List of Birds found in Cumberland County, Penn. 261 



Art. VI. — List of Birds found in the vicinity of Carlisle, Cum- 

 berland County, Penn., about Lot. 40° 12' N., Lon. 77° 11' 

 W. ; by William M. and Spencer F. Baird.* 



The following list embraces the species of birds procured by 

 us in Cumberland County, and with a few exceptions within five 

 miles of the town of Carlisle, during a period of four years. 

 These were obtained by our own personal exertions, and observ- 

 ed whilst living in our fields, woods and mountains, by our run- 

 ning streams and marshes, and in no instance are any placed in 

 the list upon the authority of other persons. Probably but few 

 remain to be found in the county, as every part of it has been 

 searched, and if any have escaped observation, it is likely they 

 are species belonging to the Sylvicolidas or Fringillidse, which 

 from their habits, small size, and generic features of resemblance, 

 may have been confounded with others which are well known. 



Our object in giving this list is to show at one view the season 

 of migration, the comparative variety or abundance, &c. of the 

 birds found in the interior of Pennsylvania. As might readily 

 be imagined, land-birds largely predominate, there being no large 

 rivers in Cumberland County, if we except the Susquehanna, 

 which forms the eastern boundary, and which at this place flows 

 rapidly over a rocky bed, serving only as a resting place for a few 

 aquatic species when forced to alight whilst migrating, from bad 

 weather or other causes, and affording no mud-flats or sand-bars, 

 favorite resorts of the waders. Residing, as we do, eighteen 

 miles from the Susquehanna, possibly some species pursue that 

 river's course in travelling north or south which may have escap- 

 ed our observation, and would have been noticed had we been 

 living on its banks. 



Much has been done towards elucidating the habits of our birds 

 by Wilson, Audubon, and our other writers on the subject, and 

 when the vastness of their field of observation is taken into con- 

 sideration, no one will be inclined to deny that their success has 

 been very great. But the greatness of their undertaking, the 

 whole of the United States and parts of Texas having been ex- 

 plored by them, has prevented minute attention to the ornithology 



* Communicated by the Authors. 



