GOOSE— MARSH WREN-ROYAL TERN— PHALAROPE- AMERICAN AVOCET. 



87 



peculiar and, to a dainty palate, not pleasant flavor to the flesh. 

 From the circumstance of its fat, plump, little body, it is sometimes 

 called Butter-box as well as Butter-ball. 



PLATE LXI. 



White-fronted Goose— Speckle-belly. {Anser albifrons.) 



Fig. I. 



The White-fronted Goose is generally distributed over the United 

 States, even reaching as far south as New Orleans. None, how- 

 ever, are known to breed within her borders. Their favorite win- 

 tering place is along the California coast, where they may be found 

 in immense numbers. They leave for their northern breeding 

 places as soon as snow disappears in the spring. According to 

 Richardson, these breeding places are in the woody districts north 

 of the 67th parallel, and from thence to the Arctic ocean. Beyond 

 a slight depression in the sand they make no nests, and lay from 

 six to ten eggs. The eggs are about 3.30 by 2.10 inches, dull 

 yellowish in color, with a shade of green, and marked with darker 

 tints. The flesh is much sought after for the table. Dr. Coues 

 states that they have learned to distrust the approach of horses, but 

 have no fears of horned cattle, and that hunters take advantage of 

 this fact, hiding themselves behind a bullock which they drive 

 within gunshot, when they shoot them in immense numbers. 



Short-billed Marsh Wren. (Cistothorus stellarts) 

 Fig. 2. 



This bright little bird inhabits the eastern province of the United 

 States, Massachusetts being its northern range, and extending west 

 as far as the Platte. It winters in the Southern States and Mexico. 

 It reaches its northern limit early in May, and immediately after 

 pairing, commences to build its nest, which is constructed of grasses 

 and sedges, pensile, being suspended in the tops of grassy tufts in 

 marshy meadows. With great ingenuity these materials are woven 

 into a spherical form, with a small entrance on one side just under 

 the greatest bulge of the nest. A thin lining of the soft fibers of 

 silk-weed is added. The eggs are from six to eight, pure white, 

 the shells proving extremely thin and fragile, and measuring .57 

 by .44 inches. This bird rarely visits cultivated ground, passing 

 its life in marshy meadows. Its presence is heralded by a lively 

 and constantly repeated song, resembling " tsh, tship a day, day, 

 day, day," accompanied by alternate depressions and elevations of 

 the head and tail, and giving to the little musician a comical ap- 

 pearance. Its food is almost wholly confined to coleopterous in- 

 sects. Mr. Samuels says that a peculiarity of this bird is its habit 

 of building a number of nests in the same season, it is believed for 

 the purpose of securing protection, as when a person searches for 

 the nest, the male always seeks to decoy the intruder to the neigh- 

 borhood ?{ one of these empty ones. 



Cayenne Tern— Royal Tern. {Sterna regia.) 



Fig- 3- 



This bird is found upon the southern portions of the Atlantic 

 coast, reaching its northern limit on Long Island. It is found in 

 the Gulf of Mexico, on the Pacific coast as far north as California, 

 and in South America on the coasts of Brazil and Peru. This 



species is very shy, and when captured, very pugnacious. They 

 are frequently found several miles out at sea, but prefer low, shal- 

 low shores, where they find abundant food in crabs and kindred 

 marine animals. Their flight is strong and capable of long con- 

 tinuance, and when at a great height they will plunge toward the 

 water with speed almost incredible, and capture their prey. Their 

 notes are very harsh, resembling, according to Audubon, the syl- 

 lables "kwe-reek," which they repeat several times in succession, 

 and so loud as to be heard at the distance of half a mile or more. 

 They seem to make no nest, dropping two eggs on the bare sand. 

 These eggs measure about 2.75 by 1.81, are rather sharp at the 

 smaller end, of a pale yellowish ground color, spotted with dark 

 umber and faint purplish marks. The young are easily distinguished 

 from the old in having a yellow, instead of a bright red bill, and 

 spotted plumage. 



Red Phalarope. (Phalaropus fulicarius.) 

 Fig. 4. 



This bird is generally distributed over the northern part of the 

 Northern Hemisphere, seeking very high latitudes for the purpose 

 of breeding, and migrating to the tropics during the winter. Its 

 range is more particularly confined to the coasts, though Audubon 

 shot his first specimens in Kentucky. It is also an inhabitant of 

 the north and east of Europe, being found in great abundance in 

 Siberia, upon the banks of the lakes and rivers of these regions, 

 and on the borders of the Caspian Sea. Their flight is very 

 rapid, closely resembling the Sandpiper's. They rarely dive, but 

 swim with great rapidity. The nest consists of a hole or slight 

 depression in the ground, which they line with withered vegeta- 

 tion, and in which from three to four eggs are laid. These eggs 

 vary so in color and markings that it is difficult to describe them. 

 The ground colors are sometimes dark greenish-olive, at othef 

 times light grayish-drab, with very bold and heavy markings of 

 dark chocolate or light brown. In size they measure about 1.10 

 by .82 inches. The flesh, according to Audubon, proves capital 

 eating. 



American Avocet. ( Recurvirostra americana.) 



Fig. 5- 



This bird inhabits the United States and British Provinces, 

 breeding throughout these regions. It is rare in New England, 

 and winters on our southern borders, touching Guatemala. It is 

 most abundant along the Mississippi valley, and from thence west- 

 ward to the Rocky Mountains. Their favorite location is a shal- 

 low, reedy pond, through which they like to wander, up to the 

 belly in the water, with a graceful, deliberate step, and a constant 

 swaying of the head and neck. When they are disturbed, they 

 rise from the water, stretch back their long legs as a counter- 

 poise to their equally long neck, and uttering a peculiar "click, 

 click, click," flip leisurely to a little distance, and again alight, 

 folding their long wings for an instant almost upright, and then 

 deliberately folding them into proper place. Their nests are built 

 in thick tufts of grass, composed of the same material in a dried 

 state, and lined with softer fibers of the same. The eggs are usually 

 four in number, the ground color ranging from a dark olive to a 

 brownish-drab, evenly marked with spots of chocolate brown, and 

 measuring about 2.00 by 1.37 inches. Its food consists of marine 

 worms, snails, and the various insects that abound among soft 

 muddy bottoms. 



