224 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



TAprtl 19, 1883. 



commonly found moulting, and then present a mottled black 

 and white appearance of the lower parts. The Bpring moult- 

 ing appears to Include the plumule of the entire head, neck 

 aid body; the summer dress being chiefly formed by s new 

 growth of feathers, Instead of merely a change in coloration 

 of (he old plumage. 



302. Foolish Guillemot. Long-billed Mnrre— XPHatwiUt 

 Arid.; T.nnnia troilr Kidg. ?83, Cs. 874 Nol common. 

 This is the "foolish." or "common" murre or guillemot of 

 authors, but ii is not very common nl any time on the coast 

 of Maine, where it occurs, however, dmiug the autumn, 

 •winter and early spring. There appears to he some con- 

 fusion among writers concerning the two species of murres 

 found on this coast. For the Atlantic Coast of the United 

 States the term "common" Is inappropriate lo this species. 

 The published descriptions of the two species are al best but 

 meagre, and as unsatisfactory to ordinary students as are 

 the names applied, This species (nay readily be identified 

 by the length of hilt, which measures one and a quarter 

 inches or more from tip to nostril. In full maturity the 

 long-hilled murre may 1 asily distinguished, bul for im- 

 mature winter specimens the bill forms the most character 

 istie feature for identification, as will be -ecu by the com- 

 parisons given in the notes of the dext named species 



303. Briinnieh's Guillemot, Short-billed BjCurre— Urut 

 bruiim'rbii And.; Lonivia arju I!idg. 784a; Loiivoia 

 arret Cs. 876-— -Common oil' shore along I he entire 



tin Winter, and sometime abundant. Usually arrives 

 from the north late in the autumn or early in the winter, 

 and returns in April. This species i- the "Brunnioh's," 

 "large-hilled," or "thick-hilled ' mnnvnf writers, and may 



be distinguished from the \ receding named species by its 

 comparatively short bill, of one and an eighth inches or less 

 in length [torn tip to nostril, 



The readers for whom these lines arc written may thus 

 identify, by measurement of the bill, anyThurre obtained on 

 the Atlantic coast <>r Nertb A.ulerica, without reference to 

 technical ornithological descriptions of other Specific 

 characteristics. 



Bul little has been published aboul our mtli'i'os since the 

 time of Audubon, who gave, in his Birds of America, some 

 account of their habits as observed in summer at Labrador, 

 as also full descriptions Of these birdfi, But various dis- 

 crepancies may be noted thai suggest the possibility of the 

 notes concerning the l wo soeeies having been mixed. 

 Audubon mention- the Ion- ■ hilled species \fyctte) OB "more 

 or less abundant during winter on theeoasl of .Massachusetts 

 and Maine,'" anil the ibort-billed sp nc, ('trunnieMi) as "oc- 

 casionally procured in Maine.'' In fact the reverse is true. 



But if an ,one inquires of our coast gun u is or li-hernien 

 concerning the "large-hilled'' murre. and the 'common" 

 murre, be will he told jusl what Audubon has told u-. The 

 explanation is simple. In the published writings nl' i,n i- 

 thologists the names "large-hilled" and "thick hilled" have 

 hitherto been applied to the murre thai has tbe -mail, -si hill, 

 and is common every winter on our Coast, while tin- name 

 "cummon" has been applied by lljc same authors to the 

 species of murre that comparatively is nol common on our 

 coast at any time. Aiiduoon's measurements are also con- 

 fusing, and a reversal of the titles of spedesto which in- 

 applied them will be necessary to approximate thorn to my 

 own notes, and I therefore quote mi; following from "Birds 

 of America.'' 



frin finite. rein hruiinirliii. 



Length to end of tail I7.«0 fa. UtJOjU. 



Length l" cad of claws Kl.ii ill. Bl'.W lit. 



Extent of n-iuuc -I'iii. 8l)jn. 



Wiug from ftVxure ' , 7.50 in. s in. 



These measurements in. lieale /". brUTtmcJliinj$ the largest 



of the two species, but BUCh is ma the fact, From my own 



notes I select for comparisons the following measurements: 



LoiiB-bllleil Murre. Short-billed Murre. 



,7V.. .7- Il:,,ni„irlu,). 



Length to end of tall...- 17.5 to SO in. lB.Bto II 1 in. 



The measurements of wing and extent lutergrade, as do 

 also the measurements of tarsus nnd toes, The average size 



Ofthe.-p ie- exceeds thai of the -peeies brtl niiieliii. 



The weight of the latter in lean condition is from one and a 

 quarter to two pounds each 



The following table ol measurements taken from my own 

 notes will afford a convenient oomparisou of the most import- 

 ant dimensions of these two species. All measurements are 

 given in inches and decimal traction* i hereof: 



Foolish Guillemot Unuinicli's (j,iill,mot 



or Loii(?-bille<l or siiui-c-billixl 



Murre. Murre. 



Ailull, Yminc 



ATpril, March, winter. Winter. 



f Tin to apparent ancle 



if feathers J.JS0 1.03 L80 1.15 



-: Tip to nostril ... 1.50 IM l.H» .90 



g I Depth at nostril OR At .51 .39 



W Width nt nostril a? .33 .87 .30 



iGonys L05 .:» W ;8> 



Tarsus 1-54 MB 1-K 1.40 



Wing-Chord --:. 7.!) - 



Wins?— along oilge 8.7 s.l 



Length to tip of tail(aboutj2U. 17.5 17. lii.3 



The references to "nostril" mean the anterior border of 

 the nasal aperture. Wimr measurements are made with a 

 tape line from bend to tip over I lie edge, and not I he chord of 

 the curve, it will be observed thai loo mpal characteristic 

 measurements of the two species arc lengths of bills, and are 

 almost the sole measurements thai [lover inlergradc. Each 

 species may also he distinguished by the following general 

 comparison of characterising; 



Long-hilled Murre (iroile).— Bill, tip to nostril, about 

 thrice its depth. Tip to angle of gonye ah mi two-thirds of 

 tarsus. Tomia of upper manilihle hare at base, dilated, yel- 

 lowish. 



Short-billed Murre (brimiifflm or arm).— Bill, tip to nos- 

 tril about twice its depi h. Tip to angle of tronys about one- 

 half of tarsus. Tomia of upper manilihle feathered at base, 

 ADDENDA. 



Willow Ptarmigan or Grouse— Lagopus BXbM And., Kidg. 

 474, Cs. 563. — There appears lo he no reliable evidence thai 

 this speciea ever existed in Maine. In "Birds of America," 

 Mr. Audubon has stated that he "felt assured it. exists in 

 Maine, as well as in the northern districts bordering on the 



f-eat lakes" And further slates thai "Theodore Lincoln. 

 3 q„ of Dennysville, in Maine, shot seven one day, u„l 

 manv miles from that village,'' In regard to these 

 raents, Mr. Lincoln has informed me that he could nol re- 

 member ever finding tbe ptarmigan in Maine, end that 

 "probably Mr. Audubon referred to those shot further 

 North." 



Mr. Lincoln speaks of the Canada grouse (Id rem canatftn- 

 st'sAud.) as "spotted grouse," and it is my belief that the 



in, id, i,i of the seven birds shot, in one day near Deimysville. 

 Me., related b\ Mr. Audubon, was properly referable lo the 

 "spoiled" or ('ana, la grouse. 



Mi Maulj Hardy, of lircwc.r. Me., writes me as follows 

 "Besides my own chances For observations in Maine. New 

 Brunswick and Canada East, I have taken greal pains to 

 inquire of all my fur collectors and buntersabbul ptarmi- 

 gan, but 1 can find no instance of its capture in the region 

 named. An old hunter who resided for twenty years near 

 (iaspe. has extensive dealings in the ResligOUClle and Meta- 



pedia region, and knows the whole of that country, assures 

 in.' thai this bird is never found south of the SI. Lawrence 

 River, below Quebec.*' 



1 have fished in summer through various parts of Maine 

 and New Brunswick, and hunted on the "south shore" of the 

 St. Lawrence River in winter, and all my own observations 

 and Inquiries have resulted in repeated failure to find any 

 evidence of Iho existence of the ptarmigan south of the Si. 

 Lawrence River. This species ( l..oii,u -i is a common resident 

 on the island Of Aiiiieo,ii. in IheOulf of St. Lawrence, 

 however, and abundant in Newfoundland. 



Prairie Owl — Burnta cwiculariq And.: Speatylo auniciila- 

 rii hypogmt Ridg. 408. Cs. 487.— lu 1879 an ow'l of this spe- 

 cies was left in Portland, Maine, for D taxidermist (Mr. An- 

 drew Nelson. .Ir.i. No person ever called forthehird, which 

 was alive when left with .Mr. Nelson, although it was wing- 

 broken, and no further facts concerning this specimen can 

 he learned, ll may have been a snaggle!' from the plains in 

 the West, but mor: probably was brought East iu a cage. 



Trumpeter Swan— Oygnvt bvetitiaUrr Ami.. Cs. 688; Olor 

 buccinator Kidg. 589. — Some years ago (prior to 1868)aswan 

 was sen at Scarboro, Maine, during several consecutive 

 days. The late Caleb G. Loring, Jr., to whom the common 

 swan (/'. amtri&anuS Ami.) was' well known, observed this 

 bird repeatedly tly from the bay and circle aboul over the 

 marsh high in ilie.'air, ullering cries which led Mr. Loring 

 io believe the bird lo bo a trumpeter swan. 



Tufted Puffin Morirwn om-haMis Aud. ; Lunda eivrlmta 

 Ridg. 7-15; Fra/erenln eirrnln Cs. 856. — The following record 

 of this species is given in "Hirds of America" by Audubon: 



lie spei i mi- a ;iom which I drew the figure of this singu- 

 lar looking bird was procured at the mouth of the Kennebec 

 River, in Maine. It was shot by a fisherman gunner while 

 standing on some floating ice in "the winter of 18S1-33. Xo 

 Other individual was seen." As fifty years have elapsed 

 since this oceurrence without a similar record for the coast, 

 ihc species is Only mentioned in ibis connection. 



(ireai Auk-Afca impmnit (Linn.).Ridge 741. Cs. 878.— 

 Although this species is now generally supposed to be 

 utterly extinct, il undoubtedly once existed upon the coast 

 of Maine. Bones found at various places in Maine have 

 been referred to this species. (See the "American Natural- 

 ist,"!., p. r>78.) 



| The notes already printed close the body of Mr. Smith's 

 history of Maine birds, which has contained much that is 

 of interest to our ornithological readers. The author has, 

 however, expressed his intention of making .some supple- 

 mentary remarks, which will appear next week. The value 

 to ornithologists, ut Mich lists, when they arc- carefully and 

 judiciously compiled, is very great, and we feel sure thai 

 il,.- present one has been highly appreciated by those inter- 

 ested in Ihc subject with which ii deals.] 



MASSACHUSETTS WINTER NOTES. 



Birds wintering at Taunton, Mass., and vicinity 



during the winter of 1 882-3. 



BV JOHN c. CAHOOX. 



Till', following brief notes of the past winter, and of 

 the birds at Taunton and vicinity, 1 take from my note- 

 book : 



December, 18S2, came in with snow on the ground, and 

 during the u.onih I here were sixteen days of sleighing. The 

 lowest point reached by the mercury wasOn the 4h, 8 above- 

 zero. During ihc month it snowed on six days and rained 

 jn eight (lavs; twelve d.ivs perfectly fair. The month, as a 

 whole, averaged Id colder than December, 1881. 



A few robin- {Furdui wigratoriuB), and bluebirds (Sialia 

 aialis) were seen and heard al variou- limesduringthe month. 

 Saw golden-crested kinglets (Eegulus mtrapa) in company 

 Willi chickadecB (Pwrus atrieaptllvs) every few days. A num- 

 ber of brown creep, i- (Ceruiia fimiiiiaris) remained here 

 during the month. Ycllow-rumpcd warblers (Doidrnm 

 miwtata) were quite abundant; found them in swampy land 

 mar a river. Saw flocks of goldfinches (A StragqUi 

 from time lo time, and song sparrows (.1/. ' 

 maincd with us throughout the month. Snowbirds (Juneo 

 hi/i iimih) and tree sparrows i-V--''" moriticola) were (piite 

 common; crows (Corwii frugivoru*) common; blue jays 

 (Oi/niiuriiiit rrhl'iin) verv common, saw ihem every day that 

 [•went OUt. A -mall number of hairy and downy wood- 



peckers (Pious mlosus and P. piibesa «*) were sen during the 

 month. Golden-winged, woodpeckers [Oolapta au 

 quite plentiful. Great horned owls (Bubo tirginiaimt*) were 

 seon several times. Several barred owls (strh- nebulosa) wore 

 also seen. One of them was observed in a small swamp near 

 il,.- , -jf v. On the 2-itli a handsome adult saw-whel owl (Xy- 

 tala aeadica) was b'roughl to me that was shot at this place. 



This is l he liist to m\ knowledge that has been taken here 

 in the winter. Several years ago I saw some young saw- 

 whel owls at Pleasant Lake. Cape Cod, thai were taken 

 Horn a bole in a decayed tree. Tin tv were I lure of them, 

 and two. were so tamethat they alighted on my band, but 

 the Other one was savage, and if I put my hand near him he 

 would llv and peek at it as hard as he could. Their favorite 

 food was small fresh ti-h cut up line. They were the 

 handsomest, voting owls that 1 ever saw, bul Ihey all died 

 before Ihey reached I heir full growth. Saw red-tailed hawk 

 (Suteo bormUa), quite a number of ruffed grouse (BonaM 

 wnibelkt), and quails (OHj/X mrginiana) were, to all appear- 

 ance, wintering well, enough being left, when the season 

 Closed, lo breed next spring and summer. 



January followed December without any great change in 

 the lemp.'ralure. Ten dav- of sleighing. The lowest point 

 reached by the mercury was oh the 13tb, 10" below zero; the 

 highest on ihc gl'sj ami 30th, 50 . During the month it 

 snowed on nine davs ami railed live days; eleven days per- 

 fectly fair. The month as a whole averaged 8° colder than 

 Januor' 1*32. The morning of ihc I8tli had the honor of 

 showinglip as the eoldeal Ol the season. .Mercury dropped 

 all night, and at 7 A M. ii reached its lowest point. 10'- be- 

 At I? M. the mercury had climbed lip to 40° above 

 aero. A change of 50 in five" hours is a little peculiarity 

 of New England. The snow storm, which reached usun 

 i iie nigh; ol the 9tb, proved to be the most severe of the sea- 

 son. The wind blew hard from the north, and large drifts 



were piled up, and travel to some extent delayed. At noon 

 the mercury had not risen beyond 11 above zero, and the 

 few people that had to be out encountered a first-class bliz- 

 zard. 



_ Bluebirds (fjutUa sidMs) were heard Singing al various 

 times, and a pair of them were seen in a meadow once dur- 

 ingthe month'. Golden-crested kinglets (fiegiilns ttQtrapa) 

 and chickadees (Parut atrkapillns) were common, and on 

 the 32d I -hot quite a number of the former, nearly all of 

 them being a, i, ills. On the 2d I shot one of a pairof vel- 

 low-rumpeil warblers 1 1>. „./,:.•:> ,■■„:.,„ •!,•) the only oh,-, I 

 saw dmine the month. Although 1 did not see any p'mc 

 grosbeaks (Pinieola emucleatQr), several Hocks were seen, and 

 a few were taken, Saw a large (lock of redpoll iinnets 

 (EgioOmt Utiaria) once during the month. Goldfinches 

 (AsiragaUmi (ristis) were seen often in large and small 

 flocks. .\ pair ,,f song sparrows (Mdbipiea faieiata) was 

 found liv me wintering in a little sheltered v.,'|i,-v Snow- 

 birds (Juneo A'A math) were common. Tree sparrows (Spteella 

 montieobt) were abundant from the beginning to the end of 

 the month. Crows (Com,*/,,,,,;,,^*) were seen occasionally, 

 bul were not as common as in December, lilue jays (fiya/no 

 oitta rrist/itn) were common Piairy and downy woodpeckers 

 (PteusHiUogusmiAP. prcbescens) were noticed at, different 

 times, the hairy being more common than the downy wood- 

 pecker. Golden-winged woodpeckers (Oolaptes auratus) 

 were quite plentiful, a tlock of them wiiilering in an old 

 barn, where 1 saw them (lying in and out of some holes near 

 the top. Great horned owls (Bubo vvrginiamis) were seen a 

 few times, and or the 4th, a handsome adult was brought to 

 me. A barred owl {Stri.r ncbuloxti) was seen once. A hawk 

 was seen a number of times, which from the description 

 musl have been a red tailedhawk(-0Kfe<? bbrmUs.) Saw ruffed 

 grouse (Bona*' urnbelta) quite a number of times, and found 

 quails (Orlyr tirginiana) from time to time in an old corn 

 field feeding on the weeds and corn that had been left there. 



February has been remarkable as a month of ice and 

 snow. Nearly every snowstorm turned into rain, which 

 froze, making one successive sheel of ice. There was excel- 

 lent sleighing nearly all of the month. The mercurv fell 

 during the month to 6" above zero. During lhenionth.it 

 bas snowed on eleven davs and rained on nincjlavs: eleven 

 days perfectly fair. 



A liock of robins (Turilnx migr/ttoriue) and bluebirds 

 (Si,ili,i. t.i,ili«) were found in the 'early part of the month 

 wintering in a pine swamp on the outskirts of the city. 

 Golden-crested kinglets (Kegulvs satrapo) were seen quite 

 often, i hickadees (Paras atrieapCUin) very common. I 

 saw brown creepers (Cc-!/,;,( famiUark) a few times. 

 On the 5th I shot a yellow-rumped warbler (Dendwea ">>"■ 

 Hata), the only one thai 1 saw 'during ihc month, I saw a 

 flock of pine* grosbeaks (Pinieola enwikator) once. They 

 were on some willow trees near a river. Redpoll linnets 

 lh'>/ini/iiix linnri'i) became common about the loth, and 

 during the month I secured some good specimens. Qold- 

 tinehes {AstragaUwaa trisiis) were abundant. A few song 

 sparrows (AfeloSpteafastiata) began io appear on the 27ih 

 and 28th. Snowbirds (Junto hyemalis) were seen every few 

 days, and tree sparrows ,.S /:,<,; ,„. ,,,/;,■„!■,) were particularly 

 abundant. Crows(0»! >usfnigiwrus) were more common 

 than in January. Blue jays (G'yanqDiila oristatd) were 

 plentiful all the month. Golden-winged woodpeckers 

 (Cdlaptes aipratas) were seen occasionally. liaiiv woods 

 peckers </V</.- viUostis) were seen now and then, and I shot 

 several from Ihc Irees in my back yard. Saw dou ay wood- 

 perkei ■, Plan ,..■■'.. .v.--,..v)omV A Yew screech owls (Stops 

 a sio) began to show OnsffiselveS at. the latter pari of the 

 mouth. I saw ruffed grouse (Booum Umbelto), and quails 

 (Ortyie virginiana) often, and from what 1 have seen they 

 have wintered well. 



Tbe first two days of March were warm and springlike, 

 but this soon gave "way lo very cold and blustering weather, 

 which, with lie exception of a few days, remained so 

 throughout the monlh. We had some' of our coldest 

 weather in March. I he mercury dropping to 2 below zero 

 on tin-, morning of the 8ih. and C below on the Slth. We 

 had a few snow storms in March, the most that fell at one 

 time was three inches. 



A flock of goldfinches {AstragaHnus tW»<Xs), redpoll linnet- 

 (Egioihus linarui), and pine linnets (OhrysomilHs pimts) 

 remained near our house nearly the whole of the mouth. A • 

 screech ovt 1 (Seopi asip) was biought. to me on the 1st. The 

 morning of the -M was warm ami pleasant. When I awoke 

 iu the morning I heard song sparrows (Melospixa faieiata) 

 singing, and soon after breakfast a liock of six robfna 

 i '/'unl'iis migratoriws) alighted on a tree near the house. 

 During the day a few bluebirds (Siala iiaUs) made their 

 appearance. The first bird to arrive from the South was a 

 fox sparrow (Passt retta iliaca), which I saw on the 4th. On 

 the Kith 1 secured two shore larks. {Brmoph&a alpestm) out 

 of a (lock living on a field. March 11 LsawacOopefs hawk 

 (AreipiUr mvpt ri) and a small tlock of ycllow-rumpcd 

 - /■iiromila). I saw a chipping sparrow 

 l < l ),';,n.i ,h.i,t, *//-■«( i on l he 13th. 1 observed on the Ititha 

 dock of ten male redwing blackbirds (AmUus ..■' 

 On thel7th saw first meadow lark (Hturmlbi nm;:i„n. and a 

 tlock ol wild geese (B.rni,'hi eapatttnsis) was seen Hying 

 over. While walking near a sprinshole on the l!)th Ifiushed 

 a large woodcock (WU.fe minor) OUl of some low bushes 

 iieai by. A flock of purple gnickles (QuUcalUS purpurea*) 

 was seen on ihc 21th. A pair of pine grosbeaks (I'ioia/a. 

 in iirholor) slopped here on the 2ath. I saw a single white- 

 bellied swallow , Tvidoprtona bicolor), and shot a mocking-bird 

 (Mimtis polyglottv?) op the 26th. On the 28th 1 shot a cow- 

 bird iMolnlbnid nt* i). 



Although I did nol see a -ingle ObrikO (Laniw borailts) 

 during the winter, vet the local paper contained au account 

 of the thinning out of the English sparrow, caused by this 

 "bold brigand'.'' On the 2d of March I found a pine linnet 

 {fhniKowitrii iiin '/■•, i in (he crotch of a hush with its head 

 and neck eaten oil'. I have no doubt but thai, it was done 

 by a butcher bird, as it Was near the house and I had not 

 seen any hawk about. 1 find the birds that have wintered 

 ai Taunton and vicinity are: 



Robin (Turdux mif/ralorius). 



Bluebird (Sialia stalis). 



Goldi n-crcsted kinglet (Begulits satrapa). 



Chickadee i/iw»« atrii\i)iiUnx). 



Brown creeper (Ccrthia famiiiam), 



V, llow-nihip. d warblei (Dendrseoa cwohata). 



Great northern shrike (Lanius boreaUs)- 



Pine grosbeak . 'eator). 



Redpoll linnet USgiOthus Uiwria), 



American goldfinch (AstragaUnvs tristis). 



fine linnet (Ch, : . 



Song sparrow MelospizafaacicM). 



Black snowbird (Jnnco TtyemaW), 



