USA > Iowa > Fremont County > History of Fremont County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., a biographical directory of many of its leading citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistic, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of Iowa and the Northwest, map of Fremont County, constitution of the state of Iowa, reminiscences, miscellaneous matters, etc > Part 41
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VIREONIDAE-VIREOS.
68. Vireo gilvus, Bonap-Warbling vireo; common.
69. Vireo solitarius, Baird-Solitary vireo.
70. Vireo noveboracensis, Bonap-White-eyed vireo.
71. Virco bellii, Audubon-Bell's vireo.
72. Vireo olivaceus, Bonap-Red-eyed vireo.
73. (?) Vireo philadelphicns, Cass-Brotherly-love vireo.
74. (?) Vireo flavifrons, Baird-Yellow-throated vireo.
LANIIDÆE-SHRIKES.
75. Collurio borealis, Baird-Northern shrike; butcher bird.
76. Collurio excubitorides, Coues-White-rumped shrike.
ALAUDIDÆ-LARKS.
77. Eremophila alpestris, Boie-Horned lark.
FRINGILLIDÆE-SPARROWS.
78. (?) Hesperiphona vespertina, Bonap-Evening grosbeak.
79. Pinicola enucleator, Cab-Pine grosbeak; an occasional winter visitant.
80. Carpodacus purpureus, Gray-Purple finch.
81. Chrysomitris tristis. Cab-Yellow bird gold-finch.
82. Chrysomitris pinus, Bonap-Pine finch.
83. Curvirostra americana, Wilson-Red crossbill.
84. Curvirostra leucoptera, Wilson-White-winged crossbill.
85. Aegiothus linaria. Cab-Red poll linnet.
86.
Plectrophanes mvalis, Meyer-Snow bunting.
87. Plectrophanes lapponicus, Kaup-Lapland bunting; in winter.
88. Plectrophanes pictus, Cab-Painted bunting; in winter only.
89. Plectrophanes ornatus, Temm-Black-bellied long spur.
90. Centronyx bairdii, Baird-Baird's sparrow.
91. Passerculus savanna, Bonap -- Savanna sparrow.
92. Pooecetes gramineus, Baird-Grass finch.
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HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
93. Coturniculus passerinus, Bonap-Yellow-winged sparrow.
94. Coturniculus henslowii, Bonap-Henslow's sparrow.
95. Melospiza melodia, Baird-Song sparrow.
96. Melospiza lincolnii, Baird-Lincoln's sparrow.
97. Melospiza palustris, Baird-Swamp sparrow.
98. Funco hyemalis. Sclat-Snow bird.
99. Spizella monticola, Baird-Tree sparrow.
100. Spizella pussilla, Bonap-Field sparrow.
101. Spizella pallida, Bonap-Western field sparrow.
102. Spizella socialis, Bonap-Chipping sparrow.
103. Zonotrichia leucophyrs, Swain-White-crowned sparrow.
104. Zonotrichia albicollis, Bonap-White-throated sparrow.
105. Zonotrichia querula, Gamb-Harris's sparrow.
106. Zonotrichia intermedia, Ridgway-Ridgway's sparrow.
107. Chondestes grammaca, Bonap-Lark sparrow.
108. Passerella iliaca, Swain-Fox-colored sparrow.
109. Euspiza americana, Bonap-Black-throated bunting.
110. Goniaphea ludoviciana, Cab-Rose-breasted grosbeak.
111. Goniaphea cærulea, Swain-Blue grosbeak.
112. Cyanospiza cyanea, Baird-Indigo bird.
113. Cardinalis virginianus, Bonap-Cardinal bird.
114. Pipilo erythrophthalmus, Vieill-Chewink.
115. (?) Pipilo maculatus var articus, Coues-Arctic spotted towhee.
ICTERID ÆE-BLACKBIRDS AND ORIOLES.
116. Dolichonyx oryzivorus, Swain-Bobolink; rare.
117. Molothrus pecorus, Swain-Cow blackbird.
118. Agelæus phoniccus, Vieill-Red-winged blackbird.
119. Xanthocephalus icterocephalus, Baird-Yellow-headed blackbird.
120. Sturnella magna, Swain-Meadow lark.
121. Icterus spurius, Bonap-Orchard oriole.
122. Icteruc baltimore, Daud-Baltimore oriole; hang nest.
123. (?) Icterus bullockii, Bonap-Bullock's oriole.
124. Scoleophagus ferrugineus, Swain-Rusty grackle.
125. Scolcophagus cyanocephalus, Cab-Blue-headed grackle.
126. Quiscalus purpurcus, Licht-Crow blackbird.
CORVIDA-CROWS AND JAYS.
127. Corvus corax, Linn-Raven.
128. Corvus americanus, Aud -- Crow.
129. Pica hudsonica, Bonap-Magpie.
130. Cyanurus cristatus, Swain-Blue jay.
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HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
TYRANNIDÆ-TYRANT FLYCATCHERS.
Tyrannus carolinensis, Temm-King bird.
131. 132. Tyrannus verticalis, Say-Arkansas flycatcher.
133. Myiarchus crinitus, Cap-Great-crested flycatcher.
134. Sayornis fuscus, Baird-Bridge pewee.
135. Contopus borcalis, Baird -- Olive-sided pewee.
186. (?) Contopus virens, Cab-Wood pewee.
137. Empidonax flaviventris, Baird - Yellow-bellied flycatcher.
138. Empidonax traillii, Baird-Traill's flycatcher.
139. Empidonax minimus, Baird-Eeast flycatcher.
140. (?) Empidonax acadicus, Baird-Acadian flycatcher.
CAPRIMULGIDÆE-GOATSUCKERS.
141. Antrostomus vociferus, Bonap-Whippoorwill.
142. Antrostomus nutallii, Cass-Nuttell's Whippoorwill.
143. Chordciles virginianus Bonap -- Night-hawk; bull-bat, pisk.
CYPSELIDÆE-SWIFTS.
144. Chatura pelagica, Baird-Chimney swift. TROCHILIDÆ-HUMMING BIRDS.
145. Trochilus colubris, Linn-Humming-bird. ALCEDINIÆ-KINGFISHERS.
146. Ceryle alcyon, Boie-King-fisher. CUCULIDÆ-CUCKOOS.
147. Coccygus erythrophthalmus, Bonap-Black-billed cuckoo.
148. Coccygus americanus, Bonap-Yellow-billed cuckoo.
PICIDÆ-WOODPECKERS.
149. Picus villosus, Linn-Hairy woodpecker.
150. Picus pubescens, Linn-Downy woodpecker.
151. Sphyrapicus varius, Baird-Yellow flicker.
152. Hylotomus pileatus, Baird-Pileated woodpecker.
153. Centurus carolinus, Bonap-Red-bellied woodpecker, abundan in winter.
154. Melanerpes erythrocephalus, Swain-Red-headed woodpecker.
155. Colaptes auratus, Swain-Golden-winged woodpecker.
ARIDÆ-PARROQUETS.
156. *Conurus carolinensis, Kuhl-Carolina parroquet.
* A resident of Decatur county told me that he had several times seen a flock of Par rots in the southern part of the county, on a tall, dead cottonwood tree, known to the neigh boring people as the "parrot-tree" from its having been frequented at intervals by th same flock for several years :- Trippe.
345
HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
STRIGIDÆ-OWLS.
157. Strix flammea, Schl .- Barn owl.
158. Bubo virginianus, Bonap-Great horned owl.
159. Scops asio, Bonap-Screech owl.
160. Otus vulgaris, Flem .- Long-eared owl.
161. Brachyotus palustris, Bonap-Short-eared owl; rare.
162. Syrnium nebulosum, Boie-Barred owl.
163. (?) Syrnium cinereum, Aud-Great gray owl.
164. Nyctea scandiaca,Newt-A wanderer in this county.
165. (?) Nyctale albifrons, Cassin-Kirkland's owl; very doubtful.
FALCONIDÆ-HAWKS.
166. Falco communis, Gmelin-Duck hawk.
167. Falco columbarius, Linn-Pigeon hawk.
168. Falco richardsonii, Ridgw-American merlin.
169. Falco sparverius, Linn-Sparrow hawk.
170. (?) Astur atricapillus, Bonap-Gos-hawk.
171. Accipiter fuscus, Bonap-Sharp-shinned hawk.
172. Accipiter cooperii, Gray-Chicken hawk,
173. Buteo borealis, Vieill-Red-tailed hawk.
174. Buteo lineatus, Jardine-Red-shouldered hawk.
175. 176. (?) Buteo pennsylvanicus, Bonap-Broad-winged hawk. Archibuteo lagopus, Gray-Rough-legged hawk.
177. Nauclerus furcatus, Vigors-Swallow-tailed hawk.
178. Circus hudsonius, Vieill-Marsh hawk.
179. (?) Aquila chrysaetos, Linn-Golden eagle.
180. Haliætus leucocephalus, Say - White-headed eagle.
181. Pandion halictus, Cuv-Osprey; fish-hawk.
CATHARTIDA-VULTURES.
182. Cathartes aura, Illiger-Turkey buzzard.
COLUMBIDA-PIGEONS.
183. Ectopistes migratoria, Swain-Wild pigeon.
184. Zenædura carolinensis, Bonap-Carolina dove.
TETRAONIDÆ-GROUSE.
185. Pediocætes phasinellus, Linn-Sharp-tailed grouse.
186. Cupidonia cupido, Baird-Prairie hen.
187. Bonasa umbellus, Steph-Ruffed grouse.
3
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HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
PERDICIDÆ-PARTRIDGES.
188. Ortyx virginianus, Bonap-Quail, bob-white.
MELEAGRID Æ-TURKEYS.
189. Meleagris gallopavo, Linn- Wild turkey.
CHARADRIIDÆ-PLOVERS.
190. Charadrius virginicus, Bork -- Golden plover.
191. Ægialitis vocifera, Bork-Kildee plover.
192. Ægialitis meloda, Cab-Piping plover.
193. Ægialitis semipalmata, Cab-Ring plover.
194. Squatarola helvetica, Brehm-Black-bellied plover.
RECURVIROSTRIDÆE-AVOCETS.
195. Recurvirostra americana, Gmelin-Avocet.
196. Himantopus nigricollis, Vieill- Black-necked stilt.
PHALAROPODIDÆ.
197. Steganopus wilsonii, Coues-Wilson's Phalarope.
198. (?) Lobipes hyperboreus, Cuv-Northern Phalarope.
199. Phalaropus fulicarius, Bonap-Red Phalarope.
SCOLOPACIDÆ-SNIPES AND SANDPIPERS.
200. Philohela minor, Gray-Woodcock.
201. Gallinago wilsonii, Bonap-Wilson's snipe.
202. Macrorhamphus griseus, Leach-Red-breasted snipe.
203. Tringu canutus, Linn-Robin-snipe.
Tringa minutilla, Vieill-Least sandpiper.
204. 205. 206. Tringo maculata, Vieill-Jack snipe. 207. 208. 209. 210. Totanus semi-palmatus, Temm-Willit.
(?) Tringa bairdii, Coues-Baird's sandpiper.
* Tringa americana, Cass-American Dunlin.
Ereunetes pusillus, Cass-Semi-palmated sandpiper.
(?) Micropalama himantopus, Baird-Stilt sand-piper.
Totanus mclanoleucus, Vieill-Tell-tale, tattler.
211. 212. Totanus flavipes, Vieill-Lesser yellow shanks.
213. * Totanus solitarius, Aud-Wood-tattler.
214. Tringoides macularius, Gray-Spotted sand-piper.
215. Limosa fedoa, Ord-Marbled Godwit.
216. Limosa hudsonica, Swain-Hudsonian Godwit.
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HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
17. Numenius longirostris, Wilson-Long-billed curlew. 218. Numenius hudsonica, Lathrop-Hudsonian curlew.
219. (?) Numenius borealis, Lath-Esquimaux curlew. Extreme y doubtful.
220. Tryngites rufescens, Cab-Buff-crested sand-piper.
TANTALIDÆ-IBISES.
221. Tantalus loculator, Linn-Wood ibis.
ARDEIDÆ-HERONS.
222. Ardea herodias, Linn-Great blue heron.
223. (?) Ardea egretta, Gray-Great white heron.
224. Ardea virescens, Linn-Green Heron, poke.
225. Nycteardea grisea, Allen-Night heron. ,
226. Botaurus minor, Boie-American bittern.
227. Ardetta exilis, Gray-Little bittern.
GRUIDÆ-CRANES.
228. Grus canadensis, Temm-Sand-hill crane.
229. Grus americana, Temm-White crane.
RALLIDÆ-RAILS.
230. (?) Rallus elegans, Aud -- Marsh hen.
231. Rallus virginanus, Linn -- Virginia rail.
232. Porzana carolina, Vieill-Carolina rail.
233. Eulica americana, Gmelin-Coot.
234. (?) Galinula galcata, Bonap-Florida gallinule.
235. Gallinula martinica, Lath-Purple gallinule.
ANATIDÆE-DUCKS.
236. Cgynus americana, Sharp-American swan.
237. Cygnus buccinator, Rich-Trumpeter.
238. Anser hyperboreus, Pallas-Snowy goose.
Branta canadensis, Gray-Canada goose.
239. 240. Branta bernicla, Scop-Black brant.
241. Anas boschas, Linn-Mallard.
242. Anas obcura, Gmelin-Dusky duck.
Querquedula discors, Stephens -- Blue-winged teal.
243. 244. Querquedula carolinensis, Stephens-Green-winged teal.
245. Spatula clypeata, Boie-Shoveler.
246. Chaulelasmus streperus, Gray-Gadwall.
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HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
247.
Mareca americana, Stephens-Baldpate.
248. Aix sponsa, Boie-Wood duck.
249. Fuligula marila, Steph-Bluebill, shuffler.
250. Fuligula affinis, Eyton-Broad-bill, little black-head.
251. Fuligula collanis, Bonap-Ring-necked duck.
252. Fulgula fernia, var. Americana, Coues-Red-head.
253.
Fuligula vallisneria, Steph-Canvas back duck.
254. Bucephala clangula, Coues-Golden-eyed. Rare!
255. Bucephala albeola, Baird-Butter ball.
256. Histrionicus torquatus, Bonap-Harlequin duck.
257. Erismatura rubida, Bonap-Ruddy duck.
258. Mergus merganser, Linn-Sheldrake.
259. Mergus serrator, Linn-Red-breasted merganser.
260. Mergus cucullatus, Linn-Hooded merganser.
PELECANIDA-PELICANS.
261. Pelecanus trachyrhynchus, Lath-White pelican.
GRACULIDÆ-CORMORANTS.
262. Graculus dilophus, Gray-Double-crested Cormorant. LARIDA-GULLS AND TERNS.
263. (?) Larus marinus, Linn -- Black-backed Gull.
264. Larus delawareusis, Ord-Ring-billed Gull.
265. ( ?? ) Larus franklini, Rich-Franklin's rosy Gull.
266. Gelochelidon anglica, Mont-Marsh Tern.
267. Sterna hirundo, Linn-Wilson's Tern.
268. Sterna antillarum, Coues-Least Tern.
269. Hydrochelidon lariformis, Coues-Black Tern.
COLYMBIDÆ-LOONS AND GREBES.
270. Colymbus torquatus, Brunn-Loon.
271. Colymbus septentrionalis, Linn-Red-throated Loon.
272. Podiceps holbollii, Reinh-Red-necked Grebe.
273. Podiceps cornutus, Lath-Horned Grebe.
274. Podiceps cristatus, Lath-Crested Grebe.
275. Podilymbus podiceps, Lawr-Carolina Grebe. Dabchick.
It will be observed from the above list that two hundred and seventy. five 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
1
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HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
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 on its western side, and to the fact that the valley of the Missouri acts as a great 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 county in the study of their wonderful and beautiful avi-fauna., In the following
NOTES
1
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 female 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 upward, 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 singing, 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 indistin- guishable 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
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HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
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 an- other 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, with- out having for an instant removed my eyes from it, and observed a pro- tuberance covered with moss and lichens, resembling the excrescences which are often seen on our forest trees, with this difference, that the aperture was perfectly rounded, clean and quite smooth. I put a finger into it and felt the pecking of a bird's bill, while a querulous cry was emitted. In a word, I had, for the first time in my life, found the nest of a Winter Wren. * * *
Externally it measured seven inches in length and four and a half in breadth; the thickness of its walls, com- posed of moss and lichen ;, was nearly two inches; and thus it presented in- ternally 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 compactly lined with the fur of the Ameri- can hare, and in the bottom or bed of the nest there lay over this about half a dozen of the large, downy abdominal feathers of our common grouse, Tetrao umbellus."-Audubon.
No. 92 .- " Have you heard the song of the field-sparrow? If you have lived in a pastoral country, with broad upland pastures, you could hardly have missed him. Wilson, I believe, calls him the grass-finch, and was evidently unacquainted with his powers of song. The two white lateral quills of his tail, and his habit of running and skulking a few yards in ad- vance 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 catches his sweetest strain. His song is not so 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 wood-sparrow (Spizella pusilla), and you have the evening hymn of the vesper-bird- the poet of the plain, unadorned pastures. Go to those broad, smooth,
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HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
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, silver notes of rest and peace, end- ing in some subdued trills or quavers, constitute each separate song. Often you will catch only one or two of the bars, the breeze having blown the minor part away. Such unambitious, unconscious melody! It is one of the most characteristic songs in Nature. The grass, the stones, the stubble, the furrow, the quiet herds, and the warm twilight among the birds, are all subtilely expressed in this song; this is what they are at least capable of."- John Burroughs.
No. 116. "The entire change of plumage which the male of this species undergoes twice a year is none the less interesting because it is so well known a fact 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 perfect breeding attire, but in the vast majority of instances still show 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 probably 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 appear to be at all in a hurry, as we see them day by day. They throw themselves in a field, scatter on the ground, feeding, and at the slightest alarm, or in mere wantonness, suddenly fly en masse to the near- est tree, fence, or bush, and begin to sing, producing an indescribable med- ley, 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 metallic clink- ing coming down through the darkness, from birds passing high over- head and sounding clearer in the stillness. By the middle of May they have all passed; a few, it is stated, linger to breed south 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 re- production is rapid and complete before the return movement is made, although this takes place in August. 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-
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HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
fuseness of tawny coloration, not quite like the cleaner and lighter pat- tern of the females, aside from the black traces that frequently ,persist; but the difference is not great. They are now songless-who ever heard bobolink music in the fall ?- they have a comfortable, self-satisfied chink, befitting such fat and abandoned gourmands as they are, thronging in countless hoards the wild rice tracts and the grainfields, loafing, and invit- ing their souls. So they go, until the first cold snap, that sends them into winter quarters at once-chiefly in the West Indies, but also much further south. They have successively 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. 117. "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 parents hold anxious consultation in this emergency, as their sorrow- ful 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 incubating 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, how- ever, 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 obnoxious 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 "instinct." 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. Instinct, 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 eggs addle below. Such 'instinct' is merely force of habit, inher- ited 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 require-, ments of the first special emergency. What bird, possessed of only such
353
HISTORY OF FREMONT COUNTY.
a faculty 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 won- derful forethought very rarely exhibited; considering what proportion the double nests discovered bear to the ordinary ones brought to our notice, among the millions annually constructed, we can easily believe that the ingenious 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, forth- with built a third story? She deserved better of fate than that her house should at 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. 130 .- " 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 mod- esty 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 usual terms in such cases, of each one taking all he can get. Once I had a chance of seeing band of these guerrillas on a raid; they went at it in good style, but ame off very badly indeed. A vagabond troop made a descent upon a push clump, where, probably, they expected to find eggs to suck, or at iny rate a chance for mischief and amusement. To their intense joy, hey surprised a little owl quietly digesting his grasshoppers, with both yes shut. Here was a lark! and a chance to wipe out a part of the score hat the jays keep against the owls for injuries received, time out of mind. n the tumult that ensued, the little birds scurried off, the woodpeckers verhead stopped tapping to look on, and a snake that was basking in a unny spot concluded to crawl into his hole. The jays lunged furiously t their enemy, who sat helpless; bewildered by the sudden onslaught, rying to look as big as possible, with his wings set for bucklers and his ill snapping; meanwhile twisting his head till I thought he would wring off, trying to look all ways at once. The jays, emboldened by partial 3 1-2
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