ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND- 



OOLOGIST. 



$1.00 per 

 Annum. 



PUBLISHED BY FRANK B. WEBSTKR. 



Established, March, 1875. 



Single Copy 

 10 cents. 



Vol. XIV. 



BOSTON, MASS., FEBRUARY, 1889. 



No. 2. 



The Summer Birds of Buncombe 

 County, North Carolina. 



Botaumx lentiffinoHUft. American Bittern. 

 Have taken specimens every moiitli from April 

 until October. Have never found it breeding. 



Ardea herodiaa. Great Blue Heron. Have 

 never found their nests, but I tliink they breed 

 here, as the young are common in .June and 

 .July along the French Broad Itiver. It goes by 

 tiie name of Blue Crane. 



Ardea ccBndea. Little Blue Heron. Tlie 

 young are very common in June and July in 

 the white plumage. It is called the White 

 Crane. 



Ardea virei^cens. Green Heron. Breeds in 

 pairs, generally erecting tlieir domicile in a 

 cluster of thick pines. 



Rallus eleyanft. King Rail. Specimen shot 

 and another one seen on .Inly 8. 



Porzana jamaicpn.sis. Black Rail. Summer 

 visitor. From what I can learn from the farm- 

 ers tills bird is frequently seen in their 

 meadows. A nest and four eggs was brought 

 tj me about the middle of July, 1887. It was 

 found in a smxll swimp, located near a heavy 

 growth of timber. It was placed in a large 

 bunch of grass, and was composed of rushes 

 and coarse grasses, and was about four inches 

 above the water. The bird was flushed from 

 the nest, but would not fly more than a few 

 feet at a time. 



PJdlohela minor. American Woodcock. Resi- 

 dent, and common; but oftener heard than 

 seen. Breeds early in April. 



Artdtis murnlaria. Spotted Sandpiper. Rare 

 in summer. Have never found their nests. 



^^lialltif> vocifera. Killdeer. Seen occasion- 

 ally in summer. Breeds. 



CoUnuH virginianu.'i. Bob-white. An abun- 

 dant resident. Two and three broods are 

 r.tised each season. I have frequently caught 

 young birds as late as the flfteenth of October. 



Both male and female assist in incubation; in 

 fact, I believe the male does the most of it, as 

 I have found them on the nest a great deal 

 more than I have the female. 



Bonasa wnhellus. Ruffed Grouse. Rare in 

 this vicinity, but common on the higher moun- 

 tains. I found it very abundant among the 

 firs on Black Mountain last September. Breeds 

 from two thousand feet upward, and usually in 

 May. 



Meleagris gallopavo. Wild Turkey. Com- 

 mon, and resident on the mountains. Birds 

 shot on the Black and Craggy Mountains seem 

 to be larger and darker colored than those 

 found in the valleys. They breed from the 

 first of May until the middle of June. Eight 

 to twelve eggs are the usual number. 



Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. Resi- 

 dent, and common. Breeds anywhere. I have 

 found their nests fully fifty feet up in a tree, 

 and again not twelve inches from the ground. 



Cathartes aura. Turkey Vulture. Resident, 

 and abundant. Breeds in May and .June, 

 usually in a cliff of rocks. This bird gets the 

 name of being very filthy while breeding. Such 

 has not been my experience. Have examined 

 a number of nests and have always found them 

 very clean. However, such may not be the 

 case when the nests contain young birds, as I 

 have never had the pleasure of examining 

 them then. 



CatharMa atrata. Black Vulture. Very 

 irregular and uncertain in its occurrence. 

 Sometimes seen in large flocks and again not 

 seen for months. Have never found their 

 nests. 



Elanoidefi forfiratus. Swallow-tailed Kite. 

 Seen occasionally in August. 



Circun hudsnniufi. Marsh Hawk. Seen occa- 

 sionally along the valley of the French Broad 

 River. Have never heard of their nesting here. 



Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. Resi- 

 dent, but rather rare. A few breed here, 

 usually appropriating an old crow's nest. Four 



Copyright, 1889, by FRANK B. Webster. 



