A STUDY OF THE GENUS MACRORHAMPHUS.

Vol. XVIII

IgoI ^ ^{Hov,'^,}

A

Study of Macroyhampktis.

jcy

usually silent woods.

They

are not void of bird life, but the resi-

dentbirds, if not excited, are not loud,

and

the winter guests from northern lands are naturally very quiet

among

strangers in the fremd.

^ohpeos

ofthe Tufted Titare heard sometimes,but the species does not

seem

tobe so loud as farther north. Itscousin and

com-

panion, the Carolina Chickadee, is also heard from time to time, but the Woodpeckers, the

Downy,

the Hairy,

and

the Red-bellied, do not say

much,

while the Sapsucker says still less.

With

the exception of the Flicker,the Sapsucker is the most

numerous

ofits tribe, and

you

are just as likely to find

him

with the Kinglets

and

Yellow-rumpsin the magnolia of your garden, or with the

Robins and

Cedar-birds in the hollies at the bayou, as in the deep pine woods. Rathersurprisingatfirst isthepresenceof abevyof Bob- whites and a troop of

Meadowlarks

in the pine woods,but they appearto feel themselves as

much

at

home

there as the Flicker in the

marsh

or

meadow.

The

birdfauna generallyisquite varied in Louisiana at the first of March, though migrationfromthesouth has not yetset in.

Of

the species which regularly leave the State in winter only the Martin hasreturned,but migration begins soon after

and becomes

brisk by the middle of the month.

A STUDY OF THE GENUS MACRORHAMPHUS.

BY

REGINALD HEBER HOWE,

JR.

Ever

since

Thomas

^Bell

and George

N.

Lawrence

in 1852, in the ^'Annals^'ofthe

New York

Lycevmiof Natural History'(Vol. V, pp. 1-5),recognizedthat long-andshort-billed formsof this genus existed,ornithologists have either been loath (Coues, Birds ofthe Northwest, p. 477) ^{to accept the}two forms, or have been puzzled to identify

many

specimens in the collections.

A month

or two ago while examining

some

fifteen specimensof this genusin searchofa male Long-billed Dowitcher, the fact of

ic8

^Howe.,

A

Study ofMacrorhamphus. _[

A^ril

the tremendous sexual variation in size of the Dowitchers

was

brought to

my

notice. So very

marked was

this sexual variation in specimen after specimen examined, and so

weak

did any color difference appear, that I was at first strongly led tobelievethat thespecies^t/j-^//^represented themales andscolopaceus^\v^i^vck'^\^s of one and the

same

species.

Only

after the examination of

many

breedingspecimens, over thirty in number, did I

become

convinced that a subspecitic difference exists. I believe, with Dr.

Ridgway

(Bull. N. O.

C,

Vol. V, _pp. 157-160)that scolopaceus should stand as a subspecies and out of which rank I cannot see

why

it was taken, as intergrades unquestionably exist. I

have

examined

overtwo hundred and fifty specimens ofthe genus

Macrorhamphus

with the result that I find that adults of thetwo species, in

summer

or winter plumages, are to be determined almost invariably by the criterion ofbill

measurement

alone,andif

in breeding

plumage

to be even

more

easily separated. I have been also ablefrom the large series before

me

to

more

definitely fix both the breeding ranges and the migratory route ofthe two forms.

In regard to the sexual variation

shown

in the order Limicolae,

it is interesting to note that in the Pectoral Sandpiper {Tringa macnlata) (see A-uk, Vol.

XVI,

p. 179, andVol.

XVIII,

p. 107), the males exceed the females in size, while inthe present genus the reverseis true.

The

Wilson's Snipe {Galliiiagodelicata),

American Woodcock

{Phildhela fninor), the genera Lhnosa andNu?ne?iiiis, all

show

this latter typeof sexualvariationtoagreater or lessdegree,

Macrorhamphus

griseus Gvielin.

Geographical Breedijig Rafige.

— The

breeding range of this species is given as "within the Arctic Circle'' in

Chapman's

'

Hand-book'

_{(p. 155),} based on what data, otherthan hypotheti- cal, I

am

ignorant.

We

know, however, from various sources^{^} that it breeds in Ungava. Its breeding range I think can be safely said to be to the north and northeast of

Hudson

Bay,from the 55th parallel northward to Greenland,^ probablyalso a little

1Turner, Birds of Labrador, _1885, p. 246; Stearns, Bird LifeinLabrador, 1886,p. 53.

^ArcticManual andInstructions, 1875.

Vol.XVIIIH _\lo\VK,

A

Study ofMacrorhamphus. ₁

59

to thenorthwestofit,perhapsto the loothmeridianof longitude.^

Reek's mention^of ^itas breeding in

Newfoundland

is toovaguely statedfor recognition.

Migratory Routes.

— The

^{migratory route of this species, as}

will be seen by the

accompanying

^{map, is}

down

the Atlantic coast,

becoming

less

marked

as it progresses southward, until at the Carolina's itseems topass in the

main

off the coast, perhaps

tothe

West

Indies

and Bermuda

^{where it has been recorded.^}

The

specimens obtained ⁱⁿ the Western States are no doubt stragglers, offshootsfrom the

main

migration; those from

Lower

California and Mexico, wintering^birds.

Characteristics ofmnuner plumage: yl(f«//5.

—

Upper parts black, the feathers lightly edged with -white or bufty, hardly alterirg=the almost black appearance of the backand crown. Uppermost tail-covertswhite, spotted with black; tail featherswhite barredwith black and ivhite, the median onesrarelv with palebuff. Breast je/Zoww// rufous, spotted well

down

^{on theabdomen.}

Characteristicsofplumage in transition stages.

—

M.^griseuscan be gen- erallydistinguished by the black andtvhitc barred tail feathers,andje/- lorvishshadeof rufous underparts,as long asanyof thiscolorispercep- tible. Alsoby thespotted, not barred,uppermosttail-coverts.

Characteristicsofplumageinwinter.

—

^M.griseus can generally betold

by^{theclosespottingoitheuppermost}tail-coverts.

Characteristic plumage of young.

—

Upperparts fuscous borderedand barred with buff,breastpaler,veryfaintlymarked.

i6o ^Howe, A

Study of Macrorhaniphus. ^{r Auk}_LApril

Map

showing Breeding Ranges and Migration Routesof Alacrorhamphiis griseiisand M. grisensscolopaceiis.

Vol-X^vni-j

Howe, A

Study ofMacrorhamphus.

l6l

Macrorhamphus

^griseus

scolopaceus

{Say).

Geographical Breeding Range.

—

This form seems almost con- fined to Alaska in the breeding season, certainly extending no farther east than the iioth meridian of longitude or south of the 48th parallel of latitude in British Columbia.

MigratoryRoutes.

—

I'he trendofthe migration routeof scolopa- ceus, as

shown

on the

accompanying

^{map, seems to be in anorth-} westerly-southeasterly direction in the

main

to the east of the

Rocky

Mountains. Offshoots from the

main

route reach the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, on the latter not

uncommonly

from Sable Island southward. Perhaps afew

work up

the coast from Florida where they are byfar the

most common

of the two forms on migrations, especially in

November and

February.

Characteristics of summer plumage: Adults.

—

Upper parts black, the feathers stronglyedged and marked with deep rufous; this is espe- ciallysoinyoungbirds, giving the backand crown a mottled blackand rufouseffect. Uppermosttail-covertswhite generally barredwithblack, outer tail feathers white barred with black, median ones barred with black and rufous. Breast salmon; throat spotted with round arrow- shaped markings;breast andflanksbarredwithblack.

Characteristicsofplumage in transitio?i stages:

—

Scolopaceus can be distinguished well intotheautumn and intheearlyspring bythebarred rufous and black median tail feathers, and sabnon tinge of the breast coloring.

Characteristics ofplumage in -winter.

— M.

g.scolopaceus can gener- ally be told bythebarred uppermost tail-coverts.

Characteristics ofplumage of young.

—

Upperparts black, heavily bordered and marked withdeep rufous; tips of the median tail feathers barred Avith black and rufous; throat whitish, faintly marked; breast light salmon lightly marked with arrotv-sha'pQd spotsof dusky,abdo-

men

pale salmon.

162 Hknshaw,

Bircfso/Preyas Ocean Wat/s. rArii

For the use of specimens orgenerous assistance

my

thanks are

due

to Messrs.

WilUam

Brewster, Walter Deane,

H.

B. Bigelow,

Outram

Bangs,

Witmer

Stone, Drs. _J. A. Allen, Robert Ridgway, Jonathan Dwight, Jr.,Walter Faxon, LouisB. Bishop, Mr. A. _H.

Norton,

and

others.

BIRDS OF PREY AS OCEAN WAIFS.

BY H. W.

HENSHAW.

It is no unusual event, asevery ornithologist knows, for land l)irds to board ships,

when

agreater or less distance off land, or tobe seen from their decks as they wing an aimless course over the ocean. Itis fairto inferthat such

known

cases arevery few,

compared

tothe

number

of birds thatareforced off land

by

un- friendly gales and that finally perish miserably in the depths of oceanunseen of

human

eye. Afteroncelosingsight of land,fewof the comparativelyweak-winged land birds are likelyeverto regain

it,

and

no doubt

many

of the powerful-winged species

become

hopelessly lost

when

once thefriendly land has faded from view.

The

ocean is no friend to the land bird, but annually exacts its

deadly ^toll with unfailingcertainty.

Two

unusuallyinteresting instances of birds taking refuge on boardships have recently

come

to

my

notice, and, as they possess special interest to

American

ornithologists, I here record them.

Both cases have been

communicated

by Capt. Peter Johnsonof the bark ^'Roderick

Dhu

' which sailsbetween

San

Francisco and Hilo.

In

May

or June of 1897 ^a

brown hawk

boarded the

'Dhu' when some

200 miles outward

bound

from Hilo and, as one sure of its rights,tookthrough passage to California.

The

bird chose the end of the starboard royal for its perch, and maintained its

place all the

way

over, save

when

it

made

excursions from the shipafter^"small birds." Just

what

the latterwere is notcertain, though the Captain surmised, with

much

probability, that they