the rocks. The eggs are pure white or pale buff
and are without gloss. They very often have barely perceptible shell markings
of dull purplish color. The eggs are laid about the middle of June. Size 2.80
× 1.90. Data.–Farallone Is., May 27, 1887. Single egg laid in crevice of rocks.
Collector, W. O. Emerson.

13. Puffin. Fratercula arctica arctica.

Range.–North Atlantic Coast, breeding from the Bay of Fundy northward.
Winters from breeding range along the New England Coast.

White..

The common Puffin has the cheeks, chin and underparts white; upper parts
and a band across the throat, blackish. Bill deep and thin, and colored with
red, orange and yellow. They breed in large numbers on Bird Rock in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The nest is either among the natural crevices of the
rocks, or in burrows excavated
in the ground by the birds.
These burrows vary in length
from two and a half to four
or five feet. Except upon the
positive knowledge of the absence
of the bird, it is a
hazardous thing to put the
hand in one of these burrows
for the bird can, and will nip
the fingers, sometimes to the
bone. They lay but a single
egg, usually dull white and
unmarked, but in some cases
obscurely marked with reddish
brown. Size 2.50 × 1.75. Data.–So. Labrador, June 23, 1884. Single egg
laid at end of burrow in the ground. Collector, J. H. Jameson.

13a. Large-billed Puffin. Fratercula arctica naumanni.

A more northerly subspecies of the last, inhabiting the Arctic region on the
Atlantic side. The bird is somewhat larger but otherwise indistinguishable
from the common species. The eggs are exactly the same or average a trifle
larger. Size 2.55 × 1.80. Data.–Iceland, July 6, 1900. Single egg in hole under
a rock. Collector, Chas. Jefferys.

14. Horned Puffin. Fratercula corniculata.

Range.–Pacific Coast from Alaska to British Columbia. The Horned Puffin
differs from the common in that the blackish band across the throat extends
upwards in a point to the bill. Their nesting habits are precisely the same as
those of the preceding species. A single pure white egg is laid; the shell is
slightly rougher than those of the others. Size 2.65 × 1.80. Data.–Round Is.,
Alaska, June 24, 1884. Single egg laid at end of burrow in ground; no nest.
Collector, G. L. Kennedy.

15. Rhinoceros Auklet. Cerorhinca monocerata.

Range.–Pacific Coast, breeding from British Columbia northward and wintering
southward to Lower California.

The Rhinoceros Auklet or Horned Auk has a much smaller bill than the
Puffins; in the summer this is adorned at the base by a horn from which it
takes its name. There are also slender plumes from above and below the eyes.
Unlike the Puffins, these birds sit upon their whole tarsus.

They nest on islands of the North Pacific Coast from Vancouver northward.
A single egg is laid in crevices among the rocks or in burrows in the ground.
It is similar both in size and shape to that of the Puffins, but is often quite
heavily blotched with brown. Size 2.70 × 1.80. Data.–Unak Is., Alaska, June
30, 1900. Egg laid in a fissure of the rocks; no nest. Collector, F. Weston.

Horned Puffin.
        
        Rhinoceros Auklet.
        
        
        
Cassin Auklet.

16. Cassin Auklet. Ptychoramphus aleuticus.

Range.–Pacific Coast from Alaska to Lower
California, breeding nearly throughout its range.

A plain appearing bird about 9 in. in length,
with blackish upperparts relieved only by a white
spot over the eye; breast and throat gray and
belly white. This Auklet is fairly abundant on
the Farallones, breeding on the lower portions of
the island.

White..

The late Mr. C. Barlow says that it
is found in deserted rabbit burrows and in all
probability often excavates its own burrows. It
also nests among the cliffs placing its eggs among
the rocks in any crevice or tunnel which may offer
a dark retreat during the day for they are nocturnal
in their habits. The single egg which they
lay is dull white in color, the inside of the shell
being a pale green, which color can only be seen
by holding the egg to the light. They are generally
slightly nest stained. Size 1.80 × 1.30.
Data.–Coronado Islands, Cal., March 23, 1897.
Single egg laid on the bare ground at end of a
burrow three and one-half feet long. Collector,
E. A. Shives.

RHINOCEROS AUKLET.
Color white, sometimes heavily blotched,
as above, and again unspotted.

Paroquet Auklet.
        
        Crested Auklet.

17. Paroquet Auklet.—Phaleris psittacula.

Range.–The Alaskan Coast, casually farther
south in winter.

This bird is about the same size as the preceding,
and the plumage is similar, except that it
has no white spot over the eye, and the breast is
white. It also has a slender plume extending
from back of the eye.

White.

The bill is very peculiar,
being quite deep and rounded and having an upward
tendency. It is orange red in color. They
breed very commonly on the islands of Bering
Strait. Their eggs are laid in the crevices of the
cliff, often several feet in and by a crooked path
so that it is impossible to reach them. The single
chalky white egg is laid in May. Size 2.30 ×
1.45. Data.–Rocky Islet in the Aleutians, June
22, 1890. Single egg laid on bare rock in a deep
crevice. Collector, Capt. S. Wilson.

18. Crested Auklet. Aethia cristatella.

Range.–Alaska Coast, similar in form and plumage to the latter, except
that the whole under parts are gray and it has a crest of recurved feathers.
The nesting season begins in May, the birds nesting upon the same islands
and in the same kinds of sites as the last species. The single egg is chalky
white. Size 2.10 × 1.50. Data.–Unak Is., Alaska, July 1, 1900. Egg laid in a
crevice among the rocks. Collector, F. Weston.

19. Whiskered Auklet. Aethia pygmaea.

Range.–The Alaska Coast.

Much smaller than the preceding; but 7.5 in. in length. Breast gray, belly
white; a small tuft of recurved feathers on the forehead and slender white
plumes from base of bill over the eye and from under the eye, backwards. The
bill in summer is a bright vermillion color. On some of the islands of the
Aleutian chain they breed quite abundantly. The nests are placed back in
the crevices of the rocks, where the single white eggs are laid. Size 2.00 × 1.25.

Least Auklet.
        
        Ancient Murrelet.
        
                
Marbled Murrelet.

20. Least Auklet. Aethia pusilla.

Range.–North Pacific on the islands and coast
of Alaska. This is the smallest of the Auklets;
length 6.5 in. This species has no crest, but has
the slender white plumes extending back from
the eye. The entire under parts are white sparsely
spotted with dusky. This species is by far the
most abundant of the water birds of the extreme
Northwest, and thousands of them, accompanied
by the two preceding species, nest on the rocky
cliffs of the islands of Bering Sea. Their nesting
habits are the same as those of the other Auklets,
they placing their single white egg on the
bare rocks, in crevices on the cliffs. Size 1.55 ×
1.10. Data.–Pribilof Is., Alaska, June 8, 1897.
Single egg laid in crevice. Thousands breeding
on the island.

White.

21. Ancient Murrelet. Synthliboramphus antiquus.

Range.–Pacific Coast, breeding from the border
of the United States, northward, and wintering
south to southern California. The Murrelets have no crests or
plumes and the bills are more slender
than the Auklets and are not
highly colored.

Buff.

The ancient Murrelet
or Black-throated Murrelet,
as it is also called, has a gray
back, white under parts and a
black head and throat, with a broad
white stripe back of the eye and
another formed by the white on
the breast extending up on the side
of the neck. They breed abundantly
on the islands in Bering Sea,
laying one or two eggs at the end
of burrows in the banks or on the
ground, and in some localities in crevices on the cliffs. The eggs are a buffy
white color and are faintly marked with light brown, some of these being in
the shape of spots and others lengthened. Size 2.40 × 1.40. Data.–Sanak Islands,
July 1, 1894. Two eggs on the ground under a tuft of grass and in a
slight excavation lined with fine grass.

23. Marbled Murrelet. Brachyramphus marmoratus.

Buff.

Range.–North Pacific Coast,
breeding from Vancouver Island.
South in winter to southern
California.

In the breeding plumage,
this bird is brownish black
above, barred with rusty and
below is marbled with brownish
gray and white. Its nesting
habits and eggs are very similar
to those of the Ancient Murrelet,
they placing their single
eggs in holes in the ground or
crevices among the cliffs. Size
2.20 × 1.40. Data.–Chichagof Is., Alaska, June 18, 1898. Single egg in crevice
on face of cliff. Large colony breeding in company with Ancient Murrelets.

24. Kittlitz Murrelet. Brachyramphus brevirostris.

White.

Range.–North Pacific Coast in the Aleutian Islands and north to Unalaska,
breeding on isolated islands
throughout its range. This species
is very similar to the Marbled
Murrelet, the chief difference
being in the bill which is
shorted. They have been found
breeding on the same islands
with the preceding species.
Their single white egg is laid
in crevices in the cliffs. Size
2.40 × 1.30. Data.–Sanak Is.,
Alaska, June 25, 1890. Nest in
a hollow under a bunch of rank
matted grass. Many ancient
Burrelets breeding on the same
Islands. Collector, Capt. Tilson.

25. Xantus Murrelet. Brachyramphus hypoleucus.

Pale Blue.

Range.–Resident along the coast of southern and Lower California.

This bird is blackish above and entirely
white below, including the sides of
the head below the eye. The whole of
the under surface of the wing is also
white. They breed on the coast islands
from Santa Barbara southward. The single
egg is laid at the end of a burrow
or in crevices among the rocks. It is a
pale buffy white in color and thickly, but
finely dotted over the whole surface with
purplish brown, and with some larger
spots at the larger end. Size 2.05 × 1.40.
Data.–Galapagos Islands, March 2, 1901.
No nest. Single egg laid in a crevice in
the rocks. Collector, Rollo H. Beck.

26. Craveri’s Murrelet. Brachyramphus craveri.

Xantus Murrelet.
Mandt’s Guillemot.

Range.–Both coasts of Lower California, breeding
chiefly on the Gulf side. Craveri Murrelet is
very similar to the last except that the under surfaces
of the wings are dusky.

27. Black Guillemot. Cepphus grylle.

Bluish white.

Breeds on the islands
near Cape St. Lucas, burrowing in the
ground as do most of the others of this species.
They lay a single egg, the ground color of which
is buff; they are quite heavily blotched with
brownish. Size 2.00 × 1.40.

Black Guillemot.

Range.–Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic,
breeding from Maine northward to southern
Greenland. Guillemots are larger birds than
the Murrelets (length 13 inches) and their plumage
is entirely different. This species in summer
is entirely black except the wing coverts which
are white. The bases of the greater coverts,
however, are black, this generally breaking the
white mirror as it is called. The under surfaces
of the wings are white. Legs red. These
birds breed abundantly on the rocky islands
and high cliffs along the coast. Soon after
the first of June the eggs are laid in the crevices
of the rocks and sometimes upon the bare
ledges. Two or three eggs make the set. The
ground color is a pale bluish or greenish white
and the markings are various shades of brown
and black. Size 2.40 × 1.60. Data.–Grand
Manan, June 15, 1896. Two eggs laid in a
cavity back of large boulder. No nest. Collector,
D. H. Eaton.

28. Mandt’s Guillemot. Cepphus mandti.

Murre.

Range.–North Atlantic coast, more northerly
than the preceding, breeding from Labrador
to northern Greenland.

The bird differs from the Black Guillemot
only in having the bases of the coverts white
also. The nesting habits and eggs are identical.
They nest in colonies of thousands and
place the eggs upon the bare rock with no attempt
at nest building. Generally the eggs
are in the crevices so as to be difficult to get
at. Size 2.30 × 1.55. Data.–Depot Island, Hudson
Bay, June 6, 1894. Two eggs laid on bare
rocky ground. Collector John Comer.

29. Pigeon Guillemot. Cepphus columba.

Range.–The Pacific Coast of North America,
breeding from southern California northward.
This bird is very similar to the Black
Guillemot except that the under surfaces of
the wings are dark. They breed abundantly on some of the islands of Bering
Sea and a few of them nest on the Farallones. They lay their two eggs on
the bare rock in dark crevices. The color is grayish or pale greenish blue
and the markings are brown and
black with paler shell markings of
lilac. Size 2.40 × 1.60. Data.–S.
Farallone Islands, Cal. Two eggs
laid on gravel at the end of a burrow,
about two feet from the entrance
and 285 feet above the sea
level. Collector, Claude Fyfe.

Pale bluish gray.

30. Murre. Uria troile troille.

Range.–North Atlantic coasts
and islands, breeding from Bird
Rock northward. Murres are similar
in form to the Guillemots, but
are larger, being about 16 inches
in length. Entire head and neck
sooty brown; rest of upper parts

Pale bluish gray.

grayish black except the tips of
the secondaries which are white. Under parts white. These birds nest by
thousands on Bird Rock and on the cliffs of Labrador. They build no nests
but simply lay their single egg on the narrow ledges of cliffs, where the only
guarantee against its rolling off is its peculiar shape which causes it, when
moved, to revolve about its smaller end instead of rolling off the ledge. The
eggs are laid as closely as possible on the ledges where the incubating birds
sit upright, in long rows like an army on guard. As long as each bird succeeds
in finding an egg to cover, on its return home, it is doubtful if they
either know or care whether it is their own or not. The ground color of the
eggs vary from white to a deep greenish blue and the markings of blackish
brown vary in endless patterns, some eggs being almost wholly unspotted.
Size 3.40 × 2.00. Data.–South Labrador, June 19, 1884. Single egg laid on the
bare cliff. Large colony breeding. Collector, M. A. Grasar.

30a. California Murre. Uria troille californica.

Range.–Pacific Coast, breeding from the Farallones north to Alaska.

This Pacific form of the common Murre is the most abundant breeding bird
on the Farallones. Their eggs are used in enormous numbers for commercial
purposes and these islands being located, as they are, within easy distance
from San Francisco, thousands of dozens of the eggs are sold yearly, chiefly
to bakeries. Although continually robbed, their numbers have not as yet
diminished to any great extent. They lay but a single egg on the bare ledge.
Individual eggs are indistinguishable from the last species but in a large
series the ground color averages brighter. They show the same great difference
in color and markings. The first set is laid in May, but owing to
their being so often molested, fresh eggs can be found during August. Data.–Farallones,
July 4, 1895. Single egg laid on bare cliff. Collector, Thos. E.
Slevin.

31. Brunnich Murre. Uria lomvia lomvia.

Range.–North Atlantic Coast, breeding range the same as the common
Murre.

This species differs from the common Murre in having a shorter and thicker
bill, the base of the cutting edge of which is less feathered. They breed on
the same islands in company with the common Murre and their eggs are indistinguishable.
Data.–Coast of South Labrador. Single egg laid on ledge of
cliff. About three hundred birds in the colony.

31a. Pallas Murre. Uria lomvia arra.

Range.–The Pacific coasts and islands.

This is the Pacific form of Brunnich Murre. Its breeding range is more
northerly than that of the California variety. Countless thousands of them
breed on the islands off the coast of Alaska, their breeding habits and eggs
being the same as the more southern form.

32. Razor-billed Auk. Alca torda.

Range.–North Atlantic coast, breeding from Bird Rock northward and
wintering south to the Middle States on the coast.

Grayish white.

The Razor-billed Auk is in form similar to the Murres, but the bill is very
different, being deep and thin, and with the upper mandible rounded at the
tip. Entire upper parts black shading to brownish on the throat. Under parts
and tips of secondaries, white; line from eye to bill and another across the
middle of the bill, white. They nest in large numbers on Bird Rock in company
with the Murres and in still greater numbers off the coast of Labrador.
Their eggs are not placed in as exposed positions as the Murres, being generally
behind boulders or in crevices. This is necessary because, not being
of the pear-shaped form of the Murres, they would be very apt to be dislodged
if commonly placed on the narrow ledges. The eggs vary endlessly in marking
but do not show the differences in ground color that the Murres do. The
color is white, grayish or buffy. But one egg is generally laid, although two
are sometimes found. Size 3.00 × 2.00. Data.–Bay of Fundy. June 17, 1891.
Single egg laid on bare rock in a crevice under loose rocks. Collector, A. C.
Bent.

Great Auk Dovekie.

33. Great Auk. Plautus impennis.

Range.–Formerly the whole of the North Atlantic
coasts. Now extinct.

These great auks formerly dwelt in large numbers
on the islands of the North Atlantic, but
owing to their lack of the powers of flight and
the destructiveness of mankind, the living bird
has disappeared from the face of the earth.
Although they were about thirty inches in length,
their wings were even smaller than those of the
Razor-billed Auk, a bird only eighteen inches in
length. Although breeding off the coast of Newfoundland,
they appeared winters as far south as
Virginia, performing their migration by swimming
alone. The last bird appears to have been
taken in 1844, and Funk Island, off the coast of
Newfoundland, marks the place of their disappearance
from our shores. There are about seventy
known specimens of the bird preserved, and
about the same number of eggs. The immediate
cause of the extinction of these birds was their
destruction for food by fishermen and immigrants,
and later for the use of their feathers commercially.
The single egg that they laid was about 5.00 x 3.00
inches, the ground color was buffy white, and the spots brownish and blackish.
The markings varied in endless pattern as do those of the smaller Auk.
There are but two real eggs (plaster casts in imitation of the Auks eggs are
to be found in many collections) in collections in this country, one in the
Academy of Natural Science, Philadelphia, and the other in the National
Museum, at Washington. Through the kindness of Mr. Witmer Stone, of the
Academy of Natural Science, we are enabled to show a full-sized reproduction
from a photograph of the egg in their collection.

EGG OF THE GREAT AUK.
Photographed from the specimen in the Academy of Natural Science, Philadelphia;
not more than ten or twelve of these eggs are in this country;
the one figured is one of the best marked specimens.

Dovekie.

34. Dovekie. Alle alle.

Range.–Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic
and East Arctic oceans, breeding in the
Arctic regions and wintering as far south as the
Middle States. The little Dovekie or Sea Dove is
the smallest member of the family, being only 8
inches in length, and is the only member of the
sub-family allinæ.

Pale greenish blue.

The form is very robust and
the bill is short and stout. In summer the plumage
is black above; the throat and upper breast
are sooty brown, and the under parts are white,
as are also the tips of the secondaries and edges
of the scapulars. They nest in large numbers
on the Rocky cliffs of islands in the East Arctic.
Their single pale greenish blue egg is placed in
a crevice of the rocks. Size 1.80 × 1.25. Data.–Greenland,
June 8, 1893. Single egg laid in a
crevice of a sea cliff.

MURRE–White, buff, or deep greenish blue.

Skuas and Jægers are birds having a Gull or Tern-like form and with a hooked
bill, the base of which is covered with a scaly shield. They have webbed
feet and are able to swim and dive, but they commonly get their living by
preying upon the Gulls and Terns, overtaking them by their superior speed
and by their strength and ferocity forcing them to relinquish their food. The
Jægers especially are one of the swiftest and most graceful birds that fly.

Skua.
Pomarine Jæger.

35. Skua. Megalestris skua.

Range.–Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic,
chiefly on the European side; rare on the
Atlantic coast of North America.

Skuas are large (22 inches in length) and very
powerfully built birds, having the general form
of a Gull.

Olive brown.

Their whole plumage is a dingy brownish
black color, palest below. Breeds in Iceland
and possibly on some of the islands in Hudson
Strait. The nest is a hollow on the ground in
the marsh grass and is lined with grass. The
two eggs which they lay have an olive greenish
ground, spotted with dark brown. Size 2.75 × 1.90.

36. Pomarine Jaeger. Stercorarius pomarinus.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, breeding within the Arctic Circle, more
commonly in the Old World.

Deep olive brown.

In the breeding plumage, this
Jæger has the crown and face
blackish; back and sides of head,
throat and under parts pure white,
except the pointed stiffened feathers
of the neck which are yellow.
Back, wings and tail blackish, the
latter with the two middle feathers
lengthened about four inches
beyond the rest of the tail, and
broad to the tips, which are twisted
so that the feathers are vertical.
They breed throughout the
Arctic regions, but not as commonly
in America as the following
species. The nest is on the ground
in the marsh grass and is made of
grass and moss. They lay two and rarely three eggs of an olive brown or
greenish color. These are spotted with brown and black. Size 2.20 × 1.70.

Parastic Jæger.
        Long-tailed Jæger.

37. Parasitic Jaeger. Stercorarius parasiticus.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, wintering south
to South America.

The Parasitic Jæger is very similar to the
Pomarine except that the central tail feathers
are pointed and are straight instead of twisted.
It is an abundant bird in Alaska, breeding from
the Aleutian Chain northward.

They locate their nests in the highest parts
of marshy places, the nest itself being only a depression
in the ground lined with grass and moss.
The two eggs have an olive greenish or brownish
ground and are marked with various shades of
brown and black. Size 2.15 × 1.65.

Brownish.

38. Long-tailed Jaeger. Stercorarius longicaudus.

Range.–Arctic America; south in winter to
South America.

The long-tailed Jæger is, according to length,
the largest of the Jægers, being 21 in. long; this is, however, due to the long
sharp pointed central pair of tail feathers, which extend about eight inches
beyond the others, and from the most noticeable distinguishing point from
the former species. The plumages that have been described are the light
phases; all the Jægers have a dark
phase in which the plumage is a nearly
uniform sooty brown, lightest below.

Olive brown.

The Long-tailed Jægers are the
most numerous in Alaska and are
even more graceful in flight than are
the Gulls and Terns, floating, skimming,
sailing, plunging, and darting
about with incredible swiftness and
ease. Like the others of this family,
they pilfer their food from the Gulls,
and are also very destructive to young
birds and eggs. Their eggs are either
laid on the bare ground or in a
slight depression, scantily lined with
grasses. The eggs are indistinguishable from those of the preceding species
except that they average a trifle smaller. Size 2.10 × 1.50.

GULLS and TERNS. Family LARIDÆ

Gulls are webbed footed birds having a slight hook to the end of the upper
mandible. Their plumage is generally a silvery gray above and white below.
They nest in large colonies, some on the islands of fresh water inland, but
mostly on the sea coast. They procure their food from the surface of the
water, it consisting mostly of dead fish and refuse matter, and crustacea which
they gather from the waters edge. When tired they rest upon the surface of
the water, where they ride the largest waves in perfect safety.

Terns are birds of similar plumage to the Gulls, but their forms are less robust
and the bills are generally longer and sharply pointed. Their food consists
chiefly of small fish which they secure by hovering above the water, and
then plunging upon them. They are less often seen on the surface of the
water than are the Gulls.

CHARACTERISTIC NEST OF A LOON.

Ivory Gull.
        Kittiwake.

39. Ivory Gull. Pagophila alba.

Range.–Arctic regions; south in winter to the
northern border of the United States.

The little Snow Gull, as it is often called, is
eighteen inches in length. In the breeding season
the plumage is entirely white; the bill is tipped
with yellow and there is a red ring around
the eye. These Gulls nest in large colonies in
the Arctic Regions, placing their nests on the
high rocky cliffs. The nest is made of grass,
moss and rubbish, and the three eggs are laid
during June. The eggs are olive color and the
markings are dark brown.

40. Kittiwake. Rissa tridactyla trydactyla.

Range.–North Atlantic and Arctic regions,
breeding from the Gulf of the St. Lawrence northward
and wintering south to the Great Lakes and
Long Island.

The Kittiwake is sixteen inches in length, has
a pearly gray mantle, black tips to the primaries,
and remainder of plumage white. Its hind toe
is very small being apparently wanting in the
eastern form, while in the Pacific it is more developed.
These are very noisy Gulls, their notes
resembling a repetition of their name. They are
very common in the far north, placing nests on
the ledges of high rocky cliffs, often in company
with Murres and Auks.

White.

They gather together a
pile of sticks, grass and moss, making the interior
cup-shaped so as to hold their two or three
eggs. Large numbers of them breed on Bird
Rock, they occupying certain
ledges while the Gannets and
Murres, which also breed there,
also have distinct ledges on
which to make their homes.
The breeding season is at its
height during June. The eggs
are buffy or brownish gray and
are spotted with different shades
of brown. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.–So.
Labrador, June 15, 1884.
Three eggs. Nest made of seaweed
and moss, placed on ledge
of cliff. Many Murres nesting
on other ledges.

Red-legged Kittiwake.
        
        
Glaucus Gull.

40a. Pacific Kittiwake. Rissa tridactyla pollicaris.

Range.–Coast of the North Pacific, wintering
south to California.

The Pacific Kittiwake breeds in immense rookeries
on some of the islands in Bering Sea. They
are well distributed over Copper Island where
they nest in June and July, choosing the high
ledges which overhang the sea. The nesting
habits and eggs are precisely the same as those
of the common Kittiwake.

41. Red-legged Kittiwake. Rissa brevirostris.

Range.–Northwestern coasts, breeding in high
latitudes.

Brownish buff.

This Kittiwake is similar to the preceding, with
the exception that the legs are bright red, the
mantle is darker, and the bill is shorter. This
species was found by Dr. Leonard Stejneger to be
a very abundant nesting bird on islands in Bering
Sea, selecting steep and inaccessible rocks and ledges on which to build
its nest. Their nesting habits are precisely the same as the Pacific Kittiwake,
but they most often nest in separate colonies, but can be distinguished readily
when nesting together by the darker mantles when on the nest and the red
legs when flying. Grass, moss and mud are used in the nest. The ground color
of the eggs is buffy or brownish, and the spots are dark brown and lilac.
Size 2.15 × 1.50.

42. Glaucous Gull. Larus hyperboreus.

Range.–Arctic regions, south in winter to Long Island, the Great Lakes, and
San Francisco Bay.

This Gull shares with the Great Black-backed Gull the honor of being
the largest of the Gulls, being 28 inches in length. Mantle light gray; it is
distinguished by its size and the primaries, which are white to the tips. A
powerful bird that preys upon the smaller Gulls and also devours the young
and eggs of smaller birds.

They nest on the ground on the islands and shores of Hudson Bay, Greenland,
etc. The nest is made of seaweed, grass and moss and is generally quite
bulky. The two or three eggs are laid in June. They are of various shades of
color from a light drab to a brownish, and are spotted with brownish and
black. Size about 3.00 × 2.20.

42.1. Point Barrow Gull. Larus barrovianus.

Range.–Northwest coast from Bering Sea to Point Barrow.

White.

This species is almost
identical with the Glaucus
Gull, averaging perhaps
a trifle smaller.
Its standing as a distinct
species is still
questioned and has not
yet been decided satisfactorily.
Early in June
their nests are built on
remote islands in Bering
Sea. These nests
are the same as the last
species, large piles of
vegetation, hollowed on
top for the reception of
the eggs. The eggs
have the same variations
in color and markings
as the Glaucus
Gull. Size 3.00 × 2.10.
Data.–Herschel Is.,
Alaska, July 1, 1900. Nest made of seaweed and grass; placed on the ground.
Three eggs. Collector, Rev. I. O. Stringer.

13. Iceland Gull. Larus leucopterus.

Range.–Arctic regions, south in winter to the Middle States.

Greenish brown.

This Gull in appearance is precisely like the two preceding ones but is considerably
smaller; 24 inches in length. A very common bird in the north,
breeding in colonies of thousands on many of the islands. It is regarded as
one of the most common
of the larger Gulls in Bering
Sea and also nests
commonly in Hudson Bay
and Greenland, as well as
in the Eastern Hemisphere.
They nest indifferently
on high rocky cliffs or
on low sandy islands. Except
when the eggs are laid
in a sandy depression in
the soil, quite bulky nests
are made of seaweed and
moss. The eggs are laid
about the first of June;
they number two to three
and have a ground color
of brownish or greenish brown and are blotched with umber. Size 2.80 × 1.83.
Data.–Mackenzie Bay, Arctic America. June 18, 1899. Nest made of seaweed
and grass on an island in the bay.

Iceland Gull.
        Glaucous-winged Gull.

44. Glaucous-winged Gull. Larus glaucescens.

Range.–North Pacific coast, breeding from
British Columbia northwards and wintering from
the same country to southern California.

Pale greenish brown.

This Gull is very like the preceding except
that the primaries are the same color as the
mantle, and are tipped with white. Length about
27 inches. Not so northerly distributed a bird
as the previous ones, and consequently better
known. They breed in large numbers both on
the high rocky cliffs of the islands along the
coast and on the low sandy islands of the Aleutian
Chain. On Copper Island they breed on the
inaccessible cliffs overhanging the water. As in
the case of the Iceland Gull, when the nests are
on the cliffs, a large nest of seaweed is made,
whereas if they are on the ground, especially in
sandy places no attempt is made at nest-building. The eggs have a greenish
brown ground color and dark brown spots. Size 2.75 × 2.05. Data.–West Coast
of Vancouver Island. June 20, 1896. Three eggs; nest made of seaweed.
Located on a low ledge. Collector, Dr. Newcombe.

45. Kumlien’s Gull. Larus Kumlieni.

Range.–North Atlantic coast, breeding in Cumberland Sound and wintering
as far south as Long Island.

This bird differs from the Glaucous-winged only in the pattern of the gray
markings of the primaries and in having a little lighter mantle. It is quite
common in its breeding haunts where it places its nest high up on the ledges
of the cliffs. The eggs are not different apparently from glaucescens.

46. Nelson’s Gull. Larus nelsoni.

Range.–Coast of Alaska.

Plumage exactly like that of Kumlien Gull and questionably a new species.
The nests and eggs are not to be distinguished from the preceding.

47. Great- Black-Backed Gull.Larus marinus.

Great Black-Backed Gull.
        
        Kumlien’s Gull.

Range.–North Atlantic on both the American
and European sides; breeds from Nova Scotia
northward and winters south to the Great Lakes
and the Middle States.

Grayish buff.

The largest of the Gulls (thirty inches long)
and unlike any other. The mantle is dark slaty
black, and the primaries are black with white
tips. The bill is very large and powerful and
quite strongly hooked. They are quite abundant
birds in their range, and are very quarrelsome,
both among themselves and other species. They
do not breed in as large colonies as do the other
Gulls, half a dozen pairs appropriating a small
island to the exclusion of all other birds. They
are very rapacious birds and live to a great extent,
especially during the breeding season, upon the eggs and young of other
birds such as Ducks, Murres and smaller Gulls. They place their nests upon
the higher portions of sandy islands. They are made of grasses and seaweed.
The three eggs are laid early in June; they are grayish or brownish, spotted
with brown and lilac. Size 3.00 × 2.15. Data.–South Labrador, June 21, 1884.
Three eggs. Nest on a small island off the coast; of grasses and moss.

48. Slaty-backed Gull.–Larus schistisagus.

Range.–North Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

This Gull, which is similar to the Great Black-backed, but is smaller and has
a lighter mantle, does not breed in any considerable numbers on the American
side of the Pacific. It nests in June on some of the islands in Bering Sea
and probably more commonly farther north. They often nest in company with
other species, placing their small mounds of seaweed on the ground on the
higher parts of the islands. The full set contains three eggs of grayish or
brownish color, spotted with dark brown or black. Size 2.90 × 2.00. Data.–Harrowby
Bay, N. W. T. Canada, June 11, 1901. Nest of grass, roots and mud and
lined with dry grass; on point making into the bay. Collector, Capt. H. H.
Bodfish.

Page 44

Western Gull.
        
        Herring Gull.

49. Western Gull. Larus occidentalis.

Range.–Pacific Coast, breeding from southern
California to British Columbia.

This bird, which is the most southerly distributed
of the larger Gulls is twenty-four inches in
length. Mantle slate colored; primaries black,
both these and the secondaries being broadly
tipped with white. These Gulls nest abundantly
on the Farallones, the majority of them showing
a preference for the lower portions of the island,
although they nest on the ledges also. Besides
man, these Gulls are the greatest enemies that
the Murres have to content against. They are
always on the watch and if a Murre leaves its
nest, one of the Gulls is nearly always ready to
pounce upon the egg and carry it away bodily in
his bill. The Gulls too suffer when the eggers
come, for their eggs are gathered up with the
Murres for the markets. They make their nests
of weeds and grass, and during May and June
lay three eggs showing the usual variations of
color common to the Gulls eggs. Size 2.75 × 1.90.

50. Siberian Gull. Larus affinis.

This bird does not nest in North America, and
has a place on our list, by its accidental occurrence
in Greenland. It is an Old World species
and its nesting habits and eggs are like those of
the Herring Gull.

51. Herring Gull. Larus argentatus.

Range.–Whole of the Northern Hemisphere,
breeding from Maine and British Columbia northward
and wintering south to the Gulf.

Buff.

This Gull, which formerly was No. 51a, a subspecies
of the European variety, is now regarded
as identical with it, and is no longer a sub-species.
It is twenty-four inches in length, has a light gray mantle and black primaries
which are tipped with
white. The Herring
Gulls nest in colonies
in favorable localities
throughout their range,
chiefly on the coasts
and islands. A few pairs
also nest on islands in
some of the inland
bodies of fresh water.
Except in places where
they are continually
molested, when they
will build in trees, they
place their nests on the
ground either making
no nest on the bare
sand, or building a
bulky nest of seaweed
in the grass on higher
parts of the island.
They lay three eggs of
a grayish color marked with brown. In rare cases unspotted bluish white
eggs are found. Size 2.80 × 1.70.

Ring-billed Gull.
        
        California Gull.

52. Vega Gull. Larus vegae.

Range.–Coast of Alaska, south in winter to
California.

Similar to the Herring Gull, but with the mantle
darker, but not so dark as in the Western Gull.
The nesting habits and eggs are the same as
those of the Herring Gull, except that in a series,
the eggs of the Vega will average a little
darker in ground color. It nests during May on
the coasts and islands of Bering Sea, placing its
eggs in a hollow on the ground. Size 2.75 × 1.65.

Grayish brown.

53. California Gull. Larus californicus.

Range.–Western North America, breeding in
the interior.

A smaller Gull than the Herring with the primaries
grayish instead of black; length twenty-five inches. This Gull is found
in winter on the coast from British Columbia southward to Lower California,
but nests in the interior from Utah northward. They nest very abundantly
around the Great Salt Lake, placing their nests generally upon the bare ground.
Sometimes there is a scant lining of grasses or weeds and again the nests will
be situated in the midst of a tussock of grass. Three or four eggs generally
constitute a set, but occasionally five are laid. The usual nesting time is during
May. They show the same great variations in color and markings common
to most of the Gulls. Size 2.60 × 1.80.

54. Ring-billed Gull. Larus delawarenis.

Range.–Whole of North America, breeding from the United States northward
and wintering south to the Gulf States.

A small Gull, eighteen inches in length, with a light gray mantle, black
primaries with white tips, and always to be distinguished in the breeding season
by the black band around the middle of the greenish yellow bill. They
nest in enormous colonies on islands in the interior of the country and in
smaller colonies on the coasts. Thousands of them breed on the lakes of the
Dakotas and northward. The majority of them nest on the ground, although
on the coast they are often found on the cliffs. They commonly lay three eggs
placing them in a slight hollow in the ground, generally on the grassy portions
of the islands. The color varies from grayish to brownish, marked with
brown and lilac. The height of the nesting season is in June. Size of eggs,
2.80 × 1.75.

Short-billed Gull.
        
        Heerman’s Gull.

55. Short-billed Gull. Larus brachyrhynchus.

Range.–Breeds from the interior of British
Columbia northward to Alaska; south in winter to
Lower California.

The Short-billed or American Mew Gull is seventeen
inches in length, has a short, stout bill and
is otherwise similar to the preceding species.
Nests on islands in the lakes and along the river
banks of Alaska. The nest is made of grass,
weeds and moss and is placed on the ground.
Early in June the birds lay their set of three eggs,
the ground color of which is greenish brown marked
with dark brown. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.–Mackenzie
River, N. W. T., June 18, 1900. Three
eggs. Nest made of seaweed and grass and placed
on the ground on an island in the river.

Pale greenish-brown.

56. Mew Gull. Larus canus.

This is the European variety of the above species,
breeding commonly both in the British Isles
and northern Europe. This species is given a place in our avifauna because
of its accidental appearance in Labrador.

57. Heerman’s Gull. Larus heermanni.

Range.–Pacific Coast of North America from British Columbia south to
Panama, breeding chiefly south of the United States border.

A very handsome species, often called the White-headed Gull, and wholly
unlike any other; length seventeen inches. Adults, in summer, have the
entire head, neck and throat white, this shading quite abruptly into the slaty
upper and under parts; the primaries and tail are black, the latter and the
secondaries being tipped with white. The legs and bill are vermilion. They
are found off the coast of California, but are not believed to breed there.
They are known to breed on some of the islands off the Mexican coast nesting
on the ground the same as the other species. The three eggs are greenish
drab in color and are marked with different shades of brown and lilac. Size
2.45 × 1.50.

58. Laughing Gull. Larus atricilla.

Laughing Gull.

Range.–Eastern North America, breeding
from the Gulf to Nova Scotia, chiefly on the
coast. A beautiful Gull, 16 inches long, with
a dark slate colored head, gray mantle, black
primaries, and white neck, underparts and tail. Bill and feet red.

Pale grayish brown.

RING-BILLED GULL–Gray.

This bird
has its name from its peculiar laughing cry when alarmed or angry; it is
also called the Black-headed Gull.
They nest by thousands on the islands off
the Gulf Coast and along the South
Atlantic States. The nest is placed
on the ground and is made of seaweed.
Three, four and sometimes
five eggs are laid, of a grayish to
greenish brown color, marked with
brown and lilac. Size 2.25 × 1.60.
Data.–Timbalin Is., La., June 3,
1896. Three eggs. Nest of drift
grass thrown in a pile about 8
inches high, slightly hollowed on
top, in low marsh back of beach.
Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.

Franklin’s Gull.
Bonaparte’s Gull.

59. Franklin’s Gull. Larus franklini.

Range.–Interior North America, breeding from
middle United States northward.

Grayish brown.

Like the last but smaller and with the primaries
light. Underparts rosy in breeding season.
Nests very abundantly in the marshes of Minnesota
and northward. Nest made of grasses and
placed in the marsh grass barely above the surface
of the water. Eggs same color as the last
but the markings more inclined to zigzag lines.
Size 2.10 × 1.40. Data.–Heron Lake, Minn., May
26, 1885. Nest of wet sedge stalks and rubbish
placed in a bunch of standing sedge in shallow
water; at least five thousand birds in rookery.
Collector, J. W. Preston.

60. Bonaparte’s Gull. Larus philadelphia.

Pale grayish brown.

Range.–Breeds in the northern parts of North America; winters from Maine
and British Columbia to the southern border of the United States.

Smaller than the last; 14 inches long.
Plumage similar, but bill slender and
black. They nest in great numbers on
the marshes of Manitoba and to the
northward. The nests, of sticks and
grass, are placed on the higher parts of
the marsh and the usual complement of
three eggs is laid during the latter part
of June. The eggs are grayish to greenish
brown, marked with dark brown and
lilac. Size 1.90 × 1.30.

60.1. Little Gull. Larus minutus.

Rose Gull.
        Sabine Gull.

This Gull is the smallest of the family; it is
a European bird, and has accidentally strayed to
our shores but a few times. Its plumage is similar
to that of the Bonaparte Gull but the bill is
red. It breeds in the marshes around the Baltic
Sea, placing its nest of dead vegetation on the
highest parts of the marsh. They lay three eggs
of a greenish gray color marked with dark brown
and lilac. Size 1.75 × 1.25.

61. Roses Gull. Rhodostethia rosea.

Range.–The Arctic regions, south in winter
to Alaska, Greenland, northern Europe and Asia.

This beautiful bird is the most rare of all the
Gulls, being very difficult to obtain because of
its extreme northerly distribution. It is in form
and plumage like Bonaparte Gull, with the exceptions
that the head is white, there being a narrow
black collar around the neck, the tail is
wedge shaped, and the whole under parts from
the chin to the tail are rosy in the breeding plumage.
The nests and eggs remain still undiscovered,
although Nansen, in August 1896, found a
supposed breeding ground in Franz Josef Land,
because of the numbers of the birds, but found
no nests.

62. Sabine’s Gull. Xema sabinii.

Range.–Arctic regions, breeding from Alaska
and Greenland and northward, and wintering
south to New England.

Greenish brown.

A handsome bird, having the slaty hood
bordered behind with a black ring, the primaries
black, white tipped, and the tail slightly
forked. They breed abundantly on the marshes
of northern Alaska and Greenland, nesting the
same as others of the species. The two or
three eggs are laid in June. They are greenish
brown in color and are marked with dark
brown. Size 1.75 × 1.25. Data.–Hudson Bay,
August 1, 1894. Eggs laid on the ground in
the moss; no nest except the hollow in the
moss.

63. Gull-billed Tern. Gelochelidon nilotica.

Pale greenish buff.

Range.–Found in North America along the Gulf Coast and on the Atlantic
Coast north to Virginia and casually farther.

This is one of the largest of the Terns,
is 14 inches long, has a short, thick, black
bill and a short slightly forked tail; the
crown is black, mantle pearly gray, white
below. This species is very widely distributed,
being found in Europe, Australia,
Asia and Africa. They are known
locally as “Marsh Terns” where they
breed in immense numbers on some of
the marshes about the Gulf, particularly
in Texas. They also breed on many of
the islands along the Coast, rarely making
any nest, but laying the eggs in a
hollow in the sand. They nest most
abundantly in the latter part of May,
generally laying three eggs. They are
of a yellowish, grayish or greenish buff
color and are spotted with brown and lilac. Size 1.80 × 1.30. Data.–Northampton
Co., Va., May 28, 1882. Three eggs laid on a mass of seaweed on marsh
above tide water.

64. Caspian Tern. Sterna caspia.

Range.–Like the preceding species, this bird is nearly cosmopolitan in its
range, in North America breeding from the Gulf Coast and Texas northward
to the Arctic Regions.

Grayish buff.

This beautiful bird is the largest of the Tern family, being about 22 inches in
length, with the tail forked about 1.5 inches. The bill is large, heavy and
bright red; the crest, with which this and the next three species are adorned,
is black. The mantle is pale
pearl and the under parts
white. These Terns sometimes
nest in large colonies
and then again only a few
pairs will be found on an
island. In Texas, the breeding
season commences in
May, it being later in the
more northern breeding
grounds. They may be regarded
as largely eastern
birds, as while they are common
in the interior of the
country, they are rarely found
on the Pacific Coast. Two or
three eggs constitute a complete
set; these are laid on
the sand in a slight hollow scooped out by the birds. They vary from gray to
greenish buff, marked with brown and lilac. Size 2.60 × 1.75. Data.–Hat Island,
Lake Michigan, July 1, 1896. No nest. Two eggs in a hollow in the
gravel. Fully a thousand terns nesting on about one acre. Collector, Charles
L. Cass.

Gull-billed Tern.
Caspian Tern.
Royal Tern.

65. Royal Tern. Sterna maxima.

Range.–Temperate North and South America,
breeding in the United States locally from Texas
and the Gulf States northward to the northern
boundary of the United States.

Grayish buff.

The Royal Terns nest in great numbers on the
coasts and islands on the South Atlantic and
Gulf States and in the marshes of southern Texas.
Like the former species they lay two or three
eggs in a hollow on the bare sand. The eggs are
the same size but differ in being more pointed
and having a lighter ground and with the markings
more bold and distinct. Size 2.60 × 1.70.

66. Elegant Tern. Sterna elegans.

Cream color.

Range.–Pacific Coast of South and Central
America; north to California in summer.

A similar bird to the Royal Tern, but easily
distinguished by its smaller size,
slender bill, and more graceful
form. In the breeding plumage
the under parts of these Terns
are tinged with rosy, which
probably first gave the birds
their name. They breed on the
coasts and islands of Mexico and
Central America, placing their
eggs on the sand. They are believed
to lay but a single egg,
like that of the Royal Tern, but
smaller. Size 2.40 × 1.40. Data.–Honduras,
Central America,
June 5, 1899. Single egg laid on
the sandy beach.

Elegant Tern.
Cabot’s Tern.

67. Cabot Tern. Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida.

Range.–A tropical species breeding regularly
north to the Bahamas and Florida; casually
farther north.

Cream color.

A beautiful bird distinguished
from the three preceding ones by its smaller size
(sixteen inches) and by the bill which is black
with a yellow tip. They nest in colonies on the
shores of islands in the West Indies and Bahamas,
but not to a great extent on the United States
Coast. Their two or three eggs have a creamy
ground color, and are boldly marked with brown
and black. Size 2.10 × 1.40.

68. Trudeau’s Tern. Sterna trudeaui.

Range.–South America; accidentally along the coast of the United States.

A rare and unique species with a form similar to the following, but with the
coloration entirely different. About fifteen inches in length; tail long and
deeply forked; bill yellow with a band of black about the middle. Whole head
pure white, shading into the pearly color of the upper and under parts. A
narrow band of black through the eye and over the ear coverts. A very rare
species that is supposed to breed in southern South America. Given a place
among North American birds on the strength of a specimen seen by Audubon
off Long Island.

Forsters Tern.
Common Tern.

69. Forster’s Tern. Sterna forsteri.

Range.–Temperate North America, breeding
from Manitoba, Mass., and California, south to
the Gulf Coast and Texas.

Length about fifteen inches; tail long and deeply
forked; crown black, back and wings pearl and
under parts white. Bill orange red. This species
and the three following are the most graceful
of birds in appearance and flight. Their movements
can only be likened to those of the Swallows,
from which they get the name of “Sea Swallows.”
Their food consists of fish, which they
get by diving, and marine insects. They breed by
thousands in the marshes from Manitoba to Texas
and along the South Atlantic coast. The eggs are
laid in a hollow on the dry grassy portions of the
islands or marshes. They generally lay three
eggs and rarely four. They are buffy or brownish
spotted with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.80 × 1.30.
Data.–Cobb’s Island, Va., June 8, 1887. Eggs in a hollow on grassy
bank. Collector, F. H. Judson.

Brownish buff.

70. Common Tern. Sterna hirundo.

Range.–Eastern North America, breeding both on the coast and in the interior
from the Gulf States northward.

Buff.

This bird differs from the preceding chiefly in having a bright red bill tipped
with black, and the under parts washed with pearl. These are the most common
Terns on the New England coast, nesting
abundantly from Virginia to Newfoundland.
These beautiful Terns, together with
others of the family, were formerly killed
by thousands for millinery purposes, but the
practice is now being rapidly stopped. In
May and June they lay their three, or sometimes
four eggs on the ground as do the
other Terns. They are similar to the preceding
species but average shorter. Data.–Duck
Is., Maine, June 30, 1896. Three eggs
in marsh grass about fifty feet from beach.
No nest. Collector, C. A. Reed.

71. Arctic Tern. Sterna paradisaea.

Arctic Tern.
Roseate Tern.
Aleutian Tern.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, breeding from
New England northward to the Arctic Regions
and wintering south to California and the South
Atlantic States. A similar bird to the last, differing
in having the bill wholly red and the feet being
smaller and weak for the size of the bird. A
more northern bird than the last, breeding abundantly
in Alaska, both on the coast and in the interior.
In the southern limits of its breeding
range, it nests in company with the Common
Tern, its nests and eggs being indistinguishable
from the latter. When their nesting grounds are
approached, all the birds arise like a great white
cloud, uttering their harsh, discordant “tearrr,
tearrr,” while now and then an individual, bolder
than the rest, will swoop close by with an angry
“crack.” On the whole they are timid birds, keeping
well out of reach. The nesting season is
early in June. Eggs like the preceding. Data.–Little
Duck Is., Me., June 29, 1896. Three eggs
in a slight hollow on the beach, three feet above
high water mark.

72. Roseate Tern. Sterna dougalli.

Range.–Temperate North America on the east
coast, breeding from New England to the Gulf.

Grayish or Brownish.

These are the most beautiful birds, having a
delicate pink blush on the under parts during
the breeding season; the tail is very long and deeply forked, the outer feathers
being over five inches longer than the middle ones; the bill is red with a
black tip. They nest in large colonies on the islands from Southern New England
southward, placing the nests in the short grass, generally without any
lining. They lay two or three eggs which are indistinguishable from the
two preceding species.

73. Aleutian Tern. Sterna aleutica.

Range.–Found in summer in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

South in winter to Japan. This handsome Tern is of the form and size
of the Common Tern, but has a darker mantle, and the forehead is white,
leaving a black line from the bill to the eye. They nest on islands off the coast
of Alaska, sometimes together with the Arctic Tern. The eggs are laid upon
the bare ground or moss, and are similar to the Arctic Terns, but average narrower.
They are two or three in number and are laid in June and July. Size
1.70 × 1.15. Data.–Stuart Is., Alaska. Three eggs in a slight hollow in the moss.

Least Tern.
Sooty Tern.

74. Least Tern. Sterna antillarum.

Range.–From northern South America to
southern New England, Dakota and California,
breeding locally throughout its range.

These little Sea Swallows are the smallest of
the Terns, being but 9 inches in length. They
have a yellow bill with a black tip, a black crown
and nape, and white forehead. Although small,
these little Terns lose none of the grace and beauty
of action of their larger relatives.

Light buff.

They nest
in colonies on the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts,
placing their eggs upon the bare sand, where they
are sometimes very difficult to see among the
shells and pebbles. They are of a grayish or
buffy color spotted with umber and lilac. They
number two, three and rarely four, and are laid
in May and June. Size 1.25 × .95. Data.–DeSota
Beach, Fla., May 20, 1884. Three eggs laid on
the sandy beach. Collector, Chas. Graham.

75. Sooty Tern. Sterna fuscata.

Creamy white.

Range.–Tropical America, north to the South
Atlantic States. This species measures 17 inches
in length; it has a brownish black mantle, wings
and tail, except the outer feathers of the latter which are white; the forehead
and under parts are white, the crown and a line from the eye to the bill, black.
This tropical species is very numerous at
its breeding grounds on the small islands
of the Florida Keys and the West Indies.
They lay but a single egg, generally placing
it on the bare ground, or occasionally
building a frail nest of grasses. The egg
has a pinkish white or creamy ground
and is beautifully sprinkled with spots of
reddish brown and lilac. They are laid
during May. Size 2.05 × 1.45. Data.–Clutheria
Key, Bahamas, May 28, 1891.
Single egg laid on bare ground near water.
Collector, D. P. Ingraham.

Black Tern.
Noddy.
Black Skimmer.

76. Bridled Tern. Sterna anaetheta.

Range.–Found in tropical regions of both hemispheres;
casual or accidental in Florida. This
Tern is similar to the last except that the nape
is white and the white of the forehead extends
in a line over the eye.

Creamy white.

The Bridled Tern is common
on some of the islands of the West Indies
and the Bahamas, nesting in company with the
Sooty Terns and Noddies. The single egg is laid
on the seashore or among the rocks. It is creamy
white beautifully marked with brown and lilac.
Size 1.85 × 1.25. Data.–Bahamas, May 9, 1892.
Single egg laid in a cavity among the rocks. Collector,
D. P. Ingraham.

77. Black Tern. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis.

Range.–Temperate America, breeding from the
middle portions of the United States northward
to Alaska; south in winter beyond the United
States Border.

The identity of these Terns cannot be mistaken.
They are but ten inches in length; the whole head, neck and under parts are
black; the back, wings and tail are slaty and the under tail coverts are white.
Their dainty figure with their long slender wings gives them a grace and airiness,
if possible, superior to other species of the family.

Deep greenish brown.

They are very active
and besides feeding upon all manner of marine
crustacea, they capture many insects in the air.
They nest in large colonies in marshes, both along
the coast and in the interior, making a nest of
decayed reeds and grasses, or often laying their
eggs upon rafts of decayed vegetation which are
floating on the water. The nesting season commences
in May, they laying three eggs of a brownish
or greenish color, very heavily blotched with
blackish brown. Size 1.35 × .95. Data.–Winnebago
City, Minn., May 31, 1901. Three eggs. Nest
made of a mass of weeds and rushes floating on
water in a swamp. Collector, R. H. Bullis.

Greenish buff.

78. White-winged Black Tern. Hydrochelidon leucoptera.

Range.–Eastern Hemisphere, its addition to American
birds being made because of the accidental
appearance of one bird in Wisconsin in 1873. They
nest very abundantly among the lakes and marshes
of southern Europe, placing their
eggs the same as the American species,
upon masses of decayed reeds
and stalks.

Buff.

They lay three eggs
which have a somewhat brighter
appearance than the common Black
Terns because of a somewhat lighter
ground color.

79. Noddy. Anous stolidus.

Range.–Tropical America, north to the
Gulf and South Atlantic States.

Noddy.

A peculiar
but handsome bird (about fifteen inches long),
with a silvery white head and the rest of the
plumage brownish, and the tail rounded.

They breed in abundance on some of the Florida
Keys, the West Indies and the Bahamas.

Their nests are made of sticks and grass, and
are placed either in trees or on the ground.
They lay but a single egg with a buffy or
cream colored ground spotted with chestnut
and lilac. Size 2.00 × 1.30. Atwood’s Key,
Bahamas, June 1, 1891. Nest made of sticks
and grasses, three feet up a mangrove. Collector,
D. P. Ingraham.

SKIMMERS. Family RYNCHOPIDÆ

Skimmers are Tern-like birds having a very strangely developed bill. The
lower mandible is much longer than the upper and very thin, the upper edge
being as sharp as the lower. The lower mandible is rounded at the end while
the upper is more pointed. Young Skimmers are said to have both mandibles
of the same length, the abnormal development not appearing until after flight.
Skimmers are very graceful birds, and, as implied by their name, they skim
over the surface of the water, rising and falling with the waves, and are said
to pick up their food by dropping the lower mandible below the surface, its thin
edge cutting the water like a knife. There are four species of Skimmers, only
one of which is found in North America.

80. Black Skimmer. Rynchops nigra.

Buffy yellow.

Range.–The South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, breeding from New Jersey
southward. The Black Skimmer is about eighteen inches in length, and besides
the remarkable bill is a bird of striking plumage; the forehead, ends of
the secondaries, tail feathers and under parts are white; the rest of the plumage
is black and the basal half of the bill is crimson. Skimmers nest in large
communities, the same as do the Terns, laying their eggs in hollows in the
sand. They are partially nocturnal in their
habits and their hoarse barking cries may
be heard after the shadows of night have
enveloped the earth. Fishermen call them
by the names of “Cut-water” and “Sea Dog.”
The nesting season commences in May and
continues through June and July. They lay
from three to five eggs, having a creamy
or yellowish buff ground, blotched with
black, chestnut and lilac. Size 1.75 × 1.30.
Data.–Cobb’s Is., Va., June 8, 1894. Three
eggs laid in a hollow on the beach. No
nest.

TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS. Order III. TUBINARES.

ALBATROSSES. Family DIOMEDEIDAE

Black-footed Albatross.
Short-tailed Albatross.

Albatrosses are the largest of the sea birds and have an enormous expanse
of wing, the Wandering Albatross, the largest of the family, sometimes attaining
an expanse of fourteen feet. Their nostrils consist of two slightly projecting
tubes, one on each side near the base of the bill. They are unsurpassed
in powers of flight, but are only fair swimmers and rarely, if ever, dive, getting
their food, which consists of dead animal matter, from the surface of the water.

81. Black-footed Albatross. Diomedea nigripes.

Range.–North Pacific from California northward.
This Albatross is thirty-two inches in
length; it is of a uniform sooty brown color shading
into whitish at the base of the bill, which is
rounded. Like the other members of the family,
this species is noted for its extended flights, following
vessels day after day without any apparent
period of rest, for the purpose of feeding on the
refuse that is thrown overboard. They breed
during our winter on some of the small isolated
islands in the extreme southern portions of the
globe. They lay a single white egg on the bare
ground.

82. Short-tailed Albatross. Diomedea albatrus.

Range.–North Pacific Ocean in summer, from
Lower California to Alaska. With the exception
of the Wandering Albatross, which is now regarded
as doubtful as occurring off our coasts, the
Short-tailed Albatross is one of the largest of
the group, measuring thirty-six inches in length,
and has an extent of seven feet or more. With
the exception of the black primaries, shoulders
and tail, the entire plumage is white, tinged with
straw color on the back of the head. They breed
on the guano islands in the North Pacific off the
coasts of Alaska and Japan. They lay a single
white egg on the bare ground or rocks. As with
the other members of the family, the eggs are
extremely variable in size, but average about
4.25 × 2.50.

82.1. Laysan Albatross. Diomedea immutabilis.

Laysan Albatross.
Yellow-nosed Albatross.
Sooty Albatross.

Range.–Laysan Island of the Hawaiian Group,
appearing casually off the coast of California.
This species breeds in large numbers on the island
from which it takes its name. The birds are
white with the exception of the back, wings and
tail, which are black. The birds, having been little
molested in their remote island, are exceedingly
tame, and it is possible to go among the sitting
birds without disturbing them. Mr. Walter K.
Fisher has contributed an admirable report on
this species in the 1913 Bulletin of the Fish Commission,
the report being illustrated with numerous
illustrations of the birds from photos by the
author. Their single white eggs are laid on the
bare ground.

83. Yellow-nosed Albatross. Thalassogeron culminatus.

This is a species which inhabits the South Pacific
and Indian Oceans, and is said to rarely occur
on the California coast. They breed during
our winter on some of the small islands and during
our summer are ocean wanderers. An egg in
the collection of Col. John E. Thayer was taken on
Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean; Sept. 1st,
1888. The nest was a mound of mud and grass
about two feet in height. The single white egg
measured 3.75 × 2.25. It was collected by George
Comer.

84. Sooty Albatross. Phoebetria-palpebrata.

Range.–Southern seas, north in our summer along the Pacific coast of the
United States.

This species is entirely sooty brown except the white eyelids. It is similar
to the Black-footed Albatross from which species it can be distinguished in
all plumages by the narrow base of the bill, while the bill of the former species
is broad and rounded. They breed commonly on isolated islands in many
quarters of the southern hemisphere. Sometimes this species constructs a
mound of mud on which to deposit its single white egg, and also often lays
it on the bare ground or rock. A specimen in Mr. Thayer’s collection, taken
by Geo. Comer on So. Georgia Is. in the South Atlantic ocean, was laid in a
hollow among loose stones on the ledge of an overhanging cliff. Size 4.10 ×
2.75.

EGG OF SOOTY ALBATROSS–White.

FULMARS, SHEARWATERS and PETRELS

Family PROCELLARIDAE

Fulmars, Shearwaters and Petrels are Gull-like birds with two nostril tubes
located side by side, in a single tube, on the top of the bill at its base.

The Fulmars are mostly northern birds while the majority of the Shearwaters
nest in the extreme south during our winter, and appear off our coasts
during the summer. Their food consists of fish or offal which they get from
the surface of the water; large flocks of them hover about fishermen, watching
their chance to get any food which falls, or is thrown, overboard.

Fulmar.

85. Giant Fulmar. Macronectes gigantea.

Range.–This Petrel is a native of the southern
seas and is only casually met with off the
Pacific coast.

It is the largest of the family, being about
three feet in length, and is normally a uniform
sooty color, although it has light phases of
plumage. They nest in December on many of
the islands south of Africa and South America,
laying their single white egg on the bare rocks.

86. Fulmar. Fulmarus glacialis glacialis.

Range.–North Atlantic coasts from New
England northward, breeding from Hudson
Bay and southern Greenland northward.

This bird which is 19 inches in length, in the light phase has a plumage
very similar to that of the larger Gulls. They nest by thousands on rocky
islands of the north, often in company with Murres and Gulls. Owing to the
filthy habits of the Fulmars, these breeding grounds always have a nauseating
odor, which is also imparted to, and retained by the egg shell. Their
single white eggs are laid on the bare rocks, in crevices of the cliffs, often
hundreds of feet above the water. Size 2.90 × 2.00. Data.–St. Kilda, off Scotland.
June 5, 1897. Single egg laid on rock on side of sea cliff. Collector, Angus
Gillies.

Pacific Fulmar.
Slender-billed Fulmar.

86b. Pacific Fulmar. Fulmarus glacialis glupischa.

This sub-species of the preceding, has a darker
mantle than the common Fulmar; it is found on
the northern Pacific coasts where it breeds on
the high rocky cliffs, the same as its eastern
relative. They nest in large colonies, every
crevice in the rocks having its tenant. Their
flight is graceful like that of the Gulls, which
they closely resemble. They lay but a single
white egg, the average dimensions of which are
slightly smaller than those of the common Fulmar.
Data.–Copper Is., Alaska. May 14, 1889.
Egg laid in a crevice among the cliffs.

86.1. Rodger’s Fulmar. Fulmarus rodgers.

Range.–North Pacific, breeding in large numbers
on some of the islands in Bering Sea; south
to California in winter. Very similar to the two
preceding species except that the back is mixed
with whitish, it is not believed to have a dark
phase. Their breeding habits and eggs do not
differ from the common Fulmar. The eggs are
laid on the rocky cliffs during June.

87. Slender-billed Fulmar. Priocella glacialoides.

Range.–Southern seas, appearing on the Pacific coast of the United States
in the summer. This species has a paler mantle than the others of the family,
and the primaries are black. The make-up and plumage of the whole bird is
more like that of the Gulls than any of the others. They probably breed in
the far south during our winter, although we have no definite data relative
to their nesting habits.

Cory Shearwater.
Greater Shearwater.

88. Cory’s Shearwater. Puffinus borealis.

This species probably breeds in the far south.
It has been found only off the coast of Massachusetts
and Long Island. This is the largest
of our Shearwaters, and can be distinguished from
the next species by its wholly white underparts,
its light mantle and yellowish bill. We have no
data relative to its nesting habits.

89. Greater Shearwater. Puffinus gravis.

Range.–The whole of the Atlantic Ocean.

Thousands of them spend the latter part of the
summer off the New England coast, where they
are known to the fishermen as Haglets. Their
upper parts are brownish gray, darker on the
wings; bill and feet dark; underparts white, with
the middle of the belly and the under tail covers
dusky. Length about 20 inches. Little is
known concerning their nesting quarters, although
they are said to breed in Greenland.
From the fact of their early appearance off the
New England coast it is probable that the greater
part of them nest in the far south.

90. Manx Shearwater. Puffinus puffinus.

This species inhabits the North Atlantic ocean
chiefly on the European side, being abundant in
the Mediterranean and in the British Isles.

Audubon’s Shearwater.

Thesebirds deposit their single pure white eggs in
crevices among the cliffs, on the ground or in
burrows dug by themselves. Size of egg 2.35
× 1.60. Data.–Isle of Hay, North Scotland.
June 1, 1893. Single egg laid at the end of a
three foot burrow.

Egg of Audubon’s Shearwater–White.

91. Pink-footed Shearwater. Puffinus creatopus.

Pink-footed Shearwater.
Black-vented Shearwater.
Townsend’s Shearwater.

Range.–Pacific Ocean, north on American side
to California in summer.

This species, whose breeding habits are little
known, is similar in size and color to the Greater
Shearwater, differing chiefly in the yellowish bill
and pinkish colored feet.

92. Audubon’s Shearwater. Puffinus lherminieri.

Range.–Middle Atlantic, ranging north in late
summer to Long Island.

This bird, having a length of but twelve inches,
is the smallest of the Shearwaters found along our
coasts. Large colonies of them breed on some
of the small islands and keys of the West Indies
and Bahamas, and not so commonly in the Bermudas.
Their eggs, which are pure white, are deposited
at the end of burrows dug by the birds.
Size of egg 2.00 × 1.35. Their nesting season commences
about the latter part of March and continues
through April and May. After the young
are able to fly, like other members of the family,
the birds become ocean wanderers and stray
north to southern New England. Data.–Bahamas,
April 13, 1891. Single egg laid at the end of a
burrow about two feet in length. Collector, D.
P. Ingraham.

92.1. Allied Shearwater. Puffinus assimilis.

This is an Australian and New Zealand species
that has accidentally strayed to the shores of
Nova Scotia.

93. Black-vented Shearwater. Puffinus opisthomelas.

Range.–Middle Pacific coast of the Americas, north in late summer along
the coast of California. This species breeds commonly on the islands off the
coast of Lower California, especially on the Gulf side. Their single egg is
white, size 2.00 × 1.30, and is located at the end of a burrow. Data.–Natividad
Is., Lower California, April 10, 1897. Single egg laid on the sand at the
end of a burrow six feet in length. Collector, A. W. Anthony.

93.1. Townsend’s Shearwater. Puffinus auricularis.

This bird ranges from Cape St. Lucas, south along the Pacific coast of Mexico,
breeding on the Revillagigedo Islands off the Mexican coast.

Sooty Shearwater.

94. Sooty Shearwater. Puffins fuliginosus.

Range.–A common species off the Atlantic
coast in summer; breeds along our northern
coasts, and it is also supposed that many of
them nest in southern seas and reach our
coasts early in the summer. These Shearwaters
are entirely sooty gray, being somewhat
lighter below. They are called “black
haglets” by the fishermen, whose vessels they
follow in the hope of procuring bits of refuse.
They commonly nest in burrows in the ground,
but are also said to build in fissures among
the ledges. Their single white egg measures
2.55 × 1.75. Data.–Island in Ungava Bay,
northern Labrador, June 14, 1896. Egg laid in
a fissure of a sea cliff. Collector, A. N. McFord.

Dark-bodied Shearwater.
Slender-billed Shearwater.

95. Dark-bodied Shearwater. Puffinus griseus.

This is a southern species which, after having
nested on islands in the far south during
our winter, comes north and appears off the
Pacific coast of the United States during the
summer. It is a similar bird to the Sooty Shearwater,
but is considerably darker and the under
coverts are whitish. Their nesting habits are
the same as those of other members of the family.
Size of egg, 2.40 × 1.65. Data.–Stewart’s
Island, New Zealand, February 15, 1896. Single
egg at the end of a long burrow.

96. Slender-billed Shearwater. Puffinus tenuirostris.

Range.–Northern Pacific Ocean in the summer,
extending from Japan and Alaska southward.
Supposed to breed in the southern hemisphere,
as well as probably on some of the Aleutians
in Alaska.

96.1. Wedge-tailed Shearwater. Puffinus cuneatus.

Range.–North Pacific, breeding on the Revillagigedo
Islands off the coast of Mexico, and
probably on some of the small islands in the
Gulf of California.

97. Black-tailed Shearwater. Priofinus cinerus.

This is a Shearwater which inhabits the southern
hemisphere, but which has accidentally wandered
to the Pacific coast of the United States.
It is dark above and whitish below, with black
under tail coverts. It breeds in the far south.

Black-capped Petrel.
Scaled Petrel.
Fisher’s Petrel.

98. Black-capped Petrel. Æstrelata hasitata.

This is not a common species; it is an inhabitant
of tropical seas and has only been casually
found on our coasts or inland. It is a handsome
species with white forehead, underparts and nape
with a small isolated black cap on the crown;
the rest of the upper parts are blackish. It is a
native of the West Indies.

99. Scaled Petrel. Æstrelata scalaris.

This is another rare species which is an inhabitant
of southern seas. A single specimen
taken in New York State gives it a claim as a
doubtful North American species. It is a handsome
bird, the feathers of the grayish upperparts
being edged with white, thus giving it the appearance
of being barred. Its eggs have only been
known to science within the past few years.
Data.–Preservation Inlet, New Zealand, June 7,
1900. Single white egg. Size 2.40 × 1.75. Collector,
P. Seymour. Parent bird taken with the egg.

100. Fisher’s Petrel. Æstralata fisheri.

This is a handsome bird known only from the
type specimen taken off Kadiak Is., Alaska, by
Mr. Fisher.

101. Bulwer’s Petrel. Bulweria bulweri.

An eastern Atlantic species which is only an accidental visitant to our
shores. They breed on the Madeira Islands where the eggs are laid in crevices
among the rocks or in burrows in the ground. Size 1.75 × 1.55, white.

102. Pintado Petrel. Daption capensis.

This is the Cape Pigeon of the southern hemisphere. It has only accidentally
occurred on our coast.

Least Petrel.
Stormy Petrel.
Forked-tailed Petrel.

103. Least Petrel. Halocyptena microsoma.

Range.–Pacific coast of America from Lower
California to Panama. The Least Petrel is the
smallest of this family, in length measuring only
5.75 inches. Their plumage is entirely dark
sooty. They have been found breeding on San
Benito Island, Lower California, and they probably
do on others farther south. The single egg
that this bird lays is white with a wreath of fine
black specks around one and sometimes both
ends. Data.–San Benito Is., Lower California,
June 12, 1897. No nest, the egg being simply
laid on the bare rock in a crevice. Size 1.00
× .75. Collector, A. W. Anthony.

104. Storm Petrel. Thalassidroma pelagica.

North Atlantic Ocean chiefly on the European
side, wintering south to New Brunswick. Smallest
of the white rumped, black petrels; 5.75
inches in length.

White.

This species is the originally
called “Mother
Cary’s Chicken” by the
sailors. They nest abundantly
on many of the islands
off the coasts of
Europe and the British
Isles, laying their single
egg either in burrows or crevices among the cliffs.
Data.–Coast of County Kerry, Ireland, June 1,
1895. Single egg laid at the end of burrow in a
sea cliff. Size 1.05 × .80; white with a wreath of
very fine dots about the larger end. Collector,
G. H. McDonald.

105. Forked-tailed Petrel. Oceanodroma furcata.

Range.–North Pacific from California to Alaska, breeding in the Aleutians.

These birds have a plumage of bluish gray, the wings being darker and the
underparts lightest. The nests are made in burrows or crevices in the banks.
Data.–Uniak Is., Alaska, June 10, 1900. No nest. Single egg laid at the
end of a burrow. Several pairs nesting near. Egg white with a fine wreath
of purplish black specks about the large end. Size 1.25 × .95.

Kæding’s Petrel.
Leach’s Petrel.
Guadalupe Petrel.

105.2. Kæding’s Petrel. Oceanodroma kædingi.

This bird is similar to Leach Petrel, but is
smaller and the tail is less deeply forked. Its
range is from California to Panama breeding
on the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico.

106. Leach’s Petrel. Oceanodroma leucorhoa.

Range.–North Atlantic and North Pacific
Oceans, breeding from Maine and from the
Farallones, northward to Greenland and the Aleutians.

These are the most common of the Petrels
found on our coast; they are eight inches in
length, of a sooty brown color, and have a white
rump. The forked tail will at once distinguish
them from any of the Atlantic Petrels. They
nest in burrows in the ground, laying a pure
white egg, sometimes with a very faint dusty
wreath about the larger end. Size 1.20 × .95.
These birds generally take turns in the task of
incubation, one remaining at sea during the day
and returning at night while his mate takes her
turn roving the briny deep in search of food.

White.

The young are fed by
regurgitation upon an oily
fluid which has a very offensive
odor. This odor
is always noticeable about
an island inhabited by
Petrels and is always retained
by the eggs or skins
of these birds. They are very rarely seen flying in the vicinity of their nesting
island during the day; the bird that is on the nest will remain until removed
by hand. Data.–Pumpkin Is., Maine, June 22, 1893. Single egg; nest
of a few grasses at the end of a burrow dug in the bank. Collector, J. Lefavour.

White, nest stained.

106.1 Guadalupe Petrel. Oceanodroma macrodactyla.

This species, which is very similar to the preceding, except for a longer
and more deeply forked tail, breeds on Guadalupe
Is. Their eggs are white very minutely wreathed
with reddish brown; they are, however, nearly always
nest stained to an uneven brownish color.
Data.–Guadalupe Is., Lower California, March 24,
1897. Single egg laid on a few oak leaves and pine
needles at the end of a three foot burrow. Size of
egg 1.40 × 1.00. Collector, A. W. Anthony.

Black Petrel.
Ashy Petrel.

107. Black Petrel. Oceanodroma melania.

Range.–South Pacific, from southern California
southward, breeding on the small islands on
both coasts of Lower California. They are similar
to the Leach’s Petrel except that the rump is
blackish. Data.–San Benito Is., Lower California,
July 23, 1896. White egg laid on bare ground
at the end of three foot burrow. Size 1.40 × 1.
Collector, A. W. Anthony.

108. Ashy Petrel. Oceanodroma homochroa.

Range.–California coast, breeding on the Farallones
and Santa Barbara Islands.

This species, while not common, nests in all
manner of localities on the Farallones, concealing
their eggs under any rock or in any crevice
that may attract their fancy. Their single white
egg is only faintly if at all wreathed with fine
dust-like specks of reddish brown. Size 1.15 ×
.86. Data.–Farallone Is., California, June 12,
1895. Egg laid on sand in crevice at the base of
a stone wall; well concealed. Collector, Chester
Barlow.

108.1. Socorro Petrel. Oceanodroma socorroensis.

Breeds on Socorro, San Benito and Coronado
Islands, placing its eggs at the end of burrow.
Data.–San Benito Is., Lower California, July 12,
1897. Single egg at the end of a burrow 3 feet
in length. Egg pure white very finely wreathed
with pale reddish brown. Size 1.15 × .87. Collector,
A. W. Anthony.

Wilson’s Petrel.
White-billed Petrel.
White-faced Petrel.

109. Wilson’s Petrel. Oceanites oceanicus.

Breeds in the southern hemisphere in February
and March and spends the summer off the Atlantic
coast as far north as Newfoundland. This species
can be distinguished from Leach Petrel by
its square tail and from the Stormy Petrel by its
large size and yellow webs to its feet. These
birds are the greatest wanderers of the genus,
being found at different seasons in nearly all
quarters of the globe. Their single egg is white.
Size 1.25 × .90.

110. White-bellied Petrel. Fregetta grallaria.

A small species (length about 7.5 inches) inhabiting
southern seas. Recorded once at Florida.
General plumage blackish. Upper tail coverts,
bases of tail feathers, under wing coverts,
and abdomen, white.

111. White-faced Petrel. Pelagodroma marina.

Range.–Southern seas, accidentally north to
the coast of Massachusetts. This beautiful species
is of about the same size as the Leach’s
Petrel. It has bluish gray upper parts; the whole
under parts, as well as the forehead and sides
of head, are white.

White.

These birds have the same characteristics as do others of the species, pattering
over the water with their feet as they skim over the crests and
troughs of the waves. They are not uncommon in the waters about New
Zealand where they breed. Their single eggs are about the same as Leach’s
Petrel, are brilliant white and are, very strongly, for a Petrel egg, wreathed
about the large end with dots of reddish brown. Size 1.32 × .90. Data.–Chatham
Is., New Zealand, January 7, 1901. Egg laid at end of a burrow. Collector,
J. Lobb. This egg is in Mr. Thayer’s collection.

TOTIPALMATE SWIMMERS. Order IV. STEGANOPODES

TROPIC BIRDS. Family PHAETHONTIDAE

Tropic Birds are Tern-like birds, having all the toes connected by a web,
and having the two central tail feathers very much lengthened.

Yellow-billed Tropic Bird.
Red-billed Tropic Bird.

112. Yellow-billed Tropic Bird. Phæthon americanus.

Range.–Tropical regions, breeding in the Bahamas,
West Indies and the Bermudas, casual in
Florida and along the South Atlantic coast.

Dull purplish.

The Tropic Birds are the most strikingly
beautiful of all the sea birds; they are about 30
inches in length, of which their long slender tail
takes about 20 inches. They fly with the ease
and grace of a Tern, but with quicker wing beats.
They feed on small fish, which they capture by
darting down upon, and upon snails which they
get from the beach and ledges. They build their
nests in the crevices and along the ledges of the
rocky cliffs. While gregarious to a certain extent
they are not nearly as much so as the Terns.
The nest is made of a mass of seaweed and weeds;
but one egg is laid, this being of a creamy or pale
purplish ground color, dotted and sprinkled with
chestnut, so thickly as to often obscure the
ground color. Size 2.10 × 1.45. Data.–Coney Is.,
Bermudas, May 1, 1901. Nest made of moss and seaweed in a crevice on
ledge of cliff. Collector, A. H. Verrill.

113. Red-billed Tropic Bird. Phæthon æthereus.

Range.–Tropical seas, chiefly in the Pacific Ocean; north to southern
California.

Pale purplish.

They breed on several islands in the Gulf of California. This species differs
from the preceding in having a red bill, and the back being barred with black.
Their plumage has a peculiar satiny appearance and is quite dazzling when
viewed in the sunlight. They
are strong fliers and are met
with, hundreds of miles from
land. They often rest upon the
water, elevating their long tails
to keep them from getting wet.
They nest, as do the preceding
species, on rocky islands and
are said to also build their nests
in trees or upon the ground.
The single egg that they lay
has a creamy ground and is minutely
dotted with chestnut.
Size 2.40 × 1.55. Data.–Daphone
Is., Galapagos Is., South Pacific, March 6, 1901. Egg laid in hole of a sea cliff.
The eggs are easily told from those of the yellow-billed by their much larger
size. Collector, R. H. Beck.

Pale purplish ground color.

113.1 Red-tailed Tropic Bird. Phæthon rubricaudus.

Range.–Tropical regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, accidental off
the coast of Lower California.

This is a singularly beautiful species resembling the latter except that the
central tail feathers are bright red, with the extreme tips white. During
August and September they
breed in large colonies on
small islands in the South
Seas. On Mauritius Island
they build their nests either
in the trees or place them on
the ground; the nest is made
of seaweed, sticks and weeds;
numbers of them nest on
Laysan Is., of the Hawaiian
group, concealing their nests
on the ground under overhanging
brush.

The single egg has a pale
purplish ground speckled
with brown.

GANNETS. Family SULIDAE

Blue-faced Booby.
Blue-footed Booby.

Gannets are large stoutly built birds, having the four toes joined by a web;
they have a small naked pouch beneath the bill; the bill is a little longer than
the head, and the tail is quite short. The plumage of the adults is generally
white, that of the young grayish.

114. Blue-faced Booby. Sula syanops.

Range.–Widely distributed in the tropical seas,
north casually to Florida and breeding in the Bahamas.

Like the rest of the Gannets, this one is stupid
and will often remain on the nest until removed
with the hand, merely hissing at the intruder.
Often they lay their eggs on the bare ground, but
sometimes the nest is lined with seaweed or grass.
They lay either one or two eggs early in April.
These eggs are of a dull white color and are heavily
covered with a chalky deposit. Size 2.50 × 1.70.
Data.–Clarion Is., Mexico, May 24, 1897. Nest
a mere hollow in the sand near the beach. Collector,
A. W. Anthony.

114.1. Blue-footed Booby. Sula nebouxi.

Range.–Pacific coasts and islands from the
Gulf of California southward to Chili.

These birds nest in numbers on the island of
San Pedro Martir in the Gulf of California. They
lay but a single egg, placing it upon the bare
rock. Their breeding season extends from the
latter part of March into May. The egg is a dull
white, generally nest stained and is covered with
the usual chalky deposit. Size 2.35 × 1.60. Data.–Clarion
Island, Mexico, May 21, 1897. Two eggs
in a hollow in the sand near the beach. Collector,
A. W. Anthony.

Booby.
Red-footed Booby.

115. Booby. Sula leucogastra.

Range.–Tropical coasts and islands of the Atlantic;
north casually to Georgia.

Chalky bluish white, nest stained.

The common Booby is an abundant bird on
some of the islands of the Bahamas and Bermudas;
it is commonly called the Brown Booby because
the upper parts are of a brownish gray.
These birds, as do the other Gannets, have great
powers of flight and without apparent effort dart
about with the speed of an arrow. They are
quite awkward upon their feet and are not very
proficient swimmers. They rarely rest upon the
water except when tired. Hundreds and sometimes
thousands of them breed in company, laying
their eggs upon the bare rocks. Sometimes
a few sticks or grasses will be placed about the
bird to prevent the eggs from rolling away. They
generally lay two eggs, chalky white and nest
stained. Size 2.40 × 1.60. Data.–Key West, Bahamas,
April 14, 1891. No nest; two eggs laid on
the bare rocks.

115.1. Brewster’s Booby. Sula brewsteri.

Range.–Pacific coast from Lower California southward. This Gannet replaces
the common Booby on the Pacific coast. It nests abundantly on many
islands in the Gulf of California, and in company with the blue-footed variety,
on San Pedro Martir Island. They generally lay two eggs, placing them upon
the bare rocks and surrounding them with a ring of sticks and seaweed to keep
them in place. The eggs are chalky white and cannot be distinguished from
those of the other Boobies. Data.–San Benedicto Is., Lower California, May
18, 1897. Single egg laid on the sand amid a few blades of grass.

116. Red-footed Booby. Sula piscator.

This is another species that is only occasionally taken on the Florida coast.
The habits of the birds and their nesting habits are the same as those of the
others of the family. Two chalky white eggs are laid. Data.–San Benedicto
Is., Lower California, May 18, 1897. Single egg. Nest a few twigs of rank
grass. Collector, A. W. Anthony.

Ganet Anhinga.

117. Gannet. Sula bassana.

Range.–North Atlantic, breeding, in America,
only on Bird Rocks in the St. Lawrence.

These are the largest of the family, being 35
inches in length. They feed on fish which they
catch by diving upon, from the air. When flying
their neck is carried fully extended. They rest
on the water when tired, the numerous air cells
beneath the skin, causing them to sit high up in
the water and enabling them to weather the
severest storm in perfect safety. The only known
breeding place in America is Bird Rocks, where
they nest by thousands, placing their nests in
rows on the narrow ledges; the nests are made
of piles of seaweed, mud and stones. They lay
but one egg of dingy white color and covered with
a chalky deposit. On St. Kilda Island, off the
coast of Scotland, they breed by millions. They
are very tame and will frequently allow themselves
to be touched with the hand. It is said
that thousands of the young are killed by fishermen
every year and marketed in Edinburg and
other places. Data.–St. Kilda Island, Scotland,
June 18, 1896. Single egg laid on a large mass of
seaweed on a sea cliff. Collector, H. McDonald.

DARTERS. Family ANHINGIDAE

118. Water Turkey. Anhinga anhinga.

Range.–Tropical America, north to the South Atlantic States and up the
Mississippi Valley to Illinois.

Chalky bluish white.

Anhingas or Snake Birds are curiously formed creatures with a Heron-like
head and neck, and the body of a Cormorant. They live in colonies in inaccessible
swamps. Owing to their thin and light bodies, they are remarkable
swimmers, and pursue and catch fish
under water with ease. When alarmed
they have a habit of sinking their
body below water, leaving only their
head and neck visible, thereby having
the appearance of a water snake.
They also fly well and dive from their
perch into the water with the greatest
celerity.

They nest in colonies in the swamps,
placing their nests of sticks, leaves
and moss in the bushes over the
water. They breed in April, laying
from three to five bluish eggs, covered with a chalky deposit. Size 2.25 × 1.35.
Data.–Gainesville, Florida, May 18, 1894. Nest in the top of a button-wood
tree, made of leaves and branches, overhanging the water. Collector, George
Graham.

PELICAN POND.
Washington Zoological Park.

CORMORANTS. Family PHALACROCORACIDÆ

Cormorants have a more bulky body than do the Anhingas; their tail is
shorter and the bill strongly hooked at the tip. Cormorants are found in
nearly all quarters of the globe. They are very gregarious and most species
are maritime. They feed upon fish which they catch by pursuing under water.
Most of the Cormorants have green eyes.

119. Cormorant. Phalacrocorax carbo.

Cormorant.
Double-crested Cormorant.

Range.–The Atlantic coast breeding from Maine
to Greenland.

The common Cormorant or Shag is one of the
largest of the race, having a length of 36 inches.

In breeding plumage, the black head and neck
are so thickly covered with the slender white
plumes as to almost wholly obscure the black.

Chalky greenish or bluish white.

There is also a large white patch on the flanks.
They nest in colonies on the rocky shores of Newfoundland
and Labrador, placing their nests of
sticks and seaweed in rows along the high ledges,
where they sit, as one writer aptly expresses it,
like so many black bottles. A few pairs also nest
on some of the isolated rocky islets off the Maine
coast. During the latter part of May and during
June they lay generally four or five greenish
white, chalky looking eggs. Size 2.50 × 1.40. Data.–Black
Horse Rock, Maine coast, June 6, 1893.
Four eggs in a nest of seaweed and a few sticks;
on a high ledge of rock. Collector, C. A. Reed.

120. Double-crested Cormorant. Phalacrocorax auritus auritus.

Range.–The Atlantic coast and also in the interior, breeding from Nova
Scotia and North Dakota northward.

This is a slightly smaller bird than carbo, and in the nesting season the white
plumes of the latter are replaced by tufts of black and white feathers from
above each eye. On the coast they nest the same as carbo and in company with
them on rocky islands. In the interior they place their nests on the ground or
occasionally in low trees on islands in the lakes. They breed in large colonies,
making the nests of sticks and weeds and lay three or four eggs like those of
the common Cormorant but averaging shorter. Size 2.30 × 1.40. Data.–Stump
Lake, North Dakota, May 31, 1897. Nest of dead weeds on an island. Six eggs.
Collector, T. F. Eastgate.

NESTS OF DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS.

120a. Florida Cormorant. Phalacrocorax auritus floridanus.

This sub-species is a common breeding bird in the swamps and islands of the
Gulf coast and north to South Carolina and southern Illinois. The nests are
placed in the mangroves in some of the most impenetrable swamps and are
composed of twigs and lined with leaves or moss. They lay three or four chalky
bluish white eggs. Size 2.30 × 1.40. Data.–Bird Is., Lake Kissimee, Florida,
April 5, 1898. Three eggs. Nest made of weeds and grass, in a willow bush.

120b. White-crested Cormorant. Phalacrocorax auritus cincinatus.

Range.–Northwestern coast of North America, breeding in Alaska, and south
to the northern boundary of the United States, breeding both in the interior
and on the coast, in the former case generally on the ground or in low trees
on swampy islands and in the latter, on the rocky cliffs of the coasts and
islands. The nests are built in the same fashion as the other Cormorants, and
the three to five eggs are similar. Size 2.45 × 1.40.

120c. Farallon Cormorant. Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus.

Range.–This sub-species breeds on the coasts and islands of California and
southward.

In company with other species of Cormorants, these birds breed in large
numbers on the Farallones, placing their nests well up on the higher ridges and
rocks. They breed most abundantly during May. When nesting on the inland
islands, they place their nests in low bushes. Their nests and eggs are similar
to those of the other Cormorants. Size 2.40 × 1.50. Data.–Farallones, California.
Nest of weeds and seaweed on the rocks. Collector, W. O. Emerson.

121. Mexican Cormorant. Phalacrocorax vigua mexicanus.

Greenish white.

Range.–Breeds abundantly from southern Texas, south through Mexico;
north rarely to Kansas; has recently
been found breeding in limited number
on some of the Bahamas. In the
interior they nest in trees, chiefly
those overhanging or growing in the
water. On the coasts they nest on the
rocky ledges, as do the other Cormorants.
They nest in colonies building
their abode of twigs and weeds, and
during May laying three or four eggs,
greenish white in color and chalky, as
are all the Cormorants. Size 2.25 × 1.35.

120c–122.

122. Brandt’s Cormorant. Phalacrocorax penicillatus.

Range.–Pacific coast breeding along the whole coast
of the United States.

This species is found more abundantly on the Farallones
than is the Farallone Cormorant. Like the other
Cormorants breeding on these islands, these cling closely
to their nests, for fear of being robbed by the Gulls, that
are ever on the watch to steal either eggs or young.
Their nesting habits and eggs are identical with those of
the other species. Size 2.50 × 1.50. Data.–Bird Island,
California, May 24, 1885. A very bulky nest of seaweed
on the rocks. Collector, A. M. Ingersoll.

123. Pelagic Cormorant. Phalacrocorax pelagicus pelagicus.

Range.–Coast of Alaska.

These are perhaps the most beautiful species of Cormorants,
having brilliant violet green metallic reflections
and, in the breeding plumage, crests on the forehead
and nape, as well as large white flank patches.
They breed in large colonies on the Aleutian Islands,
placing their nests of sticks and sea mosses on the rocky
ledges, often hundreds of feet above the sea level. Three
or four eggs are laid during May and June. The young
birds when hatched are naked and black, and are repulsive
looking objects, as are those of all the other Cormorants. The eggs
are greenish white with the usual calcareous deposit. Size 2.30 × 1.40.

123b–124.

123a. Violet-green Cormorant. Phalacrocorax pelagicus robustus.

This sub-species is found on the Pacific coast from Washington to the Aleutian
Islands. Their habits and nests and eggs are the same as those of the
Pelagic Cormorant, nesting on the high cliffs of the
rocky islands. The eggs are the same size as those of
the preceding.

123b. Baird’s Cormorant. Phalacrocorax pelagicus resplendens.

This variety breeds on the Pacific coast from Washington
south to Mexico. They nest on the Farallones,
but in smaller numbers than the other varieties found
there. Both the birds and their eggs are smaller than
the preceding. Size of eggs 2.20 × 1.40.

124. Red-faced Cormorant. Phalacrocorax urile.

Range.–Southwest coast of Alaska, migrating to
Japan in the winter.

This species differs from the Pelagic chiefly in having
the forehead bare. They do not differ in their breeding
habits from others of the family. That the Cormorants
are expert fishermen may be seen from the fact that the
Chinese tame and have them catch fish for them, placing
a ring around their neck to prevent their swallowing the
fish. Their nesting places are very filthy, being covered
with excrement and remains of fish that are strewn
around the nests. They breed in June laying three or
four eggs. Size 2.50 × 1.50.

PELICANS. Family PELECANIDÆ

Pelicans are large, short legged, web footed (all four toes joined by a web)
birds, the most noticeable feature of which is the long bill with its enormous
pouch suspended from lower mandible. This pouch, while normally contracted,
is capable of being distended to hold several quarts. It is used as a scoop in
which to catch small fish. Their skin is filled with numerous air cells, making
them very light and buoyant.

125. American White Pelican. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos.

Range.–Temperate North America, breeding in the interior, from Utah and
the Dakotas northward. These large birds, reaching a length of five feet, are
entirely white except for the black primaries. They get their food by approaching
a school of small fish and, suddenly dipping their head beneath the surface,
sometimes scoop up a large number of fish at a time; after allowing the
water to run out of the sides of the mouth, they proceed to swallow their catch.
They nest in large communities on islands in some of the inland lakes.

Great Salt Lake, Utah, and Shoal Lake, Manitoba, furnish breeding ground
for many thousands of Pelicans. They build their simple nests on the ground,
making them of sticks and weeds. They generally lay two eggs, but often
three or four. Size 3.45 × 2.30. Data.–Egg Island, Great Salt Lake, June 19,
1884. Two eggs. Nest a slight hollow in the ground, surrounded by a few
sticks. Collector, F. F. Leonard.

Chalky white.

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN.

Brown Pelican.
White Pelican.

126. Brown Pelican. Pelecanus occidentalis.

Range.–Found on the South Atlantic and Gulf
coasts of the United States.

Brown Pelicans are about 50 inches in length;
they have a blackish and grayish body and a
white head and neck with a brown stripe down
the back of the latter. The pouch is a dark greenish
brown. This species is maritime and is not
found inland. They breed in large colonies on
many of the islands in the Gulf of Mexico and on
Pelican Island on the east coast of Florida, in
which latter place they are now protected from
further depredations at the hand of eggers and
gunners.

Chalky white.

Their fishing tactics differ from those
of the White Pelican. They dive down upon the
school of fish from the air and rarely miss making
a good catch. Their nests are quite bulky structures made of sticks and
weeds and grasses. These are generally located on the ground but occasionally
in low mangroves, these latter nests being more bulky than the ground ones.
They lay from two to five chalky white eggs during May and June. Size 3. ×
1.90. Data.–Tampa Bay, Fla., May 29, 1894. Three eggs. Nest in the top of
a stout mangrove; made of sticks, branches and leaves. Collector, Geo. Graham.

127. California Brown Pelican. Pelecanus californicus.

Range.–Pacific coast from British Columbia south to the Galapagos Islands.

This bird is similar to the preceding, but larger and the pouch is reddish.
They breed abundantly on the Coronado Islands and southward. Their habits,
nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the Brown Pelican. Size of
the three or four chalky white eggs is 3.10 × 1.95. Data.–Coronado Islands,
Calif., March 28, 1897. Three eggs. Nest of sticks, lined with green leaves,
located on the ground. Collector, H. McConville.

MAN-O’-WAR BIRDS. Family FREGATIDÆ

128. Man-o’-war Bird. Fregata aquila.

Man-O’-War Bird.

Range.–Tropical seas, north regularly in America to the South Atlantic and
Gulf coasts, casually farther.

Man-o’-war Birds or “Frigates,” as they are
often called, are remarkable birds in many respects.
In comparison with their weight they
have the largest expanse of wing of any known
bird. Weighing only about four pounds they have
an extent of from seven to eight feet, their wings
being extremely long and pointed.

White.

The length of
the bird is about 40 inches, of which the tail comprises
about 18 in., 10 inches of this being forked.
They have a large bright orange gular sac, a long,
hooked bill, and small slightly webbed feet. Their
powers of flight combine the strength of the
Albatrosses and the grace of the Terns. They
are very poor swimmers and do not dive, so are
forced to procure their food by preying upon the
Gulls and Cormorants, forcing them to drop their
fish, which the pirates catch before it reaches the
water. They also feed upon flying fish, catching
them in the air, whither they have been driven by
their enemies in their natural element. They nest in large colonies on some of
the Bahama Islands and on some of the small Florida Keys. Their nests are
small frail platforms of sticks and twigs and the single egg is laid in March
and April. It is white and has a smooth surface. Size 2.80 × 1.90. Data.–Key
Verde, Bahamas, March 6, 1889. Single egg. Nest a frail affair of sticks on a
cactus. Collector, D. P. Ingraham.

Order V. ANSERES

DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS. Family ANATIDAE

The birds comprising this family are of greatly varying sizes, but all have
webbed feet, and generally the bill is broader than high, and is serrated on the
edges or provided with gutters to act as a strainer in assisting the birds to
gather their food.

American Merganser.
Red-breasted Merganser.

129. Merganser. Mergus americanus.

Range.–North America, breeding from the
northern border of the United States northward.

The three species of Mergansers are almost
exclusively fish eating birds. Therefore their flesh
is unpalatable and they are known as “Fish
Ducks.”

Brownish buff.

They are also sometimes called “Sawbills”
because of the teeth-like serration on both
the upper and the under mandibles. Unlike the
other species of ducks, their bills are long, slender
and rounded instead of being broad and flat;
it is also hooked at the tip. Like the Cormorants,
they often pursue and catch fish under the water,
their teeth-like bills enabling them to firmly hold
their prey.

The American Mergansers, Goosanders, or Sheldrakes,
as they are often called, are found both
on the coast and in the interior. Except in certain
mountainous regions, they breed chiefly north
of the United States. The male bird has no crest
and the head is a beautiful green, while the female has a reddish brown crest
and head, shading to white on the chin. They build their nest in hollow trees
near the water. It is made of grasses, leaves and moss and is lined with feathers
from the breast of the female. During May, they lay from six to ten eggs
of a creamy or buff color. Size 2.70 × 1.75. Data.–Gun Is., Lake Winnipeg.
June 16, 1903. Eleven eggs in a nest of white down, located between two large
boulders. Collector, Walter Raine.

Hooded Merganser.
Mallard.

130. Red-breasted Merganser. Mergus serrator.

Range.–North America, breeding from northern
United States northward.

This species is more abundant than the preceding.
It is slightly smaller, being 22 inches in
length, and the male is crested. Found abundantly
in the United States in winter. Breeds commonly
in the interior of British America and in
Labrador and Newfoundland. They make their
nests on the ground, near the water, concealing
them under rocks or tufts of grass. The nest is
made of grasses, leaves and moss and lined with
feathers. They lay, generally, about ten eggs of
a buffy or greenish buff color. Size 2.50 × 1.70.
Data.–Lake Manitoba, N. W. Canada. Two eggs
in a hollow lined with down, under a patch of rose
bushes near shore. Collector, Jos. Hamaugh.

131. Hooded Merganser. Lophodytes cucullatus.

Grayish white.

Range.–North America, breeding locally throughout
its range, in the interior. These are beautiful
little Ducks distinguished from all others by the semi-circular, compressed
crest which is black with an enclosed white area. They make their nests in
hollow trees, in wooded districts near the water, lining the cavity with
grasses and down. They lay ten or twelve grayish white eggs. Size 2.15 × 1.70.

132. Mallard. Anas platyrhynchos.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, breeding in America from northern United
States northward, and wintering south to Panama and the West Indies.

Contrasting with the preceding Fish Ducks, the Mallards are regarded as
one of the most esteemed table birds. They feed on mollusks and marine
insects which they generally reach by tipping in shallow water. They nest in
many localities in the United States but more abundantly north of our borders.
They nest in fields in close proximity to ponds or lakes, placing their nests
of grasses and feathers in the tall grass. In May and June they lay from six
to ten eggs of a buffy or olive color. Size 2.25 × 1.25. Data.–San Diego, California,
May 19, 1897. Nest made of grass, lined with down, placed on the edge
of a field near a pond.

NEST AND EGGS OF AMERICAN MERGANSER.

This species usually nest in holes in trees, but on this island
they were nesting
in holes under boulders.

Black Duck.
Florida Duck.

133. Black Duck. Anas rubripes.

Range.–Eastern North America, breeding from
the middle portions north to the Hudson Bay territory
and Labrador.

Pale greenish buff.

Throughout their breeding region, one or more
pairs of these ducks nest in nearly every favorable
locality. Their nests are placed on the ground
in marshes, swamps or fields bordering a pond
or lake, the nest being concealed in the long grass
or reeds. They breed in equal abundance, either
in the interior or along the sea coast; in the latter
case their nests are often placed beside of, or
under an overhanging rock. It is made of weeds,
grass and moss and is lined with feathers and
down. They lay from six to twelve eggs during
May and June; these are buff or greenish buff in
color. Size 2.30 × 1.70. Data.–Duck Is., Maine,
June 3, 1893. Nest of grasses, concealed in a
large tuft on water’s edge.

134. Florida Duck. Anas fulvigula fulvigula.

Range.–Florida and the Gulf of the Mississippi.

This is a similar, lighter colored, locally distributed race of the foregoing.
The most noticeable difference in plumage between this and the Black Duck is
the absence of markings on the chin. The habits are the same, and the eggs,
which are deposited in April, are similar to those of the Black Duck, but
smaller. Size 2.15 × 1.60.

Gadwall.
Widgeon.

134a. Mottled Duck. Anas fulvigula maculosa.

Range.–Gulf coast of Texas and up the Mississippi
Valley to Kansas.

The habits of this bird differ in no way from
the preceding ones. The six to ten eggs are
greenish buff in color. Size 2.15 × 1.55.

135. Gadwall. Chaulelasmus streperus.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, breeding in
America, chiefly in the United States and north
to Manitoba, chiefly in the interior.

Creamy buff.

South in winter to the Gulf. The males of these
birds may be identified by the white speculum
and the chestnut wing coverts. Gadwalls nest
on the ground among the reeds of marshes or in
the long grass of bordering fields; they make little
or no nest but line the cavity with down from
their breasts. They lay from seven to twelve
eggs of a creamy buff color. Size 2.10 × 1.60.
Data.–Benson Co., North Dakota, June 19, 1898.
Eight eggs. Nest on the ground among rank grass on a low island in Devils
Lake. Made of weeds lined with down. Collector, E. S. Rolfe.

Pale buff.

136. Widgeon. Mareca penelope.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere,
breeding in America, only in the
Aleutian Islands; rare or accidental
in other parts of the country.

The European Widgeon is similar
in build and plumage to the following
species, except that the
whole head, with the exception of
the white crown, is chestnut. They
build their nests in the rushes, making
them of reeds and grass and
lining them with feathers. They
lay from six to ten light buff colored
eggs. Size 2.20 × 1.50.

Baldpate.
Green-winged Teal.

137. Baldpate. Mareca americana.

Range.–North America, breeding in the interior
from Texas north to Hudson Bay.

The Baldpate (so-called because of the white
crown) or American Widgeon is a handsomely
marked bird and is regarded as a great table
delicacy.

Creamy white.

The male birds cannot be mistaken for
any other species because of the white crown,
wing coverts and underparts and the broad green
stripe, back of the eye. They breed locally in
many parts of the country, building their nests
of grass and weeds, neatly lined with feathers,
on the ground in marshes. They lay from six
to twelve creamy eggs. Size 2.15 × 1.50. Data.–Lac
Aux Morts, North Dakota. Eight eggs. Nest
of grass and down on ground in a grassy meadow.
Collector, E. S. Bryant.

138. European Teal. Nettion crecca.

An old world species that is casually found on
both coasts of America.

139. Green-winged Teal. Nettion carolinense.

Range.–Whole of North America,
breeding chiefly north of the United
States.

Buff.

A small, handsome species, the male of
which can readily be identified by the
reddish brown head and neck, with the
large green patch behind each ear; length
fourteen inches. Green-winged Teals are
our smallest representative of the Duck
family. They are eagerly sought by
sportsmen, both because of their beauty
and the excellence of their flesh. They
are among the most common of Ducks in
the interior, where they nest generally in
tufts of grass along ponds, lakes or
brooks. Nest of grass and weeds, lined with down from the bird. Eggs buffy,
four to ten in number. Size 1.85 × 1.25.

Blue-winged Teal.
Cinnamon Teal.

140. Blue-winged Teal. Querquedula discors.

Range.–North America, breeding from northern
United States northward; rare on the Pacific
coast.

Another small species, known by the blue wing
coverts and the white crescent in front of eye.
They nest in the same localities with the preceding
species, placing their nest of grass and weeds
on the ground in meadows near water. Eggs
buffy white. Six to twelve in number. Size 1.90 ×
1.30.

141. Cinnamon Teal. Querquedula cyanoptera.

Range.–Western United States, chiefly west
of the Rocky Mountains. Casually east to Texas,
Illinois and British Columbia.

The Cinnamon Teal is another small Duck,
marked by the uniform rich chestnut plumage and
light blue wing coverts. The speculum is green.
The nesting habits are the same as those of the
Teals, the nests being placed on the ground in
marshes or fields near water. Their nests are
closely woven of grass and weeds and lined with
down and feathers from the breast of the bird.
The eggs are pale buff and number from six to
fourteen. Size 1.85 × 1.35.

141.1. Ruddy Sheldrake. Casarca ferruginea.

This is an Old World species that has accidentally
occurred in Greenland.

Pintail.
Shoveller.

142. Shoveller. Spatula clypeata.

Range.–Whole of North America, breeding in
the interior from Texas northward.

Lead gray.

This strikingly marked Duck is twenty inches
in length, has a green head and speculum, blue
wing coverts and chestnut belly. The bill is long
and broad at the tip. It makes its nest on the
ground in marshy places, of grass, weeds and
feathers. Six to ten eggs constitute a complete
set. They are greenish or leaden gray color.
Size 2.10 x 1.50. Data.–Graham’s Island, North
Dakota, May 28, 1899. Nest of dead weed stems
and grass, lined with down. Ten eggs. Collector,
E. S. Bryant.

143. Pintail. Dafila acuta.

Dull olive gray.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, breeding in
North America from northern United States northward,
wintering south to Panama. This species,
which is also known as the Sprig-tail, is very
common in the United States in the
spring and fall migrations. It is about
thirty inches long, its length depending
upon the development of the tail
feathers, the central ones of which are
long and pointed. They breed casually
in many sections of the United
States, but in abundance from Manitoba
to the Arctic Ocean. They nest
near the water, laying from six to
twelve eggs of dull olive color. Size
2.20 x 1.50. Data.–Graham’s Island,
Devil’s Lake, N. Dakota, June 15, 1900.
Ten eggs. Nest on the ground, of
weeds, lined with down. Colony breeding.
Collector, E. S. Bryant.

Wood Duck.
Redhead.

144. Wood Duck Aix sponsa.

Range.–Temperate North America, breeding
from Labrador and British Columbia south to
Florida.

Rich buff.

Bridal Duck is a name often given to this, the
most beautiful of all Ducks.

They are beautifully marked, have a large crest,
and are iridescent with all colors of the rainbow.
They frequent wooded country near ponds and
lakes, feeding on water insects and mollusks in
the coves. They build their nests in hollow trees
and stumps, often at quite a distance from the
water. When the young are a few days old, they
slide, scramble, or flutter down the tree trunk to
the ground below, and are led to the water. The
nest is made of twigs, weeds and grass, and warmly
lined with down. The eggs are a buff color
and number eight to fifteen. Size 2. × 1.5.

145. Rufous-crested Duck. Netta rufina.

A European species; a single specimen taken on Long Island in 1872.

Buffy.

146. Redhead. Marila americana.

Range.–North America at large,
breeding from northern United
States northward, chiefly in the interior.

A bird commonly seen in the
markets where it is often sold as
the following species because of
their similarity. The nests are
placed on the ground in marshes or
sloughs, and are made of grasses,
lined with feathers. Eggs from
six to fourteen in number, of a
buffy white color. Size 2.40 × 1.70.

WOOD DUCK.

Canvas-back.
American Scaup Duck.

147. Canvas-back. Marila valisineria.

Range.–Whole of North America, breeding
chiefly in the interior from the United States to
the Arctic Ocean.

A noted table bird, especially in the south
where it feeds on wild celery. Can be distinguished
from the Redhead by its darker head, lighter
back, and gradually sloping bill. They nest abundantly
in Manitoba, their habits being the same as
the preceding. They lay from six to ten eggs of
a darker shade than the Red-heads. Size 2.40 ×
1.70. Data.–Haunted Lake, N. Alberta, June 12,
1897. Ten eggs. Nest of reeds in a heavy reed
bed out in the lake. Collector, Walter Raine.

Pale greenish gray.

148. Scaup Duck. Marila marila.

Range.–North America, breeding from North
Dakota northward, chiefly in the interior; south
in winter to Central America.

This and the following species are widely known
as “Blue-bills” owing to the slaty blue color of
that member. Their plumage is black and white,
somewhat similar in pattern to that of the Redhead,
but darker, and the whole head is black.
They nest in marshes about many of the ponds and lakes in the interior of
British America. The nest is made of marsh grasses and lined with feathers.
The six to ten eggs are pale grayish or greenish gray. Size 2.50 × 1.70. Data.–

Saltcoats
Marshes, N. W. Canada, June 15, 1901. Ten eggs. Nest in the grass;
a depression lined with down and dried grasses. Collector, Walter Raine.

Lesser Scaup Duck.
Ring-necked Duck.

149. Lesser Scaup Duck. Marila affinis.

Range.–North America, breeding from North
Dakota and British Columbia northward; winters
south to Central America.

This Duck is distinguished from the preceding,
chiefly by its size which is about two inches less,
or 17 inches in length. The nesting habits are
the same as those of the Greater Scaup and the
eggs are similar but smaller. Size 2.25 × 1.55.
Data.–Northern Assiniboia, June 10, 1901. Ten
eggs on grass and down at the edge of a lagoon.
Collector, Walter Raine.

150. Ring-necked Duck. Marila collaris.

Lead gray.

Range.–North America, breeding in the interior,
from North Dakota and Washington northward.
Winters from Maryland on the east and
British Columbia on the west to Central America.

Similar to the Lesser Scaup in size and plumage,
except that it has a narrow chestnut collar
around the neck, the back is black instead of
barred with white, and the speculum is gray instead of white. The habits and
nesting habits of the Ring-neck do not differ from those of the other Scaups.
They lay from six to twelve eggs. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.–Cape Bathurst,
N. Y. T., June 18, 1901. Ten eggs in a slight hollow in the moss, lined with
down. Collector, Captain Bodfish.

American Golden-eye.
Barrow Golden-eye.

151. Golden-eye. Clangula clangula
americana.

Range.–North America, breeding both on the
coast and in the interior, from the northern border
of the United States northward to the Arctic
Ocean.

Grayish green.

These are handsome Ducks known as “Whistlers”
from the noise of their wings when flying,
and “Greatheads” because of the puffy crest. The
head is greenish with a large round white spot in
front of, and a little below the eye. The rest of
the plumage is black and white. This species
nests in hollow trees near the water, lining the
cavity with grass, moss and leaves, and lining the
nest with down from their breasts. In May and
June they lay from six to ten eggs of a grayish
green color. Size 2.30 × 1.70.

152. Barrow’s Golden-eye.
Clangula islandica.

Range.–Northern North America, breeding
north of the United States except from the mountainous
portions of Colorado northward.

This Golden-eye differs from the preceding chiefly in the shape of the white
spot before the eye, which in this species is in the form of a crescent. The
size is the same, about 20 inches in length. The reflections on the head are
purplish rather than greenish as in the preceding. The nesting habits are
the same, they building in hollow trees near water. The six to ten eggs are
not different from the preceding. Size 2.30 × 1.65. Data.–Alfusa, Iceland, June
30, 1900. Seven eggs. Nest of grass and down in a box attached to a tree by
an islander.

Buffle-head.
Old-squaw.

153. Buffle-head. Charitonetta albeola.

Range.–North America, breeding from United
States northward. Winters south to Mexico.

Dull buff.

Gunners know this handsome little duck by
the names of “Butter-ball,” and “Dipper,” a name
also given to Grebes. It is also quite similar, but
smaller (15 in. long), to the American Golden-eye
but has a large white patch on the back of the
head, from eye to eye. It is an active bird and,
like the two preceding, is capable of diving to a
great depth to get its food. Its nesting habits
are like the preceding. Eggs eight to fourteen.
Size 2 × 1.40. Data.–Alberta, Canada, June 6,
1899. Seven eggs. Nest in hole in tree stump,
lined with down. Collector, Dr. George.

154. Old-squaw. Harelda hyemalis.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, breeding in the
Arctic regions; south in winter to New Jersey
and Illinois.

Buff.

The Long-tailed Duck, as it is called,
is especially noticeable because the
breeding plumage of the male differs
markedly from that in the winter. In
summer their general plumage is blackish
brown, with a white patch around the
eye, and white belly. In winter they are
largely white. The central tail feathers
are much lengthened. They breed
abundantly in Greenland, Alaska and the
Hudson Bay Territory, placing their
nests of grasses and weeds on the ground
near the water. It is generally concealed
in the long grass. The eggs number
from six to twelve. Size 2. × 1.50. Data.–N.
Iceland, June 10, 1900. Nest on ground,
lined with down. Collector, S. H. Wallis.

Harlequin Duck.
Labrador Duck.

155. Harlequin Duck. Histrionicus
histrionicus.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere in America,
breeding from Newfoundland and the Rocky
Mountains in Colorado, northward. South in winter
to California and New England.

Greenish buff.

A beautiful and most gorgeous bird, not in colors,
but in the oddity of the markings, the colors
only including black, white, gray and chestnut.
Either sex can be recognized by the small short
bill. They breed mostly in single pairs along
swiftly running streams, placing their nest, which
is woven of weeds and grasses, in the ground
near the water. It is also claimed that they sometimes
nest in hollow trees. They lay from five
to eight eggs, yellowish or greenish buff in color.
Size 2.30 × 1.60. Data.–Peel River, Alaska, June
13, 1898. Seven eggs in a hollow in river bank,
lined with down. Collector, C. E. Whittaker.

156. Labrador Duck. Camptorhynchus labradorius.

This bird, whose range was from Labrador to New Jersey in the winter,
has probably been extinct since 1875, when the last authentic capture was
made. It is a strange fact that a bird of this character should have been
completely exterminated, even though they were often sold in the markets.
Only forty-one specimens are known to be preserved at present and nothing
is known in regard to their nesting habits or eggs.

Steller’s Duck.
Spectacled Eider.

157. Steller’s Duck. Polysticta stelleri.

Range.–Arctic regions in America, chiefly on
the Aleutian Islands and northwest coast of
Alaska.

A very beautiful species eighteen inches long;
head white, washed with greenish on the forehead
and nape; chin, throat, neck, back, tail and
crissum, black; underparts chestnut; wing coverts
white, the long scapulars black and white.
It breeds on the rocky coasts and islands of
Bering Sea. The six to nine eggs are pale olive
green in color. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.–Admiralty
Bay, Alaska, June 22, 1898. Nest on a hummock
of the tundra, near a small pool, lined with
grass and down. Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.

158. Spectacled Eider. Arctonetta fischeri.

Range.–Coast of Alaska from the Aleutians
to Point Barrow.

Pale olive green.

Like the rest of the true Eiders, this species is black beneath and mostly
white above. The head is largely washed with sea green, leaving a large patch
of white, narrowly bordered by black around each eye, thus resembling a pair
of spectacles. The nests are made of grass and seaweed and lined with down;
they are placed on the ground in clumps of grass or beneath overhanging
stones. The five to nine eggs are an olive drab or greenish color. Size 2.70
× 1.85. Data.–Point Barrow, Alaska, June 15, 1898. Six eggs. Nest of moss
and down in a hollow in dry tundra. Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.

159. Northern Eider. Somateria mollissima borealis.

Range.–North Atlantic coast, breeding from Labrador to Greenland and
wintering south to New England.

A large Duck similar to the next species, but with the base of the bill
differing, as noted in the description of the following species, and with a more
northerly distribution. The nesting habits are the same as those of the other
Eiders. Six to ten eggs generally of a greenish drab color. Size 3. × 2.

Eider.
Pacific Eider.

160. Eider. Somateria dresseri.

Range.–Atlantic coast, breeding from Maine to
Labrador and wintering south to Delaware.

Greenish drab.

This species differs from the preceding only in
the fleshy part of the base of the bill, which extends
back on each side of the forehead, it being
broad and rounded in this species and narrow and
pointed in the Northern or Greenland Eider. This
species, but more especially the Northern Eider,
are the ones chiefly used for the eider-down of
commerce. The preceding species is often semi-domesticated
in Greenland, the people protecting
them and encouraging them to nest in the neighborhood.
They make their nests of seaweed and
grass and warmly line it with down from their
breast; this down is continually added to the nest during incubation until
there is a considerable amount in each nest, averaging about an ounce in
weight. The birds are among the strongest of the sea ducks and get their food
in very deep water. Their flesh is not good eating. Their eggs number from
five to ten and are greenish drab. Size 3. × 2.

161. Pacific Eider. Somateria v-nigra.

Range.–North Pacific from the Aleutian Islands northward, and east to
Great Slave Lake.

This bird is, in plumage, like the Northern Eider, except that it has a black
V-shaped mark on the throat. They nest sparingly on the Aleutian Islands,
but in great numbers farther north on the coast about Point Barrow. Their
habits, nests and eggs are precisely the same as those of the eastern forms.
Their eggs number from five to ten and are of olive greenish color. Size 3. × 2.
Data.–Cape Smythe, Alaska, June 8, 1900. Eight eggs. Nest a hollow in the
moss, lined with grass and down.

King Eider.
Scoter.

162. King Eider. Somateria spectabilis.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, breeding in
America from Labrador to Greenland and the
Arctic Ocean; south in winter to the New England
States and rarely farther on the eastern
side, and to the Aleutians on the Pacific; also
casually to the Great Lakes in the interior.

A handsome and very different species from
any of the foregoing, having the crown ashy blue,
and the long scapulars black instead of white.
It also has a broad V-shaped mark on the throat.
Like all the other Eiders, the female is mottled
brown and black, the different species being very
difficult to separate. The nests are sunk in the
ground and lined with down. Eggs number from
six to ten. Size 2.80 × 1.80. Data.–Point Barrow,
Alaska, July 5, 1898. Five eggs. Nest a hollow
in the moss on tundra lined with moss and down.
Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.

163. Scoter. Oidemia americana.

Range.–Northern North America, breeding
from Labrador, the Hudson Bay region and the
Aleutian Islands northward; winters south to
Virginia, the Great Lakes and California.

Scoters or “Coots” as they are generally called
are sea ducks whose plumage is almost wholly
black; they have fantastically colored and shaped
bills. The American Scoter is entirely black
without markings; base of bill yellow and orange.
This species nest as do the Eiders, often concealing
the nest, of grass and feathers, under some
overhanging rock. They lay from six to ten eggs
of a dingy buff color. Size 2.50 × 1.70. Data.–Mackenzie
Bay, June 15, 1899. Ten eggs. Nest
a hollow in the sand, lined with down.

Buff.

Surf Scoter.
White-winged Scoter.

164. Velvet Scoter. Oidemia fusca.

An Old World species that has accidentally occurred
in Greenland.

165. White-winged Scoter. Oidemia deglandi.

Range.–Abundant in North America, breeding
from Labrador, North Dakota and British Columbia,
northward. Wintering south to the Middle
States, southern Illinois and southern California.

The largest of the Scoters, length 22 inches,
distinguished by a large white speculum on the
wing, also a white comet extending from under
the eye backwards. It also has a yellow eye.
Like the other Scoters, this species often feeds
in very deep water. They are strong, active diving
birds, and are also strong on the wing, generally
flying close to the surface of the water.
Their flesh is not regarded as good eating, although
they are often sold for that purpose. They
nest on the ground, generally in long grass or
under low bushes making a coarse nest of
grasses, and sometimes twigs, lined with feathers.
They lay from five to eight eggs of a pale buff
color. Size 2.75 × 1.85.

166. Surf Scoter. Oidemia perspicillata.

Range.–Northern North America, breeding
north of the United States boundary, and wintering
south to Virginia and southern California.

The male of this species is entirely black, except
for the white patches on the forehead and
nape, and the vari-colored bill of black, white,
pink and yellow. They nest either along the
coast or in the interior, building a nest lined
with down, in the marsh grass bordering small ponds. They lay from five to
eight buffy cream colored eggs. Size 2.40 × 1.70. The females of all the
Scoters are a dingy brownish color, but show the characteristic marking of the
species, although the white is generally dull or sometimes mottled. Data.–Mackenzie
River, June 25, 1894. Six eggs in a nest of down on an island in the
river.

Ruddy Duck.
Masked Duck.

167. Ruddy Duck. Erismatura jamaicensis.

Range.–Whole of North America, breeding
chiefly north of the United States border except
locally on the Pacific coast. Winters along the
Gulf and through Mexico and Central America.

Grayish white.

This peculiar species may always be recognized
by the brownish or chestnut upper parts, blackish
crown, white cheeks and silvery white underparts.
The bill is very stout and broad at the end, and
the tail feathers are stiff and pointed like those
of a Cormorant. They build their nests in low
marshy places, either placing them on the
ground near the water or in the rushes over it.
Their nests are made of rushes and grasses,
sometimes lined and sometimes not, with down
from the parents breast. The eggs number from
six to twelve and are grayish in color. Size 2.40
× 1.75. Data.–Northern Assiniboia, Canada, June
6, 1901. Eight eggs. Nest made of aquatic
grasses, lined with down. Built in a tuft of rushes
in a marsh. Collector, Walter Raine.

168. Masked Duck. Nomonyx dominicus.

This is a tropical species which is resident in Mexico, Central America and
in the West Indies. It occurs in Mexico north to the lower Rio Grande Valley
and has in three known instances strayed to northern United States. The
general plumage is a rusty chestnut, mottled with blackish, it has a black face
and throat, with white wing bars.

Lesser Snow Goose.
Blue Goose.

169. Snow Goose. Chen hyperboreus
hyperboreus.

Range.–North America west of the Mississippi
Valley, breeding in northern Alaska and the MacKenzie
River district.

This smaller species of the Snow Goose nests
on islands in rivers along the arctic coast. The
nest is a depression in the ground, lined with
grasses and, occasionally down. They lay from
four to eight eggs of a buffy or yellowish white
color. Size 2.75 × 1.75.

169a. Greater Snow Goose. Chen hyperboreus nivalis.

Range.–Eastern North America, breeding in
the Arctic regions and wintering chiefly on the
Atlantic coast, south to Cuba.

Grayish White.

This bird is like the preceding; except in size;
about thirty-six inches, instead of twenty-six inches in length as is the lesser
variety. The entire plumage is white except for the black primaries. They
construct their nests of grasses on the ground the same as the preceding variety.
The eggs number from five to eight and are cream colored. Size 3.40 ×
2.40.

169.1. Blue Goose. Chen cærulescens.

Range.–North America, principally in the interior, breeding from Hudson
Bay northward and wintering along the Gulf coast.

This species may always be recognized by the entirely white head and neck,
the body being grayish or bluish gray. They nest on the ground as do the
other geese laying from four to eight eggs of a brownish buff color. Size 2.50
× 1.75. Data,–Cape Bathurst, Arctic coast, June 29, 1899. Four eggs laid in a
depression lined with grass, on an island. Collected with the parent birds by
the Esquimaux.

Ross Snow Goose.
American White-fronted Goose.

170. Ross’s Snow Goose. Chen rossi.

Range.–This beautiful species, which is similar
in plumage to the large Snow Goose, is but
twenty-one inches in length. It breeds in the extreme
north, and in winter is found in the western
part of the United States as far south as the
Gulf of Mexico. Their nesting habits and eggs
probably do not differ from others in the family
except in the matter of size.

171. White-fronted Goose. Anser albifrons
albifrons.

This European species is exactly like the American
except that it is said to average a trifle
smaller. It is occasionally found in Greenland.

171a. American White-fronted Goose.
Anser albifrons gambeli.

Range.–Whole of North America, breeding in
the Arctic regions and wintering south to the
Gulf coast; not common on the Atlantic coast
during migrations.

These birds may be recognized by their mottled
plumage, dark head and white forehead. This
species is more abundant than any of the preceding
and nests in large colonies along the arctic
coast and in Alaska. Their nests are made of
dried grasses, feathers and down and are placed
on the ground in a slight depression. From
four to nine eggs are laid; these have a dull buff
ground. Size 3.00 × 2.05. Data.–Island in delta
of Mackenzie River, June 10, 1899. Four eggs.
Nest of grass and feathers on the ground on a
small island. Collector, Rev. I. O. Stringer.

[Illustration z110: ]

171.1. Bean Goose. Anser fabalis.

This European species is casually found in Greenland. It is one of the
most common of the Old World Species.

Canada Goose.
Cackling Goose.

172. Canada Goose. Branta canadensis
canadensis.

Range.–The whole of North America, breeding
from northern United States northward, and wintering
in the southern parts of the United States.

This species is the most widely known of American
Geese and is the most abundant. Its familiar
“honk” has long been regarded as the signal of
the coming of spring, and the familiar V-shaped
formation in which the flocks migrate is always
an object of interest to everyone. With the exception
of in North Dakota and Minnesota, they
breed chiefly north of the United States. They
construct quite a large nest of weeds and grass,
and warmly line it with down and feathers.
They lay from four to nine eggs of a buff or drab
color. Size about 3.50 × 2.50. Data.–Ellingsars
Lake, North Dakota, May 18, 1896. Five eggs.
Nest on an island in the lake, constructed of
weeds and trash, and lined with a few feathers.
Collector, Edwin S. Bryant.

172a. Hutchins Goose. Branta canadensis
hutchinsi.

This sub-species is like the preceding except
that it is smaller, thirty inches in length. It is
a western variety, breeding in Alaska and along
the Arctic coast and wintering to southern California.
Its breeding habits, nests and eggs are
the same as the common goose except that the
eggs are smaller. Size 3.00 × 2.05.

172b. White-cheeked Goose. Branta canadensis occidentalis.

This bird is about the same size as the Canada
Goose and the plumage is very similar except
that the black sometimes extends on the throat,
thereby isolating the white cheek patches, and
there is a white collar below the back of the neck. It is a western species,
breeding in Alaska and wintering along the Pacific coast of the United States.
Its nesting habits and eggs are same as those of the Canada Goose except that
the latter are a trifle smaller.

172c. Cackling Goose. Branta canadensis minima.

This bird is really a miniature of the Canada Goose, being but twenty-four
inches in length. It breeds in Alaska and along the Arctic coast and migrates
into the western parts of the United States. They are abundant birds in their
breeding range, where they place their nests upon the shores of ponds, or on
islands in inland rivers or lakes. The nests are made of weeds and grasses,
lined with down. The eggs which are buff colored, number from four to nine
and are laid during June and July. Size 2.30 × 1.95.

CANADA GEESE.

Brant.
Black Brant.

173. Brant. Branta bernicla glaucogastra.

Range.–Eastern North America, breeding in the
Arctic regions and wintering in the United States
east of the Mississippi.

The Brant resembles a small Canada Goose,
except that the black of the neck extends on the
breast, and only the throat is white. They are
one of the favorite game birds and thousands are
shot every fall and spring. Their nests and eggs
are the same as the next species.

174. Black Brant. Branta nigricans.

Range.–Western North America, breeding in
Alaska and wintering on the Pacific coast of the
United States. Rare east of the Mississippi.

Grayish.

This species is like the last except that the
black extends on the under parts. This species
nests very abundantly in northern Alaska, laying
their eggs in a depression in the ground, lined with down. Favorite locations
are the many small islets in ponds and small lakes. They lay from four to
eight grayish colored eggs. Size 2.80 × 1.75. Data.–Cape Bathurst, North
West Territory, Junes 22, 1901. Seven eggs in a small hollow in the ground,
lined with down. Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodfish.

Barnacle Goose.
Emperor Goose.

175. Barnacle Goose. Branta leucopsis.

This Old World species occurs frequently in
Greenland and very rarely is found on the mainland
of this continent.

176. Emperor Goose. Philacte canagica.

Range.–Alaska, south in winter casually to California.

This handsome species is twenty-six inches in
length; it may be known from the mottled or
“scaly” appearance of the body, and the white
head with a black chin and throat. While not uncommon
in restricted localities, this may be considered
as one of the most rare of North American
Geese. Their nests are built upon the ground
and do not differ from those of other geese. They
lay from three to seven eggs of a dull buff color.
Size 3.10 × 2.15. Data.–Stuart Island, Alaska,
June 16, 1900. Six eggs laid in a slight hollow in
the ground, lined with a few feathers and some
down. Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodfish.

Egg of Canada Goose–Buffy drab.

Black-bellied Tree duck.
Fulvous Tree-duck.

177. Black-bellied Tree-duck. Dendrocygna
autumnalis.

Range.–Tropical America, north in the Rio
Grande Valley to southern Texas.

These peculiar long-legged Ducks are very
abundant in southern Texas during the summer
months. They build their nests in hollow trees,
often quite a distance from the water. They lay
their eggs upon the bottom of the cavity with
only a scant lining, if any, of feathers and down.
They are very prolific breeders, raising two broods
in a season, each set of eggs containing from ten
to twenty. These eggs are creamy or pure white,
size 2.05 × 1.50. The first set is laid during the
latter part of April or early in May, and fresh
eggs may be found as late as July. They are
especially abundant about Brownsville and Corpus
Christi, Texas. Data.–Hidalgo, Mexico, May 29,
1900. Ten eggs in a hole in an old elm tree on
side of lake in big woods near town. Eight feet
from the ground. Collector, F. B. Armstrong.

White.

178. Fulvous Tree-duck. Dendrocygna bicolor.

Range.–This species is tropical like the last, but the summer range is extended
to cover, casually the whole southwestern border of the United States.

This bird is long-legged like the last, but the plumage is entirely different,
being of a general rusty color, including the entire under parts. The nesting
habits and eggs are the same as those of the Black-bellied Duck, the white eggs
being laid at the bottom of a cavity in a tree. They number from eight to (in
one instance) thirty-two eggs in one nest. This species is nearly as abundant
as the preceding in southern Texas.

Whistling Swan.

179. Whooper Swan. Olor cygnus.

This European variety frequently is found in
Greenland and formerly, regularly bred there.
It nests in secluded swampy places in northern
Europe.

180. Whistling Swan. Olor columbianus..

Range.–North America, breeding in the Arctic
Circle, and wintering south to the Gulf of
Mexico.

These birds, which are nearly five feet in
length, are snow white with the exception of
the black bill and feet. The Whistling Swan
is distinguished from the next species by the
presence of a small yellow spot on either side
of the bill near its base. Their nests are made
of a large mass of rubbish, weeds, grass, moss,
feathers and occasionally a few sticks. It is
generally placed in a somewhat marshy place
in the neighborhood of some isolated pond.
The eggs are of a greenish or brownish buff
color, and number from three to six. Size 4.00
× 2.75. Data.–Mackenzie River. Nest a mass
of weeds, sods and grass, lined with feathers;
on an island near the mouth of the river. Collector,
I. O. Stringer.

181. Trumpeter Swan. Olor buccinator.

Range.–Interior of North America from the Gulf of Mexico northward, breeding
from northern United States northward.

This is a magnificent bird, about five and one-half feet in length. Its plumage
is exactly like that of the preceding except that the bill is entirely black,
and the nostril is located nearer the eye. Their nesting habits and eggs are
the same as those of the Whistling Swan. While a few pairs may breed within
the United States by far the greater number are found in the extreme north,
from Hudson Bay to Alaska. The eggs may average a trifle larger than those
of the preceding species.

LAMELLIROSTRAL GRALLATORES. Order VI. ODONTOGLOSSÆ

FLAMINGOES. Family PHOENICOPTERIDAE

American Flamingo.
Roseate Spoonbill.

182. Flamingo. Phœnicopterus ruber.

Range.–Tropical and sub-tropical America on
the Atlantic coasts, breeding in the Bahamas and
West Indies; north to Florida and casually to the
South Atlantic States.

These remarkable and grotesque appearing
birds attain a length of about 48 inches. The
plumage varies from white to a deep rosy red. It
requires several years for them to attain the perfect
adult plumage, and unlike most birds, they
are in the best of plumage during the winter, the
colors becoming faded as the nesting season approaches.
The birds are especially noticeable because
of the crooked, hollow, scoop-shaped bill,
and the extremely long legs and neck. The feet
are webbed, but more for the purpose of supporting
them upon the mud flats than for use in swimming.
The nests are usually built on a sandy
point of an island; they are mounds of earth, grass
and rubbish from one to two feet in height, the
top being hollowed to receive the eggs. One or
two eggs are a complete set. The shell is pale
blue, but this is covered with a heavy white chalky
deposit. The eggs are laid in June and July.
Size 3.40 × 2.15.

IBISES, STORKS, HERONS, etc. Order VII. HERODIONES

The members of this order are wading birds, consequently they all have
long legs and necks. They have four toes, not webbed.

SPOONBILLS. Family PLATALEIDAE

183. Roseate Spoonbill. Ajaia ajaja..

Range.–Tropical America, north in summer to the Gulf States. They formerly
nested in remote swamps along the whole Gulf coast, but are now confined
chiefly to the Everglades in Florida.

Pale greenish blue.

This bird, with its broad, flat bill, bare head, and rosy plumage with carmine
epaulets and tail coverts, seem more like the fanciful creation of some artist
than a real bird of flesh and blood. Its plumage and colors are strikingly clear
and beautiful. Full plumaged
adult birds have very brilliant
carmine shoulders and tail coverts,
a saffron colored tail, and a
lengthened tuft of bright rosy
feathers on the foreneck. This
species breed in small colonies
in marshy places, often in company
with herons and ibises.
Their nests are rather frail platforms
of sticks, located in bushes
or trees, from four to fifteen
feet from the ground. The eggs
are laid during the latter part
of May and June. They are
three or four in number and
have a ground color of dull
white, or pale greenish blue and
are quite heavily blotched with several shades of brown. Size 2.50 × 1.70.

Chalky bluish white.
Egg of American Flamingo.

IBISES. Family IBIDIDÆ

White Ibis.
Scarlet Ibis.

Ibises are gracefully formed birds having a long
curved bill and a bare face.

184. White Ibis. Guara alba.

Range.–This is a tropical and sub-tropical
species which is found along the Gulf coast, and
north to South Carolina, west to Lower California.

Grayish.

These handsome birds are wholly white, with
the exception of black primaries. The legs and
the bare skin of the face is orange red. These
birds are very abundant in most marshy localities
along the Gulf coast, especially in Florida, where
they nest in rookeries of thousands of individuals.
Owing to their not having plumes, they have not
been persecuted as have the white herons. They
build their nests of sticks and grasses, in the
mangroves a few feet above the water. In other
localities they build their nests entirely of dead
rushes, attaching them to the standing ones a foot or more above the surface
of the water. They are quite substantially made and deeply cupped, very different
from the nests of the Herons. Their eggs are from three to five in number,
vary from grayish ash to pale greenish or bluish in color, blotched with
light brown. Size 2.25 × 1.60. The nesting season is during May and June.
Data.–Tampa Bay, Fla., June 4, 1895. Three eggs. Nest of sticks and a few
weeds in small bushes on an island. Collector, Fred Doane.

185. Scarlet Ibis. Guara rubra..

Range.–Occasionally, but not recently met with in the southern states.
Their habitat is tropical America, they being especially abundant along the
Orinoco River in northern South America.

Full plumaged adults of this species are wholly bright scarlet, except for the
primaries, which are black. Their nests are built in impenetrable thickets,
rushes or mangroves, the nests being constructed like those of the White Ibis.
The eggs, too, are very similar to those of the preceding species, but both the
ground color and the markings average brighter. While still common in some
localities, the species is gradually becoming less abundant, chiefly because of
the demand for their feathers for use in fly-tying.

Glossy Ibis.
White-faced Glossy Ibis.
Wood Ibis.

186. Glossy Ibis. Plegadis autumnalis..

Range.–This tropical and sub-tropical species,
is chiefly found in the Old World. It is occasionally
found in southeastern United States where it
sometimes breeds. Its habits, nesting habits and
eggs are just the same as the next species.

187. White-faced Glossy Ibis. Plegadis guarauna.

Range.–A sub-tropical species found in the
southwestern parts of the United States, rarely
found east of the Mississippi.

This species differs from the Glossy Ibis in
having the feathers on the front of the head white,
the rest of the plumage is a dull brownish chestnut,
with greenish reflections on the back. As
these birds are not in demand commercially, their
numbers have not decreased, and thousands of
them breed in colonies in southern Texas. They
build a substantial nest of reeds and rushes woven
about the upright canes, close to the surface of the
water. Their eggs are laid during May, and number
from three to four. They are easily distinguished
from those of the Herons, being of a
deeper greenish blue color and averaging more
elongate. Size 1.95 × 1.35. Data.–Corpus Christi,
Texas, May 26, 1899. Four eggs. Nest of twigs
and rushes on side of river. Collector, F. B.
Armstrong.

STORKS and WOOD IBISES

Family CICONIIDAE

188. Wood Ibis. Mycteria americana.

Range.–A sub-tropical species which is resident along the Gulf coast and
which strays casually north to New England and Colorado.

This peculiar member of the Stork family has the whole head and part of the
neck bare and covered with numerous scales; the bill is large, long and heavy;
the plumage is white, except for the black primaries and tail. It is a large
bird about four feet in length. They are quite abundant in swamps along the

Jabiru.
Bittern.

Gulf coast, where they place their nests, which
are platforms of sticks, in trees and bushes over
the water. They lay three eggs which are white,
and have a rough surface. Size 2.75 × 1.75.

189. Jabiru. Jabiru mycteria.

This large bird, which is the only true Stork
that claims a place in our avifauna, is a native
of South and Central America, wandering north,
casually to Texas. Their nests are large platforms
of sticks in very high trees.

BITTERNS and HERONS

Family ARDEIDAE

Herons and Bitterns are long-legged waders,
having straight, pointed bills, and with the head
feathered, except for the lores.

190. Bittern. Bautaurus lentiginosus.

Range.–United States and southern British
provinces, breeding in the northern half of the
United States and wintering in the southern portion.

Brownish drab.

This species, with its mottled rusty brownish plumage, is one of the best
known of the Heron family. It is known locally by a great many names, nearly
all of which have reference to the “booming” or “pumping” sound made during
the mating season. They build their nests in swampy or marshy places, placing
them on the ground, frequently on a tussock, entirely surrounded by water.
The nest proper is only a few grasses twisted about to form a lining to the
hollow. They lay from three to five eggs of brownish drab. Size 1.95 × 1.50.

They do not breed in colonies, generally, but one or two pairs nesting in one
marsh. Data.–Worcester, Mass., June 3, 1897. Four eggs laid in a grass lined
hollow in middle of a hummock of earth and grass, in middle of marsh. Collector,
James Jackson.

Least Bittern.
Cory’s Least Bittern.

191. Least Bittern. Ixobrychus exilis.

Range.–Common throughout the United States,
especially in the eastern part, and in the southern
British provinces.

This small variety of Bittern is very common
in the southern portions of the United States, but
less so and locally distributed in the northern
portions of its range. They are very quiet and
sly birds, and their presence is often unsuspected
when they are really quite abundant. When approached,
they will remain
perfectly quiet, with
the body erect and the
head and neck pointed
skyward, in which position
their yellowish
brown plumage strongly
resembles the rushes
among which they are
found. Their nests are
made of strips of rushes
woven about upright
stalks, generally over water. They lay from
three to five eggs of a pale bluish white color.
Size 1.20 × .90. Data.–Avery’s Island, La., May 1,
1896. Four eggs. Nest of strips of rushes woven
together to form a platform and fastened to saw
grass growing on the bank of a stream. Collector,
E. A. McIlhenny.

Pale bluish gray.

191.1. Cory’s Least Bittern. Ixobrychus
neoxenus.

This rare species, of which about twenty specimens
are known is probably resident in Florida,
wandering north in the summer, specimens having
been taken in Ontario, Canada, and in several
localities in eastern United States. It is very different from the Least Bittern,
having a more uniform chestnut coloration, especially on the under parts. It is
twelve inches in length. Mr. C. W. Crandall has a set of five eggs of this
species, taken on the Caloosahatchee River, Fla., April 15, 1891, by S. B. Ladd.
Nest was made of grasses and rushes placed in the cane two feet above the
water.

Great White Heron.
Great Blue Heron.

192. Great White Heron. Ardea occidentalis.

Range.–This species occurs in the United
States regularly, only in the southern parts of
Florida. It is a resident of the West Indies.

This large white Heron is about the same size
as the Great Blue Heron; it has none of the
slender plumes found on the smaller White Herons.
These birds are not uncommon in southern
Florida, especially on the Keyes, where they build
their nests in company with Great Blue Herons.
Their nesting habits and eggs are very similar
to those of the Blue Heron. Size of eggs 2.25 ×
1.80. Data.–Outside of Torch Key, Florida, June
16, 1899. Nest a platform of sticks about five feet
from the ground, in a mangrove tree. Three eggs.
Collector, O. Tollin.

194. Great Blue Heron. Ardea herodias herodias.

Range.–Nearly the whole of North America,
except the extreme north; resident south of the
middle portions of the United States and migratory
north of there.

This handsome Heron is about four feet in
length. Its general color is a bluish gray, relieved
by a black crest, primaries and patches on the
sides, and a white crown. In the south they breed
in large colonies, often in company with many
other species. In the northern portions of their
range they breed singly or in companies of under
a hundred individuals. They generally place
their rude platforms of sticks well up in trees,
near ponds, swamps or rivers, but in the most
northerly parts of their range, where trees are
scarce, they often build on the ground. Unless
they are disturbed, they return to the same breeding
grounds, year after year. They lay from three to five eggs of a greenish
blue color. Size 2.50 × 1.50. Data.–Duck Island, Maine, May 20, 1883. Three
eggs. Nest of sticks and twigs, about fifteen feet from the ground. Collector,
R. B. Gray.

194a. Northwest Coast Heron. Ardea herodias fannini.

This darker sub-species of the breeding is found along the Pacific coast,
north to Sitka, Alaska. Its nests and eggs do not differ from the former
species.

Snowy Egret.
Egret.

194b. Ward’s Heron. Ardea herodias wardi.

This sub-species is a resident in Florida. It is
a lighter variety than the common. It nests together
with the Great Blue Heron and its habits
are the same.

195. European Heron. Ardea cinerea.

This species is only an accidental straggler in
Greenland. It is very similar to our Blue Heron
and is the one which was formerly used to furnish
sport for the royalty when falconry was at
its height.

196. Egret. Herodias egretta.

Range.–Resident in the southern portions of
the United States, straggling northward casually
to the northern parts.

This is one of the beautiful Herons which have
been sought by plume hunters till they are upon
the verge of extermination. They are entirely
white, with a long train of beautiful straight
“aigrettes” flowing from the middle of the back.
In remote localities, quite large colonies of them
may still be found, but where they numbered
thousands, years ago, they can be counted by
dozens now. They breed in impenetrable swamps,
very often in company with the following species,
and also with Louisiana and Little Blue
Herons, and White Ibises. Their nests are but
frail platforms, generally in bushes over the
water. Their usual complement of eggs numbers
from three to five, four as the most common number.
They are generally laid during the latter
part of May, but often on account of their being
disturbed, nests with eggs may be found in July.
The eggs are a light bluish green in color. Size
2.25 × 1.45. Data.–Gainesville, Florida, April 14, 1894. Four eggs on a platform
of sticks and grass, in a button-wood bush over six feet of water. Collector,
George Graham.

197. Snowy Egret. Egretta candidissima candidissima.

Light greenish blue.

Range.–Common now only in restricted localities
in the Gulf States and Mexico.

This species, which is smaller than the last,
being but twenty-four inches in length, is also
adorned with “aigrettes,” but they are beautifully
recurved at the tips. Owing to the merciless
slaughter to which they have been subjected,
their ranks have been woefully decimated,
and it is to be hoped that the remaining
ones may be safely protected. Their nesting
habits are the same as the last, although, of
course, the eggs are smaller. Size 1.80 × 1.25.

Reddish Egret.
Louisiana Heron.

198. Reddish Egret. Dichromanassa rufescens.

Range.–In the United States, this species is
confined chiefly to the Gulf States.

Pale bluish green.

It is somewhat larger than the last species, the
head and neck are rufous, the body is bluish gray,
and the back is adorned with slender gray plumes.
It also has a white phase. This Egret is very
abundant along the whole Gulf coast, but especially
so in Texas. Their nesting habits are identical
with those of the other small Herons and
Egrets. The three or four eggs are rather of a
more greenish blue than the preceding. Size 1.90
× 1.45. Data.–Gainesville, Florida, April 14, 1894.
Three eggs. Nest of sticks and straw in a button-wood
tree, two feet above the water. Collector,
George Graham.

199. Louisiana Heron. Hydranassa tricolor
ruficollis.

Range.–Sub-tropical America, north regularly
to the Gulf States and casually farther.

Pale bluish green.

This Heron is of about the size of the Reddish
Egret, but the neck is longer, more slender and
dark, while the chin, throat and underparts
are white. The plumes from the back are
short, reaching barely to the end of the
tail. They nest in large colonies in company
with Egrets and Little Blue Herons,
placing their nests in the mangroves, only
a few feet above the water. Their nests are
the same as those of the other species, a
slight platform of sticks, and the three to
five eggs are practically not distinguishable
from those of the Snowy or Little Blue
Herons. Size 1.75 × 1.35.

Little Blue Heron.
Green Heron.

200. Little Blue Heron. Florida cærulea.

Range.–South Atlantic and Gulf coasts, north
casually to New England and Manitoba; west to
Kansas and Nebraska.

Pale bluish green.

A smaller species than the preceding, length
22 inches, plumage a uniform slaty blue changing
to purplish red on the head and neck. They
also have a white phase, but always show traces
of the slaty blue, especially on the primaries.
Young birds are always white. They breed in
immense rookeries during April and May. Their
nesting habits and eggs are very similar to the
last species, although the eggs average a trifle
smaller. Size 1.75 × 1.25. Data.–Avery’s Island,
Louisiana, April 21, 1896. 5 eggs. Nest a flat
and frail platform of twigs in a Mimosa tree
growing in floating turf, over deep water in a
large swamp. Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.

201. Green Heron. Butorides virescens
virescens.

Range.–Temperate and sub-tropical America,
breeding north to the British Provinces.

Light bluish green.

This is the smallest of our Herons, and is well known all over the country.
Sometimes they breed in numbers in rookeries, in company with the larger
Herons, but in most sections of the country they will be found nesting, one or
two pairs together, along the border of some
swamp or stream. They have a greater diversity
of building sites, than do any of the other Herons
and frequently nest a long ways from water.
Their nests may be found in alders, birches or
even apple trees. It is the usual Heron type of
platform, upon which the three to six eggs are
laid. They are a pale greenish blue in color, and
measure 1.45 × 1.10. Data.–Avery’s Island, Louisiana,
April 10, 1894. 5 eggs on a platform of
twigs placed in a willow tree growing on the edge
of a pond. Collected by E. A. McIlhenny.

201a. Frazar’s Green Heron. Butorides virescens frazari.

A darker variety found in Lower California; nesting the same as the common
species.

201b. Anthony’s Green Heron. Butorides virescens anthonyi.

A lighter, desert form found in the arid portions of the interior of southwestern
United States and Mexico.

NEST AND EGGS OF GREEN HERON.

Black-crowned Night Heron.
Yellow-crowned Heron.

202. Black-crowned Night Heron.

Nycticorax nycticorax naevius.

Range.–North America from southern British
Provinces, southward; winters along the Gulf
coast and beyond.

Pale bluish green.

A well known bird, often called “quawk” from
the sound of its note frequently heard in the evening.
While, in some localities, only a few pairs
of these birds are found nesting together, most
of them gather together into large colonies during
the breeding season. In New England they
generally select a remote pine grove as their
breeding grounds. If not disturbed they will return
to this same place each year. Their nests
are built of sticks and lined with small twigs,
and are placed well up towards the tops of the
trees.

Frequently several nests will be found in the
same tree, and I have counted as many as fifty
nests in view at the same time. In large swamps
in the south they generally nest at a low elevation,
while in the marshes of Wisconsin and Minnesota, large colonies of them
nest on the ground, making their nest of rushes. Like all Heronries, those of
this species have a nauseating odor, from the remains of decayed fish, etc.,
which are strewn around the bases of the trees. Their eggs number from three
to five and are of a pale bluish green color. Size 2.00 × 1.40. Data.–Uxbridge,
Mass., May 30, 1898. 4 eggs. Nest of sticks, about thirty feet up in a pine tree.
Many other nests. Collector, H. A. Smith.

203. Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Nyctanassa violacea.

Range.–Sub-tropical America, breeding along the Gulf coast and to Lower
California; casually farther north, to Illinois and South Carolina.

A handsome grayish colored species, with long lanceolate plumes on the
back, and two or three fine white plumes from the back of the head, like those
of the Black-crowned species. Its black head, with tawny white crown and ear
coverts, renders it unmistakable. This species nests in colonies or by pairs,
like the preceding, and very often in company with other Herons. They lay
from three to six eggs, very similar in size, shape and color to those of the
Black-crowned Heron.

CRANES, RAILS, etc. Order VIII. PALUDICOLÆ

CRANES. Family GRUIDAE

Whooping Crane.
Little Brown Crane.

Cranes are large, long-legged, long-necked birds, somewhat resembling
Herons. Their structure and mode of living partakes more of the nature of
the Rails, however. They are found upon the prairies, where besides shell
fish from the ponds, they feed largely upon grasshoppers, worms, etc.

204. Whooping Crane. Grus americana.

Range.–Interior of North America, breeding
from about the latitude of Iowa northward to the
Arctic regions; winters in the Gulf states and
southward.

The Whooping Crane is the largest of the family
in America, measuring 50 inches or more in
length. The plumage of the adults is pure white,
with black primaries. The bare parts of the head
and face are carmine. It is a very locally distributed
species, in some sections being practically
unknown, while in a neighboring locality it
may be rated as common. They are very shy
birds and are not easily obtained. They nest
either upon the solid earth or in marshy places
over the water. In either case the nest is a very
bulky mass of grass and weeds from two to three
feet in diameter and raised perhaps a foot above
the ground. They lay two eggs of a brownish
buff color, irregularly blotched with brown, and
with fainter marking of gray. Size 3.75 x 2.50.
Data.–Torkton, northern Assiniboia, northwest
Canada. Nest a mass of marsh hay, three feet in
diameter, on the prairie. The birds seen, but very
wary. Collector, Cowbry Brown.

205. Little Brown Crane. Grus canadensis.

Range.–North America in the interior, breeding
from Hudson Bay and southern Alaska north
to the Arctic coast; south in winter to Mexico.

This uniform gray colored Crane differs from
the next species only in size, being about three
feet in length, while the Sandhill averages three
and one-half feet. The eggs cannot be distinguished
with any certainty.

Brownish buff.
EGG OF WHOOPING CRANE.

Buff.
EGG OF LITTLE BROWN CRANE.

Sandhill Crane.
Limpkin.

206. Sandhill Crane. Grus mexicana.

Range.–Temperate North America, breeding
from the Gulf States, locally north to the southern
parts of the British Provinces.

This is the most common and the most southerly
distributed member of the family. In some
sections of Florida and Texas it is regarded as
abundant. They nest in marshy places near secluded
ponds. The nests are masses of grass,
weeds and roots, generally placed in marshes and
entirely surrounded by water. The two eggs are
similar to those of the Whooping Crane, but the
ground color is lighter. The eggs of the two species
cannot always, with certainty, be distinguished.
Size 3.75 x 2.40. Data.–Carman, Manitoba,
May 31, 1903. 2 eggs. Nest on a knoll in a
marsh, hidden by dead rushes and weeds; a flat
loose structure of broken rushes and reeds. Collector,
Chris Forge.

COURLANS. Family ARAMIDÆ

207. Limpkin. Aramus vociferus.

Range.–This bird is a native of the West
Indies and Central America, but occurs regularly
north to the southern portions of Florida.

This strange bird is the only member of its family
found in the United States. It may be likened
to a large Rail or a small Crane, being apparently,
a connecting link between the two. It is about
two feet in length, and the plumage is mottled
brownish and white. It lives in the marshes,
from whence, until late at night, emanate its
strange cries, which are likened to those of a
child in distress. They nest in the most impenetrable
parts of swamps, building their nests of rushes, grass and weeds, in
tangled masses of vines a few feet above the ground or water. They lay from
three to eight eggs having a ground color of buff or grayish white and blotched
with light brown. Their coloration is very similar to those of the Cranes.
Size 2.30 x 1.70. They nest in April and May.

Buffy white.

NEST AND EGGS OF LITTLE BROWN CRANE.

RAILS, GALLINULES and COOTS. Family RALLIDÆ

Members of this family are almost exclusively frequenters of marshes,
where they lead a shy, retiring life and are more often heard than seen.

208. King Rail. Rallus elegans.

Range.–Fresh water marshes of eastern United States from New England
and the Dakotas, southward. Very abundant on the South Atlantic coast, in
the inland marshes.

Cream color.

This is one of the largest of the Rails, (17
inches in length) and may be known by the
richness of its plumage, the breast and wing
coverts being a rich cinnamon color. It is
almost exclusively a fresh water species and is
very rarely found around a salt water marsh.
Its nest is built on the ground, in a tuft of grass
and weeds woven about the upright stalks.
They lay from five to twelve eggs having a
cream colored ground, sparingly speckled with
brown and lilac. Size 1.60 × 1.20. Data.–Clark
County, Missouri, June 6, 1893. 10 eggs. Nest
composed of reed stalks; a slightly concave mass 8 inches across, and only
two inches above the water, in a clump of reeds. Collector, Ed. S. Currier.

209. Belding’s Rail. Rallus beldingi.

Range.–Lower California and the islands in the Gulf.

This is a locally confined species, very similar to the preceding but darker
and with the flank bars narrower. Its nesting or eggs will not differ from those
of the King Rail.

210. California Clapper Rail. Rallus obsoletus.

Range.–Salt marshes of the Pacific coast of the United States.

Light buff.

This species is like a dull colored King Rail,
with reference to the markings of the back, or
a bright colored Clapper Rail, as it has a cinnamon
colored breast. It is an abundant species
in nearly all the salt marshes along the coast.
They make their nests on the higher parts of
the marsh, where it is comparatively dry, building
them of grass and strips of rushes. They
lay from four to nine eggs of a light buff color,
boldly spotted with brown, and with fainter
markings of lilac. Size 1.75 × 1.25. Data.–Palo
Alto, Cal., May 1, 1899. Nest of marsh
grass under a small bush on bank of slough.
Collector, Ernest Adams.

King Rail.
Clapper Rail.

211. Clapper Rail. Rallus crepitans crepitans.

Range.–Salt marshes of the Atlantic coast
from southern New England southward.

Buff.

A grayish colored Rail, about the size of, and
with the markings similar to those of the King
Rail. It is as exclusively a salt water species as
the King Rail is a fresh water one. With the
possible exception of the Carolina or Sora Rail,
this is the most abundant of all the Rails, hundreds
nesting in a single marsh on the South
Atlantic coast. Their nests are built of rushes
and weeds, and are placed on the ground either in
the tall grass bordering the marshes or attached
to the rushes in the midst of the marsh. The
nesting season commences during April and continues
through May. They lay from six to fourteen
eggs, of a buff color spotted irregularly with
brown and gray. Size 1.70 × 1.20.

211a. Louisiana Clapper Rail. Rallus crepitans saturatus.

The habitation of this subspecies is limited to
the coast of Louisiana. It is very similar to the proceeding but is said to be
brighter in plumage.

211b. Florida Clapper Rail. Rallus crepitans scotti.

Range.–Western coast of Florida.

This bird is also similar to crepitans but is much darker and brighter.

211c. Wayne’s Clapper Rail. Rallus crepitans waynei.

Range.–South Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Florida.

This subspecies is a little darker than crepitans, being about midway between
that species and Rallus scotti. The nests and eggs of any of these sub-species
cannot be distinguished from those of the common Clapper Rail.

211.2. Caribbean Clapper Rail. Rallus longirostris caribaeus.

Range.–West Indies and east coast of Mexico, north to southern Texas.

This species is similar to the Clapper, but has a shorter and relatively stouter
bill.

Sora.
Virginia Rail.

212. Virginia Rail. Rallus virginianus.

Range.–Temperate North America, breeding
from the Middle States and California, northward
to British Columbia and Labrador, and wintering
along the Gulf coast; most abundant in the east.

Creamy white.

A small Rail, 9 inches
long, very similar in
markings and coloration
to the King Rail.
It is found chiefly in
fresh water swamps,
where it builds its nests
in tufts of rushes. The
eggs number from six
to fourteen, and are
creamy white, or white,
speckled with reddish brown. Size 1.25 × .90 Data.–Fighting
Island, Detroit River, Michigan, May
30, 1904. Nest made of marsh grass, in rushes, 6
inches above the water. Collector, E. Leroy King.

213. Spotted Crake. Porzana porzana.

This common European species is casually
found in Greenland. It breeds in large numbers
throughout temperate Europe, nesting as do the
American Rails.

214. Sora. Porzana carolina.

Range.–Temperate North America, breeding
from the southern parts of the British possessions,
south to the Gulf coast.

Bright buff.

This abundant species of Rail may be readily
known by its small size, about eight inches long,
and the black face and throat of the adult. These
are the “Rail-birds” or “Ortolans” which are annually
slaughtered by thousands, for sport and marketing, during their fall migration.
It is only because of the large families
that they rear, that they are able to withstand this
yearly decimation of their ranks. They nest
either in salt or fresh water marshes, making a
rude structure of grass, weeds and strips of rushes,
on the ground, generally concealed in a tuft of grass
in a tangled swamp or marsh. During May, they
lay from six to sixteen eggs of a bright, buffy gray
color, spotted with reddish brown and lavender.
Size 1.25 × .90.

Yellow Rail.
Black Rail.

215. Yellow Rail. Coturnicops noveboracensis.

Range.–Locally distributed in temperate North
America, from New England and Nova Scotia, to
California and British Columbia; south to the
Gulf States in winter.

Rich buff.

This is a very handsome species, with plumage
of glossy brown, yellowish buff, black and white;
length seven inches. They are very shy and secretive,
and are probably
more common than generally
supposed. Their nesting
habits are the same
as those of the preceding.
Their eggs are of a rich
buff color, speckled in the
form of a wreath about
the large end, with reddish
brown. They are
relatively narrower than
those of other Rails. Size
1.10 × .80. Data.–Benson Co., North Dakota, June
4, 1901. Set of ten eggs collected by Rev. P. B.
Peabody. This set is in the collection of Mr.
John Lewis Childs.

216. Black Rail. Creciscus jamaicensis.

Range.–Temperate North America, breeding
from northern United States southward.

Smallest of the rails; 5 inches in length. A
dark slaty colored bird with
white specks, and a patch of
dark chestnut on the fore
back. This diminutive species
is very hard to find because
of its retiring habits,
but according to Mr. Brewster
it may be located by the
clicking sound of its song.

Their nests are woven of strips of rushes or grasses, and are well “cupped”
to receive the eggs. They are on the ground on the border of, or in, marshy
places. Mr. Childs has a fine set of eight eggs, taken by Arthur T. Wayne, at
Mt. Pleasant, S. C., June 10, 1903. The nest was located in an oat field. The
eggs have a creamy white ground, and are specked all over with reddish brown.
Size 1.03 × .75.

216.1. Farallon Rail. Creciscus coturniculus.

Known only from a single specimen, which is slightly smaller than jamaicensis
and without the white specks on the back.

Purple Gallinule.
Corn Crake.

217. Corn Crake. Crex crex.

This European Rail is casually found in Greenland
and along the Atlantic coast of North America.
It is the most abundant of European Rails
and is found breeding in marshes, meadows and
along streams.

218. Purple Gallinule. Ionornis martinicus.

Range.–South Atlantic and Gulf States; casually
north in eastern United States to Massachusetts
and Ohio.

Pale buff.

A very handsome bird with purplish head,
neck and under parts, and a greenish back. Like
all the Gallinules and Coots, this species has a
scaly crown plate. An abundant breeding species
in the southern parts of its range. Its nests are
made of rushes or grasses woven together and
either attached to living rushes or placed in tufts
of grass. They lay from six to ten eggs of a
creamy or pale buff color sparingly blotched with
chestnut. Size 1.60 × 1.15. Data.–Avery’s Island,
Louisiana, May 7, 1896. Ten eggs. Nest of dry rushes, woven to standing ones
growing around an “alligator hole” in a marsh. Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.

Florida Gallinule.
Coot.

219. Florida Gallinule. Gallinula galeata.

Range.–Temperate North America, from New
England, Manitoba and California, southward.

A grayish colored bird of similar size to the
last (13 inches long), with flanks streaked with
white, and with the bill and crown plate reddish.
They nest in
colonies in
marshes and
swamps, building
their nests
like those of
the Purple
Gallinule. The
eggs, too, are
similar, but
larger and
slightly duller.
Size 1.75 × 1.20.

Pale buff.

Data.–Montezuma
marshes, Florida, June 6, 1894. Eleven
eggs. Nest of dead flaggs, floating in two feet of
water. Collector, Robert Warwick.

220. European Coot. Fulica atra.

A European species very similar to the next,
and only casually found in Greenland. Nesting
the same as our species.

221. Coot. Fulica americana.

Range.–Whole of temperate North America,
from the southern parts of the British Provinces,
southward; very common in suitable localities
throughout its range.

Grayish.

The Coot bears some resemblance to the
Florida Gallinule, but is somewhat larger,
its bill is white with a blackish band about
the middle, and each toe has a scalloped
web. They inhabit the same marshes and
sloughs that are used by the Rails and Gallinules
as nesting places, and they have the
same retiring habits, skulking through the
grass to avoid observation, rather than flying.
Their nests are either floating piles
of decayed vegetation, or are built of dead
rushes in clumps of rushes on the banks.
They generally build in large colonies. The
eggs number from six to sixteen and have
a grayish ground color, finely specked all over the surface with blackish. Size
1.80 × 1.30.

SHORE BIRDS. Order IX. LIMICOLÆ

PHALAROPES. Family PHALAROPODIDAE

Red Phalarope.
Northern Phalarope.

Phalaropes are small Plover-like birds, but with lobate webbed feet, similar
to those of the Grebes and Coots.

222. Red Phalarope. Phalaropus fulicarius.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, breeding in the
far north, and migrating to the middle portions
of the United States, chiefly on the coasts.

Greenish buff.

The Red Phalarope during the breeding season
has the underparts wholly reddish brown; they
are very rarely seen in the United States in this
dress, however for it is early changed for a suit
of plain gray and white.
This species has a much
stouter bill than the two
following; it is about nine
inches in length. All the
Phalaropes are good swimmers,
and this species, especially,
is often found in
large flocks off the coast,
floating on the surface of
the water; they feed largely upon small marine
insects. Nests in hollows on the ground, lined
with a few grasses. The eggs are three or four
in number, generally of a greenish buff color,
spotted and blotched with brown and blackish.
Data.–Myvates, Iceland, June 19, 1897. Collector,
C. Jefferys.

223. Northern Phalarope. Lobipes labatus.

Range.–Northern Hemisphere, breeding in the
northern parts of the British Provinces.

This is the smallest of the Phalaropes, being
about eight inches long; in summer it has a
chestnut band across the breast and on the side
of the neck.

Greenish buff.

Its habits and nesting habits vary
but little from those of the Red Phalarope, although
its distribution is a little more southerly,
and it is not as exclusively maritime as the preceding
species. It is found on both coasts of the
United States, but more common on the Pacific side,
during the fall and spring, when going to or returning
from its winter quarters in the tropics.
Their eggs cannot, with certainty, be distinguished
from the preceding species.

Male, female, young.
Wilson’s Phalarope.

224. Wilson’s Phalarope. Steganopus tricolor.

Range.–Interior of temperate North America,
breeding from the latitude of Iowa, northward,
and wintering south of the United States.

Brownish buff.

This is the most handsome species of the family,
being of a very graceful form, of a grayish
and white color, with a broad stripe through the
eye and down the neck, where it fades insensibly
into a rich chestnut
color. It is an exclusively
American
species and is rarely
found near the
coast. It builds its
nest generally in a
tuft of grass, the
nests also being of
grass. The eggs
are of a brownish or greenish buff color, spotted
and blotched with black and brown. Size 1.30 ×
.90. Data.–Larimore, N. D., May 30, 1897. Nest
a shallow depression, scratched in the sand, under
a tuft of grass on an island. Collector, T. F.
Eastgate.

AVOCETS and STILTS. Family RECURVIROSTRIDÆ

American Avocet.
Black-necked Stilt.

225. Avocet. Recurvirostra americana.

Range.–Western North America, breeding
north to Northwest Territory.

Greenish buff.

The Avocet can be known from any other bird
by its up-curved bill, light plumage, webbed feet
and large size (length about 17 inches). These
waders are quite numerous in suitable localities
throughout the west, constructing their nests in
the grass, bordering marshy places. The nest is
simply a lining of grass in a hollow in the ground.
They lay three or four eggs of a dark greenish
or brownish buff color, boldly marked with
brown and black. Size 1.90 × 1.30. Data.–Rush
Lake, Assiniboia. Four eggs laid in a depression
in the sand, lined with dry weeds. Many birds
nesting in the colony.

226. Black-necked Stilt. Himantopus mexicanus.

Range.–Like the last, this species is rarely
found east of the Mississippi, but is very abundant
in the United States west of that river.

Greenish buff.

A black and white wader, with extremely
long red legs; otherwise a gracefully
formed bird. It breeds in large
colonies anywhere in its range, making
its nests of weeds and sometimes a few
twigs, on the ground beside of, or in the
marshes. Their eggs number three or
four and are brownish or greenish buff
with numerous markings of brownish
black, these markings being somewhat
lengthened and mostly running lengthwise
of the shell. They nest during
April in the southern parts of their
range and through May and June in the
northern. Size of eggs 1.80 × 1.25. Data.–Freshwater Lake, southern California,
June 5, 1891. Four eggs laid on a mud flat near the water’s edge; no nest.
Collector, Evan Davis.

SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, Family SCOLOPACIDÆ

Members of this family are long-legged waders, of either large or small size,
and found either about streams or ponds in the interior or along the coasts.
They feed upon small shell fish, or insects which they get usually by probing
in the soft mud.

American Woodcock.
Wilson’s Snipe.

227. European Woodcock. Scolopax rusticola.

This European bird is similar to the American
Woodcock, but is larger and is barred beneath.
Their habits are the same as those of our species.

228. Woodcock. Philohela minor.

Range.–Eastern North America, north to the
British Provinces, breeding throughout its range.

Buffy gray.

This is one of the most eagerly sought game
birds of the east. Their flight is very rapid and
erratic, and accompanied by a peculiar whistling
sound made by the rapid motion of the wings; it
requires a skillful
marksman to
bring them down.
They frequent
boggy places especially
“runs”
lined with alders,
where they bore
in the soft ground
for worms and
grubs. Their
eggs are laid upon
the bare
ground among
the leaves and sticks; they are of about the color
of dead leaves, as is also the bird, making it quite
difficult to discover their nests. They lay three
or four eggs of a buffy color, with yellowish brown
spots. Size 1.50 × 1.15.

229. European Snipe. Gallinago gallinago.

A common species in Europe; of casual or accidental appearance in Greenland.
The bird does not differ essentially from our Snipe and its habits are
the same.

WOODCOCK ON HER NEST.

Wilson Snipe. Gallinago delicata.

Range.–North America, breeding from northern United States northward;
winters along the Gulf States and to California, and southward.

Olive gray.

Another favorite game bird, but one which requires
skill to hunt successfully. Of about the
same size as the Woodcock (11 inches long).
This species, to a great extent frequents the same
haunts used by Woodcock, but is especially fond
of open marshy meadows, with winding brooks.
Their nests are depressions in grassy banks, generally
unlined; the three or four eggs have an
olive gray color and are strongly marked with
blackish brown. Size 1.50 × 1.10. Data.–Lake
Winnipegosis, Manitoba, June 10, 1903. Nest in
a hollow on a tuft of marsh grass, the four eggs
having their points together. Collector, Walter
Raine.

230.1. Greater Snipe. Gallinago media.

A European species, only American as having accidentally occurred at Hudson
Bay; similar in appearance to the preceding species.

NEST AND EGGS OF WOODCOCK.

Dowitcher.

231. Dowitcher. Macrorhamphus griseus.

Range.–North America, most abundant in
the eastern parts; breeds in the extreme north,
and winters from the Gulf States to Northern
South America.

Greenish buff.

This species is
commonly known
as “Red-breasted
Snipe” in late
spring and summer
because of
the rich, rusty
red coloration of
the underparts,
and as “Gray-back”
in winter
because of its
color at that season.
They are very common along the Atlantic
coast during the Spring migration; they
can be easily identified by their very long
bills, which are over two inches in length and
nearly one quarter the length of the whole
bird. They nest during June, placing their three or four eggs in a slight hollow,
which may or may not be lined with dried grass or leaves. The eggs have
a greenish or brownish buff color and are boldly marked with dark brown.
They do not differ greatly from those of the Snipe. Data.–Mackenzie River,
June 27, 1900. Four eggs in a hollow in the grass, lined with dead grass. Collector,
Walter Raine.

LOON.

Long-billed.

232. Long-billed Dowitcher. Macrorhamphus griseus scolopaceus.

Range.–Whole of North America, but not common
on the Atlantic coast; breeds in the Arctic
regions and migrates chiefly through the central
and western parts of the United States to Mexico.

Greenish buff.

This bird is practically the same as the last, but
is a trifle larger and the bill averages about a
half inch longer. They are very numerous in
their breeding
haunts, and, during
their migrations, fly
in large compact
flocks. They are
not very timid, and
consequently fall an
easy prey to the gunners.
Their nesting
habits and eggs are
the same as the last
species, except that
the eggs may average a trifle larger. Size 1.75 ×
1.15. Data.–Norton Is., Alaska, June, 1900. Nest
a small hollow in the dry ground. Four eggs.
Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodfish.

233. Stilt Sandpiper. Micropalama himantopus.

Range.–North America, east of the Rocky
Mountains; breeds in the Arctic regions and winters
from the Gulf States southward.

In the summer, these birds may be known by
the reddish coloration of the underparts, which
are numerously barred; they are smaller than
the preceding, length about eight inches. Their
nesting habits are the same as those of the majority
of the members of the family. The three
or four eggs are buffy or grayish, and are blotched and spotted with shades of
brown. Size 1.40 × 1.00.

Knot.
Purple Sandpiper.

234. Knot. Tringa canutus.

Range.–Arctic regions in summer; south
through the United States, chiefly on the Atlantic
coast, to South America.

Of about the same size as the Dowitchers, length
10.5 inches, but with a much shorter bill. In
summer the entire under parts are a uniform reddish
chestnut color. They are known to breed
in Arctic America, from Point Barrow and Hudson
Bay, northward, but no authentic eggs are
known, at present, to exist in collections. One
taken from a bird by Lieut. Greely, was a pea
green color, specked with brown; size 1.10 × 1.00.
As it was not fully developed, it was probably
correct neither as to size nor color.

235. Purple Sandpiper. Arquatella maritima maritima.

Range.–Arctic regions, wintering south to the
Middle States and the Great Lakes, but chiefly
on the coast.

Grayish buff.

A grayish and blackish colored species, about
nine inches long. It nests in northern Labrador,
about Hudson Bay and
in Iceland. Its eggs are
a grayish buff color
handsomely splashed
with rich shades of
brown and obscure
markings of darker
gray. Data.–Northern
Iceland, June 7,
1897. Four eggs. Nest
a hollow in the ground
among grass and weeds and lined with a few
grasses. Collector, C. Jefferys.

235a. Aleutian Sandpiper. Arguatella maritima couesi.

Range.–Supposed to be a resident on the coast and islands of Alaska, from
the Aleutians northward.

A very similar species to the preceding; scarcely distinguishable. These
Sandpipers, which are found in Alaska at all seasons of the year, breed during
May and June. Their nesting habits are the same as those of the preceding
bird and the eggs are indistinguishable. Size 1.40 × 1.00. Data.–Unalaska,
Bering Sea, June 3, 1898. Nest containing four eggs, a depression in the moss,
lined with grasses and bits of moss. The eggs were laid with their small ends
together.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.
Pectoral Sandpiper.

237. Pribilof Sandpiper. Arquatella maritina ptilocnemis.

Range.–Coast and islands of Bering Sea, south
in winter to southern Alaska.

This bird, which is ten inches in length, has
the feathers of the upper parts edged with
rusty, and the underparts light, with a distinguishing
patch of black on the breast. Similar in
appearance to the Red-backed Sandpiper, but not
so reddish above, and the latter has the black
patch on the belly. They breed commonly on
the Pribilof and other islands in Bering Sea,
nesting the same as other Sandpipers. Their four
eggs are similar to those of the preceding, but
average darker. Size 1.50 × 1.05.

238. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Pisobia aurita.

Range.–An Asiatic species, quite abundant in
Alaska in the summer; supposed to migrate
south in winter, wholly on the Asiatic side of
the Pacific.

A similar bird, in appearance, to the following,
but slightly smaller and with the breast more
ruddy. Its nesting habits probably do not differ
from those of the following Sandpiper.

239. Pectoral Sandpiper. Pisobia maculata.

Range.–Whole of North America, breeding in
the Arctic regions, and wintering south of the
United States, most abundant in the eastern parts
of the United States during migrations.

This species is blackish brown above, with
light brown edgings to the feathers, and white
below, except the chest, which is brownish,
streaked with black. A very peculiar species,
having the power, during the mating season, of inflating
the throat to a great extent, making a balloon-like
appendage, nearly the size of the bird. They
have more the habits of Snipe, than do most of the
Sandpipers, frequenting grassy meadows or marshes,
in preference to the seashore. Their nests are
grass lined depressions, and the eggs are grayish
or greenish buff, blotched with brown. Size 1.45 ×
1.00. Data.–Cape Smythe, Alaska, June 1900. Four
eggs in a hollow in the ground, lined with grass.

White-rumped Sandpiper.
Baird’s Sandpiper.
Least Sandpiper.

240. White-rumped Sandpiper. Pisobia fuscicollis.

Range.–North America, breeding from Labrador
and southern Greenland, northward and wintering
from central to Southern South America;
most common on the Atlantic coast.

This species is 7.5 inches in length, and has
white upper tail coverts; otherwise it is marked
similarly to the preceding Sandpiper. Its nesting
habits are the same as those of the majority
of the family, and the three or four eggs that they
lay cannot be distinguished from those of the following
species. Size 1.30 × .90. These are one
of the most common of the beach birds along
the Atlantic coast during migrations; they are
very often known as Bonaparte Sandpipers.

241. Baird’s Sandpiper. Pisobia bairdi.

Range.–North America, chiefly in the interior,
breeding along the Arctic coast and about Hudson
Bay, and wintering south of the United
States.

A very similar species to the preceding, but
without the white rump. Their nests are hollows
in the ground, generally concealed in a tuft of
grass, and lined with grasses and a few leaves.
They lay three or four eggs having a grayish
colored ground, and marked with different shades
of brown, and also with some faint markings of
lilac. Size 1.30 × .90. Data.–Peel River, Arctic
America, June 18, 1898. Four eggs, taken with
the bird by an Indian. Eggs in a slight hollow
on the river bank.

242. Least Sandpiper. Pisobia minutilla.

Range.–North America, breeding from the southern parts of the British
Provinces northward; winters from southern United States southward. Common
in the interior and on both coasts.

Grayish.

This is the smallest of our Sandpipers, being under six
inches in length. Except for size, they are similar in
appearance to Baird’s Sandpiper, only the back is browner.
A very abundant species during migrations, being found
on the seashore or in marshes, nearly always in company
with other species of the family. Their nests are the same
as other Sandpipers, and the eggs are grayish, thickly
specked with brown. Size 1.15 × .80. Data.–Peel River,
Arctic America, June 20, 1899. Nest simply a depression
in the river bank, lined with grass.

Red-backed Sandpiper.
Curlew Sandpiper.

242.1. Long-toed Stint. Pisobia damacensis.

An Asiatic species accidentally found on the
Alaskan shores. It is a very similar bird to the
Least Sandpiper, and about the same size. As
implied by its name, it has unusually long toes.

243. Dunlin. Pelidna alpina alpina.

A very common Sandpiper in the British Isles
and in Europe, but only casually occurring as a
straggler along the Atlantic coast. Very similar
to the next species, but a trifle smaller. The nest
and eggs do not differ from the following.

243a. Red-backed Sandpiper. Pelidna alpina sakhalina.

Greenish buff.

Range.–Whole of North America, breeding
from southern Greenland, Labrador, Hudson Bay
and the Yukon, northward, wintering from the
Gulf States southward.
This handsome
species is
similar to the Pribilof
Sandpiper, but is
smaller (length 8
inches), the upperparts
are more reddish,
the breast
more heavily streaked,
and it has a black
patch on the belly instead of on the breast as in
ptilocnemis. Their nesting habits are similar to
others of the family; they lay three or four eggs
with a brownish or greenish buff color, heavily
blotched and spotted with shades of brown and
chestnut. Size 1.40 × 1.00. Data.— Peel River, Arctic America, June 30, 1899.
Nest a simple cavity in the ground, lined with a few grasses and three or four
leaves. Collector, J. O. Stringer.

244. Curlew Sandpiper. Erolia ferruginea.

Range.–A common Old World species, but regarded as rare in eastern North
America and northern Alaska.

A bird of slighter build, but similar coloration to the Knot; smaller (length
eight inches) and with a slightly decurved bill. Until within recent years, eggs
of these birds were rarely seen in collections, and I believe they have not yet
been taken in this country, although a few pairs nest along our Arctic coast.
Their eggs are very similar to those of the Red-backed Sandpiper, but average
somewhat larger. Size 1.50 × 1.05. Data.–Kola, northern Lapland, June 15,
1898. Four eggs laid in a grass-lined hollow in the ground. Collector, J.
Ramberg.

Spoonbill Sandpiper.
Semipalmated Sandpiper.

245. Spoonbill Sandpiper. Eurynorhynchus pygmeus.

A very rare Asiatic species, which has been
taken in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska. A very peculiar
bird having the end of the bill broadened
and flattened into a sort of spatula. Otherwise
very similar to the Least Sandpiper, but with
the breast and sides of neck ruddy in summer.
About 75 specimens of this rare bird are known
to exist.

246. Semipalmated Sandpiper. Ereunetes pusillus.

Grayish.

Range.–Whole of North America, but chiefly
in the eastern and central parts, breeding about
the ponds and streams of Labrador and Hudson
Bay, and northward. These little Sandpipers are
abundant during the migrations either in marshes
or on beaches. They are most often found in
company with other species, such as the Spotted
and Least Sandpipers. Their appearance is very
similar to that of the Least Sandpipers, but they
are slightly larger and the feet are partially
webbed. Their eggs have a greenish buff or grayish
ground color and are
spotted with brownish or
blackish, sometimes, so
heavily as to completely
obscure the shell color.
Size 1.20 × .80. Data.–Small
island near Okak,
Labrador, July 3, 1895. 2
eggs. Nest a hollow at the
foot of a tuft of grass,
lined with a few bits of grass and small leaves.
Eggs unmistakable in this dark type.

Western Sandpiper.
Sanderling.
Marbled Godwit.

247. Western Sandpiper. Ereunetes mauri.

Range.–Western North America, breeding in
the Arctic regions and migrating through the
United States, chiefly west of the Mississippi to
the Gulf States and southward.

Grayish buff.

Scarcely to be distinguished
from the preceding species,
but the upper parts are
said to be brighter and the
bill, to average a trifle longer.
The nesting habits and
eggs are precisely the same
as those of the Semipalmated
variety. Data.–Cape Prince
of Wales, Alaska, June 28, 1898. Four eggs. Nest
a neatly rounded hollow, sunk into a mossy hummock
in marshy ground. Collector, Joseph Grinnell.

248. Sanderling. Calidris leucophaea.

Range.–Found in all parts of the northern hemisphere,
breeding within the Arctic Circle and
wintering in North America, from California and
South Carolina southward.

A handsome and abundant species, found during
migrations by thousands on beaches and about
large bodies of water in the interior. They are
one of the lightest colored of the Sandpipers,
either in winter or summer plumage. In summer
the upper parts are a light rusty color and black,
and the whole underparts are white. Owing to
their extreme northerly distribution in summer,
but few of their eggs have been taken. Their
nesting habits are like those of the other Sandpipers.
The three or four eggs are greenish buff in
color, spotted and blotched with brown. Size 1.45 × .95. Data.–Peel River,
Alaska, June 18, 1897. Three eggs in a depression on the ground.

249. Marbled Godwit. Limosa fedoa.

Range.–North America, breeding, chiefly in the interior, from northern
United States northward.

Godwits are large Plovers with long slightly up-curved bills. This species
is 19 inches in length, is of a nearly uniform ruddy color and is handsomely
marbled above, and barred below with black. Their eggs are laid upon the
ground in the vicinity of ponds or rivers; sometimes there is no lining and
again a few straws or grasses may be twisted around the depression. Their
eggs number three or four and have a ground color of grayish or greenish buff,
sometimes quite dark, and are blotched with dark brown. Size 2.25 × 1.60.
Data.–Devil’s Lake, N. D., June 10, 1895. Four eggs laid on the ground in the
middle of an unused road. Lined with a few grasses. Collector, W. F. Hill.

Pacific Godwit.
Hudsonian Godwit

250. Pacific Godwit. Limosa lapponica baueri.

Range.–Coasts and islands of the Pacific Ocean
on the Asiatic side, north in summer to Alaska.

This species is more uniform and brighter ruddy
beneath than the preceding, and the back is
not marbled as strongly. Even in Alaska where
it breeds, it is not a common species, and it only
occurs elsewhere on the Pacific coast of America
casually. The nesting habits are the same, but
the eggs are somewhat darker than those of the
preceding, but not as dark as those of the following
species. Size 2.20 × 1.45.

251. Hudsonian Godwit. Limosa haemastica.

Range.–North America, east of the Rocky
Mountains, breeding in the Arctic regions and
wintering south of the United States.

Brownish.

This species is apparently not as common or is
more locally distributed during migrations than
is the Marbled Godwit. They are more abundant in their breeding grounds and
are occasionally seen in large flocks. They are smaller than the Marbled
Godwit (length 18 inches) and are deep reddish brown below. They lay four
eggs on the ground, in marshes or near ponds or streams, lining the hollow
with weeds and dried leaves. The eggs have a dark brownish buff ground
color and are blotched with brownish black. Size 2.20 × 1.40. Data.–Mackenzie
River, Arctic America. Four eggs laid in a hollow in the ground. Collector,
J. O. Stringer.

252. Black-tailed Godwit. Limosa limosa.

A European and Asiatic species only casually occurring in Greenland. Very
similar in appearance to our Hudsonian Godwit, which is frequently called by
the name of this species. The nesting habits and the eggs are precisely like
those of the American bird.

253. Green Shank. Glottis nebularia.

A common bird in Europe and the British Isles, but only American as having
been taken once in Florida. A very similar species to the following.

Greater Yellow-legs.
Yellow-legs.

254. Greater Yellow-legs. Totanus melanoleucus.

Range.–Whole of North America, nesting in the British Provinces and rarely in the northern part of the Mississippi Valley.

Grayish white.

This and the next species are much sought by sportsmen during their migrations; they are commonly called “Tell-tale,” the present species being the “Greater Tell-tale.” They are blackish above, speckled with white, and below are white and, in summer, marked with arrowhead spots of black. The legs, as implied by the name of the bird, are yellow and long; length of bird, 14 inches. They nest most abundantly in localities remote from habitations, in the interior of Canada. The eggs are generally laid on the ground, near a marsh or on the bank of a stream, with little or no lining to the nest. They are grayish white, boldly splashed with several shades of brown, and with lilac. Size 1.65 × 1.25. Data.–Whale River, Labrador, June 10, 1902. Eggs laid on the ground in an open marsh.

255. Yellow-legs. Totanus flavipes.

Buffy.

Range.–North America, breeding chiefly in the interior and eastern parts of Canada, and rarely in the upper Mississippi Valley. This species is very similar to the preceding, but is smaller; length 10.5 inches. It is also called the “Lesser Tell-tale,” a name applied because of their wariness, and because, when they fly, they warn all other species within hearing, of danger. Their eggs are laid on the ground, and in similar localities to the preceding. They are three or four in number, grayish or buffy in color, and are quite heavily blotched and spotted with rich brown and grayish or lilac. Size 1.60 × 1.20. Data.–Whale River, Labrador, June 14, 1902. Four eggs laid on the ground in a large marsh.

Solitary Sandpiper.

256. Solitary Sandpiper. Helodromas solitarius solitarius.

Range.–Eastern North America, breeding chiefly north of the United States boundary, but apt to be found nesting in any part of its range; winters south of the United States.

Clay-colored.

A bird with a greenish gray back, barred with white, and white below; length 8.5 inches. This species is one of the oddities among the waders. They are most always met with, singly or in pairs, and are very rarely seen, even in very small flocks. Their preference is for small ponds or streams in wet woods or open meadows, rather than marshes which are frequented by other species. They are occasionally seen during the nesting season, even in the southern parts of their range, and they probably breed there although their eggs are very rarely found. The eggs are clay-colored, spotted with brownish black. Data.–Simco Island, Kingston, Ontario, June 10, 1898. 5 eggs in a shallow depression on the ground, lined with a few grasses.

NEST OF SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

Western Sandpiper.
Willet.

256a. Western Solitary Sandpiper. Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus.

Range.–North America, west of the Plains;
breeds in British Columbia and probably south
of there, also.

This bird is like the last, except that the spots
on the back are buffy instead of white. Its nest
and eggs will not differ in any respect from those
of the eastern form.

257. Green Sandpiper. Helodromas acrophus.

This species, which very closely resembles our
Solitary Sandpiper, is common in the northern
parts of the Old World. It has only accidentally
strayed to our shores.

258. Willet. Catoptrophorus semipalmatus semipalmatus.

Range.–Eastern United States, breeding north
to the Middle States and occasionally straying to
the Canadian border, especially in the Mississippi Valley.

Buff.

These large waders are among the most abundant of the marsh or beach
birds. They breed in small companies in marshes, frequently in those which
are covered with water at high tide, building a frail nest of grasses and weeds,
where it will be barely out of reach of the highest water. The three or four
eggs have a brownish, or sometimes greenish, buff ground color and are blotched
with umber, and have fainter markings of lilac. Size 2.00 × 1.50. Data.–Sandy
Bank, South Carolina, May 3, 1901. Nest on the ground, secreted in the
high grass. Made of dead marsh grass, lined with finer grasses.

Wandering Tattler.
Ruff.
Upland Plover.

258a. Western Willet. Catoptrophorus semipalmatus inornatus.

Range.–Western North America, breeding
north to Manitoba and British Columbia. Casually
found on the South Atlantic coast during migrations.

A larger and paler form of the preceding species;
length 15.5 inches. The nesting habits are
the same, and the eggs cannot be distinguished
from those of the common Willet. Data.–Refugio,
Texas, May 18, 1900. 4 eggs in a grass
lined depression on the bay shore flat. Collector,
J. W. Preston.

259. Wandering Tattler. Heteractitis incanus.

Range.–Pacific coast of North America, breeding
from British Columbia northward.

This is a handsome species, uniform grayish
above and white below, closely barred (in summer)
with blackish. During the breeding season
it is found on the rugged coasts and islands of
Alaska, and casually south. It breeds in the
marsh grass near the shores and along the banks
of streams.

260. Ruff. Machetes pugnax.

A common European species, occasionally found
on the Atlantic coast of North America. It is a
species remarkable for its pugnacity during the
mating season; in size and appearance it is about
like the Upland Plover, with the exception of the
“ruff” which adorns the neck and breast of the
male bird.

261. Upland Plover. Bartramia longicauda.

Buff.

Range.–North America, chiefly east of the Rocky Mountains, breeding from
middle United States, northward.

A handsome bird, 12 inches in length,
generally known as the “Upland Plover,”
from its habit of frequenting dry side hills,
where it feeds upon grasshoppers and
worms. It is a favorite bird with many
sportsmen. It builds a nest of grasses, on
the ground in a tuft of grass in the middle
of fields. The three or four eggs have a buff
ground and are blotched with yellowish
brown. Size 1.75 × 1.25. Data.–Stump Lake,
N. D., June 10, 1897. Nest of grass, lined
with wool, under a tuft of grass left by the
mower. Collector, Alf. Eastgate.

NEST AND EGGS OF UPLAND PLOVER.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper.
Spotted Sandpiper.

262. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Tryngites subruficollis.

Range.–Interior of North America, breeding
from the Hudson Bay region to the Arctic coast.

Grayish white.

A buffy colored species, with a peculiarly marbled
back. Size 8.5 inches long. It is an upland
species like the last. The nests are scantily lined
depressions in the ground. The eggs have a
grayish white ground
and are boldly blotched
with rich brown and
chestnut with fainter
markings of lilac. Size
1.45 × 1.05. Data.–Cape
Smythe, Alaska, June,
1900. 4 eggs in a hollow
in dry spot on a
marsh. Collector, H. H.
Bodfish.

263. Spotted Sandpiper. Actitis macularia.

Range.–Whole of North America from Hudson
Bay southward, breeding throughout its range.

Buff.

A small wader about 7.5 inches in length, with
brownish gray upper parts, and white underparts
thickly spotted with blackish, especially on the
breast and flanks. This is the most abundant of
all the shore birds, and its “peet-weet” is a familiar
sound to every country boy. It has a peculiar
habit of continually moving its tail up and down,
when at rest on a stone or when running along
the shore; from these characteristic actions it
has received the very common names of “Teeter-tail”
and “Tip-up.” They build their nests on the
ground near ponds, brooks or marshes, generally
concealing it in a tuft of grass or weeds on the
shore or in the high grass at the edge of the
meadows. The eggs number from three to five and are of a grayish buff color,
spotted and blotched with blackish brown. The young, like those of all the
shore birds, are hatched covered with down, and run about as soon as born.
They are anxiously attended by the parents and at
the least sign of danger, conceal themselves beneath
a tuft of grass or behind a small stone, where they
remain perfectly motionless until called by the old
birds. The adults frequently attempt to lead an enemy
away from the young by feigning a broken
wing, or lameness. Size of eggs 1.35 × .90. Data.–Parker
County, Ind., May 22, 1901. Nest about six
yards from bank of creek, among weeds on a sand
bar; a hollow in the sand lined with weeds. Collector,
Winfield S. Catlin.

Long-billed Curlew.
Hudsonian Curlew.

264. Long-billed Curlew. Numenius americanus.

Range.–Breeds in the South Atlantic states
and northward in the interior to Manitoba and
British Columbia.

Greenish buff.

This is the largest of the family of shore birds,
having a length of about 24 inches. Its plumage
is of a buffy color, much variegated above with
black and brown; the bill is strongly curved downward
and is from four to eight inches in length.
Their nests are located on the ground in meadows
or on the prairies, and three or four eggs are laid,
of a buff or greenish buff color, covered with
numerous spots of brownish black. Eggs of the
common Curlew of Europe, have been very frequently
used as belonging to this species, but the
eggs of our species have a lighter and more
greenish ground, and the spots are smaller and
more numerous. Size, 2.50 × 1.80.