USA > Vermont > History of Vermont, natural, civil, and statistical, in three parts, with a new map of the state, and 200 engravings > Part 18
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ARCTIC THREE TOED WOODPECK- ER, Picus arcticus .- SWAINSON.
DESCRIPTION .- Back velvet black, with bluish and greenish reflections ; crown saffron yellow ; 5 rows of white spots on the quills ; sides of the neck and under plumage white, thickly barred with black ; two middle tail feathers brownish black ; outer ones barred with black and tipped with white ; bill bluish gray above, whi- tish beneath ; legs lead colored. Length 104 inches ; wings 5 .- Richardson.
HISTORY .- This large species of Wood- pecker is very rare in comparison with the preceding. It is marked in a list kindly furnished me by Dr. Brewer, as breeding in this state, in the vicinity of Burlington. It has usually been confounded by orni- thologists with the Picus tridactylus, or Commou Three-Toed Woodpecker; The hind toe is completely versatile, and may be placed forward perfectly on a level with the others.
SLENDER BILLED BIRDS.
Birds of this order have the bill long, or moderately extended, partly arched and awl-shaped ; it is also entire and acute or sometimes wedge-shaped at the extremi- ty. The feet have three toes before and one behind, the outer united at the base to the middle one; hind toe gener- ally long ; the nails extended and curved. In their habits and method of running upon the trunks and branches of trees, they bear considerable resemblance to the woodpeckers.
GENUS SITTA .- Linnaus.
Generic Characters .- Bill straight, moder- ate sized conic-awl-shaped, round and sharp ed- ged towards the point ; lower mandible usually recurved from the tip ; nostrils basal, orbicular, open, half closed by a membrane, and partly hid by the advancing bristly feathers of the face ;
95
BIRDS OF VERMONT.
CHAP. 3.
THE WHITE-BREASTED AND RED-BELLIED NUTHATCHES.
THE BROWN CREEPER.
tongue short, wide at the qase, notched and hard at the tip ; feet robust, hind toe stout and long ; wings short ; tail rather short consisting of 12 feathers. Sexes similar in color.
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCII. Sitta carolinensis .- BRISSON.
DESCRIPTION .- General color dark lead above, grayish white beneath; head and neck black above, white on the sides and beneath ; central part of the wing feathers and wing coverts black, edged with lead color or white ; ferruginous tinge about the vent ; bill bluish black, lighter be- neath towards the base, long and straight ; upper mandible longest; feet and legs dusky ; hind toe stout and long with a large nail ; claws all hooked and sharp ; 2d 3d and 4th primaries longest and nearly cqual. Length 52 inches ; spread 11.
HISTORY .- The White breasted Nut- hatch is a permanent resident throughout nearly the whole of North America, and is very common in this state. During the fall and winter they come into our orchards and yards, where their rough quank, two or three times repeated, may be often heard as they run around like the Woodpecker upon the trunks of the trees. Early in the spring they retire to the forests, where they rear their young in the hollow of a tree or large limbs. The eggs, usually 5, are of a dull white color, spotted with brown at the large end.
THE RED-BELLIED NUTHATCHI. Sitta canudensis .- LINNAEUS.
DESCRIPTION .- Lead color above, red- dish, or rust-color on the belly ; head and neck above and line through the eye, black ; a white stripe above and below the eye and on the margin of each wing ; lateral tail feathers black and white, cen- tral ones lead color ; feet and legs dusky ; hind toe stout and long ; bill black, large, long and straight; 3d primary longest, 2nd and 4th nearly as long. Length 43 inches, spread of the wings 8 inches.
HISTORY .- This species resembles the preceding in general appearance and hab- its, but is said to have a predilection to pine forests, feeding much upon the oily seeds of evergreens. The flight of the Nuthatches is short, seldom extending farther than from one tree to another ; and yet they have great powers of flight, since Audubon saw one come on board his vessel 300 miles from the shore. The specimens from which both preceding de- scriptions were made were obtained in Burlington.
GENUS CERTIIA .- Linnaus.
Generic Characters .- Bill long, or middling, more or less arched, entire three-sided, compress- ed, stender and acute ; nostrils basal, naked, pierced in grooves, and half closed by a small membrane ; tongue acute ; feet slender ; inner toe free, somewhat shorter than the outer ; hind toe longer and more robust ; nails much curved, that of the hind toe largest ; wings rather short, spuri- ous feathers small ; tail of 12 feathers, elastic, ridged, and acuminate. The sexes and young nearly alike.
THE BROWN CREEPER. Certhia familiaris .- LINNAEUS.
DESCRIPTION .- Color varied with dusky brown, ferruginous, and white above, white beneath ; rump bright rust color ; tail rusty brown, as long as the body, with the extremity of each feather attenuated to a sharp rigid point, as in woodpeckers ; under tail coverts tinged with rusty ; 3d and 4th primaries longest, and all the pri- maries, excepting the two first, with a yellowish white spot near the middle ; legs and feet brownish. Length 51 inch- es ; spread 7 inches.
ILISTORY .- This industrious little bird is seldom seen in the summer, on account of its passing that season in the depth of the forests, but on the approach of winter he may be seen upon the trees in more open places, diligently seeking for its food. It very much resembles the small- er Woodpeckers and Nuthatches in its habits, hopping about upon the trunk of the tree, searching every nook and crev- ice in the bark for spiders, insects, eggs and larvæ. The Brown Creeper breeds in this state, and for this purpose it takes possession of the deserted hole of a squir- rel or woodpecker. The nest, according to Audubon, is loosely formed of grasses and lichens, and lined with feathers. The eggs, from 6 to 8, are yellowish white, irregularly marked with red and purp- lish spots. Nuttall found one of their nests in Roxbury, Ms., upon the ground by the side of a rock, containing 4 young.
GENUS TROCHILUS .- Linnaus.
Gencric Characters .- Bill long, straight, or curved, tubular, very slender, with the base de- pressed and acuminated ; upper mandible nearly enveloping the under one ; tongue long, extensi- ble, bifid and tubular ; nostrils basal, linear, and covered by a membrane ; legs very short ; tarsus shorter than the middle toe ; fore toes almost wholly divided ; wings long and acute ; first quill longest.
96
NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT.
PART I.
THE HUMMING BIRD.
THE KING FISHER.
THE COMMON HUMMING-BIRD.
Trochilus colubris .- LINNAEUS.
DESCRIPTION .- The whole upper plu- mage shining golden green ; wings glossed brownish black ; tail broad, dusky, outer feathers tipped with white, or rusty white; throat and breast of the male with changeable ruby-colored, greenish and or- ange reflections; bill black and a little arched ; legs and feet dusky black ; nails very sharp and hooked. Female and young yellowish white beneath. Length 33 inches, spread of the wings 42 inches ; length of the bill along the gape I inch, nearly.
IHISTORY .-- Of American IIumming- Birds there are said to be upwards of 100 species, but of the very few species which venture beyond the tropics, this is the only one which visits Vermont. It ar- rives in May, and during the summer is seen in all parts of the state collecting its food, which consists of insects and nectar from the various flowers. While many of them extend their migrations still fur- ther north, and rear their young on the very confines of the arctic circle, consider- able numbers of them stop by the way, and not a few of them breed in this state. The puny nest, constructed of lichens and down, cemented together with saliva, is placed upon a large branch of an orchard or forest tree, at heights varying from 4 to 40 feet from the ground. The eggs, 2 in number, are white, and the period of incubation 10 days. While rearing its young the Humming-Bird bravely attacks the King Bird and the Martin, and drives them from the neighborhood of its nest.
HALCYONS.
In this order the bill is long, sharp- pointed, almost quadrangular and straight, or slightly curved ; feet very short; the tarsus articulated ; the middle toe united with the outer, commonly to the second joint, and with the inner toe to the first articulation. The female and young dif- fer but little in color from the adult male.
GENUS ALCEDO .- Linnaus.
Generic Characters .-- Bil long, straight, quadrangular, compressed, and sometimes curved al the point ; nostril basal, lateral, oblique, and nearly closed by a naked membrane ; longue short and fleshy ; legs and feet short ; tarsus shorter than the middle toe ; hind nail smallest ; wings rather short.
THE BELTED KING FISHER. Alcedo alcyon .- LINNEUS.
DESCRIPTION .-- General color bluish slate ; the primaries, the central parts of the secondaries and of the feathers form- ing the crest, and the shafts generally of the dorsal plumage, pitch black ; a small spot before and another under the eye, spots on the wing and tail feathers and their tips, and all the under plumage, white, except the band around the neck, which is bluish slate ; bill straight ; claws brownish black ; legs small and short. Length 12 inches; spread 20 inches. Fe- male shorter, with some parts ferruginous and more white on the wings.
HISTORY .- The King Fisher is found along the borders of streams and ponds, in all parts of the United States, and is quite common in all parts of this state. It feeds principally upon small fishes, which it takes by darting upon them as they are gliding near the surface of the water. The note of the King Fisher is a rough grating crackle. Its nest is formed by perforating horizontally the side of a steep bank, in the manner of the Bank Swallow. These perforations sometimes extend 5 or 6 feet into the bank, with an enlargement at the extremity for the re- ception of the nest, which consists only of a few twigs, grass and feathers. The eggs are white, and usually 6 in number. Their period of incubation is 16 days.
THE SWALLOW TRIBE.
The birds belonging to this order have a very short bill, which is much depressed and very wide at the base ; upper mandi- ble curved nt the point ; legs short ; three
97
BIRDS OF VERMONT.
Спар. 3.
THE PURPLE MARTIN.
THE BARN AND CLIFF SWALLOWS.
toes before, and one behind which is fre- quently reversible ; nails hooked ; wings very long and aeute. The sexes and young are nearly alike. They feed on insects, which they eateh flying. They migrate to tropical countries to spend the winter.
GENUS HIRUNDO .- Linnaus.
Generic Characters .- Bill short, triangular, dopressed, wide at the base, and cleft nearly to the cyes; upper mandible notched and a little hooked at the point ; nostrils basal, oblong, partly closed by a membrane and covered by the advancing feathers of the frontlet ; tongue short, bifid ; tar- sus short ; toes and claws long and slender, three before and one behind ; the exterior united as far us the first joint of the intermediate one ; wings long ; the first quill longest ; tail of 12 feathers, and forked.
THE PURPLE MARTIN. Hirundo purpurca .- LINNEUS.
DESCRIPTION .-- Color of the head, whole body and scapulars black, with a rich glossy shade of bluish purple ; wings and tail pitch black, with little gloss; bill, legs and claws black ; margins of both mandibles inflexed in the middle ; nostrils basal and oval. Female brownish black above, with very little of the purple gloss ; belly brownish white with hair brown spots ; breast brownish gray. Length 8 inches ; spread of the wings 16 inches.
HISTORY .- The Purple Martin is the largest of our swallows, and is more inti- mate with man than any other undomes- ticated bird. It returns from the south about the last of April, and formerly reared its young in the hollows and exca- vations in old trees ; but since the country has become settled, habitations have been provided for this general favorite in al- most every neighborhood, by the creetion of martin boxes. Its nest is made of leaves, straw and feathers ; and the eggs, from 4 to 6, are pure white and without spots. The Martins have sometimes ar- rived so early in the spring as to become chilled to death in their houses during a cold storm. This was the ease a few years ago in the vicinity of Burlington. The flight of the Martin is very rapid, and, like the redoubtable King Bird, it pursues and boldly attacks eagles, hawks and crows, and drives them from the neigh- borhood of its dwelling. There is said to be a tradion that the Martin was not seen in New England till about the time of the revolution. It is, however, men- tioned by Kalm as being common in New Jersey in 1749. They usually depart to the south about the middle of August.
PART I.
THE BARN SWALLOW. Hirundo rufa .- GMELIN.
DESCRIPTION .- Color above and band on the breast steel-blue ; front and beneath chestnut brown, paler on the belly ; tail forked, with a white spot on the lateral feathers, the outer ones narrow and an inch and a half longer than the next ; legs dark purple ; iris hazel. Female with belly and vent rufous-white. Length 7, spread 13.
HISTORY .- This swallow is, perhaps, more generally. diffused over the state and better known than either of the other species ; but it would seem that their numbers have rather been diminishing for several years past in this state, whilo those of the Cliff Swallow have been vastly multiplied. This swallow arrives in Vermont about the 28th of April. (Sec page 13.) They generally build their nest against a rafter or beam in the barn. It is formed principally of mud, and lined with fine grass and a few feathers. The eggs, usually 5, are white, spotted with reddish brown.
FULVOUS, OR CLIFF SWALLOW. Hirundo fulva,-VIEIL.L.
DESCRIPTION .- Top of the head, back, upper side of the tail and wings brown- ish black, with violet reflections from the head, back and wing coverts ; forehead marked with a crescent of yellowish white ; chin, throat and sides of the neck brownish red ; rump yellowish red ; belly white tinged with reddish brown ; bill black, short, depressed, and very broad at the base. Wings long, slender ; first quill longest, second nearly as long ; tail even, extending as far as the folded wings. Length of the specimen before me 5g inches ; folded wing 41.
IhSTORY .- This swallow seems to have been hardly known to ornithologists till abont the year 1815, when they were no- tieed near the Ohio river in Ohio and
13
98
NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT.
PART I.
THE SWALLOWS.
THE SWALLOWS.
Kentucky. In 1817 they made their ap- pearance at Whitehall, at the south end of lake Champlain, and shortly after at Randolph, Richmond, and some other places in this state. In unsettled places they build their nests upon the sides of rocky cliffs, but here they are usually placed beneath the eaves of barns and oth- er buildings. They are constructed prin- cipally of clay or mud, in the form of a retort or gourd, and are lined with dry grass. The eggs, usually 4, are white, spotted with brown. These swallows al- ways build their nests in companies, and are so remarkably gregarious, that from 50 to 100 of their nests may often be counted at the same time beneath the eaves of a single building.
WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW. Hirundo bicolor .- VIEIL.
DESCRIPTION .- Color above light glos- sy greenish blue ; wings and tail brown- ish black ; belly white ; the closed wings extend a little beyond the tail, which is forked; tarsus naked. Female like the male, but less glossy. Length 53 inches ; spread 10.
IIISTORY .- This Swallow is much less common in Vermont than the other spo- cies. Their nests are made of grass and lined with feathers, and are placed in va- rious situations, such as beneath the eaves of old buildings, or in hollow trees, and they not unfrequently take possession of Blue bird and Martin boxes. The eggs, 4 or 5, are pure white.
THE BANK SWALLOW. Hirundo ripuria .- LINN.
DESCRIPTION,-Color above, and band on the breast, cinereous brown ; beneath white ; wings brownish black ; tail fork- ed, with the outer feathers edged with white ; tarsus naked, excepting a few tufts of downy feathers behind ; chio slightly fulvous. Length 5} in. ; folded wing 4 in., and reaching nearly to the ex- tremity of the tail.
HISTORY .- The Bank Swallow, or Sand Martin, is gregarious, like the Cliff Swal. low, and may be found in companies in all parts of the state which afford suitable places for its habitation. These are usu- ally sandy cliff's on banks of rivers. They commence 2 or 3 feet below the surface of the bank, and perforate the ground in a horizontal direction to the distance of from 2 to 4 feet, and at the further ex- tremity they place their nest, which is composed of a little dry grass and a few feathers. The eggs, usually 5, are pure | they now take advantage of unoccupied
white. Often from 30 to 60 or more of these Swallow holes may be counted in a bank, in the space of one or two rods. The voice of this swallow is a low mutter.
GENUS CYPSELUS .- Illiger.
Generic Characters .- Bill very short, tri- angular, cleft to the eyes, depressed, the upper mandible slightly notched and curved at the point ; nostrils lateral, contiguous, large, partly covered by a membrane ; tongue, short, wide and bifid at the tip ; feet very short ; toes divided, hind toe shortest, reversible, generally directed forward ; nails retractile, channeled beneath ; wings very long. Sexes and young nearly alke in plumage.
THE CHIMNEY SWALLOW. Cypselus pelasgius .- TEMMINCK.
DESCRIPTION .-- General color sooty brown, approaching to black, lightisls about the throat and over the eye ; legs and feet bluish, muscular, with exceeding sharp claws; the folded wings very nar- row and long, extending 1} inch beyond the tail, which is short and rounded, with the shafts of the feathers reaching beyond the vanes into sharp, strong, and very elastic points ; 2d quill of the wings lon- gest. Length from the end of the bill to the extremity of the tail, 43 inches ; to the extremity of the folded wings 6 in. ; spread of the wings 12 inches.
IlISTORY .- The Chimney Swallow is one of our most singular birds. It arrives from the south, where it has spent the winter, about the beginning of May. On their arrival here before the country was much settled, they took up their residence in large flocks in particular hollow trees, which, in consequence, received the name of Swallow Trees. Three of these trees, all large hollow elms, are mentioned by Dr. Williams (Hist. I-140) as being par- ticularly noted in this state soon after the settlement was commenced. One ofthese was in Middlebury, one in Bridport, and the other in Hubbardton About the be- ginning of May the Swallows were ob- served to Issue from these trees early in the morning in immense numbers, and to return into them again just before dark in the evening. The same phenomena were also observed in the latter part of summer, before the ent re disappearance of the swallows and as their departme to the south was not observed, they were generally believed to spend the win- ter in these trees in a torpid state. Be- fore this country was much settled, Chan- Dey Swallows buik their nests on the in- terior surface of large hollow trees, but
99
BIRDS OF VERMONT.
CHAP. 3.
THE WHIP-POOR-WIL.I ..
THE NIGHT HAWK.
chimneys for that purpose, and for roost- ing places. The nest is formed of slender twigs, interlocked and cemented togeth- er, and to the chimney or tree, by an ad- hesive mucilage secreted by the stomach of the architect. The eggs are white, and usually 4. This Swallow is often called the Chimney Swift.
GENUS CAPRIMUIGUS .- Linnaus.
Generic Characters .-- Bill extremely short, freble and cleft beyond the eyes ; upper mandible usually surrounded with spreading bris- des sometimes hooked at the np,the margin turn- ed outward ; nostrils basal, wide, partly covered by a feathered membrane ; lougno small, acute Bud entire ; tarwe partly feathered ; anterior toes united by a membrane to the first joint ; kind toe reversible, naile short ; wings long ; tait of 10 feathers ; the sexes distinguishable by their plu- mago ; the young sundar to the adults.
THE WHIP-POOR-WILL.
Caprimulgus rocifcrus .- WILSON.
DESCRIPTION .- Variegated above with blnek, brownish white and rust color, with fine streaks and sprinkles; upper part of the head brownish gray, marked with a longitudinal stripe of black ; tail of 10 feathers rounded, the 3 outer feath- ers white at their extremities ; the 4 mid- dle ones withont white at the ends, but with herring-bone figures of black, and pale ochre ; cheeks and sides of the head brick color ; chin black with small brown spots ; a semi-circle of white across the throat; breast and belly mottled and streak- ed with black and ochre ; bristles on the cheeks much longer than the bill; mid- dle claw pectinated ; female less than the male. Length 93, spread 19 .- Nut&
HISTORY .- The Whip-poor-will arrives in Vermont early in May, and his plain- tive note is soon heard in the groves,
along the streams and low lands in vari- ous parts of the state, even up to the northern boundary. For a nest this bird makes a slight excavation upon the sur- face of the dry ground, in the forest, usu- ally by the side of a rock, a log, or a pile of bushes ; and, in this, about the 1st of June, the female lays two eggs, which are of a bluish white color, thickly blotch- ed with dark olive. The young, like chickens, are able to run about and hide themselves as soon as they are hatched ; and being without a nest, and very near- ly the color of the ground, they very easily escape notice.
THE NIGHT HAWK. Caprimulgus virginianus .- BRISSON.
DESCRIPTION .- General color dark liv- er brown, often with a greenish gloss ; the head, neck, back, scapulars and wing coverts spotted with white, and yellow- ish brown ; quills of the wings brownish black, with a broad bar of white across the middle, above and below ; a broad sagittate spot of pure white on the throat, and white across the tail in the male ; under plumage and inner wing coverts marked with alternate bars of dark liver brown and yellowish white ; wings swal- low-like, reaching a little beyond the tail; Ist quill longest, 2d nearly as long ; bill blackish withont bristles ; legs short, pale brown. Length 94 inches ; spread 23 in. Female 9 inches long, and color ochrey about the head and throat.
IlSTORY .- The Night Hawk arrives in Vermont in May, and is very common, during the summer, in all parts of the state. They rear their young in mead- ows and old fields. The eggs, which are only two, are laid upon a bare spot of ground, without any manner of nest. They are of a muddy white color, thickly freekled all over with reddish brown. During the period of incubation the males are often sporting upon the wing, and emitting their sharp squeak, high in the air, towards the close of the day occasion- ally precipitating themselves towards the earth, emitting at the same time their pe- culiar poo-o-õ, and then rising quickly to their former height, This sport is usual-
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100
NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT.
PART I.
THE PASSENGER PIGEON.
THE CAROLINA DOVE. GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
ly continued till nearly dark, and hence this bird, probably, received the name of Night Hawk, or Night Jur.
GENUS COLUMBA .- Linnaus.
Generic Characters .- The bill, in this Genns, is of moderate size, compressed, vaulted, turgid towards the tip, which is more or less cur- ved. The base of the upper mandible is covered with sofi skin, protuberant at its base, in which the nostrils aro situated. Nostrils medial, longi- tudinal. Tongue acute, entire ; feet short, ro- bust ; farsi reticulated ; toes divided ; wings mod- erate ; tail of 12 or 14 feathers.
THE PASSENGER PIGEON. Columba migratoria .- LINN.
DESCRIPTION .- General color of the upper plumage and breast light umber brown ; rump bluish, belly and under tail coverts dirty white ; nearly all the feath- ers above and on the breast tipped with yellowish white, forming little crescent- shaped bars ; outer webs of the primaries edged with buff or rufous; tail of 12 feathers, with middle pair dark brown, and longest, the others with a basal spot of rufous and a central black spot or band on the inner web, outer feathers shortest, and white, excepting the spots, much longer than the folded wings ; bill black ; legs and feet dull red ; breast of the male with a reddish tinge. Length 15 inches ; spread 23 inches .. 1st and 2d primaries equal and longest.
HISTORY .- The American Wild Pig- eon is met with in greater or less num- bers throughout the whole region from Mexico to Hudson's Bay. These birds are remarkably gregarious in their habits, al- most always flying, roosting and breeding in large flocks. When the country was new there were many of their roostseand breeding places in this state. Richard Hazen, who run the line between this state and Massachusetts, in 1741, stated
that to the westward of Connecticut riv- er, he fonnd pigeons' nests so thick upon the beech trees that 500 could be count- ed at one time. At Clarendon, accord- ing to Dr. Williams, (Hist. vol. I-137,) the pigeons bred in immense numbers. The trees were loaded with nests for hun- dreds of acres ; 25 nests being frequently seen upon one tree, and the ground be- neath was covered with their dung to the depth of two inches. These accounts are far exceeded by what is told of their roos- ting and breeding places at the west, where they often covered thousands of acres, and all the trees and under growth were killed in consequence. From 90 to 100 nests have frequently been connted on a single tree. The nests are made of twigs, the eggs are 2 and white. Pigeons are much less abundant in Vermont than formerly, but they now, in some years, appear in large numbers.
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