Part 42

PHALAROPUS WILSONII, WILSON’S PHALAROPE, _Swains. and Richards._ Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 405, pl. 69.

AMERICAN PHALAROPE, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 245.

Adult Male. Plate CCLIV. Fig. 1.

Bill long, very slender, flexible, flattened towards the end. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, the ridge flattened, the sides at the base sloping, but towards the end nearly horizontal, the edges obtuse, the tip narrow. Nasal groove linear, long; nostrils basal, linear, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very long and extremely narrow, the sides slightly convex, the tip narrowed.

Head small, with the fore part high and rounded; eyes of moderate size. Neck rather long and slender. Body slender. Feet rather long, slender; tibia bare a considerable way above the joint; tarsus extremely compressed, narrowed before, very thin behind, covered anteriorly with numerous scutella, posteriorly with two series of scutella meeting with a sharp edge; toes slender, first very small, free, with a slight membrane beneath, second slightly shorter than fourth, third considerably longer; all scutellate above, margined on both sides with narrow, slightly lobed, crenate membranes, which are united at the base so as to form short webs, of which the outer is longer. Claws very small, compressed, arched, that of the middle toe with the inner edge sharp.

Plumage soft and blended. Feathers of the back and wings distinct. Wings long and pointed, primary quills tapering but rounded, the first longest, the second scarcely shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondary quills rather short, broad, obliquely rounded, with a small tip, the inner tapering and elongated, so as nearly to equal the longest primaries when the wing is closed. Tail rather short, nearly even but with the two middle feathers longer, of twelve rounded feathers, of which the outer are incurved.

Bill black. Iris brown. Feet bluish-grey, claws black. The general colour of the upper parts is brownish-grey, the hind neck and upper tail-coverts greyish-white, the top of the head ash-grey. A white line over the eye; a band of black along the lore, under the eye, and down the side of the neck, on which it becomes broader and changes into chestnut-brown, when it proceeds along the scapulars of a brownish-red colour; another brownish-red band across the wing and including part of the inner secondaries. Quills greyish-brown, the outer primaries and their coverts darker. Tail-feathers pale brownish-grey on the outer, white more or less mottled on the inner webs. Throat and cheeks white; fore neck orange-brown, fading below, and extending paler along the sides of the body; breast, abdomen and lower wing-coverts white; lower surface of wings pale grey, of tail white.

Length to end of tail 10 inches, to end of claws 11; extent of wings 17-1/2; wing from flexure 7-4/12; tail 2-2/12; bill along the back 1-7/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-8/12; bare part of tibia 3/4; tarsus 1-1/4; middle toe 1-2/12, its claw (2-1/2)/12. Weight 2-1/2 oz.

The Female, which is somewhat larger, is in colour precisely similar to the Male. Weight 3 oz.

Young in autumn. Plate CCLIV. Fig. 2.

The young bird after the first moult has the bill brownish-black, the iris brown, the feet greenish-yellow, the claws black. The upper parts are variegated with brownish-black and light greenish-yellow, the central part of each feather being of the former colour; primary quills brownish-black; tail-feathers as in the adult. The lower parts are white.

THE RED PHALAROPE.

_PHALAROPUS FULICARIUS_, BONAP.

PLATE CCLV. ADULT MALE AND FEMALE IN SUMMER, AND ADULT IN WINTER.

My first drawing of the Red Phalarope was made at Louisville in Kentucky, a few weeks after my removal to that place, in 1808. One afternoon, while returning from the house of my hospitable friend General CROGHAN, I observed a large flock of birds proceeding along the shores of the Ohio. They were quite unknown to me, and therefore extremely anxious I was to procure some of them. I therefore ran through the woods until I got ahead of them, went to the margin of the river, and concealed myself at some distance from them. They swam beautifully, played about, picked up substances floating on the water, now dispersed, and again came close together, until at length coming opposite to a small sand-bar stretching out from the shore to the distance of a few yards, they directed their course towards it, and waded out. When just landing, they were so close to each other that I could not withstand the temptation, and so levelled my gun, pulled both triggers, and saw that I had made considerable havock among them. Those which had not been bitten flew off in a compact body, while the birds that had been but slightly wounded made for the water, and swam away so fast that they seemed to be running on the surface. I picked up seventeen, which I found so beautiful and withal so plump, that I felt quite delighted, and resolved to shoot as many more as I could. But I did not succeed in killing more than other five that day.

I had never until then seen a Phalarope of any kind, although I had inspected some shocking figures of these elegant birds, figures so unlike the originals that even with the aid of a name printed beneath, you could not recognise them. Such of my acquaintances at Louisville as had been accustomed to shoot birds, had never seen one of this species on the Ohio, or in any part of the country. It was then and there that I made my first drawing of the Red Phalarope, which I shewed to ALEXANDER WILSON during his visit to Louisville. It being late in October, the specimens which I had procured were all in their grey livery, and proved capital eating. As I was anxious to watch the rest of the flock, which I think must have been composed of at least a hundred individuals, I went to the same place on the following afternoon. As I crossed Bear Grass Creek, near its junction with the Ohio, I observed eight or ten of them walking over the green moss on the surface of the water near the shore. Of these I succeeded in killing three. In the course of a walk of two miles along the banks of the river, I could see none; and some Blue-winged Teals happening to pass over from the stream in the direction of a pond between it and Kieger’s Ferry-house, I went in pursuit of them. Before I got up they had flown away, or had passed over without alighting. There, however, to my great joy, I found all the Phalaropes swimming along the margins and picking up the seeds of grasses. They were much less shy than when I met with them on the river, so that I soon procured eight more at a single shot. The rest rose, emitting quick sharp cries, performed a few evolutions at a considerable height, and went off to the westward.

On the 1st of September 1831, while on board the packet ship Columbia, commanded by my good friend JOSEPH DELANO, Esq. Nantucket being distant about sixty miles, we came upon an extensive bank of sea-weeds and froth, about a mile in length, which I was told was produced by the action of the tides. On this bed were hundreds of Phalaropes of this species, walking as unconcernedly as if on land. As we approached it, they rose and flew around the vessel for a few minutes, and when we had passed through we saw them re-alight.

I have not seen the Red Phalarope alive on any other occasion than those mentioned above; and I am indebted to my generous friend Captain JAMES CLARK ROSS for the beautiful specimens in summer plumage, from which the figures in the plate were taken.

None of those which I had wounded attempted to dive. When caught and held in the hand, they merely fluttered and tried to escape, like other small birds. Their flight was rapid, resembling that of the Red-backed Sandpiper, _Tringa alpina_, and they performed various evolutions, sometimes skimming over the water, when they kept more apart than either when rising at first, or when they reached a certain height, on attaining which they pursued their course, with alternate inclinations to either side.

According to Captain J. C. ROSS, these birds breed in great numbers far north. The eggs, of which he has favoured me with some, measure an inch and a quarter by seven-eighths; their ground colour is dull greenish-yellow, irregularly blotched and dotted with reddish-brown.

PHALAROPUS FULICARIUS, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of the United States, p. 341.

RED PHALAROPE, PHALAROPUS HYPERBOREUS, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol. ix. p. 75. pl. 74, fig. 4.

PHALAROPUS FULICARIUS, FLAT-BILLED PHALAROPE, _Swains. and Richards._ Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 407.

RED PHALAROPE, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 236.

Adult Male in Summer. Plate CCLV. Fig. 1.

Bill scarcely longer than the head, straight, slender, nearly cylindrical, towards the end broader and flattened, the tip narrow. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, excepting at the end, where it is a little curved, the ridge convex, flattened at the broad part, the sides slightly sloping, the edges rounded, and near the slightly curved obtuse tip inflected. Nasal groove linear, extending to near the tip; nostrils basal, linear-elliptical. Lower mandible with the angle very long and narrow, the sides convex, the tip narrowed, obtuse.

Head small, with the fore part high and rounded; eyes small. Neck of moderate length. Body rather full. Feet rather short, slender; tibia bare a short way above the joint; tarsus much compressed, narrowed before and behind, covered anteriorly with numerous scutella; toes very slender, first extremely small, free, with a slight membrane beneath, second shorter than third, which is a little longer; all scutellate above, the anterior margined on both sides with lobed and pectinated membranes, which are united at the base, so as to render the foot nearly half-webbed, the outer web much longer than the inner. Claws very small, compressed, arched, obtuse, that of the middle toe with an inner sharp edge.

Plumage soft and slender, the feathers on the back and wings somewhat distinct. Wings long and pointed; primary quills tapering, but rounded, the first longest, the second a little shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondary quills rather short, obliquely truncate, the inner tapering and elongated, so as nearly to equal the longest primaries when the wing is closed. Tail of moderate length, much rounded, of twelve feathers.

Bill greenish-yellow, black at the point. Iris brown. Feet pale greyish-blue. Upper part of the head black; loral space and chin blackish-grey; sides of the head, and a band round the occiput, white. Sides and fore part of the neck, breast, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts deep orange-red. Fore part of the back, scapulars, and inner secondaries, black, the feathers edged with whitish; wing-coverts deep ash-grey; quills dark greyish-brown, their shafts and basal parts white; the ends of the secondary and primary coverts, and the basal part of the outer webs of the primaries, being white, a band of that colour is seen on the wing when it is extended. Upper tail-coverts orange-red; tail deep grey, darker towards the end, slightly tipped with reddish.

Length to end of tail 7-1/2 inches, to end of claws 6-3/4; extent of wings 13; wing from flexure 5; tail 2-3/4; bill along the back 11/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-1/12; tarsus 10/12; middle toe 10/12, its claw (1-1/2)/12.

Adult Female in summer. Plate CCLV. Fig. 2.

The Female has the upper part variegated with light red and brownish-black, the central part of each feather being of the latter colour, the upper tail-coverts entirely of the former. Wings greyish-black, with a transverse white band; tail deep grey as in the male. The lower parts are of a less pure red than those of the male, being paler and tinged with grey.

Adult in winter. Plate CCLV. Fig. 3.

The winter plumage of the adult is very different in colour. The bill is nearly black, the feet as in summer. The upper part of the head, cheeks, fore part and sides of the neck, breast, abdomen, lower and upper tail-coverts, and a band across the wing, are white; a brownish-black line from the eye to the occiput, which is of the same colour, as well as the middle of the hind neck. The back, scapulars, and inner secondaries, are ash-grey, the wings as in summer.

Length to end of tail 7-1/2 inches.

BREAKING UP THE ICE.

While proceeding up the Mississippi above its junction with the Ohio, I found, to my great mortification, that its navigation was obstructed by ice. The chief conductor of my bark, who was a Canadian Frenchman, was therefore desired to take us to a place suitable for winter-quarters, which he accordingly did, bringing us into a great bend of the river called Tawapatee Bottom. The waters were unusually low, the thermometer indicated excessive cold, the earth all around was covered with snow, dark clouds were spread over the heavens, and as all appearances were unfavourable to the hope of a speedy prosecution of our voyage, we quietly set to work. Our bark, which was a large keel-boat, was moored close to the shore, the cargo was conveyed to the woods, large trees were felled over the water, and were so disposed as to keep off the pressure of the floating masses of ice. In less than two days, our stores, baggage, and ammunition, were deposited in a great heap under one of the magnificent trees of which the forest was here composed, our sails were spread over all, and a complete camp was formed in the wilderness. Every thing around us seemed dreary and dismal, and had we not been endowed with the faculty of deriving pleasure from the examination of nature, we should have made up our minds to pass the time in a state similar to that of bears during their hybernation. We soon found employment, however, for the woods were full of game; and deer, turkeys, racoons, and opossums might be seen even around our camp; while on the ice that now covered the broad stream rested flocks of swans, to surprise which the hungry wolves were at times seen to make energetic but unsuccessful efforts. It was curious to see the snow-white birds all lying flat on the ice, but keenly intent on watching the motions of their insidious enemies, until the latter advanced within the distance of a few hundred yards, when the swans, sounding their trumpet-notes of alarm, would all rise, spread out their broad wings, and after running some yards and battering the ice until the noise was echoed like thunder through the woods, rose exultingly into the air, leaving their pursuers to devise other schemes for gratifying their craving appetites.

The nights being extremely cold, we constantly kept up a large fire, formed of the best wood. Fine trees of ash and hickory were felled, cut up into logs of convenient size, and rolled into a pile, on the top of which, with the aid of twigs, a fire was kindled. There were about fifteen of us, some hunters, others trappers, and all more or less accustomed to live in the woods. At night, when all had returned from their hunting-grounds, some successful and others empty-handed, they presented a picture in the strong glare of the huge fire that illuminated the forest, which it might prove interesting to you to see, were it copied by a bold hand on canvass. Over a space of thirty yards or more, the snow was scraped away, and piled up into a circular wall, which protected us from the cold blast. Our cooking utensils formed no mean display, and before a week had elapsed, venison, turkeys, and racoons hung on the branches in profusion. Fish, too, and that of excellent quality, often graced our board, having been obtained by breaking holes in the ice of the lakes. It was observed that the opossums issued at night from holes in the banks of the river, to which they returned about day-break; and having thus discovered their retreat, we captured many of them by means of snares.

At the end of a fortnight our bread failed, and two of the party were directed to proceed across the bend, towards a village on the western bank of the Mississippi, in quest of that commodity; for although we had a kind of substitute for it in the dry white flesh of the breast of the wild turkey, bread is bread after all, and more indispensable to civilized man than any other article of food. The expedition left the camp early one morning; one of the party boasted much of his knowledge of woods, while the other said nothing, but followed. They walked on all day, and returned next morning to the camp with empty wallets. The next attempt, however, succeeded, and they brought on a sledge a barrel of flour and some potatoes. After a while, we were joined by many Indians, the observation of whose manners afforded us much amusement.

Six weeks were spent in Tawapatee Bottom. The waters had kept continually sinking, and our boat lay on her side high and dry. On both sides of the stream, the ice had broken into heaps, forming huge walls. Our pilot visited the river daily, to see what prospect there might be of a change. One night, while, excepting himself, all were sound asleep, he suddenly roused us with loud cries of “the ice is breaking! get up, get up, down to the boat lads, bring out your axes, hurry on, or we may lose her, here let us have a torch!” Starting up, as if we had been attacked by a band of savages, we ran pell-mell to the bank. The ice was indeed breaking up; it split with reports like those of heavy artillery, and as the water had suddenly risen from an overflow of the Ohio, the two streams seemed to rush against each other with violence, in consequence of which the congealed mass was broken into large fragments, some of which rose nearly erect here and there, and again fell with thundering crash, as the wounded whale, when in the agonies of death, springs up with furious force, and again plunges into the foaming waters. To our surprise, the weather, which in the evening had been calm and frosty, had become wet and blowy. The water gushed from the fissures formed in the ice, and the prospect was extremely dismal. When day dawned, a spectacle strange and fearful presented itself: the whole mass of water was violently agitated, its covering was broken into small fragments, and although not a foot of space was without ice, not a step could the most daring have ventured to make upon it. Our boat was in imminent danger, for the trees which had been placed to guard it from the ice were cut or broken into pieces, and were thrust against her. It was impossible to move her; but our pilot ordered every man to bring down great bunches of cane, which were lashed along her sides; and before these were destroyed by the ice, she was afloat and riding above it. While we were gazing on the scene, a tremendous crash was heard, which seemed to have taken place about a mile below, when suddenly the great dam of ice gave way. The current of the Mississippi had forced its way against that of the Ohio; and in less than four hours, we witnessed the complete breaking up of the ice.

During that winter, the ice was so thick on the Mississippi, that opposite St Louis, horses and heavy waggons crossed the river. Many boats had been detained in the same manner as our own, so that provisions and other necessary articles had become very scarce, and sold at a high price. This happened about twenty-eight years ago.

THE REDDISH EGRET.

_ARDEA RUFESCENS_, GMEL.

PLATE CCLVI. ADULT AND YOUNG.

While sailing towards the Florida Keys, my mind was agitated with anticipations of the delight I should experience in exploring a region whose productions were very imperfectly known. Often did I think of the Heron named after TITIAN PEALE, by my learned friend the Prince of Musignano. Mr PEALE had procured only a single specimen, and in the winter season, but whether or not the species was abundant on the Keys of Florida remained to be discovered. No sooner had I been landed and formed an acquaintance with Mr EGAN, the pilot of whom I have often spoken, who was well acquainted with the haunts of many of the birds of those islands, than I asked him respecting the various Herons which might be found there or on the shores of the mainland. Before answering me, he counted his fingers slowly, and then said that he could recollect only “twelve sorts;” “but,” added he, “these birds change their colours so curiously, that it is past wonder with me to believe that any one man could know them without watching them as I have done for many years.” I then inquired if I was in good time to procure all the sorts which he knew. He answered in the affirmative; but felt some doubt as to my procuring the eggs of one kind at least, which breed earlier than the rest, and was pure white from the shell, and the largest of all. Thinking the species to which he alluded might be the _Ardea alba_ of LINNÆUS, I asked if it had long thread-like feathers over the tail during the breeding season. “Oh no, Sir,” said he, “it never has; it is as tall as yourself, and when you see some on the wing, you will be pleased, for their wings are as large as those of the Brown Pelican. The one I guess you mean, mostly goes farther to the eastward to breed, along with a very small one, also always white, with the feathers over the tail as you say, and curled upwards. These are the only three sorts that are white.” I begged him to describe the colours of the others, which he did so well that I recognised ten species in all; but the large white one, and another of a grey and purple colour, were unknown to me, and I told him so, stating at the same time how anxious I was to procure them if possible.

“If possible! nothing in the world can be more easy, for if they have no eggs left, they have young ones enough to load your schooner. I can take you straight to their breeding place.”

You may suppose, Reader, how my spirits were raised by this intelligence, and how surprised I was that PEALE’s Egret was not in the number of the Florida Herons. We speedily embarked in Mr THRUSTON’s boat, spread our sails to the breeze, and passed several keys, on which we procured two young birds of the large white species, which I saw at once was unknown to me, but of which you will find an account in this volume. As we approached the next island, I saw twenty or thirty pairs of Herons, some of which were pure white, others of a light blue colour, but so much larger than the Blue Heron, _Ardea cœrulea_, that I asked the pilot what they were, when he answered, “the very fellows I want to shew you, and you may soon see them close enough, as you and I will shoot a few by way of amusement.” Before half an hour had elapsed, more than a dozen were lying at my feet. Some of them were as white as driven snow, the rest of a delicate purplish tint, inclining to grey on the back and wings, with heads and necks of a curious reddish colour. Males and females there were, but they were all of one species, for my companion assured me that “this sort bred before they turned to their natural colours,” by which he meant before attaining their full plumage at the age of three years. Well, the immature birds were the very same as the individual to which, as the representative of a new species, the name of Peale’s Egret had been given. This I saw at once, for so good is the representation of it in the fourth volume of BONAPARTE’s American Ornithology, that from the mere recollection of it I was enabled to recognise the bird at once. You may imagine the pleasure I felt, as well as that which I experienced on becoming better acquainted with this species, which I found in many places both with eggs and with young.