Chapter 15

In Europe some birds have become almost domesticated, like the house sparrow; and in our own country the cliff swallow seems to have entirely abandoned ledges and shelving rocks, as a place to nest, for the eaves and projections of farm and other outbuildings.

After one has made the acquaintance of most of the land-birds, there remain the seashore and its treasures. How little one knows of the aquatic fowls, even after reading carefully the best authorities, was recently forced home to my mind by the following circumstance: I was spending a vacation in the interior of New York, when one day a stranger alighted before the house, and with a cigar box in his hand approached me as I sat in the doorway. I was about to say that he would waste his time in recommending his cigars to me, as I never smoked, when he said that, hearing I knew something about birds, he had brought me one which had been picked up a few hours before in a hay-field near the village, and which was stranger to all who had seen it. As he began to undo the box I expected to see some of our own rarer birds, perhaps the rose-breasted grosbeak or Bohemian chatterer. Imagine, then, how I was taken aback when I beheld instead a swallow-shaped bird, quite as large as a pigeon, with a forked tail, glossy black above and snow-white beneath. Its parti-webbed feet, and its long graceful wings, at a glance told that it was a sea-bird; but as to its name or habitat I must defer my answer till I could get a peep into Audubon or some collection.

The bird had fallen down exhausted in a meadow, and was picked up just as the life was leaving its body. The place must have been one hundred and fifty miles from the sea as the bird flies. As it was the sooty tern, which inhabits the Florida Keys, its appearance so far north and so far inland may be considered somewhat remarkable. On removing the skin I found it terribly emaciated. It had no doubt starved to death, ruined by too much wing. Another Icarus. Its great power of flight had made it bold and venturesome, and had carried it so far out of its range that it starved to death before it could return.

The sooty tern is sometimes called the sea-swallow on account of its form and the power of flight. It will fly nearly all day at sea, picking up food from the surface of the water. There are several species of terns, some of them strikingly beautiful.

1868.

INDEX

[Transcribist's note: condensed to bird names and their scientific names]

Blackbird, crow, or purple grackle (Quiscalus quiscula). Bluebird (Sialia sialis). Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). Bunting, black-throated or dickcissel (Spiza americana). Bunting, snow (Passerina nivalis). Buzzard, turkey, or turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

Cardinal. SEE Grosbeak, cardinal. Catbird (Galeoscoptes carolinensis). Cedar-bird, or Cedar waxwing (Ampelis cedrorum). Chat, yellow-breasted (Icteria virens). Chewink, or towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus). Chickadee (Parus atricapillus). Cow-bunting, or cowbird (Molothrus ater). Creeper, brown (Certhia familiaris americana). Crow, American (Corvus brachyrhynchos). Cuckoo, black-billed (Coccyzux erythrophthalmus). Cuckoo, European. Cuckoo, yellow-billed (Coccyzus americanus).

Dickcissel. SEE Bunting, black-throated. Dove, turtle, or mourning dove (Zenaidura macroura). Duck, wood (Aix sponsa).

Eagle, bald (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Eagle, golden (Aquila chrysaetos).

Finch, grass. SEE Sparrow, field. Finch, pine, OR pine siskin (Spinus pinus). Finch, purple, OR linnet (Carpodacus purpureus). Flicker. SEE Woodpecker, golden-winged. Flycatcher, great crested (Myiarchus crinitus). Flycatcher, green-crested, OR green-crested pewee (Empidonax virescens). Flycatcher, white-eyed. SEE Vireo, white-eyed. Fox, gray, 43.

Gnatcatcher, blue-gray (Polioptila caerulea). Goldfinch, American, OR yellow-bird (Astragalinus tristis). Grackle, purple. SEE Blackbird, crow. Grosbeak, blue (Guiraca caerulea). Grosbeak, cardinal, OR Virginia red-bird, OR cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Grosbeak, rose-breasted (Zamelodia ludoviciana). Grouse, ruffed. SEE Partridge.

Hairbird. SEE Sparrow, social. Hawk, fish, OR American osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis). Hawk, hen. Hawk, pigeon. Hawk, red-shouldered (Buteo lineatus). Hawk, red-tailed (Buteo borealis). Hawk, sharp-shinned (Accipiter velox). Hen, domestic. Heron, great blue (Ardea herodias). High-hole. SEE Woodpecker, golden-winged. Hummingbird, ruby-throated (Trochilus colubris).

Indigo-bird (Cyanospiza cyanea).

Jay, blue (Cyanocitta cristata). Jay, Canada (Perisoreus canadensis).

Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus). Kinglet, golden-crowned (Regulus satrapa). Kinglet, ruby-crowned (Regulus calendula).

Lark, shore, OR horned lark (Otocoris alpestris).

Martin, purple (Progne subis). Meadowlark (sturnella magna). Merganser, red-breasted (Merganser serrator). Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).

Nightingale. Nuthatch, (Sitta).

Oriole, Baltimore (Icterus galbula). Oriole, orchard. SEE Starling, orchard. Osprey. SEE Hawk, fish. Owl, screech (megascops asio).

Partridge, OR ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus). Pewee. SEE Phoebe-bird. Pewee, green-crested. SEE Flycatcher, green-crested. Pewee, wood (Contopus virens). Phoebe-bird, OR pewee (Sayornis phoebe). Pickerel. Pigeon, wild, OR passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius). Pipit, American, OR titlark (Anthus pensilvanicus).

Quail, OR bob-white (Colinus virginianus).

Red-bird, summer, OR summer tanager (Piranga rubra). Red-bird, Virginia. SEE Grosbeak, cardinal. Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). Robin (Merula migratoria)..

Sandpiper, solitary (Helodromas solitarius). Snipes. Snowbird, OR slate-colored junco (Junco hyemalis). Sparrow, bush. SEE Sparrow, wood. Sparrow, Canada, OR tree sparrow (Spizella monticola). Sparrow, English. SEE Sparrow, house. Sparrow, field, OR vesper sparrow, OR grass finch (Poaecetes gramineus). SEE ALSO Sparrow, wood. Sparrow, fox (Passerella iliaca). Sparrow, house, OR English sparrow (Passer domesticus). Sparrow, savanna (Passerculus sandwichensis savanna). Sparrow, social, OR chipping sparrow, OR chippie, OR hairbird (Spizella socialis). Sparrow, song (Melospiza cinerea melodia). Sparrow, swamp (Melospiza georgiana). Sparrow, tree. SEE Sparrow, Canada. Sparrow, vesper. SEE Sparrow, field. Sparrow, white-crowned (Zonotrichia leucophrys). Sparrow, white-throated (Zonotrichia albicollis). Sparrow, wood, OR bush sparrow, OR field sparrow (Spizella pusilla). Squirrel, black. Squirrel, gray. Squirrel, red. Starling, orchard, OR orchard oriole (Icterus spurius). Swallow, barn (Hirundo erythrogastra). Swallow, chimney, OR chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica). Swallow, cliff (Petrochelidon lunifrons). Swallow, rough-winged (Stelgidopteryx serripennis).

Tanager, scarlet (Piranga erythromelas). Tanager, summer. SEE Red-bird, summer. Tern, sooty (sterna fuliginosa). Thrush, golden-crowned, OR wood-wagtail, OR oven-bird (Seiurus aurocapillus). Thrush, gray-cheeked (Hylocichla alicae). Thrush, hermit (Hylocichla guttata pallasii). Thrush, olive-backed, OR Swainson's thrush (Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni). Thrush, red, OR mavis, OR ferrugninous thrush, OR brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). Thrush, varied (Ixoreus naevius). Thrush, Wilson's. SEE Veery. Thrush, wood (Hylocichla mustelina). Titlark. SEE Pipit, American. Titmouse, gray-crested, OR tufted titmouse (Baelophus bicolor). Turkey, domestic. Turkey, wild (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris).

Veery, OR Wilson's thrush (Hylocichla fuscescens). Vireo, red-eyed (Vireo olivaceus). Vireo, solitary, OR blue-headed vireo (Vireo solitarius). Vireo, warbling (Vireo gilvus). Vireo, white-eyed, OR white-eyed flycatcher (Vireo noveboracensis). Vireo, yellow-throated, OR yellow-breasted flycatcher (Vireo flavifrons).

Wagtail. SEE Water-thrush AND Thrush, golden-crowned. Warbler, Audubon's (Dendroica auduboni). Warbler, bay-breasted (Dendroica castanea). Warbler, black and white (Mniotilta varia). Warbler, black and yellow, OR magnolia warbler (Dendroica maculosa). Warbler, Blackburnian (Dendroica blackburniae). Warbler, black-poll (Dendroica striata). Warbler, black-throated blue, OR blue-backed warbler (Dendroica caerulescens). Warbler, black-throated green, OR green-backed warbler (Dendroica virens). Warbler, blue-winged (Helminthophila pinus). Warbler, blue yellow-backed, OR northern parula warbler (Compsothlypis americana usneae). Warbler, Canada (Wilsonia canadensis). Warbler, cerulean (Dendroica caerulea). Warbler, chestnut-sided (Dendroica pensylvanica). Warbler, hooded (Wilsonia mitrata). Warbler, Kentucky (Geothlypis formosa). Warbler, mourning (Geothlypis philadelphia). Warbler, Swainson's (Helinaia swainsonii). Warbler, worm-eating (Helmitheros vermivorus). Warbler, yellow (Dendroica aestiva). Warbler, yellow red-poll, OR yellow palm warbler (Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea). Warbler, yellow-rumped, OR myrtle warbler (Dendroica coronata). Water-thrush, Louisiana, OR large-billed water thrush (Seiurus noveboracensis). Water-thrush, northern (Seiurus noveboracensis). Woodpecker, downy (Dryobates pubescens medianus). Woodpecker, golden-winged, OR high-hole, OR flicker, OR yarup, OR yellow-hammer (Colaptes auratus luteus). Woodpecker, red-headed (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). Woodpecker, red-shafted, OR red-shafted flicker (Colaptes cafer collaris). Woodpecker, yellow-bellied, OR yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius). Wood-wagtail. SEE Thrush, golden-crowned. Wren, Carolina (Thryothorus ludovicianus). Wren, house (Troglodytes Aedon). Wren, ruby-crowned. SEE Kinglet, ruby crowned. Wren, winter (Olbiorchilus hiemalis).

Yarup. SEE Woodpecker, golden-winged. Yellow-hammer. SEE Woodpecker, golden winged. Yellow-throat, Maryland, OR northern yellow-throat (Geothlypis trichas brachydactyla).

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[Transcribist's note: John Burroughs used some characters which are not standard to our writing in 2001.

He used a diaeresis in preeminent, and accented "e's in debris and denouement. These have been replaced with plain letters.

[Updater's note: "preeminent", "debris", and "denouement" have all been corrected to have their accented letters.

I substituted the letters "oe" for the ligature, used often in the word phoebe. Simularly the "e" in the golden eagle's scientific name is modernized.

He also used symbols available to a typesetter which are unavailable to us in ASCII (plain vanilla text) to illustrate bird calls and notes. I have replaced these with a description of what was there originally.

Finally, he used italics throughout the book that I was unable to retain, because of the ASCII format. The two uses of the italics were to denote scientific names and to emphasize. I have done nothing to note where the italics were used, as I don't think it really has a great affect on reading this book.]

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