The Lancaster Farmer. 



Dr. S. S. RATHVON, Editor. 



LANCASTER, PA., FEBRUARY, 1881 



Vol. xm. No. 2. 



CAGED SONG BIRDS. 



'■ The Cardinal Grosbeak deserves a promi- 

 nent place among American caged sotif; 

 birds. It sings well in confinemcHt, and 

 thrives upon such seeds as are used for the 

 Canary. It has been termed tlie Viiijinia 

 Nightingale, in consequenee of its singing by 

 night as well as by day. Its varied song is 

 musical and clear. Both se.\es sing, the fe- 

 male quite equals the male in compass of 

 voice. There is a peculiar richness in the 

 vermilion plumage of llie male. The female 

 is of a rich brown, tinged with red. Both 

 have crests, which they elevate at will, giving 

 them a gay and spirited apinaninee. They 

 are geographically distributed from New Eng- 

 land to Central America, and are iiarticular- 

 ly numerous soutli of Pennsylvania, where 

 they are found tlic year round. In the North- 

 ern and Eastei-n .States they are" migratory. 

 They build their nests of small dry twigs and 

 dry grass, and usually place it in shrubs in 

 the vicinity of a small rivulet. They lay 

 four dull white eggs, marked thickly, but ir- 

 regularly, with spots of olive brown. Their 

 yoiing are easily reared by hand, and old 

 trapped birds are easily domesticated." 



We have known this beautiful bird (Cardi- 

 nalis virginianus) these very many years in 

 Lancaster county, and from the fact that we 

 have seen it in theChickiis li ills as late as No- 

 vember, and as early as rebiuaiy, we have 

 inferred that it occasionally parsed the winter 

 here, especially if it should happen to be a 

 mild one. The first one we saw was in the 

 possession of Andrew Hershey. Sr., who 

 lived on the Donegal Creek,, about one mile 

 above its oonfluence with the Chickies. This 

 was fully sixty years ago, and we vividly re- 

 tain impressions of its sprightliness and its 

 rare musical qualities. It was tlien already 

 an old male bird,and had been cnged fourteen 

 years. Its food was noi confined exclusively 

 to seeds, for it had been educated to eat 

 insects, especially gra.sshoppers, and many is 

 the one we have caught and fed it, It would 

 have been strange indeed, if it had not 

 learned somethiny different from its normal 

 habits in fourteen years. Judge Libhart saw 

 the nest of one in a "honeysuckle" in the 

 garden of a neighbor, in the borough of Ma- 

 rietta, Fa., a short distance from a kitchen 

 door — indeed considerable numbers of them 

 were seen in the yards of the above named 

 town, on various occasions. The common 

 name of "Virginia Corn-eracker," was also 

 applied to it in addition to those above 

 named, and in "Pennsylvania Dutch " it was 

 called "Blude-fink " although this name was 

 also applied to the " Scarlet Tanager" (Tan- 

 egra rubra). The most vulgar name it re- 

 ceived was the "Red-bird," or "Top-knotted 

 Red-bird." In an economical point of view, 

 it probably possessed no special value, for in 

 its state of freedom, it fed on seeds and 

 berries, unless it may have "fed its young on 

 insects. It, however, was a cheerful occu- 

 pant of the chapperal, the garden, and the 

 lawn, and may have been more useful than 

 we knew of. 



"The Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks are allied 

 close to the Cardinals, though differing in 

 color, the general color being black, white 

 and rosy crimson ; the last is confined to the 

 breast, narrowing in width as it descends to 

 the belly. It is a northern bird ; winters in 

 the Middle States, and wanders in the sum- 

 mer into high northern latitudes. Its song is 

 remarkably sweet, and its notes clear and 

 mellow, s'.nging by night as well as by day. 

 The prevailing colors, white, black and crim- 

 son, contrast richly, making it a desirable 

 cage bird, though unfortunately it is scarce, 

 and seldom seen confined in cages." 



This h'ml{Guivacn ludoriciaiKi) also called the 

 "Louisiana Grosbeak," was also frequently 

 metwitli in Lanca.ster county, but it was not 

 .so common as toe "Cardinal." There is also 

 reason to suspect that it wintered here in mild 

 seasons, although it was more frequently 

 found on its passage to more northern locali- 

 ties, as its chosen breeding grounds ; still, it 

 often breeds and passes the summer here. It, 

 however, is rather secluded, and is ran-ely 

 seen, e.vcept by experts, and by them most 

 frequently during its passage in early spring. 

 We have frequently seen it hi cages in the po- 

 scsssion of fanciers, but know very little 

 about its singing qualities. Its food is per- 

 haps the same as that of its family (i'Viii- 

 (lillidw), which is mainly seed.s and berries. 

 We have a specimen now in our possession 

 which we shot and stufl'ed two and forty years 

 ago, which remains intact, and is an object of 

 many pleasant memories of long ago. 



"The American Goldfinch, popularly 

 known as the Yellowbird, is held in high es- 

 teem, although very commonly seen. Its 

 lemon yellow body and black and white 

 wins;8 contrast nicely. They are docile in 

 confinement and sing sweetly, though their 

 notes are weak. They afford fine amusement 

 for the boys during the pairing season, as they 

 are easily taken by means of a call-bird and 

 trap-cages. They sing as h-ipily confined as 

 in the wild state, and eat freely the same seeds 

 as the Canary. The female is less gaudy in 

 plumage than the male. They construct a 

 neat nest, lay five dull white eggs, spotted at 

 the larger end. 



This bird {Chrysomitris trisJi.s) was also call- 

 ed the "Salad-bu-d" and "Thistle-Finch ;" 

 and by the Penna. Germans, "Distle-fink. " 

 AVe have frequently seen it in flocks of fifties, 

 feeding on the seeds of the common thistle, 

 in late summer, or early autumn, or on the 

 garden lettuce, when in seed. It also very 

 frequently breeds in Lancaster county. Per- 

 haps there was no bird, fifty years ago, of 

 which the average town-boy had a better and 

 a more pleasing recollection than this species, 

 especially those towns surrounded by vacant 

 and uncultivated commons, where, for years, 

 the thistle or other seedbearing weeds grew 

 almost iminterruptedly. Here the "yellow- 

 birds" would congregate in tolerably large 

 flocks, towards autumn, and feed on the this- 

 tle seeds, and perhaps discuss their departure 

 to a more genial winter clime. And when 

 they were interrupted, he may be also able to 

 recall their peculiar flight— their alternated 

 chattering notes — their undulated motions in 

 the air — the rapid manipulation, and the sud- 

 den sessation of their wings until they had 

 passed beyond the reach of danger. Even at 

 that period an occasional- individual would be 

 foimd in a cage,, but the instances were rare ; 

 bird-fancying was not then as much of a 

 Uisiness as it is now. Housewives complained 

 of them destroying their "salad-seed," and 

 the boys were oft^en instructed to "hillo" 

 them out of the garden. Being finches they 

 of course were graniverous, although they 

 may have fed some insects to their young. 



"The Indigo Finch is much admired on ac- 

 count of its indigo-colored plumage. Its 

 song is sweet and vigorous, though short, and 

 it continues to sing during the hot months, 

 when most birds in the wild state are silent. 

 The female is brown, tinged with blue. They 

 are usually shy birds, and it requires one 

 well skilled in the business of trapping them 

 to succeed in catching any considerable num- 

 ber in a single day. For this purpose a decoy 

 bird is employed, and then, by frequenting 

 the vicinity in whicli they are found, by a 

 little manoeuvering they are taken. They are 

 usually found on the line of a railroad ; and 

 by a roadside not much frequented the adept 



will soon hear the familiar song of the Indigo 

 Finch. The cage containing the decoy bird 

 is then held in front of the trapper, as be ad- 

 vances in the direction of the songster, occt.- 

 sionally flirting his fingers against the wire 

 cage, which causes the uccoy to flutter and 

 chirp. This attracts the attention of the out- 

 side bird ; the cage is immediately set upon 

 the ground, and before the trapper has gone 

 many yards from the cage tiie stranger is 

 upon it, if not caught. The Indigo Finches 

 are always found in pairs, though the female 

 is scMoiii caught. She does not sing but only 

 twitters. They are hardy and easily reared. 

 In c'liiliiienient during tlie winter they lose 

 their beautiful plumage, though in exceptional 

 cases it is not at all changed. They build 

 their nests in low bushes, suspended by two 

 twigs. They lay four blue eggs, having a 

 lilotch of purple at the larger end. In con- 

 finement their diet should be the same as the 

 Canary's. They are very fond of beet leaves." 

 — James S. Baily, M. D. 



This is the "Indigo-bird" {Cyanoxpiza cy- 

 anea) or " Blue-finch " of our boyhood. The 

 Lancaster county Germans, who had any 

 name for it at all, called it the " Blau-finkh." 

 We knew it long before there was a foot of 

 Railroad or Canal in Pennsylvania, and 

 doubtless it was here long before there was 

 an improvement of any kind, but adapted 

 itself to them after they invaded its native 

 domain! We had an experience with one of 

 these birds which more strongly illustrates 

 the monagamic character of some of the 

 feathered tribes, than anything that ever 

 came under our observation. In the spring 

 and early summer these birds frequently came 

 into the town in which we lived, and nested 

 and raised their broods therein. This was 

 especially the case in an uncultivated town 

 lot, the lower end of which was covered with 

 a thicket of locust sprouts and blackberry 

 canes. In the spring of 1838 we shot a fine 

 male, for an "ornamental specimen," which 

 we skiimed, stuffed, and mounted, and we 

 have it still in one possession, in as good con- 

 dition a& it was then. The tree from which 

 we .shot it hung over an alley near where we 

 resided, and we could see it every time we 

 went into our garden or back-yard. And 

 there would come the female and mournfully 

 sing-, from day to day, a seemingly funeral 

 dirge over the spot where fell her beautiful 

 partner ijy wanton hands. We felt self-re- 

 |)roach, and thought ol making amends by 

 shooting her also, »nd bringing them together 

 in deatii as they had been in life (to outward 

 appearance at least) but she always contrived 

 to evade us. This continued for fully a week, 

 and then the mournful ditty ceased, and we 

 .saw the bird no more on that tree; and of 

 course supposed she had found another mate, 

 and had abandoned the fat.il locality. Some 

 days afterwards we had occasion to visit the 

 aforesaid thicket and there, immediately un- 

 der the tree, close to the fence, we found the 

 dead body of the female " Indigo-bird," and 

 we never doubted that she may have "pined 

 away and died," for the loss of her beautiful 

 mate. We liardly ever looked upon our stufl'- 

 ed specimen that we did not think of this cir- 

 cumstance, and yet, we do not know that we 

 have made a record of it before— at least not 

 a public one. It is true the bird may have 

 died by violent hands, but there was no mark 

 on the body that indicated violence, although 

 its carcass had been invaded by "the worms," 

 after it had suflered the "canker and the 

 grief." 



SEVENTEEN YEAR LOCUSTS. 



I have now in my possession a specimen of 



Cicada septendecim, or seventeen-year locust, 



that evolved from its pupal form on the sec- 



