USA > Michigan > Macomb County > History of Macomb County, Michigan > Part 18
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The cat-birds come in large numbers during the summer, and build their nests here. All these birds hover round orchards, barnyards, willow-thickets, berry- bushes and brush-heaps both in the villages and in the country.
The blue-gray gnatcatcher is a common summer resident. The ruby-crowned kinglet is a spring and fall visitor, going South in winter. The golden-crowned kinglet is found everywhere during the spring and autumn months. All these birds seek a home here for a great portion of the year, and create the envy of the other families by the beautiful nests which they build in the groves and forest patches of the county. The eggs of these birds are three-eighths of an inch long, white in color, speckled and dashed with umber and lilac.
The blue-bird is found everywhere during spring, summer and autumn. It nests in decaying trees, fence-posts, and feeds upon worms, grasshoppers, spiders, and berries.
The white-bellied muthatch is another common resident, though originally a Carolinian. The red-bellied hatch comes here from Canada to spend the spring,
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summer and fall, returning to that cold land in winter. These birds nest in the holes of trees, and feed upon spiders, ants, insects' eggs, and seeds.
The titmouse, or black-capped chickadee nests in the woods during fine weather, and comes into the village to spend the winter. It thankfully receives all the crumbs which may fall in its path.
The brown-creeper is the only representative of the Family Certhiades in this connty. It dwells here the year round, finding a storehouse in the forest to lay up animal and vegetable food in the shape of insects and seeds.
The wren family, or Troglodytidae, has six representatives in the county. The Carolina wren, though a straggler, is well known.
Bewick's wren, or Thryothorus bewickii, appeared here for the first time very recently. His advance from the South was gradual.
The house wren, or Troglodytes @don, is found in large numbers in the central townships of the county.
The winter wren is a well-known visitor, sometimes spending the winter in the valley. He is known by the telling title Anorthura troglodytes.
The long-billed marsh wren, or Telmatodytes palustris, builds a suspended nest among the marsh-reeds or in sand grass. There he remains during the summer and then migrates.
The short-billed wren prefers meadow land and builds a large nest in a secure place. This family of miniature birds feeds upon insects, grasshoppers, snails, moths and other delicacies.
The Family Sylvicolidae comprises no less than thirty-three representatives in this county. The black and white creeper nests beside a fallen tree-the blue yel- low winged warbler in the tree-tops of swamps and heavily timbered land. The blue-winged yellow warbler is a rare visitor. The blue golden-winged warbler remains here during summer and breeds in low, damp woodland.
The Nashville warbler, orange-crowned warbler, Tennessee warbler, yellow warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue warbler, Blackburnian, yellow-rumped, black-poll, bay-breasted, chestnut-sided, black and yellow, Cape May, prairie, yel- low-throated, Kirtland's, yellow red-poll, pine creeper and perhaps two or three other species of the warbler family, are well known visitors.
The water thrush, short and long billed, and the redstart belong to the family, and are common here.
The Connecticut warbler, a stranger here until 1881, the Maryland yellow- throat, the mourning, the hooded fly-catcher, black-capped fly-catcher, Canada fly- catcher, all favorite warblers, are beginning to make the county their home.
This is the second family in importance among the birds of North America. Their food consists chiefly of insects, varied with fruit and berries. They peep into
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crevices, scrutinize the abodes of the insect world, and never suffer from want. This family is the scourge of the orchard and oftentimes destroys fruit fields of great value.
The horned lark, or Ercmophila alpestris, is a winter dweller here, and nests during the close of the cold season. There is another species of the horned lark, which leaves on the approach of winter. Both build their nests on the ground, breed in April, and play around the farm yard or over gravelly soil.
The titlark belongs to the family Motacillidae. They flock hither in tens of thousands during spring and often remain until fall.
The scarlet tanager, or Pyranga rubra, is a common visitor, The Summer red- bird, hitherto referred to as a recent explorer of the North, is very rarely seen here.
The Bohemian wax-wing, or Ampelis garrulus, is a recent and rare visitor. The cherry bird, or Carolina wax-wing, breeds here in August and September. They feed upon apples, cherries and berries, but are not numerous enough to cause any great anxiety to the pomologist.
The Family Hirundinidae comprise the barn swallow, the white-bellied swal- low, the eave swallow, the sand swallow and the purple martin. These birds de- stroy myriads of winged insects, and make them their principal food. The swallow, though not so showy as her gaudy neighbors, confers more real benefit upon the people than any other member of the bird tribe.
The Family Vireonidae comprises the red-eyed vireo, brotherly-love vireo, or Vireo philadelphieus, warbling vireo, yellow-throated vireo, solitary vireo and white- eyed vireo. They feed chiefly on insects, dwell in the forests, and seldom as they come to town, are in a hurry to return to their rustic homes.
The great northern shrike, or Collurio borealis, sometimes remains here to breed, but is not such a permanent settler as the loggerhead shrike, which makes its home here the year round. The white-rumped shrike is seen here during the summer months. They are very quarrelsome among themselves, and savage toward other birds. They impale their victims on thorns and leave them there until driven by hunger to eat them.
The Family Corvidae is becoming extinct, or at least very uncommon here. During the present year the few which visited left suddenly, contrary to all prece- dent. These birds are omniverous, and comprise among others the raven, crow and blue jay. Their evil ways are almost compensated for by their good qualities, and some are inclined to believe that the benefits they confer are far in excess of the damage they do.
The Family Fringillidae is the most extensive known in the States of the Union. It is graminivorous, except during the breeding season, when it feeds itselfand young on insects. The rose-breasted grosbeak is the only member of the
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family which feeds upon the potato bug. The white-crowned sparrow's food is the grape-vine flea-beetle ; the fox-sparrow and chewink search out hybernating insects and snails ; the English sparrow, a recent immigrant, feeds on seeds ; the purple finch and crossbills feed on oily seeds and the seeds of pine cones.
The names of the varied representatives of this tribe, are : The pine grosbeak, purple finch, white-winged crossbill, red crossbill, red-poll linnet, mealy red-poll, pine linnet, goldfinch, snow bunting, Lapland longspur, Savanna sparrow, bay- winged bunting, yellow-winged sparrow, Henslow's, Lincoln's, swamp, song, chip- ping, field, clay-colored, white-throated, white-crowned, fox, and English sparrows. The latter bird was introduced here in 1873-'4. The blue-bird, martin, swallow, and other sparrows have to fly before the approach of their legions. The lark, finch, black-throated bunting, rose-breasted grosbeak, the indigo bird and the Towhee bunting, or chewink, are not so destructive as the English sparrow; they have their uses ; but it is likely that when the people realize the importance of the destruction of the imported sparrow, the whole family will fall with that branch.
The Family Icteridae .- The bobolink, cow-bird, red-winged black-bird, meadow lark, rusty grackle, crow black-bird, Baltimore and orchard orioles belong to this family. The cow-bird destroys the eggs and young of stranger birds. The oriole feeds on hairy caterpillars during the season of breeding ; this bird is of service in the orchard, and for this service she accepts the first small fruits and other luxuries of the garden. The other members of the family may be termed gregarious ; they feed on the seeds of weeds, oats, wheat, corn, and on flies and insects.
The Tyrannidae Family subsist almost altogether on flies, which they pursue and capture in the most open places. The pewee and king-bird pursue their victims in the light of day, and even should it escape for a time, it eventually falls before the lance of its pursuer. The family comprises the king-bird, wood pewee, plicbe bird, together with a half-dozen fly-catchers, variously named.
The Caprimulgidae Family comprises the whippoorwill, or Antrostomus vociferous, which is a common summer resident here, and the night-hawk, another well-known summer bird. They are given to "jay-hawking," and select the night for seeking their prey. Then thousands of grasshoppers, moths, beetles, winged insects and flies become their prey. The chimney swallow captures its prey upon the wing in a similar manner ; but it belongs to the Cypselidae family.
The Alcedinidae .- The only representative of this family in the county is said to be the belted king-fisher, which comes here in summer to spend the fishing season. If it does not at once succeed in catching one of the finny tribe, it is capable of ab- staining until success crowns its efforts.
The Trochilidae .- This family is well represented here by the humming-bird.
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This is an animated cluster of emeralds and rubies, which comes to delight the people in May, and continues with them until September.
The only member of the Cuculide residing here during the Summer months is the black-billed cuckoo, which comes to visit the woods and orchards of the State in the middle of June, and remains until harvest time.
The Picadae Family, as represented here, is composed of seven species of wood- pecker, known as the downy, the hairy, the Arctic black-back, the yellow-bellied, red-headed, and golden-winged. The family subsist on timber insects, fruit, berries and green corn. The yellow-bellied woodpecker is very destructive to apple trees ; he sucks the sap of trees in some parts of the Union, but owing to the length of winter in northeastern Michigan, he has had no time to do much mischief here.
The Strigidae Family comprises the barn owl, great horned owl, long-eared owl, short-eared owl, snow owl, hawk owl, sparrow owl, and Acadian owl. A few of these are very common residents here, the last named is an immigrant which settled here in 1879. All form the nocturnal branch of the raptorial species, and select for their prey rats, mice, fish, frogs, chickens, birds of all kinds, and sometimes young pigs. They have their uses.
The Falconidae Family is comparatively extensive, and is fully represented here. It includes the marsh hawk, white-tailed kite, sharp-shinned hawk, goshawk, Cooper's hawk, pigeon hawk, sparrow hawk, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, Swainson's hawk, rough-legged hawk, the fish-hawk, and the bald eagle. They are birds of prey which select day-time for carrying on their operations. The fish-hawk will eat only fish. The bald eagle's favorite food is carrion and fish. When his taste leans toward fish, he generally makes a descent upon the fish-hawk.
The turkey buzzard, or Cathartes aura, is common. in the county during July and August. They are entirely carnivorous, and come here after the period of in- cubation has been passed in the Southern States.
The Family Meliagradae is represented here by the wild turkey. This bird was well known here in olden times, but has now almost ceased to be a resident.
The Family Tetraonidae is peculiarly one of game birds. It includes the par-
tridge or ruffed grouse, the quail and the prairie chicken. The quail is a common resident of the county, and appears to attain its greatest size here. These birds subsist on the various grains, seeds, berries, buds, grapes and chestnuts. They form a family of large and beautiful birds, but incapable of being thoroughly domesticated.
The Family Columbidae includes the wild pigeon and Carolina dove. The latter resides here during the greater portion of the year. The pigeon is thorough-
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ly graminivorous in its tastes, and in this respect differs from the family Tetraon- idae.
The Family Phalaropodidae comprises the northern phalarope and Wilson's phalarope, two migrants which build their nests here at long intervals.
The Family Charadridae, or the plover tribe, is represented here by the kill- deer, semipalmated, piping, golden and black-bellied plovers. They feed upon mollusks, water insects, grasshoppers, beetles, etc. This family is inferior in size to its European kindred.
The Family Ardeidae includes the great bittern or Indian hen, the little bit- tern, the great blue, great white, green and night herons. These birds are summer residents, with the exception of the night heron, which dwells here the year round.
The Family Gruidue, represented here by the sandhill crane and the whoop- ing crane. Neither of these birds breed here, and they may be set down as common stragglers or " tramps."
The Family Calymbidae is very small. Only two representatives are found here, viz .: the common loon, well known for many years, and the black-throated loon, a recent visitor. To form an idea of the quickness of this unwieldy bird one must make an attempt to capture him alive, or even shoot him. During travels in the Northwest (1879-80), the writer found three specimens of the family living quietly in a lake-side nest, and left them undisturbed. Shakespeare's cream-faced loon was found there.
The Rail tribe is comparatively well known here. It includes the Carolina and Virginia rails ; the Florida gallinule and the coot, all common summer birds. The rare summer visitors of the tribe comprise the black, yellow, king and clapper rails.
The Grebe tribe, or family podicipida, comprises the horned grebe, the pied- billed grebe as common residents ; and the red-necked and red eared grebe which come here at intervals.
The Family Anatidae is perhaps the best known and most useful of the feath- ered race. It comprises the goose, duck, widgeon, teal and merganser. The birds of the tribe common to the county are the brant and Canada goose, the mallard, black, pin-tail, gadwall, wood, big black-head, little black-head, ring-necked, poach- ard, canvas-back, golden-eye, butter-ball, long-tailed, Labrador, ruddy and fish ducks, the red-breasted merganser, the hooded merganser, American widgeon, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, and the shoveller teal.
The Family Scolopacidae includes the woodcock, American snipe, red-breasted snipe, upland plover, long-billed curlew, stilt sandpiper, semipalmated, least, pectoral and red-backed sandpipers, Wilst, greater yellow legs, lesser yellow legs and solitary, spotted and buff-breasted sandpipers. All these birds are common
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here. They are all "waders," and subsist on aquatic insects, grass-hoppers, mollusks, crustaceans, etc.
The Family Laridae comprises all the terns and gulls known in the temperate zone of our continent. The birds of the tribe, common to Macomb County, are the herring gull, the ringed-billed, the laughing, and the Bonaparte gulls. The fork- tail gull is an uncommon visitor. The terns best known here, include the Arctic, Marsh, Firster's, Wilson's, the little, and the black tern.
The German Stork made his appearance here in 1879, and again in 1880.
MAMMALIA.
Among the many papers on this subject presented to the writer, there is one specially applicable prepared by J. S. Tibbits. It does not mention the New York and brown bats, the shrew, and moles which were once known here, yet it deals fully with the larger mammalia, known to the first settlers of the districts border- ing on Lake St. Clair. The contributor states :- " Most of the wild animals com- mon to the State were found in great numbers by the early settlers of this county, and the descendants of Nimrod and Esau found abundant material upon which to exercise their favorite pursuit. The animals mostly to be found here were the deer, bear, wolf, lynx, wild cat, fox, coon, badger, fisher, porcupine, woodchuck, rabbit, mink, and weasel. The skunk and rat did not make their appearance in the rural districts for nearly ten years after the first settlements were made. They were both as great curiosities to me then as the mermaid would be now. My first experi- ence with a skunk was a sad, though I think a profitable one. A neighbor, having an open cellar wall, ascertained that a skunk had taken refuge in the wall, and he offered me ten cents to kill and skin him. Being anxious to gratify my curiosity to see a skunk, and my ambition to earn an honest penny, I readily undertook the job. Ascertaining the locality of the animal, I proceeded with a sharpened stick to dislodge him. Getting down on my knees, I peered into the hole and gave hiim a sharp punch with my stick. He immediately resorted to his usual mode of defense, and discharged a full battery square in my face. I retreated in good order, though in very bad odor, and have wisley concluded ever since to let every man skin his own skunks.
The birds common in these early days were the eagle, hawk, turkey-buzzard, raven, owl, crane, turkey, partridge, duck, wild goose, and a variety of the smaller birds. The crow, like the skunk and rat, did not make its appearance till a number of years after the first settlements were made. The turkey-buzzard, so common in those early days, is seldom or never seen now. This bird resembles the wild turkey more nearly than any other bird, though by no means so large. It is not a bird of prey, but, like the raven, lives on carrion. It is a powerful bird on the wing, and
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soars to great heights, sailing seemingly for hours without a movement of the wings. The quills are very valuable for writing purposes, and the possession of one was considered a treasure, inasmuch as with careful usage one would last through a school term of three or four months.
The wild turkey was very common, and vast flocks of several hundred were frequently to be met with. The usual mode of hunting them was for two or three persons to proceed cautiously through the woods till they came upon a flock, then suddenly fire at random amongst them, the object being to scatter them in all direc- tions. When thus scattered they will invariably return to the same spot to get to- gether again, the old ones coming first to call their young together. The hunters, hid in some secluded place, with their "turkey calls " ready for use, would wait patiently for the return of the old birds. These turkey-calls consist of the hollow bone of the turkey's wing, and, in the mouth of an experienced hunter, can be made to exactly imitate the piping sound of the mother bird when calling her brood together. Soon the maternal notes of the old birds are heard, and the hunters respond with their " calls," Inring them on to certain destruction. After the old birds are killed, the young ones fall an easy prey to the unerring aim of the skillful marksman. The flesh of the wild turkey is esteemed a great luxury, and one of the most delicious meals I think I ever ate was made from steak cut from the breast of a young turkey, fried in butter, and partaken after a hard day's hunt, in which a companion and myself killed seven large fine birds.
The wild turkey is sometimes caught in pens made of poles, some five or six feet in height, and covered over the top to prevent their escape. A covered pas- sage-way is made under the pen large enough for the turkeys to crawl through. Corn or other grain is scattered in the passage-way and inside the pen. The un- suspecting birds, seeing the grain, commence picking it up, and thus one after another crawl through the hole into the pen. "Once in, forever in," for they never think of putting their heads down to crawl out again.
Deer were also very abundant, and scarcely a day passed but more or less of them were seen in and about the clearings. But little skill was required in killing them, the principal qualification being a steady nerve. During the hot days in the summer, when the mosquitos and the gnats were troublesome, the deer would resort to the streams and ponds of water during the night to get rid of their tor- mentors. Here they would fall an easy prey to the hunter, who, in his canoe, with a torch at the bow, would row noiselessly about. The deer, seeing the light, would remain as it were entranced, presenting to the unerring aim of the hunter two small bright globes of light, between which the fatal bullet was sure to be lodged. Another mode of hunting the deer, which frequently occasioned rare sport, was by watching for them on their " run-ways," and shooting them down as they passed.
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One or two persons were stationed on the "run-way," while others with the hounds would scour the woods to scare up the deer. Whenever one was started it would invariably make for the "run-way," the hounds and the men or boys following in hot pursuit. Rarely, indeed, was it the case that he was successful in running the gauntlet, but usually fell a victim to his ruthless pursuers. A laughable incident occurred at one of these hunts which is too good to be passed by unnoticed. A young man came from an Eastern city to visit his country cousins at the West. Having never seen a deer, and being very anxious to engage in a hunt before his return, it was soon arranged to have one. Proceeding to the forest, the young man was stationed on the "run-way," with strict instructions to shoot the deer when he passed. The boys, with their hounds and guns, commenced scouring the woods. Soon the deep baying of the hounds was heard, denoting that the game had been started. Nearer and nearer came the pursuer and the pursued. Suddenly a fine buck made his appearance, with his noble antlers laid back upon his shoulders and his white tail aloft in the air. On he sped past the affrighted youth, who stood with his rifle cocked, his eyes and mouth wide open, the embodiment of wonder and astonishment. Hard upon the heels of the deer came the dogs, and soon the boys, who, seeing their cousin in this ludicrous situation, asked in amazement, " Why he did not shoot the buck ?" " Buck !" said he, " I haven't seen any buck. I only saw the devil coming down the hill with a rocking-chair on his head and his white handkerchief sticking out behind." Wolves aud bears were more numerous than agreeable. They were very destructive to the few flocks of sheep and herds of swine then in the county. They were caught in traps and in dead-falls, and some- times wolves were inveigled into the folds with the sheep, and captured in that way. A large pen was made of poles, and so constructed that it was narrowed up at the top, leaving an opening only a few feet square. This afforded an easy ingress to the hungry wolf, but an effectual barrier to his escape. He would thus be found in the morning, having done no harm, and looking very " sheepish," indeed.
A novel mode of trapping the bear was sometimes adopted which proved suc- cessful. A hallow tree was selected into which a hole was cut of a triangular shape, with the acute angle at the lower side. The hole was made some seven or eight feet from the ground, and just large enough for bruin to squeeze his head through. Inside of the tree, some two or three feet below the hole, was suspended a piece of meat. The bear, scenting the food, would climb up the tree, and, in his efforts to get at the meat, would get hung in the acute angle of the hole, from which it was impossible to extricate himself.
Occasionally a lynx was seen in the swamps in the western part of the county, but they were extremely shy, and it was rare indeed that one was killed. The porcupine was more common ; and they proved very troublesome to the hunters'
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dogs, which would frequently return from the chase at night with their mouths full of their sharp quills. It is supposed by many that the hedgehog and porcupine are identical, but this is a mistake. The only point of resemblance is in their coat of armor, which consists of long sharp-pointed quills. Whenever these animals are attacked they double themselves up into a ball, and thus present a formidable defense. Their quills are easily detached, but I think it is a mistaken idea that they have the power of throwing off their quills, as some suppose. The hedgehog is a native of the old world, is small in size, and carnivorous ; whereas the porcu- pine is a native of the new world, is about the size of the woodchuck, and lives on roots, vegetables, and wild fruits. The badger and the fisher were occasionally seen, but they were by no means common. Most of these wild animals, like the aborigines of the country, have receded before the march of civilization and improvement, and but few of them can now be found within the limits of the county.
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