154 THE WHITE-THROATED FINCH. 



or a winter grape. Their principal enemies in the day-time, are the little 

 Sparrow Hawk, the Slate-coloured or Sharp-shinned Hawk, and above all, 

 the Hen-harrier or Marsh Hawk. ~The latter passes over their little coteries 

 with such light wings, and so unlooked for, that he seldom fails in securing 

 one of them. 



No sooner does spring return, when our woods are covered with white 

 blossoms, in gay mimicry of the now melted snows, and the delighted eye is 

 attracted by the beautiful flowers of the dog-wood tree, than the White- 

 throated Sparrow bids farewell to the south, not to return till winter. 



It is a plump bird, fattening almost to excess, whilst in Louisiana, and 

 affords delicious eating, for which purpose many are killed with blow-guns. 

 These instruments — should you not have seen them — are prepared by the 

 Indians, who cut the straightest canes, perforating them by forcing a hickory 

 rod through the internal partitions which intersect this species of bamboo, 

 and render them quite smooth within by passing the rod repeatedly through. 

 The cane is then kept perfectly straight, and is well dried, after which it is 

 ready for use. Splints of wood, or more frequently of cane, are then worked 

 into tiny arrows, quite sharp at one end, and at the other, instead of being 

 feathered, covered with squirrel hair or other soft substances, in the manner 

 of a bottle-brush, so as to fill the tube and receive the impulse imparted by a 

 smart puff of breath, which is sufficient to propel such an arrow with force 

 enough to kill a small bird at the distance of eight or ten paces. With these 

 blow-guns or pipes, several species of birds are killed in large quantities; and 

 the Indians sometimes procure even squirrels by means of them. 



Dr. Richardson informs us that this species reaches the Saskatchewan in 

 the middle of May, and spreads throughout the Fur Countries up to the 66th 

 parallel. On the 14th of June, he found a female sitting on four eggs, at 

 Cumberland House. The nest, which was placed under a fallen tree, was 

 built of grass, lined with deer's-hair and a few feathers. Another found at 

 Great Bear Lake was lined with the setae of bryum. The eggs were very 

 pale mountain-green, thickly marbled with reddish-brown. When the female 

 was disturbed, she made her escape by running silently off, in a crouching 

 manner, like a Lark. I met with this species in Labrador, in considerable 

 numbers, but did not find its nest, although the young were seen late in July. 



When kept in an aviary, this bird, in the latter part of spring or about 

 May, sings at all hours of the night as joyously as when at liberty and 

 breeding. It arrives from the north in South Carolina about the first of 

 November, and departs in the end of March. In that State it is quite silent 

 until the approach of night, when it chirps, as I have already described. 



The dog-icood, of which I have represented a twig in early spring, is a 

 small tree found nearly throughout the Union, but generally preferring such 



