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this little warrior, at times rises to a great height, and indeed now and
then is scarcely discernible from the ground.
I found a nest of this Hawk in a hole of the well-known “Rock-in-
cave” on the Ohio River, in the early part of the spring of 1819. It was
simply constructed, having been formed of a few sticks and some
grasses carelessly interwoven, and placed about two feet from the
entrance of the hole. I had the good fortune to secure the female
bird, while she was sitting on her eggs, which were nearly hatched,
and it was from that individual that I made the figure in the plate. The
eggs, four in number, were almost equally rounded at both ends,
though somewhat elongated, and their ground colour was white, with
a livid tinge, scarcely discernible however amid the numerous
markings and blotches of reddish-chocolate with which they were
irregularly covered. The second opportunity which I had of seeing a
nest of this species occurred not far from Louisville in Kentucky,
when I accidentally observed one of these hawks dive into the hollow
prong of a broken branch of a sycamore overhanging the waters of
the Ohio. Here the eggs were five in number, and deposited on the
mouldering fragments of the decayed wood. The third and last
opportunity happened when I was on my way from Henderson to St
Genevieve on horseback. I saw a pair of these birds forming a nest
in the forks of a low oak, in a grove in the centre of the prairie which I
was then crossing. The young in the nest I have never seen.
This interesting species usually resorts to the fissures of rocks for
the purpose of there passing the hours of repose, and generally in
places by no means easy of access, such as precipitous declivities
overhanging some turbulent stream. It is often not until the darkness
has so much gained on the daylight as to render objects difficult to
be distinguished, that it betakes itself to its place of rest, and then I
have only been assured of its arrival by the few cries which it utters
on such occasions. The earliness of its departure has often much
puzzled me, for with all my anxiety to witness it, I have never
succeeded in doing so, although on two or three occasions I have
watched the spot more than half an hour before dawn, and remained
patiently waiting until long after the sun had risen, when I clambered
to the hole, and always found it empty.
The food of this Hawk consists chiefly of birds of various sizes, from
the smallest of our warblers to the Passenger Pigeon or young
chickens, the latter appearing to afford a special temptation to it, as
has been above related. I am also aware that it feeds occasionally
on small reptiles and insects, and I shot the male represented in the
plate, on wing, whilst it held in its claws the small Shrew also
represented. It is extremely expert at seizing some of our smaller
snakes and lizards, and not unfrequently snatches up a frog while
basking in the sun.
The difference of size observed between the males and females, as
well as between individuals of the same sex, is very remarkable; and
no doubt it was on account of this very great disparity that Wilson
described specimens of both sexes as two distinct species. Its notes
are short, shrill, and repeated in a hurried manner, when the bird is
wounded and brought to the ground. It often emits cries of this kind
while falling, but suddenly becomes silent when it comes to the
earth, and then makes off swiftly, with long and light leaps, keeping
silent until approached. Although a small bird, it possesses
considerable muscular power, and its extremely sharp claws are apt
to inflict severe pain, should a person lay hold of it incautiously.

Falco fuscus, and dubius, Gmel. and Lath.

Slate-coloured Hawk, Falco Pennsylvanicus, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. vi.
p. 13, pl. 46, fig. 1. Adult Male.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Falco velox, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. vi. p. 116, pl.
45, fig. 1. Young Female.
Falco velox, Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis of Birds of United States, p. 29.
Falco fuscus, Ch. Bonaparte, Ibid. Append. p. 433.
 Accipiter Pennsylvanicus, Slate-coloured Hawk, Richards. and Swains.
Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 44.
American Brown or Slate-coloured Hawk, Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 87.

Adult Male. Plate CCCLXXIV. Fig. 1.

Bill short, with the dorsal line of the upper mandible curved from the
base, so as to form nearly the fourth of a circle, the sides sloping
rapidly and convex toward the end, the edges sharp anteriorly, with a
broad tooth-like process or prominent festoon about the middle, the
tip very acute and decurvate; the cere rather short, its margin
forming a convex curve before the nostrils, which are oblique,
oblongo-ovate, broader behind; the lower mandible with the angle
broad and short, the dorsal line convex, the back broad at the base,
the sides convex, the edges inflected, the tip obliquely truncate,
rounded, with a very faint sinus behind.
Head of moderate size, broad, rather flattened above; neck very
short; body very slender, remarkably attenuated behind. Legs long
and very slender; tarsus rather long, extremely slender, compressed,
anteriorly covered with fifteen scutella disposed in a longitudinal
plate, of which the inner sharp edge projects considerably, whence
the name of “Sharp-shinned” given to this species, the sides with
hexagonal scales, the hind part with numerous scutella. Toes
slender, the third and fourth connected at the base by a web,
extending beyond the second joint of the latter, and curving forward
as far as that of the former; first and second toes strongest and
about equal; third extremely elongated, fourth very slender;
tuberculate and papillate beneath, there being a long fleshy tubercle
on the last joint of each toe, and one on the next joint of the two
outer. Claws very long, arched, gradually attenuated to a fine point.
Plumage full, soft, blended, somewhat distinct on the upper parts.
Wings of moderate length, reaching beyond the middle of the tail; the
fourth quill longest, the fifth scarcely shorter, the third intermediate
between the fifth and seventh, the second a little longer than the
seventh, the first generally shorter than the outer secondary; the first
five quills cut out on the outer, the first four more deeply on the inner
edge. The tail is long, even, of twelve rather broad, rounded
feathers.
The bill is light blue at the base, bluish-black at the end; the cere and
eyelids yellowish-green; the iris bright reddish-orange; the tarsi and
toes yellow; the claws black, pale bluish at the base. The general
colour of the plumage on the upper parts is deep greyish-blue, or
dark slate-blue, the shafts darker; the feathers on the occiput are
white at the base, that colour appearing more or less as they are
raised; and on each of the scapulars are two large white patches,
which, however, are not seen until the feathers are raised. The outer
primaries are tinged with brown; all the quills are marked on the
inner web with dusky bands, between which the inner margins are
white toward the base. The tail has four broad bands of blackish-
brown, and is tipped with greyish-white. The cheeks are yellowish-
red, and the forehead is tinged with the same colour. The throat is
reddish-white; the lower parts are transversely and rather broadly
barred with light red and white, there being from three to five bars or
double spots of the latter colour on each feather, those on the sides
with the inner web entirely red; part of abdomen and lower tail-
coverts white; feathers of the legs barred like the breast; lower wing-
coverts yellowish-white, barred and spotted with dusky.
Length to end of tail 11 1/4 inches; to end of wings 8 3/4; to end of
claws 11 1/4; extent of wings 20 1/2; wing from flexure 6 10/12; tail
5 10/12; bill along the ridge 8/12, along the edge of lower mandible
8/ ;
12 tarsus 1 11/12; hind toe 5 3/4/12, its claw, 6/12; middle toe 1 2/12, its
claw 4 1/2/12. Weight 3 1/2 oz.
Adult Female. Plate CCCLXXIV. Fig. 2.
The female, which greatly exceeds the male in size is generally
greyish-brown tinged with blue on the upper parts, in very old
individuals bluish-grey or dark bluish-grey, more or less tinged with
brown. The bill, cere, iris, feet, and claws are as in the male, and the
markings on the plumage are similar on the upper parts; the lower
are generally of a lighter tint, but otherwise nearly the same.
Length to end of tail 14 inches; extent of wings 26; wing from flexure
8 2/12; tail 6 8/12; bill along the ridge 10/12; tarsus 2 1/12; hind toe
7 1/2/ , its claw 7
1/2
/12; middle toe 1 11/12, its claw 6/12. Weight of an
12

individual 7 1/2 oz., of another 8 1/4.

Young birds of either sex, when fully fledged, have the upper parts
generally hair-brown, on the back darker; the feathers on the head
and hind neck margined with light red; those of the rest of the upper
parts also terminally edged with brownish-red; the feathers of the
hind head and neck are white at the base, but to less extent, and the
scapulars are also spotted with the same. The lower parts are white
or yellowish-white, the throat longitudinally streaked, the rest banded
with dark brown, the feathers of the sides spotted, those of the legs
light reddish, obscurely marked with darker along the middle; the
lower tail-coverts white. The female has the markings on the lower
parts much narrower at this age.
A male bird preserved in spirits presents the following characters:—
The roof of the mouth is flat, with two longitudinal ridges; the
posterior aperture of the nares oblong, with a linear anterior slit,
papillate on the edges. The tongue is 5 twelfths long, narrow,
concave above, slightly emarginate. The œsophagus, a b c d e, is 3
inches 3 twelfths long; its diameter at the upper part 5 twelfths; it
enlarges on the neck to a capacious crop, c d, 1 inch in diameter.
The proventriculus, e, has a complete belt of small oblong glandules.
The stomach, f g, is large, roundish, membranous, without distinct
muscles, 1 inch 3 twelfths long, and 1 inch broad. The intestine, g h i
l, is 14 3/4 inches long, its greatest diameter 2 twelfths. The rectum, j
l, is 1 inch 9 twelfths long; its diameter at the anterior part 3 twelfths;
the cœca, j, are exceedingly small, forming two scarcely observable
sacs, about half a twelfth in depth. The trachea is 2 1/12 inches long,
its rings unossified, 78 in number; the bronchi long and slender, of
about 18 half rings. The contents of the crop and stomach were
portions of two small birds.
On comparing several specimens, male and female, of this Sharp-
shinned Hawk, with others of the European Sparrow Hawk, the
proportions are found to be similar, as are the colours of the upper
parts; but the American birds, especially the males, are much
smaller; and the transverse bands on the lower parts of the Sharp-
shinned Hawk are redder and broader than those of the Sparrow
Hawk. The number of dark bands on the tail is the same in both,
namely four on the middle feathers, and six on the lateral. The tail is
not always precisely even, being in both European and American
birds often slightly rounded, the lateral feather being sometimes a
quarter of an inch shorter than the longest.
A species most intimately allied to the Sharp-shinned Hawk presents
the same form and colours, but differs somewhat in its proportions,
and is much larger. The bill is much higher at the base, its upper
outline slopes from the commencement, and the festoon on its edge
is less prominent. The tarsi and toes are proportionally stronger, the
edge on the former not nearly so prominent. The first quill is a little
longer than the first secondary, the fifth quill (not the fourth) is
longest; and the tail is rounded, the lateral feather in a female being
eight-twelfths of an inch shorter than the longest. The dimensions of
a female of this species, shot by myself in South Carolina, are as
follows:—
Length to end of tail 16 1/2 inches; wing from flexure 10; tail 7 10/12;
bill along the ridge 1; tarsus 2 7/12; hind toe 10/12, its claw 1; middle
toe 1 8/12, its claw 7 1/2/12.
It is very probable that this is the Accipiter Mexicanus of Mr
Swainson, whose brief account of a female of that species, in the
Fauna Boreali-Americana, agrees sufficiently with it. There are,
however, some errors in his critical observations, at p. 44. Thus, he
states that Wilson’s figure of the Slate-coloured Hawk, Accipiter
Pennsylvanicus, is perfectly characteristic, in having the tail quite
even at the end; but that Temminck’s Autour a bec sinueux is
doubtful, the tail being represented as distinctly rounded. Now, in
fact, the tail of our Sharp-shinned Hawk is when perfect a little
rounded, but often when worn quite even or square. Both the figures
in Plate CCCLXXIV represent it as a little rounded, and such it is in
five specimens out of eight, four of these being females, and one a
male; while the three specimens in which the tail may be said to be
quite even are males. Again, he states that “the anterior scales on
the tarsus of A. Pennsylvanicus are entire, being apparently formed
externally of one entire piece; whereas in Mexicanus, the transverse
divisions are distinctly visible.” The latter part of the sentence is
certainly correct, in so far as may be judged from a single very fine
specimen; but the scales are equally distinct in all the younger
individuals of the A. Pennsylvanicus, although in one, an old male,
the distinctions between the greater number are obliterated, so that
they resemble a single plate. There is nothing very remarkable in
this, however, for the like happens to other Hawks; it having been
long ago remarked with regard to the Sparrow Hawk of Europe,
Accipiter Nisus, that “in some individuals, the anterior oblique
scutella, as well as the hexagonal scales of the sides, are so
indistinct, that all traces of them disappear when the parts become
dry.”
Accipiter Nisus, A. velox, and A. Mexicanus, which are most closely
allied, insomuch that it is extremely difficult to distinguish them from
each other, may be characterized as follows:—
A. Mexicanus is largest; has the fifth quill longest, the first primary
much longer than the last, the tail distinctly rounded, the tarsi stouter,
and with fifteen scales; the upper parts deep slate-blue; the lower
banded with light red and white.
A. velox is smallest, has the fourth quill longest, the first primary
much shorter than the last, the tail even, the tarsi extremely slender,
with fifteen scales; the colours exactly as in Mexicanus.
A. Nisus is intermediate in size, never so small as velox, but
sometimes as large as Mexicanus, with the fourth quill longest, the
first and last primary about equal, the tail very slightly rounded or
even, the tarsi very slender, with eighteen scales, the upper parts
deep slate-blue, the lower narrowly banded with light red in the male,
and dusky in the female.
This species was described by Wilson under the name of Sharp-
shinned Hawk, Falco velox, and figured in Pl. XLV, a young female
only being represented, although a description is given of a young
male also. He afterwards figured an adult male (Pl. XLVI), and
described it under the name of Slate-coloured Hawk, Falco
Pennsylvanicus, considering it as a distinct species. It appears,
however, that it had previously been described under several names.
Thus Falco fuscus of Miller and Gmelin, and the American Brown
Hawk of Latham, seem to be the same bird in the young state. Falco
dubius of Gmelin and Latham, the Dubious Falcon of the latter and
of Pennant are also synonymous. The Dusky Falcon of Pennant
and Latham, Falco obscurus of the latter and of Gmelin, may also
belong to the same species. If we consider priority of name as of
paramount importance, then, in so far as can be shewn, the species
ought to be named the “American Brown Hawk, Falco fuscus;” or,
according to the newer nomenclature, Astur or Accipiter fuscus. The
names of “Sharp-shinned,” “Slate-coloured,” and “velox” are not
more distinctive; and Pennsylvanicus is out of the question, having
been applied to another species.
 LESSER REDPOLL.

Fringilla Linaria, Linn.

PLATE CCCLXXV. Male and Female.

When I was in Labrador, my young companions and my son one day

(the 27th of July 1833) procured eight individuals of this species, of
different sexes and ages. Next morning I went to the place where
they had been shot, and found a good number remaining. The first
observation I made had reference to their notes, which, instead of
resembling those of the Goldfinch, as alleged by an American writer,
are very similar to those of the Siskin, and are frequently uttered
both when the birds are alighted and while they are on wing. They
were in small parties of seven or eight, apparently formed by the
members of the same family, and although several of these groups
were around me, they did not intermingle until fired at, when they all
simultaneously rose on wing, mixed together, and after performing
several short evolutions returned to the same bushes, separated into
families, and resumed their occupations. When alighted they were
quite unsuspecting, and so heedless as to allow a close approach,
scarcely regarding my presence, but clinging to the branches,
dexterously picking out the seeds of the alder-cones, and
occasionally coming to the ground after some which had dropped.
Few birds exhibit a more affectionate disposition than the Little
Redpoll, and it was pleasing to see several on a twig feeding each
other by passing a seed from bill to bill, one individual sometimes
receiving food from his two neighbours at the same time.
Occasionally, however, they shewed considerable pugnacity, and
one would drive off its companion, inflicting some smart blows upon
it with its bill, and uttering a low querulous chatter.
In other portions of the same country, I saw flocks composed of
twenty or more individuals flying loosely at a moderate height, in the
undulatory manner of the American Goldfinch and Siskin, without,
however, making the deep sweeps of the former; suddenly alighting,
and at once beginning to search with great expertness between the
stems and leaves, picking at the embryo buds while perched over
them, like Jays and Titmice.
So hardy is this species, that, according to Dr Richardson, it is a
“permanent resident in the Fur Countries, where it may be seen in
the coldest weather, on the banks of lakes and rivers, hopping
among the reeds and carices, or clinging to their stalks. Although
numerous throughout the year, even in the most northern districts, a
partial migration takes place, as large flocks visit Pennsylvania for a
month or two in severe winters.” The migrations alluded to are of
rare occurrence in that State, however, as well as in that of New
York. I never saw one of these birds to the westward of the
Alleghanies, and none were observed by Dr Townsend or Mr
Nuttall on the Columbia River. They are abundant every cold
winter in the northern parts of Massachusetts and Maine, as well as
in all the British Provinces.
The food of this species consists of buds, seeds of various grasses,
berries, and the small leaves of bushes and trees. I have
represented a male and a female on a plant which grows abundantly
in the localities in which I found it in Labrador.
The many young birds which I examined in the month of August, had
the head entirely grey. The feathers of that part, and those on the
breast and rump, were of the same colour nearly to the base, which
is bluish-grey; and I suspect that they do not acquire any redness
until the approach of spring. The old birds were moulting at the
period mentioned, and from their appearance I concluded that all
their red feathers are reassumed each spring. The eggs, from four to
six in number, measure five-eighths in length, rather more than half
an inch in diameter, and are pale bluish-green sparingly dotted with
reddish-brown toward the larger end.

Fringilla linaria, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 322.—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. i. p.
458.—Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis. p. 112.
Lesser Redpoll, Fringilla linaria, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. iv. p. 42, pl. 30,
fig. 4. Male.
Linaria minor, Lesser Redpoll, Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 267.
Lesser Redpoll, Nuttall, Manual, vol. i. 512.

Adult Male in Summer. Plate CCCLXXV. Fig. 1.

Bill short, strong, conical, compressed toward the end, extremely
acute; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, the ridge narrow,
the sides convex, the edges sharp and overlapping, without notch,
the tip acuminate; lower mandible with the angle short and
semicircular, the dorsal line straight, the ridge broadish at the base,
the sides convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip acute.
Nostrils basal, roundish, covered by stiffish reversed feathers.
Head of moderate size, roundish; neck short; body moderate, Feet of
moderate length, slender; tarsus compressed, anteriorly covered
with a few scutella of which the upper are blended, posteriorly with
two longitudinal plates meeting at a very acute angle; toes slender,
the first with its claw as long as the third with its claw; the lateral toes
equal. Claws large, moderately arched, much compressed, acute.
Plumage soft, rather blended, with very little gloss, unless on the red
parts. Wings of ordinary length, the first three quills almost equal, but
the second longest. Tail rather long, forked.
Bill yellowish, the upper mandible dusky on the ridge; iris brown; feet
blackish brown. A band edging the forehead, the loral space, and the
throat, brownish-black; the reversed feathers on the base of the bill
yellowish; the crown of the head crimson; the hind part of the head,
the neck, the fore part of the back, and the scapulars yellowish-
brown, longitudinally streaked with blackish-brown, the feathers on
the hind part of the back margined with whitish, and tipped with
carmine; the wings and tail dusky, with yellowish-brown edges, and
two transverse bands of the same on the tips of the first row of small
coverts and the secondary coverts. The sides of the neck, its fore
part, the breast, and flanks, rich carmine; the middle of the breast,
the abdomen, and the lower tail-coverts white, tinged with rose
colour; the sides longitudinally streaked with dusky.
Length to end of tail 5; to end of wings 4; extent of wings 8 3/4; wing
from flexure 3 2/12; tail 2 1/2; bill along the ridge 4 1/2 twelfths, along
1/2
the edge of lower mandible 5 1/2 twelfths; tarsus 7/12; first toe 2 /12,
its claw, 4 1/2/12; middle toe 4 1/2/12, its claw 3/12.

Adult Female in Summer. Plate CCCLXXV. Fig. 2.

The female, which is somewhat less, has the black of the forehead
and throat more brown, with less red on the head, and little or none
on the rump, or on the lower parts, which are white, the breast and
flanks longitudinally streaked with dusky.
 TRUMPETER SWAN.

Cygnus Buccinator, Richardson.

PLATE CCCLXXVI. Young in Winter.

The history of the American Swans has been but very slightly traced.
Few records of the habits of these majestic, elegant, and useful birds
exist, on which much reliance can be placed; their geographical
range still remains an unsolved problem; one species has been
mistaken for another, and this by ornithologists who are said to be of
the first order. The Cygnus Bewickii of Great Britain has been given
as a North American Swan in place of Cygnus Americanus (well
described by Dr Sharpless of Philadelphia) in the Fauna Boreali-
Americana; and the latter bird has been taken for the Whistling
Swan, C. musicus of Bechstein, by the Prince of Musignano, who
says in his Synopsis, p. 379, No. 321, that it is “very numerous in
winter in Chesapeake Bay.” It is possible that we may have more
than two species of Swan within the limits of North America, but I am
at present acquainted with only that which forms the subject of this
article, and the Cygnus Americanus of Sharpless.
In a note contained in the Journals of Lewis and Clark, written in
the course of the expedition of these daring travellers across the
Rocky Mountains, it is stated that “the Swans are of two kinds, the
large and small. The large Swan is the same with the one common
in the Atlantic States. The small differs from the large only in size
and note; it is about one-fourth less, and its note is entirely different.
These birds were first found below the great narrows of the
Columbia, near the Chilluckittequaw nation. They are very abundant
in this neighbourhood, and remained with the party all winter, and in
number they exceed those of the larger species in the proportion of
five to one.” These observations are partly correct and partly
erroneous. In fact, the smaller species of the two, which is the C.
Americanus of Sharpless, is the only one abundant in the middle
districts of our Atlantic coast, while the larger Swan, the subject of
this article, is rarely if ever seen to the eastward of the mouths of the
Mississippi. A perfect specimen of the small Swan mentioned by
Lewis and Clark has been transmitted to me from the Columbia
River by Dr Townsend, and I find it to correspond in every respect
with the C. Americanus of Sharpless. Dr Townsend corroborates
the observations of the two eminent travellers by stating, that the
latter species is much more numerous than the large C. Buccinator.
The Trumpeter Swans make their appearance on the lower portions
of the waters of the Ohio about the end of October. They throw
themselves at once into the larger ponds or lakes at no great
distance from the river, giving a marked preference to those which
are closely surrounded by dense and tall cane-brakes, and there
remain until the water is closed by ice, when they are forced to
proceed southward. During mild winters I have seen Swans of this
species in the ponds about Henderson until the beginning of March,
but only a few individuals, which may have staid there to recover
from their wounds. When the cold became intense, most of those
which visited the Ohio would remove to the Mississippi, and proceed
down that stream as the severity of the weather increased, or return
if it diminished; for it has appeared to me, that neither very intense
cold nor great heat suit them so well as a medium temperature. I
have traced the winter migrations of this species as far southward as
the Texas, where it is abundant at times, and where I saw a pair of
young ones in captivity, and quite domesticated, that had been
procured in the winter of 1836. They were about two years old, and
pure white, although of much smaller size than even the younger
one represented in the plate before you, having perhaps been
stinted in food, or having suffered from their wounds, as both had
been shot. The sound of their well-known notes reminded me of the
days of my youth, when I was half-yearly in the company of birds of
this species.
At New Orleans, where I made the drawing of the young bird here
given, the Trumpeters are frequently exposed for sale in the markets,
being procured on the ponds of the interior, and on the great lakes
leading to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This species is unknown
to my friend, the Rev. John Bachman, who, during a residence of
twenty years in South Carolina, never saw or heard of one there;
whereas in hard winters the Cygnus Americanus is not uncommon,
although it does not often proceed further southward than that State.
The waters of the Arkansas and its tributaries are annually supplied
with Trumpeter Swans, and the largest individual which I have
examined was shot on a lake near the junction of that river with the
Mississippi. It measured nearly ten feet in alar extent, and weighed
above thirty-eight pounds. The quills, which I used in drawing the
feet and claws of many small birds, were so hard, and yet so elastic,
that the best steel-pen of the present day might have blushed, if it
could, to be compared with them.
Whilst encamped in the Tawapatee Bottom, when on a fur-trading
voyage, our keel-boat was hauled close under the eastern shore of
the Mississippi, and our valuables, for I then had a partner in trade,
were all disembarked. The party consisted of twelve or fourteen
French Canadians, all of whom were pretty good hunters; and as
game was in those days extremely abundant, the supply of Deer,
Bear, Racoons, and Opossums, far exceeded our demands. Wild
Turkeys, Grous, and Pigeons, might have been seen hanging all
around; and the ice-bound lakes afforded an ample supply of
excellent fish, which was procured by striking a strong blow with an
axe on the ice immediately above the confined animal, and
afterwards extricating it by cutting a hole with the same instrument.
The great stream was itself so firmly frozen that we were daily in the
habit of crossing it from shore to shore. No sooner did the gloom of
night become discernible through the grey twilight, than the loud-
sounding notes of hundreds of Trumpeters would burst on the ear;
and as I gazed over the ice-bound river, flocks after flocks would be
seen coming from afar and in various directions, and alighting about
the middle of the stream opposite to our encampment. After pluming
themselves awhile they would quietly drop their bodies on the ice,
and through the dim light I yet could observe the graceful curve of
their necks, as they gently turned them backwards, to allow their
heads to repose upon the softest and warmest of pillows. Just a dot
of black as it were could be observed on the snowy mass, and that
dot was about half an inch of the base of the upper mandible, thus
exposed, as I think, to enable the bird to breathe with ease. Not a
single individual could I ever observe among them to act as a
sentinel, and I have since doubted whether their acute sense of
hearing was not sufficient to enable them to detect the approach of
their enemies. The day quite closed by darkness, no more could be
seen until the next dawn; but as often as the howlings of the
numerous wolves that prowled through the surrounding woods were
heard, the clanging cries of the Swans would fill the air. If the
morning proved fair, the whole flocks would rise on their feet, trim
their plumage, and as they started with wings extended, as if, racing
in rivalry, the pattering of their feet would come on the ear like the
noise of great muffled drums, accompanied by the loud and clear
sounds of their voice. On running fifty yards or so to windward, they
would all be on wing. If the weather was thick, drizzly, and cold, or if
there were indications of a fall of snow, they would remain on the ice,
walking, standing, or lying down, until symptoms of better weather
became apparent, when they would all start off. One morning of this
latter kind, our men formed a plot against the Swans, and having
separated into two parties, one above, the other below them on the
ice, they walked slowly, on a signal being given from the camp,
toward the unsuspecting birds. Until the boatmen had arrived within
a hundred and fifty yards of them, the Swans remained as they were,
having become, as it would appear, acquainted with us, in
consequence of our frequently crossing the ice; but then they all rose
on their feet, stretched their necks, shook their heads, and
manifested strong symptoms of apprehension. The gunners
meanwhile advanced, and one of the guns going off by accident, the
Swans were thrown into confusion, and scampering off in various
directions took to wing, some flying up, some down the stream,
others making directly toward the shores. The muskets now blazed,
and about a dozen were felled, some crippled, others quite dead.
That evening they alighted about a mile above the camp, and we
never went after them again. I have been at the killing of several of
these Swans, and I can assure you that unless you have a good gun
well loaded with large buck-shot, you may shoot at them without
much effect, for they are strong and tough birds.
To form a perfect conception of the beauty and elegance of these
Swans, you must observe them when they are not aware of your
proximity, and as they glide over the waters of some secluded inland
pond. On such occasions, the neck, which at other times is held
stiffly upright, moves in graceful curves, now bent forward, now
inclined backwards over the body. Now with an extended scooping
movement the head becomes immersed for a moment, and with a
sudden effort a flood of water is thrown over the back and wings,
when it is seen rolling off in sparkling globules, like so many large
pearls. The bird then shakes its wings, beats the water, and as if
giddy with delight shoots away, gliding over and beneath the surface
of the liquid element with surprising agility and grace. Imagine,
Reader, that a flock of fifty Swans are thus sporting before you, as
they have more than once been in my sight, and you will feel, as I
have felt, more happy and void of care than I can describe.
When swimming unmolested the Swan shews the body buoyed up;
but when apprehensive of danger, it sinks considerably lower. If
resting and basking in the sunshine, it draws one foot expanded
curiously towards the back, and in that posture remains often for half
an hour at a time. When making off swiftly, the tarsal joint, or knee as
it is called, is seen about an inch above the water, which now in
wavelets passes over the lower part of the neck and along the sides
of the body, as it undulates on the planks of a vessel gliding with a
gentle breeze. Unless during the courting season, or while passing
by its mate, I never saw a swan with the wings raised and expanded,
as it is alleged they do, to profit by the breeze that may blow to assist
their progress; and yet I have pursued some in canoes to a
considerable distance, and that without overtaking them, or even
obliging them to take to wing. You, Reader, as well as all the world,
have seen Swans labouring away on foot, and therefore I will not
trouble you with a description of their mode of walking, especially as
it is not much to be admired.
The flight of the Trumpeter Swan is firm, at times greatly elevated
and sustained. It passes through the air by regular beats, in the
same manner as Geese, the neck stretched to its full length, as are
the feet, which project beyond the tail. When passing low, I have
frequently thought that I heard a rustling sound from the motion of
the feathers of their wings. If bound to a distant place, they form
themselves in angular lines, and probably the leader of the flock is
one of the oldest of the males; but of this I am not at all sure, as I
have seen at the head of a line a grey bird, which must have been a
young one of that year.
This Swan feeds principally by partially immersing the body and
extending the neck under water, in the manner of fresh-water Ducks
and some species of Geese, when the feet are often seen working in
the air, as if to aid in preserving the balance. Often however it resorts
to the land, and then picks at the herbage, not sidewise, as Geese
do, but more in the manner of Ducks and poultry. Its food consists of
roots of different vegetables, leaves, seeds, various aquatic insects,
land snails, small reptiles and quadrupeds. The flesh of a cygnet is
pretty good eating, but that of an old bird is dry and tough.
I kept a male alive upwards of two years, while I was residing at
Henderson in Kentucky. It had been slightly wounded in the tip of the
wing, and was caught after a long pursuit in a pond from which it
could not escape. Its size, weight, and strength rendered the task of
carrying it nearly two miles by no means easy; but as I knew that it
would please my wife and my then very young children, I
persevered. Cutting off the tip of the wounded wing, I turned it loose
in the garden. Although at first extremely shy, it gradually became
accustomed to the servants, who fed it abundantly, and at length
proved so gentle as to come to my wife’s call, to receive bread from
her hand. “Trumpeter,” us we named our bird, in accordance with the
general practice of those who were in the habit of shooting this
species, now assumed a character which until then had been
unexpected, and laying aside his timidity became so bold at times as
to give chase to my favourite Wild Turkey Cock, my dogs, children,
and servants. Whenever the gates of our yard happened to be
opened, he would at once make for the Ohio, and it was not without
difficulty that he was driven home again. On one occasion, he was
absent a whole night, and I thought he had fairly left us; but
intimation came of his having travelled to a pond not far distant.
Accompanied by my miller and six or seven of my servants, I betook
myself to the pond, and there saw our Swan swimming buoyantly
about as if in defiance of us all. It was not without a great deal of
trouble that we at length succeeded in driving it ashore. Pet birds,
good Reader, no matter of what species they are, seldom pass their
lives in accordance with the wishes of their possessors; in the course