RNITHOLOGIST 
—AND— 


$1.50 per 
FRANK B. WEBSTER, PuBLISHER. 


Single Copy 

Annum. Established, March, 1875. 15 Cents. 
VOL. XI. No. 8. 


Some Ornithological Explorations in 
the Dead River Region of Maine. 
BY F, H. CARPENTER. 
New England, with its limited area and large 
number of naturalists, does not offer many new 
fields for investigations, but it will be conceded 
that the wilderness of northern Maine contains 
much yet unknown to science. The reasons are 
manifest, it being the breeding place of our rarer 
migrating warblers, and even the species which 
are common to that section are but little known, 
being dispersed over a large tract of sparsely 
settled country, with the attendant difficulties of 
traveling. It has been my good fortune to an- 
nually visit the lakes of Maine, both the Rangely 
chain and the Moosehead with its river connec- 
tions to New Brunswick. Of late the trout fish- 
ing of the Dead River region lured me to its in- 
numerable lakes and streams, and the varied bird- 
life there found caused me to give nearly all of my 
time to observing the ornithological features of 
the locality. Following the precedence established 
by authors of similar articles, a brief description 
of the country immediately concerned will be in 
place. The northern portion of Franklin and 
Somerset counties, in which the source of Dead 
river is situated, and through which it flows in a 
winding course towards the east for many miles, 
presents a varied and interesting aspect. Its 
topography is diversified; the change from the un- 
dulating country around Farmington to the 
heights of Mt. Bigelow, ‘‘the third highest moun- 
tain in Maine,” gives a succession of altitudes 
pleasing to all lovers of mountain scenery, while 
the fair cultivated fields of Kingfield and New 
Portland, when compared with the unbroken 
wilderness stretching away through unnamed 
townships to the Canada line, presents a contrast 
seldom to be found within the confines of one 
country. The country is well watered abound- 
ing in small lakes, rivers and mountain streams. 
In the northern part it is covered with the 
original growth of evergreen trees interspersed 

with a few tracts of hard wood groves. Around 
some of the lakes are extensive swamps of alder 
and hackmatack, which proved to be the breeding 
resort of many species of the Mniotiltide. In the 
middle and southern sections a second growth of 
birch has appeared to take the place of the victims 
of the lumberman’s axe. To explore this region 
thorougly is no “kid glove affair,” it means many 
a weary mile of walking on the rough trails lead- 
ing over steep mountains, or through the tangled 
debris of some ravine blocked by trunks of trees 
hurled down the cliffs by some mountain tempest. 
Canoeing on the rivers was often at risk of life, 
and needed a firm hand and quick eye to run the 
rapids and avoid the rocks of the rushing streams. 
In traversing the country I confined myself to no 
one place; with my guide for a companion we 
were “on the march,” halting when night over- 
took us or a camping site was found. For kind 
assistence rendered I am indebted to many of the 
settlers of tiie Country adjacent to the wilderness, 
also to many of the sportsmen at Kennedy Smiins 
camps at Tim and Seven Ponds, and espezially to 
my faithful guide, Joe Sampson, whose knowledge 
of woodcraft secured for me many specimens new 
to my experience. The criticising scientist will 
demand to be informed of the time spent in the 
locality and upon what grounds I presume to place 
before the reader the account of my sojourn in 
search of the birds of the region. Concisely 
stated the periods are as follows: May 28 to June 
14, 1888, Dec. 30, 1883, to Jan. 14, 1884, Aug. 18 
to Sept. 18, 1884, and Aug. 19 to Sept. 17, 1885. 
The most novel experience being the fortnight 
spent at the lumber camps in the winter of 1883-4. 
Frequent mention of the features of the region 
will occur in the following text, as I shall not 
confine myself to the dry bones of a technical list. 
The fauna of Franklin and Somerset counties is 
principally Canadian, though some species con- 
sidered typical of the Alleghanian, are to be 
found in the southern portion, which may be con- 
sidered as about the dividing line between the 
two faune. 
Not yet being a convert to the new order of no- 

Copyright, 1886, by Eaton Curr and F. B. WEBSTER. 
