USA > Indiana > Putnam County > Biographical and historical record of Putnam County, Indiana > Part 3
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of five to six or seven seconds between them. Next to this prima donna of the forest are the olive-backed (or Swainson's) thrush, Wilson's thrush, the northern mocking-bird (or eat- bird), the brown thrush and the robin. These are all migratory birds, spending the summer here but the winter in the South. The robin sometimes remains all winter. The hermit and olive-backed thrushes are more common in the spring and fall. The robin and the cat-bird frequent the orchards and gardens, nesting about the door-yards, and prefer these places to the woods, probably because of greater security from birds or other animals of prey. The brown thrush is found in the thickets of hazel-brush, briers, etc., which skirt old fences and edge of woods, and gen- erally nests in brush heaps. The remainder of this family is confined to the woodland. Their food consists of beetles, grasshoppers, snails, spiders, caterpillars, etc., together with small fruits and berries.
Bluebird Family .-- The bluebird is the only representative of the family in the coun- ty. It is common from spring to fall, nesting in bird-houses, fenee-posts, decayed trees, and feeds on winged insects, worms, grasshop- pers, spiders, and a scant proportion of berries.
Kinglets .- The ruby-crowned and the golden-crowed kinglets, and the blue-gray gnat-catcher are all common during the spring and fall. The first-mentioned is fre- quently found in winter, and the gnat-catcher is abundant during the summer. These are confined to the woods. The kinglets nest in the lake region, but the gnat-catcher nests here, building a wonderful structure high up on the oaks. It is somewhat purse-shaped, and often at the extremity of a bough, so as to sway with the wind, secure from enemies. It is placed in a concealed situation, and artistically as well as substantially finished
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Chickadee .- The titmonse, or black-capped chickadee, the only member of the family here, feeds upon insects, seeds, berries, crumbs, meats, etc., and generally nests in the woods, where it makes its home most of the year, but during the winter it is seen near the house, feeding upon sweepings from the table.
Nuthatches .-- The white-bellied and the red-bellied nuthatch are common, especially the former. These birds are found in wood- lands and orchards. Their nests are built in holes in trees. Food-ants, eggs of insects and seed.
Brown Couper .- A common spring, fall and winter resident, and a woodland bird. is to be mentioned in this connection.
Wren Family .- The Carolina wren is a very rare straggler from the South. The honse wren is common locally. The winter wren is a common spring and fall visitor, often remaining during the open winters. The long-billed marsh wren is a common summer resident of the marshes, building a large globnlar nest of coarse sand-grass, sus- pended to reeds or flag-steins. The short- billed marsh wren is a common summer resident. generally found on low meadow ; lands. The wrens feed on insects only.
Lark Family .- The horned lark is a win- ter resident, but sometimes breeds here. It frequents barren and gravelly fields, feeding on seeds and insects. When the ground is covered with snow they may be seen feeding upon the droppings of stock about the farm.
The Titlark is an abundant migrant in late fall and early spring, frequenting the same localities and subsisting on the same food as the preceding. There are sometimes large flocks of this species of bird.
Warblers. -- These are numerous. The | in August and September, and feeding ou black and white creeper is a common summer resident. nesting on the ground, generally he- '
side a fallen log. The blue yellow-backed warbler, a rare migratory bird, is sometimes found in the tree-tops of the wild forest. The blue-winged yellow warbler is rare, The blue golden-winged warbler is com- mon in spring and fall. The Nashville and Tennessee warblers are very common. The orange-crowned warbler is rare. The yellow, the black-throated green, the black- throated blue, the blue, the yellow rumped, the blackburnian, the black-poll, the yellow red-pof and the chestnut-sided warblers are all connon -- some of them abundant; all migrants. The bay-breasted, the Cape May. the prairie, the yellow-throated and Kirt- land's warblers are rare. The golden crowned thrush (Sciurus auricapillus) is a conimon summer resident, frequenting low, open woods. The water thrush (S. nurcia) is rare, but breeds here. The large-billed water thrush is common in swampy timber lands. The Connecticut warbler is rare, but may be- come common. It is a fine songster. The Maryland yellow-throat is found occasionally. The black-capped fly-catching warbler is com- mon during the spring and autumn. Carol fly-catching warbler, common. Red start. very common.
Tunagers .-- The scarlet tanager is com- mon, and the summer red-bird (sometimes kept in cages) rare, accidentally straying from the South.
Swallow Family-The barn. cliff or cave, white-bellied, and. the bank or sand swallows are common. The purple martin, formerly common, is being driven out by the English sparrow. The swallow feeds exclusively upon winged insects
Warnings .- The Carolina wax-wing, or cherry bird is a common resident, breeding the cultivated fruits.
Tircos .-- There are a half-dozen species of
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HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
these in this section of the country, inhabiting woodlands, some of them common, some of them rare.
Shriles, or Butcher Birds .- The great Northern shrike is rare; the logger-head shrike, two varieties, is common. These form a small but interesting family of bold and spirited birds, quarrelsome among themselves. They form a kind of connecting link between insect-eating birds and birds of prey. Their food consists of large insects, mice and small birds and snakes. They are noted for im- paling their prey on thorns or sharp twigs and leaving them there --- for what purpose is , mon yellow bird, or goldfinch, prefers the not yet known.
Finch and Sparrow Family .- Numer- sparrow and chewink scratch the ground for ons; pine grosbeak. an occasional winter visitor; purple fineh, a common migrant: white-winged and red cross-bills, rare winter visitors; red-poll linnet, an irregular winter visitor: pine linnet, a rare winter visitor Blackbird Family .- Bobolink. common and well-known - a fine and cheerful song- ster: cow-bird, or cow blackbird. a summer visitor, frequenting old pasture land and the edge of woods: like the European cuckoo, it builds no nest, but lays its eggs in the nests from the North: goldfinch, or yellow bird, common and well known . has the appearance of a canary; snow bunting, a common but irregular winter visitor: Lapland long-spur, a common winter visitor; Savannah sparrow, a common migrant; bay-winged bunting, ; of smaller birds, such as warblers, vireos and very common from spring to fall; yellow- sparrows. Red-winged blackbird, abundant winged Henslow's and Lincoln's sparrows 'in summer; meadow lark, well known; or- are summer residents: swamp and song spar-
chard and Baltimore orioles are very com- rows, common, the latter abundant all the ; mon: rusty blackbird, or grackle, is common for a week or two in spring; erow blackbird, common and well known.
warm season: snow-bird, common in winter; mountain sparrow, common in winter; chip- ping and field sparrows, common in summer; white throated and white-crowned sparrows. common migrants; English sparrow, abund- ant in the towns, driving ont our native song- birds; fox sparrow, a very common spring and fall visitor; black-throated bunting, growing common; rose-breasted grosbeak, a common summer resident; breeds along the winter-courses in low trees and shrubs; in- digo bird, abundant in summer, frequenting
low woodlands overrun with briers; towhee bunting or chewink, abundant.
Birds of this family feed entirely npon seeds during the breeding season. Those which are residents all the year and those which are summer residents only subsist during the breeding season and feed their young almost exclusively upon insects. At other times their food consists of the seeds of grass and weeds. The rose-breasted gros- beak is the only bird known to feed on the potato bug, and the white-crowned sparrow feeds on the grape-vine flea-beetle. The com- seeds of the thistle and lettuce. The fox hibernating insects and snails. The crossbills feed on the seeds in pine cones, and the Eng- lish sparrow feeds on the seeds contained in the droppings of animals.
With the exception of one or two species this family is decidedly gregarious. Insects and grains constitute their food. The cow- bird destroys the eggs and young of other birds. The orioles feed largely on hairy cat- erpillars and also on some of the small fruits, green peas, etc.
Crow Family. - The raven was common, but is now rare. The common crow, well known, emigrates southward during the cold-
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est weather. Blue jay is the gayest plumaged and harshest-voiced bird of the American for- ests. Birds of this family are omniverous.
Fly-catcher Family .- The king-bird is abundant in summer, frequenting orchards and the edge of the woods; great crested fly- catcher, abundant in the forest; nses snake skins as a part of its nest material; pewee, or phoebe bird, common; wood pewee, a com- mon bird of the orchard and woodland; least fiy-catcher, common in summer; yellow-bel- lied fly-catcher, a common migrant, but rare summer resident. The king-bird and pewee frequent open places; the others of this fam- ily dwell in the forest. They all subsist upon winged insects.
Goatsucker Family .-- Whippoorwill and night-hawk, well known and common. These birds are nocturnal in their habits and feed upon insects.
The Chimney Swallow is the only mem- ber of the family Cypselide that is found in this latitude, It is sometimes seen in large floeks, roosting in unused chimneys, barns and hollow trees.
Humming-bird Family. --- The ruby- throated is the only species found here. It feeds upon insects, which it captures within flowers.
K'ing-fisher Family. - The belted king- fisher is a common summer resident in snita- ble localities. It feeds upon small fish.
Cuckoo Family .- The black-billed species breasted and red-backed sandpipers, long- is common; has been called "rain crow." | The yellow-billed cuckoo is not common. Omniverons.
Woodpecker Family .- There are half a dozen species of woodpecker found in this locality, all common, viz .: The hairy, downy, yellow-bellied, red-headed, red-bellied and golden-winged. Omniverons.
Owl Family .- The great horned, the mot- cranes are sometimes seen in migration. tled, the screech, the long-eared and the
short-eared are abundant. The barn owl is a rare straggler from the South. Possibly one or two other species may occasionally be found here.
Hawk Family .- The marsh hawk, the sharp-shinned, Cooper's, the sparrow, the red-tailed, the red-shouldered. the broad- winged, the rough-legged or black, and the fish-hawk are all common. The white-tailed kite, the goshawk, the pigeon hawk, Swain- son's hawk and the bald eagle are more rare.
The Turkey Buzzard. belonging to a dis- tinet family, is rare.
Pigeon Family .- The wild pigeon, an abundant migrant, sometimes breeds here. The Carolina dove is a common resident here most of the year.
The Wild Turkey, once abundant, but now : rare, is the only member of the family native to this region.
Grouse Family .- Prairie chicken, once occasional, none now; ruffed grouse, or part- ridge, occasional; quail, common.
Plover Family .- The goblen plover, the killdeer and the semi-palmated are common about unfrequented ponds. The black-bellied plover is rare, if ever seen at all.
Sandpiper Family .- The most common species of this family are the semi-palmated, least, pectoral, red-breasted, Willst, solitary, spotted and upland sandpiper>, the snipe and the woodcock. Less common are the buff- billed curlew, and perhaps occasionally two or three other unimportant species.
Heron Family. - The green and night herons, the bittern and the least bittern are common residents. The great blue heron is a common migrant, and the great white heron a rare summer visitor.
Cranes .-- The whooping and sand-hill
Rail Family .-- The Virginia and Carolina
HISTORY OF PETNAM COUNTY.
rails and the coot are often scen in the vicin- ity of the streamis and in the margin of ponds; the clapper. king, yellow and black rails, very rarely; the Florida galliunle, occasionally.
Duck Family. The common species are the mallard, black, big black-head, little black-head. ring-necked, red-head (or po- chard), golden-eye, butter-ball, roddy and fish (gosander) ducks. the brant and Canada geese. widgeon, golden-winged and Wine-winged teal and the hooded merganser. Rarely are seen the pintail. gadwall shoveler. wood duck, canvas-back duck, long-tailed duck and red breasted merganser. All the duck family are migratory.
Gull Family. About ten species: may rarely be seen in phasing.
Zona. - Wac species sometimes strays into this locality from the North.
Gades .- The horned and the piet-bill grebes are occasional. One or two other species very rare.
FISHES.
Is there are no large lakes or streams in Putuam County, the number and variety of fishes are limited, especially in these days of mill-dmus and city sewage.
Stillebuch Family. This furnishes the chief game fish, as bass and sun-fish. The 'into this county. local names of these fish are so varions that we scarcely know how to refer to them; but we may venture to name the black bass, the
The salmon sometimes attains a weight of forty poundis.
Pike Family .--- The larger pike, sometimes called " grass pike," used to be met with. especially in draining off the marshes. The pickerel was also native here, but none are to be found at the present day. Nor have gar pike (" gars ") existed here since the advent of mill-damns.
Sucker Family. - To this family belong the baffido (rarei. red-horse (occasional), and the white sucker (also occasional). Black suckers and mullets still thrive in some parts of ludiana, but not hers.
Catfish Family .- Fish of this family are still common, but are small, only weighing a ponad or two. We can scarcely name the species in English. Perhaps we may say the channel, or mand cattish. the blue and the yellow, the bull-head and one or two other small species are found here. The yellow are the most common.
Minor Norte, -Besides the above. there are several varieties of clubs, silver sides, and large numbers of other species denomi- nated minnows, which are found in the smallest spring branches as well as the larger streams.
Fish planting has not yet been introduced
REPTILES.
Of the twenty-three species of Snakes that. green or Osage bass, the big black sun-tish or have existed in this State, and probably in rock bass, google-eyed and the two common this county. several of the largest have been sun-fish, all of which have materially dimin- ' about exterminated. Only two of them are ished within the last five years. : venomous, namely. the copperhead and the
Perch Family .- There are no perch or massasanga. Very few of these are to be "jack salmon" in the county. They were ; found at the present day. The smaller species once common throughout the State, but now , are useful animals, like toads, in destroying are only to be found occasionally in some of mice, moles and other vermin, and are pre- the most favored places. They are among . served by intelligent farmers on this account. the finest fishes, and ought to be cultivated. : Of Lisawis there are very few in this
SCIENTIFIC.
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section. Those creatures which resemble them are innocent salamanders, and are really as useful as toads in the destruction of flies and other insects. There are eighteen species of these animals in Indiana. The largest attains a length of eight inches, and is black, with large, irregular yellow spots. Another species is entirely yellow; another of a bright vermillion haunts cold springs. The second in size is the "mud alligator." or " water dog," a frequent annoyance to fisher-
men. Still another species has external gills, for respiration in water, thus resembling pollywogs.
Of Frogs there are five species, and of toads five. Four are tree toads. One species of frog is subterranean, excavating its burrows backward with its hind feet, which are shovel formed. It comes to the surface early to breed, after thunder showers in April, in the evening, when it is easily recognized by its lond, discordant notes.
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HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
INDIANS.
LK
ALL that part of Indiana sonth of the Wabash River was originally possessed by the Miamis. They doubtless had some land north of L of the Wabash, for in 105% they were found as far north as Green Bay and the Fox River. + Thus we see that all the land em- braced within the borders of Put- nani County was at an early day the home of the haughty Miami. The Miamis were of the Algon- quin family -. .. the tribe which welcomed the Pilgrim Fathers. "Their dia- lect," says Bancroft, " was heard from the Bay of Gaspe to the Valley of the Des Moines: from Cape Fear, and it may be from the Savannah to the land of the Esquimaux; from the Cumberland River of Kentucky to the southern banks of the Mississippi, and was spoken," continues the same writer, " though not exclusively, in a territory that extends through sixty degrees of longitude and more than twenty degrees of latitude." Thus we see the Miamis were the descendants of renowned warriors and chieftains, and their subsequent history shows that they
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imbibed the spirit of their illustrious an- cestors.
A good idea of the territory owned by this tribe after they became a separate and dis- tinet people may be obtained from the speech of their chief, Me-she-kun-nogh-quoh, or Lit- tle Turtle, in reply to General Wayne at the treaty of Greenville, Ohio, in 1795: " You have pointed out to us the boundary line be- tween the Indians and the United States; but I now take the liberty to inform you that that line euts off from the Indians a large portion of country which has been enjoyed by my ancestors from time immemorial without molestation or dispute. The print of my father's houses are everywhere to be seen in this portion. It is well known by all my brethren present, that my father kindled the first fire at Detroit; from thence he ex- tended his line to the headwaters of the Scioto: from thence to its month and from thence to Chicago on Lake Michigan."
Says Charles B. Lasselle: " When the Miamis were first invited by the French au- thorities to Chicago in 1670, they were a leading and very powerful Indian nation. A body of them assembled near that place for war against the powerful Iroquois (Six Na- tions) of the Hudson, and the still more
INDIANS.
powerful Sioux of the Upper Mississippi. by the English against the French and In- They numbered at least three thousand, and dians. The one led by Braddock against Fort Du Quesne was the one directly employing the Miamis. were under the lead of a chief who never sallied forth but with a body guard of not less than forty warriors. He could at any time call into the field an army of from three to five thousand meu."
Says Bancroft: " The Miamis were the most powerful confederacy in the West, ex- celling the Six Nations (Iroquois). Their influence reached to the Mississippi and they received frequent visits from tribes beyond that river."
Thus from the earliest period we find the , injury. Of the 1,200 who crossed the Mo- Miamis have been a leading and influential tribe. The impress of the name on so many of our Western rivers shows its predom- ; There was no relief but to retreat and leave inance. The two Miami- of Ohio will ever perpetuate it. The Miami of Lake Erie (now Until 175> ali the expeditions planned by the English were seemingly unfortunate, and Manmee) was likewise named for the tribe. Our own St. Mary's was marked " Miami" Indian skill and bravery were everywhere River on the rude skeleton map made to . triumphant. At that time, however, the represent the western country at the time of English army under Lord Abercrombie. be- Colonel Bouquet's expedition in 1163.
In 1761 we find this tribe designated as the Miami, Eel River and Wea tribe. The Wabash River formed a natural boundary between the Miamis and the Pottawatomies. Other neighboring tribes were the Kickapoos. Piankeshaws and Kaskaskias. From these tribes the Miamis received much honor, and
At the close of the struggle, so great had nothing was undertaken by any tribe withont : been the havoc among the Indians, that the first consulting the Miamis.
The first half of the seventeenth century passed without anything occurring of im- portance, save an occasional brief struggle between some of the Indian nations.
In 1753 disputes arose between the French and English in regard to their possessions in the New World. Being unable to settle peacefully, they resorted to arms --- the In- dians assisting the French.
Several important expeditions were planned i
Braddock, although a brave General, was unused to Indian warfare, and thoughtlessly allowed himself to be led into an ambuscade. The Indians, from their places of conceal- ment, poured a destructive volley of mus- ketry, which utterly confounded the English grena liers, cansing dismay and disorder to take possession of their ranks. Out of the eighty-six officers, but twenty-three escaped nongahela, 700 were ent down and wounded. The work of death continued for three hours. the field to the enemy to plunder and scalp.
ing largely reinforced, the aspect of affairs began to assume another and different shape. From thenceforward victory crowned the English arms. the climas of which was the complete overthrow of the French and In. dians, and the capture of Quebec by the gal- laut Wolfe, September 1%, 1758.
Miamis could summon to the field no more than one thousand warriors.
The 10th of February. 1763, the treaty of peace was made between the two great pow- ers, France and England. the former surren- dering to the latter all claims to the vart re- gions lying east of the Mississippi. But here let it be remembered, in order that future trouble with the Indians may be understood, that it was the custom of the French to pur- chase from the Indians but very small tracts
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HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
of land; according to the treaty, France had very little land to cede to England.
Following close upon the treaty came the war and final defeat of Pontiac-a war in which the Miamis were actively engaged.
Dunmore's war of 1774 was conelnded with- out any transfer of land to the whites.
The year following, 1775, was commenced the great struggle for independence. In this the Miamis lent their influence to the British, being willing to assist any party that was warring against the inhabitants of their ter- ritory.
At the close of the Revolution, in 1783. when Great Britain transferred her western claims to the United States, she conveyed nothing but what she had previously obtained from France, which we have seen was very small, with the exception of some diminutive tracts of land purchased from the Iroquois and Southern tribes. None of the land whatsoever belonging to the Miamis and the neighboring tribes to the North and West were ceded by this treaty to the United States.
But a different view was taken of the mat- ter by Congress at this period. They con- cluded that the treaty granted to the United States the full right to all territory east of the Mississippi, and, considering that the Indians had forfeited all right to the land by acts of warfare against the Colonial Government during the struggle for independence, made no movement toward the purchase of the land, but began to form treaties of peace and to suggest its own boundary lines. It had been agreed among the various Indian na- tions that no treaty should be made with the Government without the consent of all the tribes, assembled in general counsel. The Commissioners appointed by the Govern- ment to superintend these affairs refused to give any attention to the subject of a general
council; but, visiting caeh tribe separately, indneed some of them by intimidation, as was afterward shown, to make cessions of land.
The Miamis, believing that injustice was being done them, positively refused to enter into a treaty of any kind. Trouble soon arose which resulted in the expedition against the Miamis, in 1790, under the command of General Josiah Harmer. The Indians under their brave ('hief, Little Turtle, defeated the forces of Harmer on several battle-fields, with heavy loss.
The following year (1791) another expedi- tion was planned against them, under the command of General Arthur St. Clair. On the 4th of November, near the head waters of the Wabash, about fifteen miles from the Mi- ami village -- the present site of Fort Wayne -- a severe battle took place between the forces of St. Clair and the Indians, which resulted in a complete victory for the latter ----- the whites being driven from the field, panie stricken. This was the most severe defeat ever inflicted by the Indians upon the United States, the latter losing in the battle thirty- nine officers killed, and 593 men killed and missing; twenty-two officers and 242 men wounded, with a loss in stores and other valnable property to the amount of 832,810.75.
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