Mat 28, 1885.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



347 



£#%#/ 



THE BIRDS OF MICHIGAN. 



BY DR. MORRIS GIBBS. 



{ConlinMed.) 



36. JMmiidhopliagn levrobronelviaUn Brewster. — White- 

 throated warbler. 



Only one specimen baa been secured in tbis State. On 

 May 25. 1879, while collecting with W. A.. Gunu, Esq.. in 

 a partially cleared tract overgrown with brambles, bushes 

 and weeds, we observed a small bird which was at first taken 

 tor the female of the goldenwing, lint which, on being se- 

 cured, proved to be a new species to us. The bird was a 

 male, and was taken in Ottawa county, about 43' north 1 at i 

 tude. 



Supposing that a new bird bad been discovered, and hav- 

 ing looked over every available work in vain for a proper de- 

 scription, the bird was named IT. gu/ini, in honor of the pos- 

 sessor by myself. At that time 1 had not seen the. plate and 

 description presented in an early issue of the "Nuttall Or 

 nithological Bulletin," which was the first information 

 offered to the public regarding this species. Corrections 

 quickly followed through the "Bulletin" and other papers. 



So far as observed, the white-throated warbler which Mr. 

 Gunn shot was similar in its movements to the goldenwing, 

 It kept in the low bushes or upon the ground, and did not 

 sing or even utter a call note. The locality was the edge of 

 a pinery, and the dead trunks of the trees were scattered 

 about, with the stumps and briers forming a labyrinth of 

 brambles, bushes, weeds and dead trees, in many places 

 almo&t impenetrable. 



37. Hehirfntliophaiia rufcapilla (Wils.) Baird.— Nashville 

 warbler. 



Arrives in early seasons by May 3, but in late seasons the 

 birds are not seen until May 9. The average arrival inaj- be 

 placed at May 5 or 6. The' birds linger with us some seasons 

 until the last of the mouth, although the large majority of 

 those seen pass along in a leisurely way without stopping. 

 It may prove that the species remains during summer, as I 

 have met with many birds in the last week in May occupy- 

 ing a large tract of swampy land covered with tamarack's. 

 The Nashville has never, as yet, been known to nest with us. 

 I have one data as late as June 17, which indicates a summer 

 residence; but if the birds do remain, they are so rare as to 

 be but seldom seen, and nothing has been offered on this 

 point absolutely conclusive. The rufous-crowned warbler is 

 especially fond of sections of country where tamaracks are 

 plentiful, and 1 have more often found them in such locali- 

 ties than any other. The birds are vivacious, active and 

 very pleasing* and from their cheerful disposition and small 

 size are particularly noticeable to the collector, or, I should 

 say, the ornithologist. 



The song of the little fellow is very pleasing, and may be 

 described by the syllables Ca-lwee, ca-licee, ca-twee, ca-twee, 

 twee twee-twee-twee-twee, or often Ca-weet, ca-weet, ca-weet, 

 tweetlc teetle-ktde. The notes are loud and clear, the latter 

 ones becoming rapid and sharper. The singer enters into 

 his sons' with great animation, and, throwing his head back 

 as he sits perched on a twig, is evidently entirely lost in his 

 ditty At the time of his singing he may be approached 

 within a few rods, but upon his ooserviug the collector ne 

 immediately drops iuto the bush or flies to the dense top of 

 a neighboring tamarack. The song is harmonious and is 

 readily remembered by a practiced ear. 



The birds are much more common some seasons than 

 others, and this peculiarity is common to many members of 

 the family, and is observed in many parts of the State. Mr. 

 Trombley, of Monroe county, writes me that the Nashville 

 is rare now, although quite common several years ago during 

 spring migrations. The species is found with us again in 

 July, sometimes by the 20th, and from this date to Sept. 1. 

 The birds may be taken in their accustomed haunts. Later 

 tban this I know nothing of them, but one Michigan col- 

 lector writes me that he has secured specimens from Oct. 10 

 to 15. Not reported from the Upper Peninsula as yet, but 

 known to nearly all collectors in the State. 



38. Helminthophaga eelata (Say) Baird. — Orange-crowned 

 warbler. 



Embraced by Boies in his list of birds of Southern Michi- 

 gan, 1875; and by Covert and Steere. Not mentiomed by 

 any of the earlier lists and known to but few collectors, 

 straggler, or more properly a rare migrant. Dr. Atkins, of 

 Ingham county, about 43° north 1st., writes me chat the 

 first he observed was on Sept. 11, 1880, and the last was 

 taken Oct. 1 of the same year. Three were shot in all. I 

 have never met with it, 



39. Helminthophaga peregrina (Wils.) Baird.— Tennessee 

 warbler. 



This is one of the last birds of the family to reach us in 

 spring, and in fact is one of our latest migrants, very few 

 species arriving later. The birds undoubtedly appear by 

 May 15, but as yet the earliest record in my notes is May 18, 

 and he rarely if ever arrives before the elm trees are in" full 

 foliage. The birds remaiu generally in the tops of the trees, 

 selecting the densest fob aged trees, usually the elms. In 

 this position they are rarely seen, and the collector often 

 seeks in vain for a shot at the olive green birds while they 

 are chirping in the trees above him by the score. By watch- 

 ing he can see a specimen fly out from the treetop for a sec- 

 ond and return almost instantly, or the bird may dash into 

 the next tree, but at this season— late May— a series of speci- 

 mens is difficult to procure. When they descend to the 

 bushes, which occasionally occurs, or more often to the apple 

 trees, is the time to shoot them. 



I do not think this species nests in the State, In all parts 

 of Michigan that 1 have visited it is completely a migraut. 

 The birds appear again in late August on their southern 

 journey, and are found iu scattered flocks until Oct. 10, or 

 even later. The song, which 1 have only heard in the spring, 

 is a sharp chatter, difficult to describe. They also have a 

 soft call note. 



40. Parula americanu (Linn.) Bp.— Blue yellow-backed 

 warbler. 



Occasionally seen as early as April 22, but usually appears 

 about May 1. Tbis season it arrived April 28. Some years 

 the birds are quite late and do not appear until May 11. 

 These records apply more particularly to Kalamazoo county, 

 where I have spent more time collecting than in other paits 

 of the State. A calculation may easily be made, however, 

 from observations in any part of the State as to time of arri- 

 val in other localities; but the rule is not always reliable, for 

 I have often observed birds in one section from fifty to one 

 hundred miles north of my home, while the same* species 

 were not observed in the neighborhood of my home for sev- 



eral days later. The species passes leisurely through the 

 southern counties ou their way to the north, and are often 

 found south of 43° as late as May 25. Few remain south of 

 43° during the summer, but as Ve go north the species is 

 found more common, and becomes an abundant summer 

 resident in limited sections. This bird is known to nearly 

 all collectors and is embraced in nearly every list. It is not 

 as yet recorded as a bird of the Upper Peninsula, but has 

 undoubtedly been overlooked there. It appears in the ad- 

 vance guard of warblers usually, and is frequently gone 

 before the Tennessee and other late arrivals have appeared. 

 I have met with it in several different counties in various 

 parts of the State, and considered it a well-distributed species 

 in Michigan. 



While with us, the blue yellowback is quite musical, and 

 the variety of notes is greater than is generally acknowledged. 

 Few writers have carefully studied the songs of our birds, 

 andmany have written that cei tain species now well-known 

 to sing with great spirit are devoid of musical ability. Wil- 

 l-on says that this bird "has a few, feeble, chirnip^iiig notes 

 scarcely loud enough to be heard at the foot of the tree." 

 On the contrary, the diminutive songster has at least two 

 distinct songs which are quite penetrating when we consider 

 the size of the singer. I have often heard the cbirpiugnotes 

 of the yellowback, referred to by Wilson— the call nobs 

 we may term them; notes which are common to many 

 species of warblers of the various genera, and so similar in 

 many instances that it takes a practiced ear— much better 

 than I possess— to distinguish the birds in the foliage. But 

 the songs of the warblers can all be determined by cultiva- 

 tion of the ear. 



The principal song of Parula is Zuee-zuee-zuee-dee-dee-deeee, 

 uttered in a steady even strain, as he searches among the 

 branches. It is occasionally modified to Zuee-dee zuee.zuee- 

 dee-dee or even zuee-mee and rarely dee-dee. as if iu finishing 

 the song which has been interrupted. These notes are very 

 deceptive and often appear to come from over our heads 

 when in reality the singer is iu the top of a tall tree ten or 

 fifteen rods away. Alter tlie foliage has appeared it is often 

 extremely diffleult to secure a specimen because of our in- 

 ability to locate the singer. There is another song which is 

 not heard so often as the last, and which I do not feel satis- 

 fied in describing as I am not sufficiently familiar with the 

 notes as yet. It is more variable and nicely modulated. 



The yellowback is more partial to tali trees in timber 

 lands, but is often found in oak woods, and frequently 

 among the bushes near streams. In early morning, when 

 the birds are in delightful chorus and frequenting the small 

 streams which flow through the forest, the subject of this 

 sketch may be found bathing in the edges of the rivulets. 

 Now dashing the water about with their tiny wings and 

 fluttering over the surface of some little side pool, again 

 shaking themselves and skipping from twig to twig among 

 the low bushes or hopping upon the ground, these little 

 gems give evidence of the life and bappiness which abounds 

 within the sylvan glades away from the haunts of man. 



I consider this bird a common one, but it is not regularly 

 abundant iu its migrations, and 1 have frequently collected 

 an entire season without meeting with a specimen. One col- 

 lector in the extreme southeastern part of the State informs 

 me that the birds are not nearly so common with him as 

 they were twenty years ago. It has never been found nest- 

 ing in Kalamazoo county, but a female containing an egg 

 ready for the shell was shot by Mr. Syke June 5, 1880. A. 

 H. Boies in his list of the birds of Southern Michigan, em- 

 braces this species as a southern sojourner. Nests in Wasu- 

 tenaw county according to A. B. Covert. It was first em 

 bTaeed in a li<t by Professor Sager in 1839. 



Of its nesting habits 1 kuow nothing. The blue yelknv- 

 backs depart for the south in late September. 

 41. P&rissoglossa tigrina (Gml.) Brd. — Cape May warbler. 

 A peculiar!}' variable species iu its migrations, occasionally 

 appearing quite common, and again extremely rare. The 

 birds are probably more common each season than is generally 

 supposed, but are not observed from the fact that they pass 

 by us so rapidly. 1 have met with the Cape May about half 

 the years that 1 have collected, and am satisfied that the 

 species migrates more rapidly than any other bird iu the fam- 

 ily of which 1 have any knowledge. The birds may be 

 found quite abundant in the morring, and not another 

 seen during the day or season. Again I have seen them in 

 tamarack swamps in considerable numbers as night was com- 

 ing on, while in the morning not one could be found in their 

 usual haunts. The birds may be found in the budding fruit 

 trees, deep beech and maple woods, low elm wood or pine 

 lands during the vernal journey, while in the fall they ap- 

 pear more partial to the tamarack swamps, in which they 

 are also found in spring. 



The Cape May is an exceedingly active bird, and gleans 

 among tbe foliage in a very livelj r manner. Few species 

 cover as much ground as he. He is ever on the move and skip- 

 ping from twig to twiginan exceedingly restless manni r; dash- 

 ing out from the treetop, seizing an insect with a loud snap 

 of his bill, and returning to his perch in a flash. Running 

 along a small limb and clinging to the bark of the trunk, 

 flitting from tree to tree, and rarely descending to a bush the 

 little meteor appears ever on the move, and is seldom shot 

 while quietly sitting on a twig. A flock will appear in the 

 treetops and pass by so rapidly that few specimens are taken 

 unless the collector hurries after them and shoots at every 

 opportunity. While with us the birds are not musical, and 

 1 have only heard the single, rather loud chirp or call note. 

 I do not think that this species remains in our State during 

 the summer, aud judge that all go to the north to nest. They 

 return to the south in late August, and are not so anxious 

 to reach their winter home as they were in the spring to 

 find their northern haunts, remaining with us frequently 

 until late September. The Cape May appears first in our 

 southern counties from May 10 to 15. and is seen some years 

 as late as May 20. After this date the birds are rarely seen 

 exceptiug in more northern parts, until the fall migration. 

 We may mention this species as an irregular straggling 

 transient. 



Present Distribution of the American Bison. — 

 Cimarron Kan., May 21.— Editor Forest and Stream: I send 

 you by mail the Garden City Sentinel with item in regard to 

 buffalo. There are a few (perhaps 200) buffalo southwest 

 of here, south of the Cimarron River about sixty miles 

 They were driven from the head of the South Beaver and 

 the country between there and the head of Palo Duro, 

 South Beaver is iu the neutral strip, Palo Duro is in Texas, 

 about sixty miles apart. There are about 1,000 there, in 

 bunches of five aud ten, and very wild. Their range proper 



matter of course, was successful. If never before, he has 

 well merited the title of 'Buffalo' Jones on this trip, which 

 extended as far as New Mexico, and resulted in the capture 

 of fourteen of (he quadrupeds. He brought with him 

 eleven calves, which he means to raise. We have always 

 contended that Kansas, and especially this part of Kansas, 

 takes the lead; now she can boast of' a real buffalo ranch. 

 While John Robinson, Barrett & Co., and other show*, ig- 

 nore our city this season, we have the drop on our neighbor- 

 ing cities in the fact that we now have one of our own." — 

 W. J, D. 



Spring Notes— Of tbe birds expected to date, we find 

 most of the different ones represented. Song sparrows aud 

 bluebirds have young. Among the shore birds we find bee- 

 tleheads (S. helvetica), chicken birds (S. interpret), winter yel- 

 lowlegs, ringnecks (A. semipalmala) and the peeps. Of'the 

 wood birds I have seen and heard of redpoll and pine creep- 

 ing warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, black and white 

 creepers, chestnut-sided, Wil-on's, black cap, black and yel- 

 low, Blackburnian, yellow, Maryland yellow-throated, and 

 redstarts, all of the warbler family; also tauagers, thrushes, 

 and one yellow-breasted chat. Some humming birds along, 

 and orioles (/. baltimore) are numerous. Cherry birds are 

 uncommon. One tern (8. casvia), female, was recently shot 

 near here.— X. Y. Z. (Salem, Mass., May 25). 



The Deadly Bi acksnakes.— E/erybody knows that the 

 blacksnake is not a poisonous reptile. Few know, how- 

 ever, how destructive they are among birds and young ani- 

 mals, such as squirrels, rabbits, etc. Last year I killed one 

 which had just swallowed two old birds aud their five young 

 ones. Yesterday Mr. J. W. Gow shot a large blacksnake 

 which had climbed a large oak. Noticing a bunch about 

 the center of the snake's body, he cut him open, and there 

 was a half grown grav squirrel which his blacksuakeship 

 had just swallowed/ Kill the blacksnakes, boys.— A E. M. 

 (Steubenville, O,). 



Pileated Woodpecker —In the mouth of November I 

 met with this bird iu the dense woods near Ocean City, Md., 

 where its peculiar clacking cry was heard at frequent inter- 

 vals, although, the bird itself was rarelv seen on account of 

 its wariness. I do not know that it breeds iu the above 

 locality, the natives (who know it by the terms wheeler and 

 woodcock) being unable to furnish any information on the 

 subject. The specimen secured was extremely tenacious of 

 life, clinging to the dead limb, until repeated shots dislodged 

 it — Wilmot (New York, May 25). 



\%W H&g xqd 



Kn ^M^ T thVfGSt ° f Cin]aiTOD ' lam^go.ngto 



them on Oct. 15 The newspaper slip reads: "Hon. C. J. awkward and unfriendly attitude by having laws passed 



Jones returned from his buffalo hunt last week, and, as a I which controvene and nullify those of the West. In the 



THE BOSTON DUMPING GROUND. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



For several years the friends to game protection have been 

 endeavoring to obtain more stringent game laws, or those 

 that could be more easily enforced. A petition or bill ema- 

 nating from the Massachusetts Fish aud Game Protective 

 Association, after much delib ration, is presented to the 

 Legislature, which is referred to the Committee on Agri- 

 culture. A day is appointed for a hearing; the friends and 

 opponents of the movement appear and give in their testi- 

 mony, which sometimes takes a very wide range. The peti- 

 tioners, verv few of them sportsmen, are somewhat scattered, 

 differ widely as to the best means for protecting our birds, 

 haveonly a general interest, and do not largely attend the 

 meetings On the other side —the opposition side— is a large, 

 well -organized set of men. mostly game dealers from Paneuil 

 Hall Market and its environs, who are easily rallied, organ- 

 ized and drilled to act as a unit, ready to resort to almost 

 any device to counteract and overthrow the designs of the 

 protectionists. Some of the testimony is very curious, and 

 their specious arguments are well c deulated to deceive the 

 committee. Here is a specimen. Fearing the influence of 

 the petitioners, and the justness of their cause, like cunning 

 unscrupulous lawyers, they must, attempt, by some means, to 

 break down the testimony of their adversaries. They repre- 

 sent the Association to be awenlthy, aristocratic, selhMi set 

 of fellows, who want the laws so' framed that they can go 

 out when they please, aud get all the game, to the exclusion 

 of the country boys upon whose land it was giown. Was 

 ever anything more monstrous, wicked or untrue? And 

 yet these damaging stories, whereby the people are preju- 

 diced against the A -social ion and its efforts in favor of game 

 protection, are widely circulated, and seem to so stir the 

 couutry members, that when they arrive at the State House, 

 they bring their prejudices with them. In vain do we plead 

 for the birds. In vain do we urge the necessity for a uni- 

 form close time for market and field. In vain do we prove 

 by the most incontrovertible evidence the imminent danger 

 of the destruction of several species of game birds, and The 

 wanton destruction, for milliuery and other purposes, of our 

 most useful insectivorous and song birds. In vain do we 

 pray for immediate action in behalf of agriculture aud the 

 welfare and happiness of our people. To all this, aud more, 

 the committee turned a deaf ear, while it seems to listen 

 with pleasure to the siren song of the game dealer, wherein 

 he sets forth his grievances, which in the main are, that any 

 change iu the game laws "will ruin our business." And so 

 these tender-hearted, gentlemen usually report, "The 

 petitioners have leave to withdraw," and the slaughter goes 

 on. 



So thoroughly is the committee impressed with the import- 

 ance of the game business, so inextricably are they in the 

 hands of the game dealers, that no law can be wrenched 

 fiom them to give the least satisfaction to the pctitiomrs or 

 protection to the birds. 



The dealers go so far as to testify that Western game catt 

 be kept in good condition in refrigerators all summer; that it 

 is good, wholesome food, a million of people in this State 

 want it, and that they should have the privilege of selling it 

 all the year round! They failed, however, to inform the 

 committee how long their'business would last if all the States 

 were to adopt the same rule. Now, it so happens that the 

 Western States, becoming alarmed by the rapid waste and 

 destruction of their game, have with great unanimity passed 

 stringent laws to prevent shipping out of those States any 

 grouse, quail or deer after the month of January. The 

 Eastern States— with the single exception of Massachusetts 

 where the game dealers rule the Legislature— have with 

 commendable promptness passed corresponding laws to aid. 

 aud sustain the other States. But here we are placed in an 



