The Towhee Bunting, or Ciieavink, has an extended distribution throughout the eastern portions of the United States, ranging from Florida and Georgia on the south-east to the Selkirk settlements on the northwest, and westward to the border of the Great Plains, where it is replaced by closely allied races. It breeds wherever found, certainly in Georgia, and, doubtless, in Florida, although sparingly.
According to Wilson, it is found in the middle districts of Virginia, and thence south to Florida, during the months of January, February and March; but as the weather grows mild, and Nature begins to don her livery of green, many forsake these haunts, and wing their flight to distant localities; reaching the Middle Atlantic States about the fifteenth of April, Massachusetts and Connecticut towards the last of the month, Maine and New Hampshire early in May, and the North-western States a little later.
In some regions the birds arrive singly, but retire in small flocks. This is the case in the vicinity of Washington; whereas in Eastern Pennsylvania, they are somewhat gregarious for a week or ten days after their arrival, when they separate, and lead solitary lives. Their sole object now is the acquirement of food. For this purpose they repair to waste fields and damp thickets, or to small patches of underbrush along frequented roads. Here their simple song may be heard during the intervals of feeding, with scarce an intermission, from five o'clock in the morning until eight in the evening, by the early or belated pedestrian. In rain or in sunshine, or at noonday in the hottest weather of the season, the woods resound therewith, or with that peculiar note of complaint from which the species has received the name Chewink.
There is an expression of cheerfulness in these notes, though they are not delivered with that enthusiasm which characterizes the songs of many of our species. But music, like poetry, must be of a somewhat plaintive nature, if it would take firm hold of the feelings.
After a period of three or four weeks mostly spent in feeding, the males seem to tire of such a life, and seek to attract the attention of the females. Perched on the lower branch of a tree, near the edge of a wood, or 011 the summit of a small tree or tall bush in the midst of a thicket, or hid from view by clusters of bushes, they may be heard pouring forth, with all the fervor of their being, their strange madrigals. At first, their efforts to captivate are unheeded. But patiently and persistently the singing is kept up in a quiet, simple manner, until their auditors become impressed, and modestly quit their shady retreats to encourage the musicians by their presence. Having gained this advantage, they follow it up, and in less than a week from the time the first note was uttered, have mastered the situation. The females wholly entranced, yield to the persuasions of their would-be lords, and conjugal relations are entered into. This generally occurs not later than the fifteenth of May. But the happy couple are not yet ready to begin nest-building. They must needs celebrate the occasion of their marriage. Accordingly, they set out on a wedding-trip, so to speak, visiting adjoining lots and thickets, and enjoying the delights and scenes around them. This continues for four or five days, when the lovers, thoroughly surfeited, return and quietly settle down to prosy life.
The erection of a home is now the absorbing topic of interest and conversation. Where to build, and how, are matters that are agitating their minds, and which seem, judging from the actions of the parties interested, very difficult questions to adjust. After no inconsiderable portion of time thus spent, and with little possibility of coming to any decision, a separation ensues, and the country scoured for miles around.
Should a situation which seems eligible be discovered by either party, the other, by a peculiar signal, is called to the spot, and the advantages thereof carefully discussed. If satisfactory, it is accepted, and building operations commenced. Otherwise, the search is commenced anew, and continued until one is obtained which is mutually pleasing. But where the birds are unmolested, the same localities are probably selected on each return of the breeding-season. The situation generally chosen is a small thicket with a dense growth of underbrush, or a high piece of ground overrun by brambles, and dotted by patches of fern. Latterly, nests have been frequently found in clumps of tall grass, in fields once swampy in character.
In New England, the locality usually chosen is a low, dense woods, thickets of briers and bushes near streams of water, or the "scrub," which is a low or bushy "growth" of trees, chiefly of oaks and birches, occurring in dry, hilly lands once occupied by pines. In the extreme northern limits of its range, dry uplands, near the edges of woods, or high tracts covered with a. low brushwood, are used, rather than low or moist grounds, as was the case in some sections at the time when Wilson wrote. The love for such situations doubtless gave rise to the appellation of "Swamp Robin," which is generally applied to this species in Pennsylvania.
When placed within a thicket, or in the borders thereof, the nest is either built in a depression of the ground, usually beneath a bunch of grass, in a pile of old brush or fagots, or on a slight prominence surrounded by tall, graceful ferns. Within a concavity, the structure is made to project slightly above the margin thereof, and is artfully concealed from the gaze of intruders by dry leaves. So completely is it hidden, that all efforts to find it frequently prove unavailing.
The work of building is entered into with diligence and alacrity, each bird collecting and adjusting the materials as it thinks best. While thus engaged—which is usually from sunrise to sunset, allowing the necessary time for foraging and rest—the architects seldom, if ever, get at outs, but labor with a purpose, and in the best of spirits. The time thus spent has never been known to exceed three days.
So little variation is manifested in these structures, that specimens from the Southern States resemble those from the Eastern, Middle and Western sections so closely, as to be readily identified by persons of the least experience in such matters.
A typical nest is mainly composed of the leaves of deciduous trees, twigs, grass and roots, 011 the outside, and is lined with the inner fibres of the wild grape-vine, or with fine stems of grasses. The drawing represents it as being constituted of the stems of grasses, with a slight intermixture of leaves and roots, and as having a lining of reddish-brown stems of the same. It measures four and a half inches in extreme diameter, and two and a half in height. The internal diameter is two and three-fourths inches, and the depth of cavity one and a half.
Oviposition commences on the day succeeding the completion of the nest, and proceeds at the rate of one egg daily, until the entire complement is deposited. Incubation closely, follows, usually a day or two after the last egg is laid. This is undoubtedly the exclusive task of the female for a period of thirteen days. Diligent and close watching has failed to show that the male takes any direct part in this important business. Although seemingly averse, or unaccustomed to this kind of work, he does not fail to contribute his share to the success of the undertaking. While his wife is engaged in sitting, he is an ever watchful and cautious husband. Unlike many other species, he does not make himself too conspicuous, but stations himself some distance from the nest, for fear of revealing its whereabouts, and only ventures into the neighborhood at certain regular periods, to receive the commands of his patient little house-wife, or to administer to her bodily wants. Though shy, these birds often seem saucy; and, while one person complains of their chirruping to and starting his horse, another claims that, 011 the discovery of their nest, they express their grief so impudently as to arouse his indignation. But when the nest lias been stumbled upon by some cruel oologist, and the female is compelled to abandon it and seek safety in flight, the male does not even then desert his hiding-place to come to her rescue. Everything is left to her judgment, and well does she play her role in the drama. By various strategic movements, such as imitating the actions and cries of a crippled bird, she decoys the inexperienced intruder to a remote distance, when she flings off' the veil of hypocrisy, and quickly disappears in the bushes. With the trained collector this ruse hardly succeeds, and the disappointed parent often beholds with profound sorrow the discovery of her nest, and its destruction by ruthless hands.
When the young are hatched, they are watched over with jealous care, and receive more than ordinary attention. Grubs, earthworms, plant-lice and larvæ of butterflies, in immense numbers, are daily gleaned, and fed to their hungry appetites. Such are their demands for food, during the first week or ten days of existence, that the parents are kept extremely busy in catering thereto. Occasionally, both are absent from home 011 this important business, but the rule seems to be for one parent to keep a watch over it and its helpless inmates, while the other is thus occupied.
At the age of thirteen or fourteen days, the young quit the nest, and receive their first lessons in the mysteries of bird life; and, in ten days more, are forced to shift for themselves, but are permitted, however, to remain with the parents until the time of the autumnal migration, when they help to form the small flocks which are seen flying southward about the middle of October.
The eggs of this species are four in number, rounded-oval in shape, and are covered over the entire surface with dots and blotches of reddish-brown upon an obscure grayish, or reddish-white background. In some specimens, these dots run into each other; and, in others, they are distinct, being more profusely collected about the larger extremity. The average measurement of a score of specimens from widely-separated localities is .97 by .80 of an inch. Such is the resemblance which obtains between these eggs and those of the Brown Thrush, that when sets of both are placed together in a tray, the difference between them would scarcely be apparent to a novice in such matters. It remains for the keen and critical eye of the more advanced student to point out the distinction, which consists in the paler and more roseate tint of the Chewink's eggs, and the larger size of those of the Thrasher. Wherever observed, these birds seem to be single-brooded, although nests are sometimes found with young, in June and August, which fact would seem to argue that occasionally more than one brood is reared; but, generally, the first brood leaves the nest too late for another to be brought out before the appearance of the early frosts.
The Downy Woodpecker, or Lessee Sapsucker as it is called byway of distinction, is a resident rather than a migratory species, and is known to breed wherever it is found. Its area of distribution extends from Lower Louisiana to Labrador, and from Texas northward through New Mexico and the Indian Territory to the 58° of latitude. It is also quite common in the maritime parts of Alaska, the Aleutian Islands excepted. Although abundant east of the Rocky Mountains, and rather more numerous than its nearest kin, the Larger Sapsucker, yet, owing to the smallness of its size, it is not so well known outside of cultivated districts.
In the autumnal and winter months, these birds lead solitary lives. Go where we will, then, we may here and there behold isolated individuals busily probing the fissured bark of trees for the eggs and pupa of insects. Even the mature forms meet with the same cruel treatment.
Though rarely observed in cultivated districts during these times, yet a visit to the woods will reveal many a little fellow in dappled dress arrayed, with or without a crown of red, wending his slow and labored flight from tree to tree, or waking the clear echoes of rock and shady glen with his shrill music and weird drumming.
But when balmy Spring returns, and releases the earth from the icy fetters of the winter-god, and peoples our shade and fruit trees with countless insect existences, then quits he the wild forest scenery, in a measure, and betakes himself to our lawns and orchards. This is not always the case. For in those lands where civilization has not planted, but where Nature still reigns in her pristine glory, lie is the same changeless creature as when first he greeted the vision of man.
'Tis now the social forces, freed from the frozen bonds of winter, rejoice in new vitality. The sexes no longer shun each other as before, but mingle in the most friendly manner. The male is the first to show symptoms of change. He pursues his predatory exploits with less of his characteristic zeal, and seeks to attract the attention of the gentler sex. With this object in view, he arranges his toilet with scrupulous nicety, and then goes forth to parade his beauties and grace before a bevy of idle, listless females. Ever and anon, he varies his occupation, by the rendition of a song. But his auditors seem either incapable of appreciating his efforts to please, or else are too much concerned with other matters to pay any real attention thereto.
Our little hero, not to be baffled, keeps up his courage, and with a patience truly praiseworthy, continues his suit, till at last he reaches the ear of some simple-minded female, when he pours forth, with all the resistless eloquence of his being, the short but pleasing narrative of his love.
Should his affection be requited as it deserves, the happy lovers, without further ado, hie themselves away to sunny field or shady grove, to enjoy a brief honey-moon, preparatory to entering upon the trying and responsible duties of wedded life.
The getting of a wife is not always so easily accomplished. It is generally attended with many trials and vicissitudes of fortune. Sometimes when success seems ready to crown the efforts of an actor in this part of life's drama, a rival comes upon the scene, and claims the attention of the wooed. The most ridiculous antics now ensue, and continue for hours together. The female becomes the most whimsical of creatures, lavishing her caresses first upon one, and then upon the other of her suitors. The jealousy of the contesting males now knows no bounds, and only vents itself in long and fierce encounters. The female, at last, comes to the rescue, desists from her meaningless flirtation, and bestows the jewel of her affections upon her first lover. The combat ceases, and the participants separate.
Occasionally, several pairs will meet by chance upon the same tree, when similar scenes will be enacted by the jolly females, much to the vexation of their respective suitors. These farces have been known to last for nearly a week, but they seldom continue for a longer period than two days.
Mating having taken place, which is usually the case during the first week of May, never earlier except when the season is remarkably advanced, the birds make ample amends for the time thus seemingly frittered away, by the perseverance and diligence with which they ransack the orchards and groves for a suitable tree in which to excavate a nest.
The selection of a site is a matter of no little importance, the greater part of a week being consumed in making the necessary reconnoissances. These explorations commence early in the morning, and continue with but few interruptions until the close of the day. They are never performed singly, but always in pairs. One feature thereof strikes us as peculiarly interesting, and as deserving of mention. It is the perfect harmony and good-will which then prevail.
If a situation is discovered by one of the parties which is apparently suitable, a conference is called, and the various advantages thereof discussed. If mutually agreeable, further examinations cease, and building operations are begun. In cultivated grounds, a decayed branch of the apple or cherry is chosen for this purpose; but in more retired situations, the maple, ash, elm or tulip-tree is given the preference.
In the Southern States, nest-building commences about the middle of April; in the Middle Atlantic, seldom later than the fifteenth of May; in New England, from the fifteenth of May to the tenth of June; and in the extreme northerly portions of its habitat, about the fifteenth of the latter month.
All things being in readiness, the male is the first to commence operations. Stationing himself upon the spot which is to constitute the doorway to his home, with claws imbedded in the wood to prevent from falling, he digs the bark away in the form of a semi-circle. Then reversing his position, he goes through the same difficult but trying task, his little bill his only implement of execution, until he has wrought a perfect circle. Continuing the labor, he delves away into the soft or hardened interior, like a veritable Trojan, until an inch or more of the wood has yielded to the blows of his small but powerful chisel. Tired, at last, he resigns the work to his companion, and settles himself upon a branch close-by to rest. Having recuperated his exhausted energies, he starts off in quest of food, but to return in the course of a half-hour to the relief of the female. Thus the work goes on, day after day, with an industry and patience truly commendable, until success crowns the undertaking.
The opening to the chamber is perfectly circular, and quite as accurate as a skilful mechanic could make it with compasses. The cavity is first directed downwards at an angle of forty degrees, for the space of five inches, when it takes a perdendicular course for nearly ten inches further, widening perceptibly at the bottom. Such is the capacity of the latter that the sitting-bird is able to turn around therein with considerable ease, but the external orifice is just large enough to admit the bodies of herself and partner.
Few species are more careful to direct attention from the scene of their labors than the subjects of our sketch. The chips produced during the work of excavation are usually carried to some distance, so as to remove all traces that might lead to detection. But howsoever clandestinely they may act, and whatever precaution they may exercise, their home does not always escape the keen eye of the experienced oologist, or the sharpness and sagacity of the mischievous and insinuating little House Wren—one of the most annoying enemies with which it has to contend.
Wilson gives an interesting account of the impudent coolness of this bird, who coveting the neatly built home of this Woodpecker, and powerless to construct such an apartment for herself, waits until the Wookpeckers have finished their work, when she attacks them with violence, and expels them from the nest which they have prepared with so much pains. Another example is mentioned by the same distinguished authority. In this instance, the Woodpeckers had commenced the work of excavation in a cherry-tree, within a few yards of the house in which he lived, and had made considerable progress, when they were assailed by the Wrens, and compelled to withdraw. They then began a second nest in a pear-tree, a few yards off' when after digging out a most complete chamber, and laying one egg, they were once more attacked by the same impertinent intruder, and finally forced to desert the place.
Having constructed their home, which is usually the work of a week, the female, after a day of recreation and rest, begins the labor of oviposition.
This continues for four or six days, the time being regulated by the number of eggs which is to constitute a setting, but a single egg being deposited daily. Incubation now follows, and is the exclusive task of the female for nearly twelve days. The male, although he takes no direct part in this business, is an important factor in the successful accomplishment of the undertaking, as he, like an affectionate and dutiful husband, supplies her with the necessary food. When not thus occupied, he may be seen foraging the fields and woods, or perched upon a twig in the calm enjoyment of ease and sober thought, He is seldom to be observed in the immediate vicinity of the nest, save when carrying food to his mate, or in times of great calamity. It has been affirmed by Mr. Paine, of Randolph, Vermont, that the male occasionally constructs a hole for himself close-by that of his mate, as he has taken males in such apartments which were always unoccupied by eggs. He thinks that they repair thither for shelter. Careful explorations for several years have failed to show us that any such protection is practised in the Middle States, nor do we find any record to substantiate this statement.
The young, when first hatched, are very helpless creatures, and require the greatest care and attention from parental hands, so to speak. Caterpillars, small moths, aphides and beetles constitute the bulk of their fare, from the time they leave the egg until they are four weeks old, when they quit the nest, to be instructed in the ways of the outside world. For a fortnight the young birds rove in company, but finally separate, each bird leading the life of a recluse.
The eggs of this species are nearly spherical, of a crystalline whiteness, and measure .82 of an inch in length, and .71 in width. Specimens from Eastern Texas and Southern Michigan differ but little, if any, from others obtainable in New England and the Middle sections of our country. In the Plate the eggs are shown in position, the wood being cut away over the bottom of the chamber, to produce this result. The egg in front, as well as the birds upon the branch, are three-fourths of the natural size. The remaining eggs are in part concealed, and do not show so fully. In the southern and middle portions of the range of this Woodpecker, two broods are annually raised, one in June, and the other in August, but further north seldom more than one.
The Red-eyed Vireo is quite an abundant species throughout Eastern North America, ranging from Florida in a northeasterly direction to Nova Scotia, thence northwesterly to Lake Winnipeg and Washington Territory, and westerly to Ogden, Utah. Accidental specimens have been procured in Greenland and England, but never more than a single individual in each locality.
Many of these birds winter in Florida, and as specimens have been met with in Central America, Cuba, Trinidad, and on the Isthmus of Panama, it is highly probable that many betake themselves thither when the period of breeding is over in their northern homes.
Early in March the latter enter the United States, possibly by way of Texas and Florida, and wend their movements northward, reaching the Middle States late in April; the New England, about the middle of May; and the extreme northwest, a fortnight later.
Like all of its peculiar and characteristic genus, this species affects a fondness for forests, or the summits of tall trees, but seldom ventures upon the ground. It is, however, not wholly sylvan. At times it may be found around dwellings, or along the shaded streets of rural towns, in quest of the various insects which contribute to its sustenance.
As it gleans among the tree-tops, the simple, pleasing and musical notes of the male may be heard at somewhat regular intervals. So unsuspicious and familiar is he then, that passers-by may come and go, and their presence be unheeded.
During the hot and sultry hours of noon when other songsters have ceased their warblings and foraging, and have slunk to the refreshing shades for comfort and security, our little friend continues to pour forth in loud, sonorous notes his peculiar te-te-tu'eah-we-ah-tweah-tweah-tweet. Being the earliest of our vernal choristers, he is also the most constant and untiring, and continues to sing throughout the entire season. Even when about to depart for the smiling scenes of his southern home, he thrills the air of woodland and valley with impassioned song.
His tender and pathetic utterances, which resemble the melodious notes of the Robin, but lacking their volume and power, are produced with so much apparent animation, judging from their sound, as to be in striking; contrast to the seeming indifference or unconsciousness of the plain little vocalist who, while regaling the listener, appears all the while to be bent upon the procurement of his daily food, which he pursues with great ardor. But with the female the case is different. Although quite as active a feeder as the male, yet there is apparent none of that bustle and noise which characterize his movements. Her chief concern seems to be the satisfaction of hunger, and a studious avoidance of the male.
But as the days multiply, and insect life becomes more common, which is generally the case about two weeks after their arrival, less anxiety is felt on account of food; consequently, more time is left for the development and play of the social forces. The sexes now begin to manifest less reserve and coolness, and instead of shunning each other, as was their wont, are brought more and more into friendly intercourse. A week or ten days later, and the way is paved for the assumption of matrimonial relations. In this movement, the male takes the lead. The female, somewhat coy, at first listens to the wooings of her suitor at a wary distance, but as time progresses, soon learns to regard him in the light of a lover, throws off her restraint, and confidently advances to receive his caresses. And thus events follow each other in rapid succession until a union is effected.
Having mated, the happy pair, with no more delay than is absolutely necessary, start off together in search of a nesting-place. This is a matter that is easily accomplished, as almost any forest-tree of small or medium height, answers the purpose. In some situations, the beech, maple, sassafras and common laurel are in special demand. Why this is so, it is impossible to divine.
High woods, with an abundance of small trees, are generally chosen. Here, the nests are not often placed higher than five or six feet above the ground. Sometimes, though rarely, they are found swinging from a pendent bough, more than fifty feet high. Nidification seldom occurs in compactly-built cities. Never more than a single instance has ever been observed by us. This happened in the summer of 1876.
A site being chosen, building at once commences. This occurs in the Middle States between the twelfth of May and the fifteenth of June; in New England, about the first of the latter month; in Texas and Louisiana, somewhat earlier; and in Nova Scotia, a trifle later. At Fort Resolution, at the Cumberland House, and at Fort Simpson, nests and eggs have been taken, but we are left in ignorance as to the time.
The construction of a home is the result of the united labors of both birds, each collecting and adjusting its own materials. The time devoted thereto varies from six to seven days, and is regulated by the industry of the builders and the condition of the weather. For this purpose a bifurcated branch is first chosen. To this is attached, by means of cobwebs, strips of bark, threads of moss, and the silk of caterpillars, a delicate framework. This is mainly composed of bark, decayed pine-wood, vegetable fibres, etc., held together by silk, and, possibly, in a slight degree, by a gummy secretion supplied by the builders. This structure is long, tenuous, open and narrow, presents a somewhat collapsed appearance, and resembles, though remotely, the perfect fabric. But it lacks shape and symmetry. To give it these essentials, the birds construct an inner nest out of bits of paper, fragments of hornets' nests, and strips of oak bark, which are so arranged as to protrude through the interstices of the outer. It is now the duty of the female, by a few bodily evolutions, to reduce the whole to form. This accomplished, the labor of building is resumed, and a cozy lining, composed of narrow strips of the inner bark of the wild grape-vine, is added. Often white and black horse-hairs take the place of these articles. That this species builds after the fashion described, is proved by actual observation, and also by the finding of abandoned nests which showed the outer, but not the inner arrangement.
The nest represented in the Plate came from Atlantic Co., N. J. It was built between a forked branch of the common laurel. Externally, it is composed of decayed wood, inner bark of plants, silk of caterpillars, fragments of hornets' nests, cocoons of spiders, etc. Internally, there is a thick lining of the inner bark of the wild grape-vine. The external diameter is three and a half inches; internal, two and a half inches; outside depth, two and a quarter, and inside, one and three-fourths inches. A comparison with specimens from Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, shows marked similarities in structure and details of composition.
In the collection of the Smithsonian Institution there is to be seen a nest which was obtained by Mr. Kennicott at the Cumberland House, on the Saskatchewan River. It is pensile, like all others, but is almost exclusively built of pine-needles—a dry and hard material, difficult of management in the construction of such a domicile. With these are intermingled flax-like vegetable fibres, fine strips of bark, and fragments of moss. Within is placed an inner nest composed of strips of bark, pine leaves and fine, dry grasses. The external fabric is rather loosely put together—an unusual feature—but the inner portion, in the compactness and strength with which it was made, is in striking contrast.
After the nest is finished, the female, on the ensuing day, and occasionally not until the expiration of the third or fourth, commences to lay her eggs, at the rate of one daily, until the entire complement of three or four has been laid. Incubation follows closely, usually on the day succeeding the last deposit, and continues for nearly eleven days. This is not the exclusive task of the female, as the male sometimes assists her. When the latter is not thus occupied, it is seldom that he may be found in the vicinity, being absent either designedly, or in search of food. Should the nest be approached at this time, the female sits close, and seems to manifest neither timidity nor alarm. We have often surprised her on the nest, and reached out our hand to take her, when she would watch our actions very narrowly, as if seeking to study our motives, but remaining perfectly motionless all the while. A nearer approach was invariably followed by her sudden departure therefrom. The bird would not wholly desert the nest, but demurely station herself upon an adjoining twig, in order to watch our actions. But with the male it is quite different.
Any attempt at disturbance or pillage is resented with spirit and courage, especially when the nest contains young birds.
The home of this Vireo is often chosen by the Cowbird as a place of deposit for her eggs. So singularly devoted to their alien guests do these foster-parents become, that they nurture them very tenderly, even to the neglect of their own offspring. A case is mentioned where three of these parasitic eggs had been deposited in the nest of the Vireo before any of her own. Without laying any, the female Vireo proceeded to set upon and hatch the intruders. Another case is cited where two Cowbird's eggs were laid alongside of two of the Vireo's. The latter immediately stopped laying and proceeded to incubate. In each of these cases it is evident that the female Vireo forewent her own maternal instincts, and at once conformed to the new situation.
The young are objects of special parental interest. From the time they are hatched, until the period of their leaving the nest to earn a livelihood, they are watched over, and fed with the daintiest fare which Nature affords. Caterpillars, diptera, plant-lice, small spiders and berries, constitute their earliest diet; but as they increase in size and strength, other articles of a coarser nature are added. At the age of twelve days they vacate the nest, but continue under the watchful eyes of their parents a week longer, when they are able to forage for themselves.
The anxieties of brood-raising being over, both young and old, the former in imitation of their parents, seek the tall tree-tops and glean in company. Later, they come down from these lofty retreats to delve among the grasses. Finally, as if disdaining too near an approach to earth, they quickly forsake such groveling pursuits, and seek the viburnum and dogwood bushes, where they find many a rich repast. Here they remain until the last of September, or the beginning of October, when cold weather and scarcity of food compel them to hunt warmer climes.
The eggs of this Vireo vary considerably in size, according to locality; the further south the smaller they are found. Specimens from Northern Alabama have an average measurement of .77 of an inch by .52; from Nova Scotia, .94 by .65; from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, intermediate localities, .82 by .56, and .83 by 62. The ground-color of all is a clear crystal-white, and they are marked with spots and fine dots of red-brown, which are chiefly found at the larger extremity. But a single brood is raised, although nests with eggs have been taken early in July, which must be attributed to birds whom accident or design had prevented from obeying their natural instincts earlier.
The Spotted Sandpiper has an extended and varied distribution throughout North America. Unlike most of its allies, it breeds with equal readiness wherever found, and is one of the best known and most abundant of all its tribe.
From its winter-quarters in the Southern States, and also in the West Indies and Central and South America, to Brazil, it takes up the line of migration about the tenth of April, and gradually spreads itself over nearly the whole country as far north as Labrador and Fort Yukon.
According to Mr. Trippe, it is the only species of its family that resorts to the mountains of Colorado. Here, it arrives early in May, and departs in September. All the larger streams, to an altitude of 8,000 or 9,000 feet, are visited, and, even, in some instances, the shores of the lakes near the timber line.
On their first arrival, the banks of large rivers are frequented; but as the season advances, many trace their way into the interior, along the courses of our creeks and rivulets. Their sole object now is the acquirement of food. For this purpose, a life of solitude is preferable to any other. Although three or four individuals may frequently be discovered together upon the same feeding-grounds, yet careful and repeated observations have convinced us that this occurrence is merely accidental, and not dictated by a desire for company. At such times, the birds become so deeply absorbed in the business before them, that the approach of human beings is unobserved, and the actors are only aroused from the stolidity and indifference into which they have fallen, by the crackling of a dead branch, or the dislodgment of a pebble from its mooring. Conscious of impending danger, but never stopping to inquire into the cause of the alarm, they seek safety in instant flight, and repair to other scenes, at no great distance from the former, whore they think to pursue their gastronomic occupation without fear of being molested.
Such are the colors of this species, that the utmost harmony obtains between them and the hues of surrounding objects. The keen eye of the practised sportsman is often eluded thereby. Were it not for its peculiar habit of wagging the tail, it would be a very difficult bird to locate, especially when in a standing attitude; for whether thus occupied, or running on the ground, or along the rails of a fence, or in the water, this motion seems continual. Even the young, as soon as they are released from the shell, are taught by instinct the same remarkable movement.
Usually about the third week from the time of their first appearance, but sometimes later, the sexes, grown corpulent from good feeding, discard in a measure the "joys of the table," and seek each other's society. From stilly bank of inland pond or stream, or where old Neptune lashes in frenzied mood his solid flanks, their strange and simple call, peet-iveet, peet-weet, may be heard in quick succession, louder, and more distinct, than was their wont. Nor do the males alone indulge therein; for the gentler sex oft join their lords in wanton rivalry.
Less whimsical than their aristocratic neighbors who affect the tall tree-tops and shady bushes, the lady Sandpipers are more easily wooed and won. Their ardent lovers have but to make their suits with due obsequiousness, to receive the courted promises. A few more avowals of love, and caresses, and the necessary reciprocations on the part of the females, and the happy lovers having sealed their plighted pledges in a bond of union, the respective parties journey off in search of suitable places for establishing their homes. This event generally occurs about the last of May, in some localities, but sometimes not earlier than the second week of June, in others, and, perhaps, later in the extreme northern limits of its habitat.
A period of three or four days being spent in examining the surrounding country, the various parties soon settle upon localities. While some prefer the borders of ponds and streams, or more retired and secluded situations in the midst of forests, or a corn-field on elevated ground, others, again, have a hankering for low, sandy islands, or marshes by the sea-coast, or even the almost barren beach itself.
This part of the business being attended to, each female begins to construct her nest. For this purpose she scratches a slight hollow in the sandy earth, and proceeds to line it with a few pieces of straw, or moss, or sea-weed, the nature of the materials depending upon the environment. When the nest is placed in a corn-field, it is generally built at the root of a hill of Indian corn, and is either lined with straws, or mosses; when upon the seashore, various species of algae are used.
Having finished her rather simple and hastily-constructed home, with as little delay as possible the female commences to deposit her complement of four eggs. This she does at the rate of one egg a day, in as many consecutive days, taking due care to place them with the small ends together in the middle of the nest.
The last egg deposited, the female, on the day thereafter, enters the nest, and commences the duty of incubation. She is not necessarily a very close sitter, especially when her nest is located in a sandy soil, as the heated sand has doubtless much to do with the development of the young. During inclement weather, protection is absolutely essential; consequently, one bird or the other must occupy it, by turns, until the necessity has passed.
While one is incubating, it does not appear that her partner is compelled to play the part of a purveyor of food. Careful examinations have never enabled us to detect the least evidence thereof. When either party is tired, or is severely pressed by hunger, the other is summoned to the spot, to receive the charge of affairs. Thus the business goes on for eighteen weary days, when the happy parents are blessed with a jolly little family.
The young are not the mere helpless creatures such as we have all along been describing, but as active beings, for the age, as it is possible to conceive of. Clad in silken robes of drab, with beautiful stripes of black adown the back, they constitute a merry, rollicking group of birdies. The world to them is a paradise of beauty, and a garden-spot of pleasure. As soon as they leave the shell, they run with remarkable speed, and otherwise exhibit a precocity which seems unnatural at that period of life. Feeding, like running, is instinctive. It cannot be that it is learned by imitation, any more than the exercise of the cursorial powers can be said to be thus acquired.
Although much of the trouble and care which birds generally bestow upon their offspring are thus saved to these fortunate parents, yet the power to discriminate between bad and good food, has to be learned by attention to the commands and actions of wiser heads. The young are not slow to profit from parental suggestions and instruction, for we find them, at the expiration of a fortnight, engaged in foraging with the judgment and adroitness of adults.
Few species exhibit symptoms of greater distress than these Sandpipers when their breeding-grounds are approached by human beings. The parents resort to every conceivable stratagem in order to draw the intruders away. Counterfeiting lameness, and fluttering along the ground with seeming difficulty, are two of the most characteristic devices which they practise for this purpose. But the appearance of a dog considerably heightens the agitation. It is very interesting to watch the actions of the female on such occasions. In order to lead him away from her terrified young, she throws herself before him, flutters away in a contrary direction, but always managing to keep out of the reach of danger. This she continues for some time, until the animal has been drawn to a considerable distance, when she throws off the garb of dissimulation, and takes to flight, leaving her pursuer standing stock-still and gazing with astonishment and disappointment at the remarkable transformation which has just been effected. While all this has been going on, the young have scurried away to places of shelter and security, where they are afterwards joined by their beloved parent, glad to have escaped so fearful a calamity, and grateful for such a happy deliverance.
A more substantial proof of the affection of this female for its young could hardly be imagined than that which Wilson gives on the authority of Mr. William Bartram. The scene of action is described as being on the river shore, and the occasion, the repeated attempts made by a ground squirrel to capture two young birds which a parent was trying to defend. In order to ward off the assaults of the squirrel, she had thrown her two young behind her. At every attempt of the animal to seize them by a circuitous sweep, she would raise her wings almost perpendicularly, assume the most formidable expression of which she was capable, rush forward upon the squirrel, who, intimidated by the boldness of her manner, would beat a precipitate retreat. The enemy, recovering from his defeat, would presently return, and renew the attack, but to be ingloriously driven back as before. The young, as though sensible of their perilous situation, would crowd together behind their protector, and shift their position as she advanced or retreated. This interesting scene continued for at least ten minutes, when the strength of the poor parent was observed to flag. The squirrel perceiving his advantage, became more daring, increased the frequency of his assaults, and would have gained an easy victory had not Mr. Bartram stepped forward from his hiding-place and drove him back to his hole, and thus rescued the innocent.
The eggs of this species are usually abruptly pyriform, of a yellowish-buff ground-color, and are marked with blotches and spots of umber and sienna, which are collected chiefly about the greater extremity, where they are sometimes confluent. Occasionally, some specimens present a more elongated form, and others have the primary color of a yellowish-drab tint, with the markings of a deeper shade. The dimensions vary somewhat in a large collection from widely-separated localities. The largest measure 1.41 by .99 of an inch, and the smallest 1.25 by .94. Considering the size of the bird, they seem to be out of all proportion.