450 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



of smell ;" but touch and taste are not much de- 

 veloped, save the latter to some extent among 

 the parryt tribe. Hearing, however, is exquisite 

 among the owls, and many nocturnal water birds. 



The number of species of birds now existing, 

 is variously estimated at from 5000 to 8000 ; and 

 among this multitude, possessing widely different 

 habits, and inhabiting various situations, we may 

 look for modifications of their members, adapting 

 them for these varied situations and circumstan- 

 ces. And upon these raodificatious are based the 

 natural division of birds into orders, families, and 

 genera, &'c. ; but more particularly confined to the 

 beak and the prehensile organs, or the feet ; 

 though their general form, and anatomical struc- 

 ture are taken into account. The first division 

 into land and water birds is sufficiently obvious ; 

 but naturalists differ much in respect to the num- 

 ber and value of the minor divisions ; thus, while 

 Linnaeus and Cuvier make but six orders, others 

 erect from twelve to sixteen, and still others, 

 among them many eminent modern ornithologists, 

 reduce them to five, by including the order scan- 

 sares, of Cuvier, as a tribe, or sub-order, among 

 the ijviessores. 



The birds of prey are generally placed first in 

 the list, constituting the ordcvraptoros, (or accip- 

 itres, of Cuvier ; Latin, acclpiter, a hawk,) and 

 are characterized by their daring and cruel spirit, 

 powerful structure, hooked beak, and strong, 

 curved claws, and by their preying upon birds, 

 and the weaker quadrupeds. They include the 

 vultures, eagles, hawks, buzzards, kites and owls. 



The second order, and by far the most numer- 

 ous, comprises the so called perching birds, or 

 insessorcs, which will be more fully noticed here- 

 after. Cuvier observes, "Its character seems, at 

 first sight, purely negative, for it embraces all 

 those birds which are neither swimmers, waders, 

 climbers, rapacious, nor gallinaceous. Neverthe- 

 less, by comparing them, a very great, mutual re- 

 semblance of structure becomes perceptible." The 

 climbers, however, will be treated of as a part of 

 this order. 



The third order, rasores, embraces the poultry, 

 or gallinaceous birds. The fourth order, grallato- 

 res, includes the wading birds ; and the fifth or- 

 der, natatores, will embrace the swimming birds. 

 These last orders will be more fully noticed here- 

 after. 



The orders admit, upon natural characteristics, 

 of divisions into tribes, or sub-orders, and these 

 again into families and genera. The birds of prey 

 are generally divided into diurnal and nocturnal ; 

 the former including all the proper rapacious 

 birds, except the owls, which constitute the latter 

 division. 



Of the diurnal birds of prey, we will first no- 

 tice the rather limited family of the vultures, 

 4vulturida,) of which, however. New England can 

 hardly claim a representation. They are birds of 

 the largest size, of indolent and excessively filthy 

 habits, feeding on any animal food that they can 

 easily tear in pieces, and the most putrid and 

 loathsome carrion does not come amiss. They 

 are cowardly, and generally inoffensive, seldom 

 attacking living animals, and only when pressed 

 by hunger, and in companies. They detect their 

 carrion food at a great distance, by the sense of 

 smell, as is generally supposed, and often gorge 

 themselves till they are unable to rise from the 



ground. Chiefly inhabiting very warm climates, 

 they most effectually perform the office of scav- 

 enger, and are generally protected by law, in the 

 countries they frequent, for the valuable services 

 thus rendered. 



The noted condor of the Andes, (vulUir gri/phus, 

 Linn.,) of great size, and said to fly the highest 

 of all birds, soaring to the height of more than 

 20,000 feet, or about four miles above the sea lev- 

 el, belongs to this family ; as also does the cele- 

 brated bearded vulture, lamb-killer, (vidtur ba?'- 

 hatiis, Gmel.,) of Europe, but approacties the 

 eagle in its more courageous spirit, attacking 

 lambs, goats, and the chamois, and it has been 

 known to carry off children ! 



Of the vultures inhabiting the United States, 

 the California vulture, {cathartes Californianns, 

 Cuvier.) inhabiting California, is the largest, ap- 

 proaching the condor in size. The black vulture, 

 or carrion crow, {cathartes atratus, Rich and 

 Swain,) though common in the Southern States, 

 is seldom found to the northward of North Caro- 

 lina, but inhabits the whole continent southward 

 to Cape Horn. They are of quite singular habits, 

 as the following extract from Wilson's American 

 Ornithology indicates : 



"Li the towns and villages of the Southern 

 States, particularly Charleston and Georgetown, 

 South Carolina, and in Savannah, Georgia, 

 the carrion crows may be seen sauntering about 

 the streets, sunning themselves on the roofs of 

 the houses and the fences, or if the weather be 

 cold, cowering around the tops of the chimneys, 

 to enjoy the benefit of the heat, which to them is 

 a peculiar gratification. They are protected by 

 law, or usage, and may be said to become com- 

 pletely domesticated, being as common as the do- 

 mestic poultry, and equally familiar. The inhab- 

 itants generally are disgusted with their filthy, 

 voracious habits ; but, notwithstanding, being 

 viewed as contributive to the removal of dead 

 animal matter, v/hich, if permitted to putrefy dur- 

 ing the hot season, would render the atmosphere 

 impure, they have a respect paid them as scaven- 

 gers, whose labors are subservient to the public 

 good." 



It is also said they are extremely indolent, and 

 that they will not eat of a carcass until it has be- 

 come putrid, unless pressed by hunger. 



The only representative of this singular and 

 repulsive, yet useful class of birds that New Eng- 

 land can lay claim to, is the turkey vulture, or 

 turkey buzzard, {catJiartes aura, 111.,) which is 

 said to inhabit as far north as Nova Scotia, but 

 is exceedingly rare in the Northern States, being 

 only met M'ith occasionally, but is quite common 

 towards the South. In the zoological report of 

 Massachusetts it is not mentioned as one of our 

 birds ; but Dr. DcKay, in the Natural History of 

 New York, speaks of it as occasionally seen in 

 that State ; and probably it sometimes strays into 

 the southern parts of New England, iu the warm 

 season. They, however, breed extensively in the 

 deep recesses of the solitary swamps of New Jer- 

 sey, hatching in May. No nest is made, but the 

 eggs, two to four in number, of a dirty white, or 

 pale cream color, splashed all over with choco- 

 late and blackish touches, are deposited on the 

 rotten wood of a hollow stump, or log. Upon 

 the ajiproach of any one to the nest, with attempts 

 to handle the young, "they will immediately vom- 



