26 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Fkb. 8, 1888. 



hawk of this species in the month of December from a fruit 

 tree at my bouse in Portland city. The bird was in fat con- 

 <liiii)ii and bad pTQbably beta feasting upon the domestic 

 sparrows, which are abundant here. This hawk is the Qrily 

 ni" Hi' the species I have observed in Maine in winter. 

 Probably itwas a late migrant that strayed inln the city, 

 where an abundance of food caused it to tarry. I have 

 many times observed hawks of this species in the cilv of 

 Portland, Me. 



156. Gosliawk— Aster pnlimbariw Aud.. Axtnr abric&#il- 

 lu» Rids. -*:*:-i, Cs. -mil.- -Common, especially in Eastern 

 Maine. Resident. Breeds. This large hawk iB sometimes lo- 

 locally termi d "gray hen hawk. "the light erar.plumage.of the 

 adults distinguishing them from other large hawks of vari- 

 ous species indiscriminately termed "hen hawks'' by the 

 farmers. But the immature goshawk is dark brown, wilh 

 oblong spots of the same color diffused over its yellowish 

 white lower parts, and this phase of plumage give's the bird 

 an external appearance very dill'i-reni from iliai of the adult 

 of the same species. A line specimen in the brown plumage 

 that I obtained in Eastern .Maine in the month of October 

 had nearly the whole of a ruffed grouse (including the feci) 

 in its craw. 



157. Red -tailed Hawk or Buzzard— llnln, boiWlMs And., 

 Ridg. -bit). Cs. ■"> Mi. —Common. Arrives in Marcl- . Breeds. 

 Lays its eggs in April. Oncol' the largest hawks, whose 

 -r,ai variations .Of plumage have caused several "varietal" 

 name^ to lie bestowed upon it by ornithologists. 



158. Red-shouldered Hawk orBuzzara- BiHeo Unmtus 

 Aud.. Rids. 4'4'.). Cs. 530. — Common throughout the State. 

 Arrives in Man-h and April. Breeds earlv in May. Of less 

 size than the last named species, and like' it locally termed 

 I hen hawk." 



150. Broad wine-ed Hawk or Buzzard— Hutu, jmnnsyl 

 mrfieiu And.. Ridg. -14:5. Cs. .">**.— Common. Arrives in 

 March and April. Breeds in May. Smaller than anv of 

 the buzzards (]fr:fco) previously named, and this hawk is 

 locally termed the "chicken hawk," perhaps to distinguish 

 it from the larger "hen hawk." or else the farmers may 

 thin* it not equal to the capture of an old hen. The small 

 snakes native to Maine form the favorite and common food 

 of the hawk, hill not to the entire exclusion of other prey. 

 The bird is le<s wary than the targe hawks of the genus 

 Buteo. A hawk of this species, an adult female, in plump 

 condition, which I shot at Peering. Maine, May li. 18H2, 

 had in ils craw two snakes, one of fourteen inches length, 

 headless, of the common green sort, and a whole one nine 

 inches long, of the red-bellied brown species common here. 

 The stomach contained only a large quantity of the un- 

 digested scales of snakes. 



160. Rough-legged Hawk or Buzzard— Btiteo lagopus 

 And.; ArehibnUo ttti/o/iit* ttntrfijohannigBHAg. 41 7. ('-. 525, 

 — Not uncommon, but apparently of irregular occurrence. 

 In "North American Birds." bv Band, Brewer and Kid- 

 way (111.. 310)), it is slated that "a pair was found breeding 

 near the mouth, of the Kennebec River, and the eggs were 

 secured." And a description is given of "an egg from near 

 Wiscaase*, taken by Edmund Smith. E}sq., the parent <>f 

 which was secured" 1 1 II.. 311), The latter quol at ion prop- 

 erly refers to Benjamin P. Smith. Esq., of Wiscasset, 

 Maine. 



Birds of ibis species whose general plumage is black, or 

 brownish black, are probablv the adulls of perfect maturity, 

 although this phase of coloration is nsuallv termed mela- 

 notic. The "normal condition" of plumage, of thai of the 

 til st few years of existence, is mottled brown and black. 

 1 have observed specimens or this hawk in Maine in both 

 these phases of plumage) and the proportion in numbers of 

 each appears to he such as would be naturally expected be- 

 tween birds -of full maturity and those Hot arrived at that 

 condition. 



161. Osprev. Fish Hawk— I'.imlhi,- JwMaem And., Cs. 

 ,,;{(); JPaniKcw huKa«tw< earoimensSi^Bidg. 425,— Abnndant. 

 Arrives early in April. Breeds on trees: lavs from three io 

 five yellowish u hiie eass. profusely blotched with reddish 

 and umber brown. Usually a very tall tree, and frequently 

 a dead one, is selected as the site of a nest, but 1 have found 

 nests within fifteen feet of the ground Upon islands in the 

 Gulf' of Mexico, and Upon one small island so many fish 

 hawks wen- breeding as to form Quite a colony. Although 

 commonlv nesting near tin- coast, a large stream, or a lake, 

 I haw seen anesl in the interior of Maine, two miles or more 

 from any large stream or shed of waler. The osprcy feed- 

 exclusively upon fresh fish of iis own catching, and is very 

 industrious during the period thai its voracious youngare 



in th(- nest. 



1K3. Golden Eagle— Atfiiih <-lini*nihi* And.. Cs. :m. 

 Ai{>"''»r/>ri/M: : tnste<iiii'<t<ii*i*Kuig. 149. Rare. \'o record 

 of breeding in Maine. Isawaine male specimen of this 

 eagle which was shol by Geo. A Boardman, Esq., at Calais. 

 Mc just before my arrival there, October 9, iHfl.t. 



WhilG looking for Sttipc upon the meadows, Mr. Hoard- 

 man flushed a blue heron, which flew lazily aWay and was 

 just about to alight again when this eagle descended like II 



boll from the sky antf struck the heron to the earth, so near 

 bo Mr Boardman, that ie was able to approach and shoot 

 the eagle ere it could kill the heron, which flew off appar- 

 ently but little harmed. A golden eagle was killed near 

 Portland, at Peak's Island, Oasco Bay, in the autumn of 



1881. 1 have observed this species on fl oast of the Gulf 



of Mexico, where the white-headed eagles are abundant. In 

 ibe -Bad Lands" of Northern Dakota the golden eagles .-.re 

 common, but I have nol observed the white-headed eagle in 

 thai region, 



jr.3. White-headed Eagle— HaMaetus teuedceplmbus And.. 

 Bidg. -I'll. t's. 584. — Common, especially along the coast 

 during migrations \ ( ,t commonly resident throughout 

 the year, but occasionally observed here in winter. Breeds 

 in high tries, lavs two or more dull while eggs, hi April or 

 March, and Sometimes Wen earlier For many vearsa pair 

 oi white-headed eagles bred within two miles of thecityof 

 Portlaud. A vonug bird taken from their nest and kept 

 alive in captivity, attained. v,he;, -is years Old, the White 

 plumage of head and tail characteristic of perfect maturity 

 The birds locally termed "gray eagles'-' are of this species. 

 but in the plumage of immaturity, and -without the showy 

 white of head and tail Frequently these immature eagles 

 have a greater extent of wings than do the older birds. Mr. 

 N. A. Kddv sives me his notes of an egg taken from an 

 jjagU's nest at Moosehead Lake, May 80, 1882, in which 

 was a young bird apparently about ten davsold. "The 

 egg was" addled and badly cracked.'' Probably the eagle or 

 the ne-t had been disturbed earlier in the season. The 

 white headed eagle, which has been adopted as a national 

 emblem, and caii -aturcd upon our silver dollars, is of noble 

 appearance and possesses great strength. But its character 

 and habits are not admirable it will subsist upon dead and 



putrid fish found upon the shores, upon dead hogs, horses, 

 skunks, etc.. wherever found, or lazily watch a Bah hawk or 

 loon procure lisb and then rob the industrious Captor of its 

 prey. 



When olhcr means fail the eagle w ill earn an honest liveli- 

 hood by lfnnting live prey, which it is well able to capture. 

 A-lthongh Usually successful in its attacks for robbery made 

 upon the fish hawk, the crows will compel an eaglB to flee. 

 as willalso the little kingbirds. During the seasondf love- 

 making the White-headed BBglefl perform remarkable aerial 



movements, andtheir sexual union is acecomplished high 



in the air. A pair mav be seen soaring fat above the tree- 

 tops, until, uniting in an eagle's embrace they come gvi at tag 

 down, with Wings extended, turning overandover and os- 

 cillating about, their wings servingsomewhai a- a parachute 

 and preventing a very rapid descent. Ere reaching the 

 earth, or i!e- treetops, if above a forest, the birds separate 



aud mount again on wing-to resume theft-mutual demonstra 



tions, or wend tin -ir way to some favorite perch for a rest. 

 Family C.vi iiartih.u:: Tim- Vi i.ti nt-:s. 



164. Common Vulture, Turkey Vulture — Cathafia 

 avra And.. Ridg. 454, Gs. 537.- A rare straggler from the 

 South. Two were seen in Standish. Cumberland county, 

 Me., in the summer of 1874, and one of them was caught in 

 a trap and sen! to a taxidermist in Portland, Me. Mr. Board- 

 man has recorded the occurrence of the species in Eastern 

 Maine. On account, oi its resemblance to the common 

 turkey, this vullure is often termed "turkey buzzard," but 

 the term buzzard properly applies ton genus "of hawks (BuUo) 

 only, 



165. Black Vulture— Catiwles alratiU Aud.; CaUiarixU 

 atmta Ridg. 155, Cs. 538, — A rare straggler from the South 

 This vulture is rather more Soul hern in its distribution 

 than the common vultures. Mr. Boardman obtained a spe 

 eiimn iii August 1879, which was killed by Mr. Mel-'nrlaml 

 at Campobello Island, near East port, and informs inc that 

 a vulture was killed at Grand Menan Island about thai time 

 which was suppo-ed to Im- of this species. This vulture is 

 quite commonly termed "carrion crow" in regions where 

 the species abounds, and the name has probably beccn ap- 

 plied merely to distinguish the bird from the turkey vullure. 

 and because it is "as black asa crow," the plumage of the 

 other species named being of a golden-brown color. 



Family Coltjmbidae : Tin-: Ptojsons. 



166. Pigeon, Passenger Pigeon— Ec/opu/t x migratortus 

 And.. Ridg. 450, Cs. 543.— Common, arrives in April. 

 Formerly very abundant about the bluebercy plains in 

 .Maine, but the great grain fields, of the West and other 

 causes have conduced to greatly lessen the number of the 

 pigeons annually visiting Maine. Breeds upon trees, lays 

 two eggs, elliptical, pure glossy white, and similar to those 

 of the domestic pigeon, First eggs laid in .Mav. Two 



broods. 



167. Carolina \)<>\v — J->(»i>i*t?* i;u:>liiu nnix Aud., 7mup- 

 dvra em-clinensU Ridg. 460, Cs. 544— Occasional visitant 

 from the Sotltii. Rare'. 1 saw one thai was shot at Ma- 

 ehias, Washington County. October 9, 1876. Mr. Board- 

 man reports its occurrence yet further East. Mr, .\ c. 

 Blown obtained one Aprifo. (879, shot in Cumberland 

 ( 'ounty, near Portland city. 



Family Tethaonidak : (him be am> Quatt.. 



168. Canada Grouse— Tetmo twuulmm And.: Ckmace 

 ranadeiwh Rig. 472, Cs 955.— Common. Resident. Breeds 

 on the ground, lavs ten or more eggs, yellow ish brown with 

 dark blotches, in May. 



This bird is locally termed "spruce partridge," asalso 

 •heath hen." The reddish brown plumage of the female 

 somewhat resembles that of the red grouse of Scotland, but 

 the male Canada grouse is black and whin- upon its lower 

 parls, and in general appearance differs much from the 

 female. Both sexes have the red bare space above the eye. 



The downy young are yellow withlongitndinal dark brown 

 stripes, and they are usually hatched in the middle or latter 

 part of June! Bui huh- has been written of the habits Of 



the grouse of liii- species, and barely anything added 

 Io Audubon's account written nearly a half century led. 



id it is the most common species of grousein the coniferous 

 Ion-sis of Northern Maine and of Canada. In "Birds , ,f 

 America.' bv Audubon, and in "North American Birds," 

 hyBaird Brewer and Ridgway, the two most comprehen 

 slve works on North American ornithology ever published, 

 it is stated as hearsay, but not within the observation of the 

 writers, thai the bird is so stupid that if maybe, knocked 

 down With a stick; or taken by slipping a noose over its 

 head. And the "drutnmina' i< slated to he caused by the 

 male beating its wings against the body as it rises "spirally" 

 in the air, " 1 have the mounted skin of a mule with the 

 beautiful plumagefif period molarity, and obtained the 

 bird in Eastern Maim- upon a rainy Beptember day. in ihc 

 following manner: Observing the bird. upon the around I 

 ai once made a noose of the only piece of line available, 

 nautieally known as "spun-yarn.'' bul not well suited to my 

 purpose, as the rough hempen noose failed lo slip readily 

 While making my preparations the grouse flrw to a branch 



of a spruce tree, where he awaited further movements. 

 \ttnchiu" tin noose lo a pole 1 passed il up between the 

 branch, -"and successfully -dipped H ov.-r the bead oi Hie 



bird. Bul the noose failed to draw tjghj and the grouse 



flew to another branch of He- same tree 1 repealed my 

 attempt with the -nine since" and failure, and the bird then 

 flew lo another tic- in a dense thickel nearby. Finding 



my efforis with Wei spun-yarn futile,. 1 knocked the bird 



oft' its perch Ijya blow .m the back With I he pole ;;nd secured 



the specimen in good condition For preservation. 



The Canada grouse performs its ''(hnimmwg upon the 

 Hunk of a siandine: tree of rather small size, preferably one 

 that is inclined from lie perpendicular; and in lire follow- 

 ing manlier: Commenting near ill. base oi the fcreeBi lected, 

 the bird flutters upward with somewhat slow progress, but 

 rapidh beating wings, which produce the drumming sound. 

 Having thus ascended Qlteenor twenty leel if glides quietly 

 on win- to the ground and repeats the maneuver. Favorite 

 places are resorted to habitually, and these "drtimming 



tnes'' are Well known to observant woodsmen. I haveseen 

 one thai was jo well worn upon the bark as lo lead lo tlie 

 belief that il had been Used tor this purpose for many years. 

 This tree was a spruce of sis inches diameter, with an in- 

 elinalion oi'aboui lifnen degrees from the perpendicular, 

 and was known lo have hern used asa "drumming tree" for 

 several seasons. The apper surface and sides of the hunk 

 wire so worn h\ the feel and wine-s of the bird or birds 

 using it for drumming, that for a distance of a dozen or 

 fifteen feel the bark had become quite smooth and red. a- if 

 rubbed. 



I do not regard these hirds as stupid, hut they are ex- 



ceedingly gentle, and inhabiting dense forests are unac- 

 quainted with men. A friend of tha writer now has a pair 

 of Canada grouse alive, keeping them as pels, in the hope 



thai they will breed in captivity: and ifa sufficiently favor- 

 able opportunity is afforded them he mav reasonably exped 



this hop.- t,. be fulfilled. 



[to be contini i-'.o.J 



GltBBK— Marsh Whkn- N'ioiit II .■■,«■; .- Fori Goviugton 

 N. V.. Jan. 38. 1883.— Editor Worest ami Streon: Early in 

 December thiswinter I bought and stuffed a bird of the 

 grebe family Which 1 failed to recognize. It was shot 



diver or dabchiek. but 

 and sleudr r. bead 

 narrow, straight a 

 webbed as in othci 

 and upper part of 

 breast and heli- pi 

 upper part of Ik 

 ' I and atartin 



hi shape it r 



ed tin 



II hell 



Neck long 

 deader also, and "snakv" looking, bill 

 I pointed, iris bright red', feet lobi'-d and 

 .'i-.-iies. forehead, crown aed nape, back 

 ings dusky black, cheeks, chin, throat, 

 e white.dividinv ip,,- between the dusky 

 d and the while, lower pint sharply de 

 , from tin- bill, running through die eye 

 straight back to the nape. Xo tail. Can you name him? 

 1 noticed to-day in MmOt's "Band and Came Birds of N,-w 

 England," the statement that Ha- long-billed marsh-wren 

 (Oisloffiorvs pahtstris) is not found in Northern New Eng- 

 land. Without daring lo dispute the above statement I can 

 say that they are plentiful in the Si l.av. ., r„ ,. River see- 

 lion, around LakeSl Francis, and in the marshesin tlie va 

 rious small tributaries of the above lake. They hri ed hi re. 

 as I have often found their curiously-constructed nitets 

 while wading in tlie marshes in rtuek-shooting. 1 have, on 

 several occasions, heard a whole chorus of them uttering 

 peculiar and (tome) very plensanl chatter when dis- 

 yassing -skiiy a t tuidnighl and later. By the 

 hile out in search of snipe, I shot a 

 hich was circling overhead with others. Not 

 thing remarkably surprising about shooting 



turbed bv 

 way, last 

 night hawk 



thai fherris 

 a night 



hawk, bul the peculit 

 wen decorated with the regu 

 wing, he had the spot, under i 

 (Your grebe was probably 

 description is rather indef'h: 

 In-, n very often reported fn 



ilv 



sthat while the others 



it occurs I here and l 



!i further north. 



i New Kn.e-land. lmi 



Hmiiy, TAii.i;n Mkn.— This snbjeci. on which otirvajned 

 (iTespnndciii. •Pi'eco." wrot in Foiikst isnSiiti-.-ii s,, 



any years ago, is brought up again by the following ex- 

 tract from the /Li ■''■!: •'Then is now being exhibited al Hie 

 Royal Aquaritim in London, a strange Dairy little ereatuTS 

 named K ran. Erao is described. as a very brighl looking, 

 intelligent girl of aliout seven years nf age. Sin- was taught, 

 according to the account given of her, in the forpBt mar 

 Lao-, and brought to England by Mr, Carl Bock, o Nor 

 wcgian, who. since the expedinpn described by him in 

 The Head Hunters of Borneo, 1 has been exploring Blftd 



and the wilder States to ihc northeast. Hearing in various 

 quarters of the existence of n race oi hairy tailed men, 

 similar in appearance to a family kept at the Court of Man- 

 dalay. he olf< red a reward for the capture bf a specimen 

 A man was caught, and with him the child mm exhibited-, 

 and a woman of similar appearance then allowed herself to 

 betaken. When the little one attempted lo wander the 

 parents called her hack with a plaintive cry, Kra -o.' and 



Ihc call has hem adopted as her na The eyes of the 



child are large, dark and lustrous; the nose i- flattened, tin 

 nostrils scarcely showing; the cheeks are fat and pouch like, 

 Hie lower- lip only rather thicker than is usual in Europeans'; 

 hut the chief peculiarity is the strong and abundant hair. 

 On the head i; is black, thick and straightj and grows over 



the forehead down lo Ihc heavv eyebrows, and is contfa I 



in whisker-like Inks down the cheeks. |'|„. re sl of Iheface 

 is covered wilh a tine. dark, downy hair, and tin s| |,|er, 



oiid arms have a covi ring of hairs from an inch to an iuch 

 and a half long. Theru is, it is said, ii slight iengtbonjna 

 of i hi lower vertebras, 3uggestive of a caudal protiihersnce. 

 and there are points in Hie muscuIarconfcjnnatiOa and other 

 wise which will provoke diecussion. Krao has alreadv 

 picked up a few words of English. She is said to be of a 

 frank-, affectionate disposition, and shows truly fominine 



delight in her cloihes. jewelry and ribbons. Ttt« showman 

 exhibits herns thp missing link." 



P.m. i.i - o\ nit: Hro-os. v ,'onl;ers. .Jan. \u - lie 

 Hudson River has been tilled from shore to shore with drift 

 ing ice for si viral weeks. It is ai such limes Ihnl the eagle* 

 which live on the Palisades seek their food in the drifl Lp 

 Several have been seen about South Yonkurs lately. This 

 morning us [ was drawing ii bead, on a crow rditimt on H 

 small cake of Ice, an eagle swooped down within 800yard$, 

 but did nol light, 'rin-se eagles appear very blaijk, wifji 



bile heads and tails, ami are a pleasiU" leaiu .- in He- uin 



-. filldseape.-.l. A. 



Ohi.s— I'ink Ouosiii-.Aiis. -Colebrook. N II . .Ian. -,'«.-- 



I have in, no. led I Ii III specimens of wilitc Owls. The lar'.esl 



had a wing broken bv .-hooting: trevf in si/.-. -i\ty lour 



hes; smallest, sixty inches. Three grea.1 liornod owle 



taken in ditfi-reni towns were all strongl] iuipree-nalerl with 

 kunk peit'iirnerx Do liny eat all tUM can catehV Tlie 

 largest specimens of snowy owls are BOmeV hut the dm kesi. 



on back and breast, t have pitic grosbeaks thfti commenced 

 to sing siv weeks after capturing fhem Ni-o Voui-on. 



WiNiii. Bnas. Princejon, ton. M --This lasi cold 

 spell broiiolit to us a laiL-e number of hawks, and conse- 

 quently the quail and rabbits an- Suffering. Yesterday whil, 

 out collecting I observed cobine, blackbfrds and song spar- 

 rows, and the common little tree BpaJrtow, I a is., shot ii 



cardinal grosbeak and :. -real northern shrike. Is il not 

 very queer that the common Spring birds, and a one that is 

 onlv seen here in the coldest weather, should be here at the 

 same time? "W S. K. 



HrjNTEit's liwiiHii. -Mr. I. a Muni. Green, of Attica, 

 Ind., publishes a "Hunter's Record." being a lilatik boo' 

 ruled for recording the capture of game. The only cri.. 



cism we can makc'on the bPPk is thai it is on a t 



scale, but this fault is perhaps in its favor. The book will 

 last a lifetime— for most spoilsmen. 



"Experiknit. wrni thk Choi -K. —In iliird paragraph 

 of article under this caption, is.-ue ol 'Jan. IS, for "If you 

 only shoot wild birds," read "if you only shoot treed birds. " 

 In last sentence of sixth paragraph, for "very old bint. " 

 read "wary old bird." 



