GENERAL CHARACTERS OF THE AVIFAUNA. 29

are quite a number, however, which are extremely rare, and

by

no

means

entitled to be considered as inhabitantsof the District. Such

may

be divided intothree classes: First, those which visitus in severe winters, being driven beyond their usual range

by

inclemency of the weather or scarcity of food; such asNyctea nivea, Astur atricapillus, Falco peregrines, Lanius borealis, Pinicola enucleator, Loxiaamericana, L. leucoptera, uEgiothus linarias, Plecfrophanes nivalis. Second, those whichvisitusinthelatterpartof

summer,

mostlythewandering

young

of speciesbreeding farther south, as Rhynclwpsnigra,severalspeciesof Ardcida',

and

probably Chamcepeliapasserina. In thethird

and more

extensive classaretoberangedthestragglersproper; speciesobserved

for the most part but once,

whose

appearance is wholly fortuitous, depending

upon

nofixedhabitofthebird. Thus,several species of Sea-

Ducks

(Fuligulince): three species of the pelagic family Procellariidce, Graculus dilophus, Tyrannus verticalis,Milvulus forficatus?, Chondestes grammicus, the

European

Mareca penelope,have all been observed in the District orimmediatevicinity.

Such

occurrences arealways inter- esting,

and

should properly be enumerated in

making up

a list; but they takenopart in the regular orderof things.

The

great

mass

of the birdswhichpass throughthe Districtin their spring migrations do not stop to breed before reaching, atleast, the AlleghanianorCanadian faunain regions north

and

east of us, in the latitude of

New England

and

New

York, or the

same

fauna farther southathigherelevationsnorth

and

westofusintheAppalachian chain.

Probablythe majority go stillfarther north, to Labrador, the Hudson's

Bay

regions,

and

even Arctic America.

Our

regularwintervisitants, as well asthosewhichstraggleattimesfromthenorth,donot,asarule, breed

anywhere

in the United States. Some, however, likeDendrceca

CBstiva, breed anywhere, apparentlyindependent of latitude.

Our

reg- ularfallmigrants forthe mostpart pass on through the United States towinterinthe

West

Indies

and

CentralorevenSouth America,though

some

lingerthrough that season along theGulf coast.

The manner

in which these extensive migrations are performed varies, doubtless, in different cases,

and

it is verydifficult to understand

how some

of the weak, short-winged birds accomplish such

immense

distances.

The manner

is almostas

much

of a mysteryas are the impelling, control- ing,

and

guiding causes, none of which have ever been satisfactorily explained.

Some

birds appearto perform the long journey

by

contin- ually flyingfrom forest toforest,orfromhedgeto hedge; but, as arule, birds

mount

directly high intothe air,

and

continue an uninterrupted flight until hungeror weariness compels

them

to desist. This contin- uous kind of migration is performed

by some

species at night.

Some

of the small insectivorous birds have been observed just at daybreak to descend from a great height,and after remaining motionless for a while, as^if to recuperatetheir energies, search diligently for food,

and

resumetheirflighttowardevening.

Any

one

who

haslivedinthewoods

30

during the migratory season

must

have repeatedlyheard the notes of passingbirdshighoverhead,invisibleinthe darkness.

The

distance at whichnotes can be heard underthese circumstancesissurprising.

We

havedistinctlyheardthe notesof the Bobolink, in the daytime,

when

the bird itself

was beyond

the rangeof vision.

The

loud honkingof wild geese while migrating is well

known.

A

circumstance which has great influence

upon

the appearanceof birdsin theDistrict, as a perturbating elementinconditionsotherwise natural, is the presence of a large city.

The

resulting modification in the

number

of species

and

of individuals

and

in their habits is

much

greaterthanformerly,

now

that thecityhastrebleditspopulation within twentyor twenty-five years,

and

suburban residences

beyond

actual municipal limits havealteredthe faceof the country very materially.

The

general result, as usual, has been the entireextirpation ofafew species, and decided decrease in the

numbers

of

many

others. Thisis strikingly

shown

in the casesof

Ducks and

otherwater- fowl,andof

game

birds generally.

The

Chesapeake

Bay and

all itstributariesarespecially adaptedtothe winter residenceof water-fowl,andstillwould beafavorite resortdidnot the incessant persecutiontowhichthese birds aresubjected force

them

toseeksaferquartersinthebays

and

inlets of

more

southern shores.

The same

istrueofvarious shy

and

solitary birds which have gradually retired, whollyor ingreatest part with the clearing up of the forests,to

more

mountainous or other secluded

and

lessaccessiblere- gions.

The Wild Turkey

has been practically exterminated, though

still lingering nearus;

and

so has doubtless theSand-hill Crane.

The

Pileated

Woodpecker

isnearlyinthe

same

predicament,thoughstillseen oncein awhile.

The

modificationhasno doubt been greater during the period betweenthe

two

editionsofour Listthan in alltimepreviously,

and we

have been obligedtobear thisconstantlyin

mind

inremodeling our notices of the species. Nevertheless, the pertinacity with which

some

birdshold their

ground

is surprising; the

common

Partridge,for example, being^still found near the city, though soincessantly perse- cuted.

A

fewbirds appeartoincreasein

numbers

with theopening

up

of country, their insect fare, probably,

beng

^improved,

and some

of theirnaturalenemies beingrestrained.

Examples

of changeofhabits consequent upon the settlement of the country are afforded

by

the Swallows, Swifts,

and some

otherspecies.

The Chimney

^{Swiftformerly} bredin hollow trees, but

uow

finds chimneys entirely eligible.

The Barn

Swallow

now

breeds entirely on the rafters

and beams

of out- houses; the Purple Martin gives preference to the boxes

now

every- whereplacedfor itsconvenience; theCliff Swallow has

abandoned

its

rocks forthe eaves of houses.

The

Bluebird,

House Wren, and

Pewit Flycatcherarealmost asdomestic;

we

havethe Chip-bird inthe trellis,

and even the

Owl

inthe belfry.

A

very disturbing element has been introduced sinceourList origi- nallyappeared; namely, the

European

Sparrow.

Though

nearly every

GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE AVIFAUNA. 31

one

—

^even among- those

who

wereinstrumentalin importing the pest

—

admitsthat

we made

a great blunder, allareslowtobepersuadedofthe enormityofthe mischief theselittlecreatureswill

work

inthe course of time.

With

this, however,

we

have here nothing todo^;

we

onlybring-

up

thesubjectinconnection withthedecreaseinthe

number and

variety ofour native singingbirds inthecityitself. Thisis afactwhichprob- ably everyone hasnoticed, and which few pretendto deny anylonger.

It is not

due

to the building

up

of thecity

and

the increase in thepop- ulation, as

some

have supposed.

The

city is parked

and

preserved nearlythroughout,

and

fullofshade

and

ornamentaltrees.

The

actual

number

of treesis vastly greaterthan it

was

in thecow--pasturedaysof the ante helium epoch;

and

there is no reason

why

those birds which ordinarilyinhabit cities should notbe at least as

numerous

as ever, or rather

more

so, werethey not driven

away by

the Sparrows. Itwould perhapsbe

more

accurate to say, were they not crowded

and

elbowed outofthe

way;

the impress

made

bythesturdylittleforeignvulgarians

upon

thenative population beingeffectedrather

by

theirnumbers,their persistency, turbulence,

and

noisiness, than

by

their pugnacity or ag- gressiveness; though downright acts of hostility

may

be continually witnessed. In fine, there isnot food

and room enough

for

many

other birds where Sparrowsare numerous.

We

^{should not} close this slight sketch without special reference to the

phenomenal

season of 1882, inwhich the ordinary courseof migra- tory events

was

interrupted in an unprecedented manner.

We

had, in fact,a^"tidal

wave"

ofbirdsduringthesecond

and

thirdweeksin

May.

Itstormedfortendays,

up

toabout themiddleofthe month,

and

before the cold rain ceased there

was

such a gathering of birds inthecityas

had

neverbeenwitnessed

by

the " oldest inhabitant."

Many

thousands of birds filledthe streets

and

parks; so great

was

the

number and

so brilliantthe assemblage that thenewspaperstook it

up and

published theirnotes andqueries.

To

accountfor the

unwonted

apparition,

some

onestartedthestorythatavessel,justarrived atawharfin

Georgetown

fromthe

West

Indies,

had

brought a cargoof tropical birds which

had

in

some manner

escaped!

And

no wonder,

when

the city

was

swarm- ing with Scarlet Tanagers, Golden Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Eedstarts,

Summer and

otherWarblers,all as strange tothe average Washingtonian as the

most

brilliantexoticbirds could be.

Yet

these lovelycreatures are with us always for those

who

cansee

and

feel.

In theback yard of a private residence

—

^{a space 20}

by

40feet, con- taining onepeach tree

and some

grape

vine— we

counted six speciesat once; a BaltimoreOriole, a

Canada

Flycatcher, a Redstart, a

Summer

Yellow-bird, a Black-Throated Blue Warbler,

and

a Chestnut-sided Warbler. In the parks ^it

was common

to see a flock of sixor eight ScarletTanagersinone^tree. There wereflocks ofRose-breasted Gros- beaks inthe Smithsonian Grouuds; thesebirdswereshot

by

boys near the city,one little fellow killing six.

The

most remarkable sight

we

32

witnessed ourselves

was

a great troop^of a

hundred

or

more

Orchard Orioles in the Smithsonian Grounds, rambling with a few Baltiinores over the

new-mown

grasslike aflock of Blackbirds, whileat the

same moment,

on turning the head, the black, white,

and

rose-color of the beautiful Grosbeak

was

seen contrasted with the green over head;

Summer

Warblers, Black-and-yellow Warblers,

and

Chestnut-sided Warblers were skipping togetherthrough thetender foliage; Hermit Thrushes were ^{hiding in} the evergreen shrubbery,

and

the ubiquitous Sparrows werechaffering

and

dickeringon every hand.

The

^{rare birds}wereindueproportion

more numerous

thaneverbefore.

We

have knowledge of nine

Cape May

Warblers taken this season.

The

Golden-winged, Blue-winged^Yellow,

and

NashvilleWarblers were

all not

uncommon.

Several specimens of the Connecticut Warbler, never seen herebefore in the spring,

and

therare

Mourning

Warbler, seldom

known

to have beencaptured inthe District, werealsotaken.

The

weather

was

unquestionablythe cause of thisapparition. Con- sidering the country at large,it held the birds back; they could not

make

their usual

headway

against so protracted a storm;

and

even afterit ceased here,there

was

a cold

wave

northof us whichretarded their advance. It also seemed to

have

deflected the ordinaryline of migrationfrom the

highway

of theAppalachianchaintothe lower-lying landbetween these mountains

and

the sea-coast. In aword, a broad stream of birds flowing northward

was

contracted between compara- tively narrow banks

and

then obstructed in its course, the District happening to fall just in the

main

channel. This seems sufficientto accountforthe

phenomenon. As

to themultitudes ofbirds in thecity itself

—

for

we

cannot imagine the whole country round aboutto have been equally overcharged

— we must

suppose

them

to have beendriven in

by

cold

and

hunger.

They

actedforthe

most

part as thoughchilled

and

starved, showing no

more

fear of

man

than the Sparrows them-

selves, and

some

that wereshot beingfound greatly emaciated.

Evidence ofthe correctness of thisviewof the case willbe found

by

consulting theweathercharts for the periodin mention. Paragraphs

inrelation to theweather as affecting birds appeared in various north- ernjournals, though nothing like the "tidal

wave" we

witnessed here seems to

have

beenelsewhere noted.

With

these cursoryremarks

we

proceed to the annotated listof the specieswhichhave beenascertainedtooccurinthe]Hstrict.

Our

^obser-

vations, from which thispaperhas been prepared, extend overaperiod ofabouttwenty-five years,during which such timeascould properlybe sparedfromother pursuitshas been devoted to the studyof birds.

No

specieshas been admittedwhich hasnot actuallybeen takeninthe Dis- trictor itsimmediatevicinity.

We

indicatetheprobableoccurrenceof a few more, noneof which,'however, are included in the enumeration.

The

dates givenforthearrivals

and

departuresofthe non-residents^are.

inanycasethe

mean

ofthoserecordedduringsuccessiveyears, sincethey

PASSERES

OSCINES TURDID^E.

do

vary

somewhat

^accordingtothespeedyortardyadvanceoftheseasons.

They may

not in every instancebe quite correct, for notto finda bird

is at best but negative evidenceof its absence. If,then,

we

say, for example, "arrives themiddleof April

and

remains until the middleof September,"

we

are to be understood to state that accordingtoour observations thespeciesinquestionisnotordinarily to be found before thefirst nor after thelast of these dates. Itis regretted that theac- countsof

some

ofthewater-birds, notably theAnatidcc, are still incom- pletewith reference to the times of arrival

and

departure; but itis

hopedthat the veryfullparticulars givenofmost ofthe land birds will ina measure condonethis defect.

In the presenteditionthespeciesare

numbered

1to248consecutively.

With

this numerationisretained inparenthesis that oftheold List,for facility of cross-reference.

The

arrangement

and

nomenclature are altered entirely, beingconformedto those of "the Coues

Check

List of North

American

Birds,"etc.*

The number

which eachspecies bears iu thatList isalso affixed in brackets.

Order PASSERES

^:

^Passerine

^Birds.

Suborder OSCINES

^:

Singing

Birds.

Family TUKDID^

^{: Thrushes.}

SubfamilyTURDUSLL^: TypicalThrushes.

1. (4S.J TurdusmigratoriusLinn. Romx.

A ^permanent

^resident,though probablynot represented

by

the

same

individualsall theyear round.

A

fewbreed,

and

afew remain during the winter^; but the greater

number

pass through duringthe migra- tions,proceeding farther north for the summer,

and

farthersouth for thewinter. It is most abundant during the

months

of

March and

Fig.1.

—

^{HeadofRobin,nat.size.}

*TheCouesCheckListofNorth AmericauBirds. SecondEdition,RevisedtoDate, and entirely Rewritten, under Direction ofthe Author, with a Dictionary of the Etymology, Orthography,andOrthoepyof theScientificNames,theConcordance of previous Lists, andaCatalogueofhis Ornithological Publications. Boston. Estes andLauriat. 1882. 1 vol.,imp. 8vo,pp.1G5.

Bull.Nat, Mus. No. 26 3