AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
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except General D., had become discouraged, and proposed 
to return home; he therefore desired that they would 
make one more attempt, and if they failed in this, he 
would return home with them; (he suspected his hounds 
had taken the deer to a certain point on a distant stream, 
and there had killed it;) but his importunity availed no- 
thing, and they separated, he for further pursuit, and they 
for their homes. The noise of the hounds had ceased for 
some time, and, after riding a few miles, he could gain no 
other intelligence than that they were seen moving in the 
very direction he expected; he became now almost con- 
vinced that they had overtaken the deer, and were eating 
it; but he moved rapidly on to the spot, which he soon 
reached, and much to his satisfaction, saw a buck lying 
in the water on its side dead, and the hounds completely 
exhausted on the margin of the stream, unable to proceed 
any further; — this may be called the summit of the hunts- 
man’s glory. 
<£ March 6th, saw and shot a Loggerhead Shrike, (La- 
nins Carolinensis,) the first living bird of that kind I had 
ever seen; these birds seldom settle on a tree at any height 
from the ground; perhaps the average height may be fif- 
teen feet, and mostly on the central topmost branch; it is 
from this elevation, that in its silent watchfulness it disco- 
vers the mice and various worms on the ground, which 
form its food: this bird would be of great interest to the 
northern husbandman, because it devours so many mice 
and large worms; but its range north is North Carolina; 
from thence south it may be seen in every neighbourhood, 
and is very useful, on the cotton plantations. 7th, procured 
two or three specimens of squirrels; also saw some wild 
turkeys cross the road, but at too great a distance to shoot; 
this evening reached Columbia, S. C. The country around 
this city is a tolerably good ornithological district; but the 
only gentleman in the place who takes an interest in natu- 
ral history is Dr. Gibbes, professor of chemistry in Co- 
lumbia College; this gentleman pursues the study of na- 
tural history with great spirit, and has already a very 
superior collection on this subject; his cabinet of mine- 
rals is truly splendid, and has cost a large sum of money. 
The Blue Grosbeak, ( Loxia ccerulea,) and the Coerulean 
Warbler, (Sylvia ccerulea,) rare and most beautiful birds, 
frequently make their appearance in this neighbourhood. 
Dr. Gibbes has also procured several specimens of the 
Bewicks Wren, (Troglodytes Bewickii,) near his pre- 
mises, a new bird, figured by Mr. Audubon in the first vo- 
lume of his work, a copy of which I saw in the College 
Library, which, it appears, was subscribed for by the 
state, and deposited there; another copy is in the Charles- 
ton City Library; and a third, I understood, was pur- 
chased by a few spirited individuals of the city of 
Charleston. 12th, left Columbia about twilight, heard the 
well-known spring note of the Woodcock, (Scolopax 
minor;') to my surprise I found the Woodcock was con- 
sidered a rare bird south of Richmond, and the few which 
visit the southern states remain but a very short period 
during their migrations in the spring and fall. 13th, on 
the road to Augusta, was much diverted at seeing some 
men shooting with rifles at a black squirrel on the 
topmost branches of a tall pine; they had fired five or six 
unsuccessful shots with a rest, and it was finally left to 
my shot-gun to kill the animal; this pleased them much, 
as they belonged to some poor families then on the road, 
migrating to Alabama, and had been on short allowance 
of meat for some days. I discovered the Brown-headed 
and Red-bellied Nuthatches, (Sitta pusilla and S. varia,) 
to be very common in South Carolina and Georgia; but 
did not, during my visit in those states, see a single White- 
breasted Nuthatch, (S. Carolinensis ;) and Dr. Gibbes, of 
Columbia, informed me thathehad never seen one in that 
neighbourhood; this is remarkable, as its name would de- 
termine its residence there; the Pine-creeping and Yellow- 
rump Warblers remain in this country the whole year. 
14th, saw in some ponds of shallow water, close to the 
road side, the Mallard, (Anas bochas,) the Duffel-head- 
ed, (A. albeola,) and Summer Ducks, (A. spo?isa,) feed- 
ing on some short grass beneath the surface of the water; 
saw an abundance of the Cardinal Grosbeak the whole of 
my journey. Their plumage is much more brilliant than 
those of the north. 
“20th, left Augusta for Savannah, saw the Ruby-crown- 
ed Wren, ( Sylvia calendula ,) also for the first time, a pair 
of Ground Doves, (Columba passerina ,) or, as they are 
called, the Mourning Doves — noticed to-day also for the 
first, the Black Vulture, (Vultur jota;) this bird is smaller 
than the other species, and its location is in the south; it 
is very seldom seen as far north as Virginia. There is a 
story told, that during the Revolutionary War, the Black 
Vultures fed on some of the human and brute carcasses 
left on a field of battle in S. C., and that numbers had 
followed the army afterwards to the middle states, where 
they remained during the sojourn of the troops there, but 
were never seen before nor since, north of the Potomac. — 
Approached a pond, and saw a large flock of the Buflfel- 
headed Ducks feeding, also two Blue Herons, or Cranes, 
(Ardea coerulea ,) endeavoured to shoot the latter, but 
they would not suffer me to approach them. — About sunset 
heard the Wild Turkeys going to their roosts; the noise 
created by their wings, while flying to the top of the tall 
pine trees, is so great, that in still weather, it may be 
heard distinctly for half a mile; it requires great exertion 
on the part of the bird to reach their roosting places, as 
