[20] 



short time grow so fat, as to be unable to fly : in this state they 

 lie upon the reeds, and the Indians go out in canoes and knock 

 them on the head with their paddles. They are rather bigger 

 than a lark, and are delicious eating. During the time of their 

 continuing in season, you meet with them at the tables of most of 

 the planters, breakfast, dinner and supper." It may interest the 

 reader to learn that the " sorus" is still pursued in much the same 

 fashion in the locality referred to, by the sui-viving descendants of 

 the Pamunky tribe. 



Thomas Jefferson, who although occupied with the more im- 

 portant matters which claimed his attention took no little interest 

 in Natural History,* in his Notes on the State of Virginia pub- 

 lished in tySi gives a list of 125 birds chiefly taken from Catesby, 

 but as the western limits of Virginia at the date the book was written 

 extended along the Ohio and Mississippi and included the pres- 

 ent State of Kentucky, a number of birds are included by him 

 which are not Virginian. This list, although the author was fa- 

 miliar with many of the native birds, is, however, plainly not the 

 result of much personal observation and has in itself no particular 

 interest. 



In the travels of Isaac Weld in 1795-97 and of the Marquis de 

 Chastellux 1780-82 mention is briefly made of a few species of 

 birds noticed in Virginia and there are a few unimportant and in- 

 cidental allusions to be gathered from the works of one or two 

 other travellers. 



The Valley of Virginia was not settled before 1732 and West 

 Virginia not until later, so that no early writings upon the birds 

 of these regions exist. 



Much of West Virginia remains to the present day a wild for- 

 est covered region giving shelter to most of the wood loving birds 

 of Eastern Virginia and still abounding in Wild Turkeys, Rufled 

 Grouse and at certain seasons. Wild Pigeons. The Histories of 

 these parts of the Virginias contain nothing of importance upon 

 their ornithology and in fact Mr. Scott's paper (Birds of Kana- 

 wha Co.) appears to have been the first to throw definite light 

 upon the subject In concluding this sketch! some reference 



♦See Jefferson as a Naturalist. — Magazine of American History, April, 1885. 

 +1 would refer those desirous of further study of the early writings on the sub- 

 ject of Natural History in America, to Dr. Coues' Bibliography of North Amen- 



