[13] 



rjpen, they [the farmers of North Cai'olina] are visited with 

 numerous flights of paroquets, that bite all the fruit to pieces in a 

 moment, for the sake of the kernels. The havoc they make is 

 sometimes so great that whole orchards are laid waste in spite of 

 all the noises that can be made or mawkins that can be dressed 

 up to fright them away. These ravenous birds visit North Car- 

 olina only during the warm season, and so soon as the cold be- 

 gins to come on, retire back towards the sun. They rarely 

 venture so far north as Virginia except in a very hot summer, 

 when they visit the most soutliern part of it." The Wild Turkey 

 and Virginia Partridge are of course to be at once identified from 

 their descriptions and the writers were evidently acquainted with 

 the Cardinal and Bluebird with the former of which may have 

 been confounded the male Summer Red-bird and with the latter 

 the Blue Grosbeak and Indigo bird. Other species which appear 

 to have soon become objects of special attention are the Mocking- 

 bird, Humming-bird, Fish Hawk, Bald Eagle and Turkey Buz- 

 zard. It is somewhat surprising that there appears to be no 

 definite mention of the Whip-poor-will previous to Catesby's 

 work. 



In 1688 was published a most interesting account and much 

 fuller than any that had yet appeared by the Revd. John Clayton, 

 Vicar of Crofton* who made a journey to Virginia in 1685. Be- 

 sides speaking of the different kinds in general terms he refers in 

 more or less detail to thirty or forty species which are readily 

 identified from his descriptions, several of which he seems to 

 have been the first to describe such as the Meadow Lark, Night 

 Hawk and others. It is noteworthy to find that he mentions 

 the Snowy Owl which is a rare bird so far south. 



The following very full extracts will be of interest: "There 

 are three sorts of Eagles, -f the largest I take to be that tliey call 



By William Byrd of Westover — Petersburg: Printed by Edmiind and Julian C. 

 Kuffin. Another edition of this work with additional matter was published at 

 Richmond in 1866. 



•A letter from Mr, John Clayton Rector of Crofton at Wakefield in Yorkshire 

 to the Royal Society May 12th 1688, Giving an Account of several Observables 

 in Virginia, and in his voyage thither more particularly concerning the air — 

 Phil. Trans. XVII & XVIII and in Miscellanea Curiosa Vol. Ill— Force's His- 

 torical Tracts Vol. III. 



tClayton doubtless here mistakes for several distinct species, the Bald Eagle 

 H. L'.u-oceJ>haLts, in different states of plumage. 



