USA > Iowa > Davis County > History of Davis County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc. > Part 40
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FRINGILLIDE-SPARROWS.
75. Pinicola enucleator, Cab-Pine grosbeak; an occasional winter vis- itant.
Carpodacus pupureus, Gray-Purple finch.
76. 77. Chrysomitris tristis, Cab-Yellow bird; gold-fineh.
78. Chrisomitris pinus, Bonap-Pine finch.
Currirostra americana, Wilson-Red cross bill. Curvirostra leucoptera, Wilson-White-winged cross bill.
79. 80. S1 Aegiothus tinaria, Cab-Red poll linnet. 82 Plectrophanes nivalis, Meyer-Snow bunting. S3. S4 S5. Plectrophanes ornatus, Temm-Black-bellied long spnr.
Plectrophanes lapponicus, Kaup-Lapland bunting; in winter. Plectrophanes pietus, Cab-Painted bunting; in winter only.
S6. Centronye bairdii, Baird -- Baird's sparrow.
87. Passerculus savanna, Bonap-Savanna sparrow.
Pooecetes gramineus, Baird-Grass finch.
Coturniculus passerinus, Bonap-Yellow-winged sparrow.
Coturniculus henslowii, Bonap-Henslow's sparrow.
SS. 89. 90. 91. Melospiza melodia, Baird-Song sparrow. 92. Melospiza palustris, Baird-Swamp sparrow.
Junco hyemalis, Sclat-Snow bird.
93. 94. Spizella monticola, Baird-Tree sparrow. 95. Spizella pusilla, Bonap-Field sparrow. 96. Spizella pallida, Bonap-Western field sparrow.
Spizella socialis, Bonap-Chipping sparrow.
Zonotrichia lencophyrs, Swain- White-crowned sparrow. Zonotrichia albicollis, Bonap-White-throated sparrow.
97. 98. 99. 100. Zonotrichia querula, Gamb-Harris' sparrow. 101. Zonotrichia intermedia, Ridgway-Ridgway's sparrow.
102.
Chondestes grammaca, Bonap-Lark sparrow.
103. Passerella iliaca, Swain-Fox-colored sparrow.
Euspiza americana, Bonap-Black-throated bunting.
Goniaphea ludoviciana, Cab-Rose-breasted grosbeak.
Goniaphea corulea, Swain-BIns grosbeak.
104. 105. 106. 107. Cyanospiza cyanea, Baird-Indigo bird.
108. Cardinalis virginianus, Bonap-Cardinal bird.
109. Pipilo erythrophthalamus, Vieill-Chewink.
3
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY
ICTERIDE-BLACKBIRDS AND ORIOLES.
110.
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, Swain-Bobolink.
111. Molothrus pecorus, Swain-Cow blackbird.
112. Angelous phoniceus, Vieill-Red-winged blackbird.
113. Xonthoeeghalus icterocephalus, Baird-Yellow-headed blackbird.
114. Sturnella magna, Swain-Meadow lark.
115. Icterus spurius, Bonap-Orchard oriole.
116. Icterus baltimore, Dand-Baltimore oriole; hang nest.
117. (?)Icterus bullockii, Bonap-Bullock's oriole.
118. Scoleophagus ferrugineus, Swain-Rusty grackle.
119. Scoleophagus cyancephalus, Cab-Blne-headed grackle.
120. Quiscalus purpureus, Licht-Crow blackbird.
CORVIDE-CROWS AND JAYS.
121. Corvus corax, Linn -- Raven.
122. Corvus americanus, And-Crow.
123. Cyanurus cristatus, Swain-Blue jay.
TYRANNIDE-TYRANT FLYCATCHERS.
124, Tyrannus carolinensis, Temm-King bird.
125. Tyrannus verticalis, Say-Arkansas flycatcher.
126. Myiarchus crinitus, Cab-Great-crested flycatcher.
127. Sayornis fuscus, Baird-Bridge pewee.
128. Contopus borealis, Baird-Olive-sided pewee.
129. Empidonax flavirentris, Baird-Yellow-bellied flycatcher.
130. Empidonax traillii, Baird-Traill's flycatcher.
131. Empidonar minimus, Baird-Least flycatcher.
132. (?)Empidonax acadicus, Baird -- Arcadian flycatcher.
CAPRIMULGIDE -- GOATSUCKERS.
133. Antrostomus vociferus, Bonap-Whippoorwill.
134. Antrostomus nutallii, Cass -- Nuttell's Whippoorwill.
135. Chordeiles virginianus, Bonap -- Night-hawk; bull-bat, pisk.
CYPCELIDE -- SWIFTS.
136. Chetura pelagica, Baird -- Chimney swift.
TROCHILIDE -- HUMMING BIRDS.
137. Trochilus colubris, Linn-Humming bird.
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
ALCEDINLE -- KINGFISHERS.
138. Ceryle alcyon, Boie -- King-fisher.
CUCULIDE -- CUCKOOS.
139. Coccygus erythrophthalmus, Bonap -- Black-billed cuckoo.
140. Coccygus americanus, Bonap-Yellow-billed cuckoo.
PICIDE -- WOODPECKERS.
141. Picus villoxus, Linn -- Hairy woodpecker.
142. Picus pubescens, Linn -- Downy woodpecker.
143. Sphyrapicus varius, Baird-Yellow flicker.
144. Hylotomus pileatus, Baird-Pileated woodpecker.
145. Centurus curolinus, Bonap-Red-bellied woodpecker, abundant in winter.
146. Melanerpes erythrocephalus, Swain -- Red-headed woodpecker.
147. Colaptes auratus, Swain-Golden-winged woodpecker.
ARIDE-PARROQUETS.
148. * Conurus carolinensis, Kuhl-Carolina parroquet.
STRIGIDE-OWLS.
149. Ltrix flammea, Sel-Barn owl.
150. Bubo virginanus, Bonap-Great horned owl.
151. Seops asio, Bonap-Screech owl.
152. Otus vulgaris, Flem-Long-eared owl.
153. Brachyotus palustris, Bonap-Short-eared owl; rare.
154. Syrnium nebulosum, Boie-Barred owl.
155.
(?) Sgrnium cinereum, And-Great gray owl.
156. Nyctea scandiuca, Newt-A wanderer in this county.
157. (?) Nyctale albifrons, Cassin-Kirkland's owl; very doubtful.
FALCONIDE-HAWKS.
158. Falco cummunis, Gmelin-Duck hawk.
159. Falco columbarius, Linn-Pigeon hawk.
160. Falco richardsonii, Ridgw-American merlin.
*A resident of Decatur county told me that he had several times seen a flock of Parrots in the southern part of the county. on a tall, dead cottonwood tree, known to the neighboring people as the " parrot-tree," from its having been frequented at intervals by the same flock for several years .- Miller.
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IIISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
Falco sparverius, Dinn-Sparrow hawk. (?) Astur atricapillus, Bonap-Gos-hawk.
161. 162. 163. Accipiter fuscus, Bonap-Sharp-skinned hawk. 164. Accipiter cooperii, Gray-Chicken hawk. 165. Butev borealis, Vieill-Red-tailed hawk. 166. Buteo lineatus, Jardine -Red-shouldered hawk. 167. 168. 169. Nauclerus furcatus, Vigors-Swallow-tailed hawk.
(?) Buteo pennsylvanieus, Bonap-Broad-winged hawk. Archibuteo lagopus, Gray-Rough-legged hawk.
Circus hudsonius, Vieill-Marsh hawk; common.
170. 171. (?) Aquila chrysaetos, Linn-Golden eagle.
172. Halictus leucocephalus, Say-White-headed eagle; occasional.
173. Pandion halictus, Cnv-Osprey; fish-hawk.
CATHARTIDE-VULTURES.
174. Cathartes aura, Illiger-Turkey buzzard.
COLUNBIDE-PIGEONS.
175. Ectopistes migratoria, Swain-Wild pigeon. 176. Zenædura carolinensis, Bonap-Carolina dove. TETRAONID.E-GROUSE.
177. Pediocotes phasinellus, Linn-Sharp-tailed grouse; rare. 178. Cupidonia cupido, Baird-Prairie hen; abundant. 179. Bonasa umbellus, Steph-Buffed grouse.
PERDICIDE-PARTRIDGES.
180. Ortyx virginianus, Bonap-Quail, bob-white.
MELEAGRIDE -TURKEYS.
181. Meleagris gallopavo, Linn -Wild turkey. CHARADRIDE-PLOVERS.
182. Charadrius virginicus, Bork-Golden plover.
183. Ægiulitis vocifera, Bork-Kildee plover.
184. Ægialitis meloda, Cab-Piping plover.
185. ÆEgialitis semipalmata, Cab-Ring plover.
186. Squatarola helvetica, Brehm -- Black-bellied plover.
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
RECURVIROSTRIDE-AVOCETS.
187. Recurvirosta americana, Gmelin -- Avocet.
188. Ilimantopus nigricollis, Vieill - Black-necked stilt.
PHAALAROPODID.E.
(?) Lobipes hyperboreus, Cuv-Northern phalarope. Phalaropus fulicarius, Bonap-Red phalarope.
Philohela minor, Gray-Woodcock. Gallinago wilsonii, Bonap-Wilson's snipe. Macrorhamphus griseus, Leach-Red- breasted snipe. Tringa canutus, Linn-Robin-snipe.
189. Steganopus wilsonii, Coues-Wilson's phalarope. 190. 191. SCOLOPACIDE-SNIPES AND SANDPIPERS. 192. 193. 194. 195. 196. Tringa minutilla, Vieill-Least sandpiper. 197. (?) Tringa bairdii, Cones-Baird's sandpiper. Tringa maculata, Vieill-Jack snipe. 198. 199. 200. 201. 202. 203. Totunus melanolenous, Vieill-Tell-tale, tattler. Totanus flavipex, Vieill-Lesser yellow shanks. * Totanus solitarius, And-Wood-tattler. Tringoides macularius, Gray-Spotted sandpiper. Limosa fedoa, Ord-Marbled godwit. Limosa hudsonica, Swain-Hudsonian godwit. 204. 205. 206. 207. 208. 209. 210. 211. Tryngites rufescens, Cab -- Buff-erested sandpiper.
* Tringa americana, Cass-American Dunlin. Ereunetes pusillus, Cass-Semi-palmated sandpiper. (?) Micropalama himantopus, Baird-Stilt sandpiper. Totanus semi-palmatus. Temm-Willit.
Numenus longirostris, Wilson -- Long-billed curlew.
Numenius hudsonica, Lathrop-IIndsonian curlew.
TANTALIDE-IBISES.
212. Tantalus loculator, Linn -- Wood ibis.
ARDEIDE-HERONS
213. Ardea herodias, Linn -- Great blue heron. (?) Ardeu egretta, Gray -- Great white heron.
214. 215. Ardea virescens, Linn-Green heron, poke.
216. Nycteardea grisea, Allen -- Night heron.
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
217. Botaurus minor, Boie-American bittern. 218. Ardetta erilis, Gray -- Little bittero.
GRUNDLE -- CRANES.
219. Grus canadensis, Temm -- Sand-hill crane. 220. Grus americana, Temm -- White crane
RALLIDE -- RAILS.
221. Rallus elegans, And -- Marsh hens.
222. Rallus virginianus, Linn-Virginia rail.
223. Porzana carolina, Vieill-Carolina rail.
224. Fulica americana, Gmelin-Coot.
225. Gallinula galeata, Bonap-Florida gallinule.
226. Gallinula martinica, Lath -- Purple gallinale.
ANATID.E -- DUCKS.
227. Cygnus americana, Sharp-American swan.
228. Cygnus buccinator, Rich -- Trumpeter.
229. Anser hyperboreus, Pallas -- Snowy goose.
230. Branta canadensis, Gray -- Canada goose.
. Branta bernicla, Scop-Black brant.
Anas boschas, Linn-Mallard. Common.
Querquedula carolinensis, Stephens-Green winged teal.
235. 236. Spatula clypeata, Boic -- Shoveler.
Chaulelasmns streperus, Gray-Gadwell. Common.
237. 238. Mureca americana, Stephens -- Baldpate. Aix sponsa, Boie -- Wood duck. 239. 240. 241. 242. Fuligula collaris, Bonap-Ring-necked duck.
Fuligula marila, Steph-Bluebill, shuffler. Fuligula affinis, Eyton -- Broad-bill, little black head.
Fuligula fernia, var. americana, Cones -- Read-head.
243. 244. Fuligula vallisneria, Steph-Canvas back duck.
245. Bucephala clangula, Cones -- Golden-eyed. Rare!
246. Bucephala albeola, Baird -- Butter ball.
247. Histrionicus torquatus, Bonap -- Harlequin duck.
248. Erismatura rubida, Bonap-Ruddy duck.
249. Mergus merganser, Linn-Sheldrake.
250. Mergus serrator, Linn-Red-breasted merganser.
251. Mergus cucullatus, Linn-Hooded merganser.
231. 232. 233. Anas obscura, Gmelin -- Dusky duck. 234. Querquedula discors, Stephens -- Blue-winged teal.
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
PELECANIDE -- PELICANS.
252. Pelecanus trachyrhynchus, Lath-White pelican. Common.
GRACULIDE-CORMORANTS.
253. Graculus dilophus, Gray-Double-crested cormorant.
LARIDE-GULLS AND TERNS.
254. (?) Larus marinus, Linn-Blaek-backed gull.
255. Larus delawarensis, Ord-Ring-billed gull.
256. Gelochelidon anglica, Mont-Marsh tern.
257. Sterna hirundo, Linn-Wilson's tern.
258. Sterna antrillarum, Coues-Least tern.
259. Hydrochelidon lariformis, Cones-Black tern.
COLYMBIDE-LOONS AND GREBES.
260. Colymbus torquatus, Brun-Loon.
261. Colymbus septentrionalis, Linn-Red-throated loon.
262. Podiceps holbollii, Reinh-Red-necked grebe.
263. Prodiceps cornutus, Lath-Horned grebe.
264. Prodiceps cristatus, Lath-Crested grebe.
265. Podilymbus prodiceps, Lawr-Carolina grebe. Dabchick.
It will be observed from the above list that over two hundred and fifty different and distinctly defined species of birds occur in this county, which are distributed among forty-six families and one hundred and sixty-eight genera. The presence of so large a number-a certain per centum of which are migratory, and though sometimes tarrying, are not, properly speaking, residents of the county-is to be attributed to the extensive wooded sections within its limits, and the presence of a considerable stream-the Chariton river-which aets as a highway along which many birds migrate to or from high latitudes.
It would have been a matter of deep interest, and perhaps of abiding value, to have introduced short notes illustrative of the habits and homes of many species. The limits of a work of this nature will permit only a brief extract or two from the highest living authorities on American birds, which it is hoped, may serve to interest some of the residents of this eounty in the study of their wonderful and beautiful avi-fauna. In the following notes, the figures refer to the numbers of the preceding list:
No. 16 .- " I was walking in a narrow path through a hummock, which lies back of the old fort at Miami, Florida, and had paused to observe a fe-
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
male of this species, when I heard a low warbling which sounded like the distant songs of some bird I had never heard. I listened attentively, but could make nothing of it, and advanced a few paces, when I heard it more plainly. This time it appeared to come from above me, and looking up- ward, I saw a male gnat-catcher hopping nimbly from limb to limb on some small trees which skirted the woods. Although he was but a short distance away, I was obliged to watch the motion of his little throat before I became convinced that this music came from him. It was even so, and nothing could be more appropriate to the delicate marking and size of the tiny, fairy- like bird than the silvery warble which filled the air with sweet continuous melody. I was completely surprised, for I never imagined that any bird was capable of producing notes so soft and low, yet each one was given with such distinctness that the ear could catch every part of the wondrous and complicated song. I watched him for some time, but he never ceased sing- ing, save when he sprang into the air to catch some passing insect. The female seemed to enjoy the musical efforts that were accomplished for her benefit, for she drew gradually nearer, until she alighted upon the same tree with her mate. At this moment she took alarm and flew a short distance followed by her mate. As I walked away I could hear the murmur of the love song till it became indistinguishable from the gentle rustling of the leaves around."-Maynard.
No. 21 .- "Once when traveling through a portion of the most gloomy part of a thick and tangled wood in this great pine forest, near Mauch Chunk, in Pennsylvania, at a time when I was intent on guarding myself against the venomous reptiles I expected to encounter, the sweet song of this wren came suddenly on my ear, and with so cheery an effect. that I suddenly lost all apprehension of danger, and pressed forward through the rank briers and stiff laurels in pursuit of the bird, which I hoped was not far from its nest. But he, as if bent on puzzling me, rambled here and there among the thickest bushes with uncommon cunning, now singing in one spot not far distant, and presently in another in a different direction. After much exertion and considerable fatigue, I at last saw it alight on the side of a large tree, close to the roots, and heard it warble a few notes, which I thought exceeded any it had previously uttered. Suddenly another wren appeared by its side, but darted off in a moment, and the bird itself which I had followed disappeared. I soon -reached the spot, without having for an instant removed my eyes from it, and observed a protuberance covered with moss and lichens, resembling the excresences which are often seen on our forest trees, with this difference, that the aperture was perfectly rounded, clean and quite smooth. I put my finger into it and felt the pecking of a
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
bird's bill, while a querulous ery was emitted. In a word, I had, for the first time in my life, found the nest of a Winter Wren. * * * * Ex- ternally it measured seven inches in length and four and a half in breadth; the thickness of its walls, composed of moss and lichens, was nearly two inches; and thus it presented internally the appearance of a narrow bag, the wall, however, being reduced to a few lines where it was in contact with the bark of the tree. The lower half of the cavity was compaetly lined with the fur of the American hare, and in the bottom or bed of the nest there lay over this abont half a dozen of the large, downy abdominal feathers of our common grouse, Tetro umbellus."-Audubon.
No. 95 .-- " Have you heard the song of the field-sparrow? If you have lived in a pastoral country, with broad npland pastures, you could hardly have missed him. Wilson, I believe, calls him the grass-finch, and was evi- dently unaequainted with his powers of song. The two white lateral quills of his tail, and his habit of running and skulking a few yards, in advance of you as you walk through the fields, are sufficient to identify him. Not in meadows or orchards, but in high, breezy pasture grounds, will you look for him. His song is most noticeable after sundown, when other birds are silent, for which reason he is aptly called the vesper sparrow. The farmer following his team from the field at dusk eatehes his sweetest strain. His song is not brisk and varied as that of the song-sparrow, being softer and wilder, sweeter and more plaintive. Add the best parts of the lay of the latter to the sweet vibrating chant of the sparrow (Spizella pusilla) and you have the evening hymn of the vesper-bird-the poet of the plain, nnadorned pastures. Go to those broad, smooth, uplying fields, where the cattle and sheep are grazing, and sit down on one of the warm, clean stones, and listen to this song. On every side, near and remote, from out the short grass, which the herds are cropping, the strain rises. Two or three long, silvery notes of rest and peace, ending in some subdued trills or quavers, constitute each separate song. Often you will eateh only one or two of the bars, the breeze having blown the minor part away. Such unambitious, nneonseious melody! It is one of the most characteristic songs of Nature. The grass, the stones, the stubble, the furrow, the quiet herds, and warm twilight among the birds, are all subtilely expressed in this song; this is what they are capable of." -- John Borroughs.
No. 110 .- "The entire change of plumage which the male of this species indergoes twice a year is none the less interesting because it is so well known a faet in its economy. When the bird reaches the middle districts, which is usually not until May, the males, as a rule are already in nearly perfeet breeding attire, but in the vast majority of instances still show
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INSTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
touches of yellowish on the belly and legs. At this period they are very conspicuous, associated in flocks, sometimes great in extent, moving rest- lessly about the meadows and orchards, overflowing with glad music. Their number seems out of all proportion to that of the females, but this is prob- ably due to the silent and more retiring ways of the latter sex. They really pass through, in the vernal migration, quite rapidly, though they do not ap- pear to be at all in a hurry, as we see them day by day. They throw them- selves in a field, scatter on the ground, feeding, and at the slightest alarm, or in mere wantonness, suddenly fly en masse to the nearest tree, fence, or bush, and begin to sing, producing an indescribable medley, hushed in an instant only to be resumed. Sometimes they sing as merrily, though with less concerted action, while they are rambling in the grass. Their day-time leisure for song and food is easily explained; for they migrate at this season, almost entirely by night. Every night in early May, as we walk the streets, we can hear the mellow metalic clinking coming down through the darkness, from birds passing high overhead and sounding clearer in the stillness. By the middle of May they have all passed; a few, it is stated, linger to breed sonth of New England, but the main body passes on, spreading over that portion of the Union and the neighboring British provinces, occupying in pairs almost every meadow. The change of plumage with the finishing of the duties of reproduction is rapid and complete before the return move- ment is made, although this takes place in Angust. As far north at least as Maryland, I never saw or heard of a decidedly black individual, among the millions that repass that State late in the summer and during September. The males are, indeed, distinguishable by their superior size and a sort of dif- fuseness of tawney coloration, not quite like the cleaner and lighter pattern of the females, aside from the black traces that frequently persist; but the differance is not great. They are now songless -- whoever heard bobolink music in the fall ?-- they have a comfortable, self-satisfied chink, befitting snch fat and abandoned gourmands as they are, thronging in countless hoards the wild rice tracts and the grainfields, loafing and inviting their souls. So they go, until the first cold snap, that sends them into winter quarters at once-chiefly to the West Indies, but also much further sonth. They have successfully filled the role of bobolink, reed-bird, rice-bird, and butter-bird. As soon as the season relaxes once more in March, they will re-enter the United States, and do it all over again." -- Coues.
No. 111-" It does not appear that the cow-bird ever attempts to take forcible possession of a nest. She watches her chance while the owners are away, slips in by stealth and leaves the evidence of her unfriendly visit to be discovered on their return, in the shape of the ominous egg. The par-
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
ents hold anxions consultation in this emergency, as their sorrowful cries and disturbed actions plainly indicate. If their nest was empty before, they generally desert it, and their courage in giving up a cozy home results in one cow-bird the less. Sometimes, even after there is an egg of their own in the nest, they have nerve enough to let it go, rather than assume the hateful task of ineubating the strange one. But if the female has already laid one or two eggs, the pair generally settle into the reluctant conviction that there is no help for it; they quiet down after a while and things go on as if nothing had happened. Not always, however, will they desert even an empty nest; some birds have discovered a way out of the difficulty -- it is the most ingenious device imaginable, and the more we think about it the more astonishing it seems. They build a two story nest, leaving the obnox- ions egg in the basement. I want no better proof that birds possess a faculty indistinguishable, so far as it goes, from human reason; and such a case as this bears impressively upon the general question of the difference between reason and that faculty we designate by the vague and misleading term, "instinet." The evidence has accumulated till it has become conclusive, that the difference is one of degree, not of kind-that instinct is a lower order of reason-the arrest, in brutes, at a certain stage, of a faculty reaching higher development in man. Instinet, in the ill-considered current sense of the term could never lead a summer yellow bird up to building a two-story nest to let a cow-bird's egg addle below. Such 'instinct' is merely force of habit, inherited or acquired-a sum of tendencies operating unknowingly and uniformly upon the same recurring circumstances, devoid of conscious design, lacking recognized precision, totally inadequate to the requirements of the first special emergency. What bird, possessed of only such a fac- ulty as this, could build a two-story nest to get rid of an objectionable deposit in the original single-story fabric? It argues as intelligent a design as was ever indicated in the erection of a building by a human being. No question of inherited tendency enters here; and if it did, the issue would be only set back a step, no nearer determination, for there must have been an original double nest, the result of an original idea. Nor is this wonder- ful forethought very rarely exhibited; considering what proportion the donble nests discovered bear to the ordinary ones brought to our notice, among the millions annually constructed, we can easily believe that the in- genious device is in fact a frequent resort of the birds plagued by the cow- bunting. And how can we sufficiently admire the perseverance and energy of a bird which having once safely shut up the terrible egg in her cellar, and then having found another one violating her premises, forthwith built a third story? She deserved better of fate than that her honse should at
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
last be despoiled by a naturalist. This was a summer yellow-bird, to whom the price of passing thus into history must have seemed hard." -. Coues.
No. 123 .-- "All jays make their share of noise in the world, they fret and scold about trifles, quarrel over anything, and keep everything in a foment when they are about. The particular kind we are now talking about is nowise behind his fellows in these respects-a stranger to modesty and forbearance, and the many gentle qualities that charm us in some little birds and endear them to us; he is a regular filibuster, ready for any sort of adventure that promises sport or spoil, even if spiced with danger. Sometimes he prowls about alone, but oftener has a band of choice spirits with him, who keep each other in countenance (for our jay is a coward at heart, like other bullies), and share the plunder on the usnal terms in such eases, of each one taking all he can get. Onee I had a chance of seeing a band of these guerrillas on a raid; they went. at it in good style, but came
off very badly indeed. A vagabond troop made a descent upon a bush (lump, where, probably, they expected to find eggs to suck, or at any rate a chance for mischief and amusement. To their intense joy, they surprised a little owl quietly digesting his grasshoppers, with both eyes shut. Here was a lark! and a chance to wipe out a part of the score that the jays keep against the owls for injuries received, time out of mind. In the tumult that ensued, the little birds senrried off, the woodpeckers overhead stopped tapping to look on, and a snake that was basking in a sunny spot concluded to erawl into his hole. The jays lunged furiously at their enemy, who sat helpless; bewildered by the sudden onslaught, trying to look as big as possible, with his wings set for bucklers and his bill snapping, meanwhile twisting his head till I thought he would wring it off, trying to look all ways at once. The jays, emboldened by partial success, grew more impn- dent, till their victim made a break through their ranks and flapped into the heart of a neighboring juniper, hoping to be protected by the tough, thick foliage. The jays went trooping after, and I hardly know how the fight would have ended had I not thought it time to take a hand in the game myself. I secured the owl first, it being the interesting Pigmy Owl (Glaucidium), and then shot four of the jays before they made up their minds to be off. The collector has no better chance to enrich his cabinet than when the birds are quarreling, and so it has been with the third party in a difficulty, ever since the monkey divided cheese for the two eats." -- C'oues.
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