84 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



is evidently astray in regard to the tradition of 

 the Robin picking a thorn out of Christ's head. 

 Perhaps he confounds the Robin with the 

 " Legend of the Crossbill," from the German 

 of Julius Mosen, translated by Longfellow, as 

 follows : — 



On the cross the dying Saviour, 

 Heavenward lifts His eyelids calm, 



Feels, but scarcely feels, a trembling 

 In His pierced and bleeding palm. 



And, by all the world forsaken, 



Sees He how with zealous care, 

 At the ruthless nail of iron, 



A little bird is striving there. 



Stained with blood and never tiring, 

 With its beak it doth not cease, 



From the cross 'twould free the Saviour, 

 Its Creator's Son release. 



And the Saviour speaks in mildness : 

 " Blest be thou of all the good ! 



Bear, as token of this moment, 

 Marks of blood and holyrood ! " 



And that bird is called the " Crossbill," 

 Covered all with blood so clear; 



In the groves of pine it singeth 



Songs, like legends, strange to hear. 



Scientific examination condemns Turdus 

 migratorius, or Robin, for destroying a much 

 larger number of useful than destructive in- 

 sects, therefore, it does more harm than good 

 to mankind. — Teal. 



Montreal, Oct. 24, 1881. 



CANADIAN BIRDS. 



List of Birds obtained and observed by 

 Professor Macoun at and near the City of 

 Belleville, County of Hastings, Ontario, in the 

 Spring of A.D. 1 88 1 , with remarks by Professor 

 J. T. Bell, of Albert University. 



The date given with each species is that on 

 which the first specimen was captured. Several 

 individuals of many of the species were subse- 

 quently shot, of which no mention is made in 

 this list. The names are taken from " Jordan's 

 Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern 

 United States," Jansen, McClurg & Co., Chic- 

 ago, 1880. 



i. — Jan'y 17. — Plectrophanes nivalis; Snow Bunting. 



Very numerous before snow storms. 

 2. — " iS. — Picus pubescens ; Downy Woodpecker. 

 3. — " 29. — Scops asio ; Screech Owl. 

 4. — Feb'y 7. — ZEgiotlms linarins ; Red-poll Linnet. 

 5. — " 7. — Piuicola euucleator ; Pine Grosbeak. 

 6. — " 11. — P icus viliosus ; Hairy Woodpecker. 

 7. — " ii.- — Cyanura cristata •; Blue Jay. 

 8. — " 23. — Loxia curvirostra : Red Cross-bill. Prof. 



Macoun saw a flock of these birds, but 



did not succeed in procuring specimens. 

 9. — " 23. — Eremophita alpestris ; Shore Lark. Bred 



near city; young nearly fledged by 



May 1 st. 



10. — Mar. 1. — Ny dale Acadia ; Saw-whet Owl. 



11. — " 4- — Corvus Americanns ; Common Crow ar- 

 rived. 



12.— " iS. — Tiirdns migratorius ; Robin. In Match 

 and April the stomach of Robins con- 

 tain numerous larva of the carnivorous 

 ground beetles (Harpai.us, Carabid.f.) 



13. — " 25. Sialia sialis ; Blue-bird. 



14. — " 28. — Lanius borealis ; (Collyrio Vigors) Great 

 Northern Shrike. Prof. Jordan has 

 restored the old Linn;ran name L'inius 

 in his later edition. The bird now 

 winters here, and feeds chiefly on the 

 English Sparrow ; this indicates that 

 the migration of birds, and probably of 

 other animals, is influenced more by 

 food than by temperature. 

 — Melospiza melodia ; Song Sparrow. 

 — Anorthnra t> oglodytes ; Winter Wren. 



— Quiscalus purpureas ; Crow Blackbird. 



— Passer domeslicits ; English Sparrow. Is 

 spreading into the country ; was ob- 

 served building in a Lombardy poplar 

 remote from the city. 



— Pocecetes gramineus ; Bay-winged Bunt- 

 ing, Grass-bird. 



— Accipiter Cooperi; Chicken Hawk. 



— MolotJirus ater ; Cow Bunting. 



— Ageheus pheuiceus ; Red-winged Black- 

 bird. 



— Sayornisfuscuz ; Phcebe Bird. 



— Junco hy emails ; Snow-bird. 



— Sitla Carolinensis ; White-bellied Nut- 

 hatch. 



iS' 



— 



29 



10. 

 17- 

 18. 



—April 



29 



15 

 iS 



27.— 



20. 



2S.— " 



20. 



29— « 



IO. 



30.— " 



21, 



31— " 



22. 



32.— " 



22. 



ii-— " 



22. 



34-— " 



23- 



3S— " 



23- 



3 b— " 



23. 



37-— " 



25- 



3»-- " 



25- 



39-— ' 



26. 



40.— ' 



2b. 



41— " 



2 7- 



42.— ' 



28. 



43 — 



29.- 



44.— May 



2.- 



45 - — !', 



3-- 



4 6.- " 



4- 



47-— " 



5. 



48— " 



5- 



49.— 



b. 



5°- _ 



b. 



si-— " 



b. 



5*-— 



b. 



53— " 



b. 



54-— 



7- 



55-— „ 



9- 



56-- " 



9- 



57-— " 



9- 



58— " 



9-" 



— Parus atrkapillus ; Black-capped Chick- 

 adee. 



—Hyiocichla P alias i ; Hermit Thrush. 



r-Sphyrapicus varius ; Yellow - bellied 

 Woodpecker. 



— Passerella iliaca ; Fox Sparrow. Very 

 rare here. 



, — Colpates anratus ; Golden-winged Wood- 

 pecker. Local name, "High-holder." 



— Regulus satrapa ; Golden-crowned King- 

 let. 



— Mgialitis vociferus ; Kill-deer Plover. 



Tachycineta bicolor ; White-bellied Swal- 

 low. 



—Regulus calendula ; Ruby-crowned King- 

 let. 



— Certhia/amiliaris ; Brown Creeper. 

 • — Sturnella magna ; Meadow Lark. 

 — Spizella monticola ; Tree Sparrow. 

 —Spizella socialis ; Chipping Sparrow. 

 — Spizella pusilla ; Field Sparrow. 

 , — Zonotrichia albicollis : White-throated 



Sparrow. 

 —Passerculns Savanna ; Savanna Sparrow. 

 —Carpodacus purpureus ; Purple Finch. 

 — Mniotilla varia ; Black-and-white Creeper. 

 — Harporhyncus rufus ; Brown Thrush 

 — P iplio erythropthalmus ; Towhee Bunting. 



— Empidona.t Acadicus ; Small green-crest- 

 ed Fly-catcher. 



— Myiarchus crinitus ; Great-crested Fly- 

 catcher. 



— Setophaga ruticilla ; American Redstart. V 



— Lanirts ludovicianus ; Loggerhead bhrike. I 



— Galeoscoptes Carolinensis ; Cat-bird. 

 — Sitta Canadensis ; Red-bellied Nuthatch. J 

 — Slums nevius ; Water Thrush. 

 — Ampelis cedrorum ; Cedar-bird. 



— Tyrannus Carolinensis : King-bird. 

 — Dendrceca (estiva ; Golden Warbler. 

 — Dendraca coronata ; Yellow - rumped 1 



Warbler. 

 — Zonotrichia leucoplirys ; White - crowned i 

 Sparrow. 



— Chrysomitris tristis ; Yellow-bird 





