'2{)A 



NORTH AMKIUCAN liHlDS. 



,*^-- 



Scotfenphntiifs firrusitit us. 



liinlii! to tlio Missouri Itivcr, and from Loiiisiuna autl Florida to tlio Arctic 

 regions. In a larj;c jiorlion of llio United States it is only known as a 

 niij,'ratorv spei'ii'S, jjassin;,' rajjidly tlironj,'li in i-arly sprinj,', and Iianlly 

 niakin:; a lonj,'i!r stay in the fall. IJiciiardson slates tiiat the siunnier 



ranj,fe of this bird extends to tlie 

 liHth parallel, or as far as the woods 

 exieud. It arrives at the Saskatch- 

 ewan in the end of April, and at 

 (ireat IJear Lake, latitude i'l'i", Ity 

 tile .'{(I of May. They conic in ])airs, 

 and for a time frequent the sandy 

 beaches of .secludiil lakes, feeding 

 on coleoiiterous insects. Later in 

 the season they are said to make 

 depredations upon the ffrain-lield.s. 



They )iass through Massachusetts 

 from the Hth of March to the first of 

 April, in irre<,'ular comjtanies, none of 

 which make any stay, but move hur- 

 riedly on. Tliey ln'ji;in to return early in October, and an; found irregularly 

 throughout that month. They are unsuspicious and easily approached, and 

 frequent the streams and ed^es of ])onds during their stay. 



My. Iioardman states that these lards are comUKUi near Calais, ^le., arriving 

 there in March, some remaining to breed. In Western ^Ia.ssachusetts, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Allen, they are rather rare, being .seen only eccasionally in 

 sja'ing and fall as stragglers, or in small tlocks. ^[r. Allen gives as their 

 arrival the last of Se])tember, and has seen them as late as Xovember '2A. 

 They al.so Mere abundant in Nova Scotia. Dr. Coues states that in South 

 Carolina they winter from Xovember nntil March. 



These birds are .said to sing during ])airing-time, and become aearly silent 

 while rearing their young, but in the fall resume their song. Xuttall has 

 lieard them sing until the ai)proacli of v/inter. lie thinks their notes are 

 (piite agreeal)le and musical, and nuicli more nielodiinis than those of the 

 other species. 



Dnring their stay in the viciinity of Boston, they assoml)le in large iinm- 

 bers, to roost in the reed marshes on the edges of ])onds, and esjiecially in 

 those of Fresh I'ond, Cambridge. They feed during the day chieily on grass- 

 lio])i)ers anil berries, and randy molest the grain. 



According to AVilsiui, they reach Pennsylvania early in October, and at 

 this ]ieriod make Indian cm'n their principal food. They leave about the 

 niidille of Xovember. In South Carolina he found them numerous around 

 the rice jdantations, feeding about the liog-])ens and wherever they could 

 ])rocure corn. They are easily domesticati'il, becoming very familiar ill a few 

 days, and readily reconciled to conlinement. 



