where he usually selects some lofty pine or cypress for his eyry, which he builds of large sticks, sods, moss, reeds, pine tops and other coarse materials, arranged in a sort of level bed. This breeding place is never deserted as long us the tree lasts. Fish constitutes the chief article of food of this bird, and he usually obtains it by cunning and rapine, seldom by the exercise of honest industry. His principal occupation is to rob the osprey of the fruits of his labor, and he has sometimes been known to attack the vulture, and oblige him to disgorge his carrion.49
White-headed or Bald Eagle.
Royal or Golden Eagle.—This bird is found in all the cold and temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. It is supposed to live for a century, and is about three years in gaining its complete growth and permanent plumage. The neighborhood of Hudson’s Bay is more frequented by this eagle than any part of the United States, but it is not uncommon in the great plains of the larger western rivers. ‘The lofty mountains of New Hampshire,’ says Mr. Nuttall, ‘afford suitable situations for the eyry of this eagle, over whose snow-clad summits he is seen majestically soaring in solitude and grandeur. A young bird from this region, which I have in a state of domestication, showed considerable docility. He had, however, been brought up from the nest, in which he was found in the month of August; he appeared even playful, turning his head about in a very antic manner, as if desirous to attract attention; still his glance was quick and fiery. When birds were given to him, he plumed them very clean before he began his meal, and picked the subject to a perfect skeleton.’
The Ring-tailed Eagle is now found to be the young of this bird, as has been long supposed. Its tail feathers are highly valued by the aborigines as they serve for ornamenting their calumets.
Ring-tailed Eagle.
Owls.—One of the most common species of this bird in the United States is the Little Screech Owl, which is found throughout the country. It is noted for the melancholy wailing, which is heard in the evenings in autumn and the latter part of summer. On clear moonlight nights, they answer each other from the various parts of the fields or orchards, roost during the day in thick evergreens, and are rarely seen abroad during the sunshine. They construct their nests in the hollow of a tree, frequently in an orchard.
The Great-horned Owl is also an inhabitant of every part of the country. ‘All climates are alike,’ says Mr. Nuttall, ‘to this eagle of the night, the king of the nocturnal tribe of American birds. The aboriginal inhabitants of the country dread his boding howl, dedicating his effigies to their solemnities, and, as if he were their sacred bird of Minerva, forbid the mockery of his ominous, dismal, and almost supernatural cries. His favorite resort, in the dark and impenetrable swampy forests, where he dwells in chosen solitude secure from the approach of every enemy, agrees with the melancholy and sinister traits of his character. To the surrounding feathered race he is the Pluto of the gloomy wilderness, and would scarcely be known out of the dismal shades where he hides, but to his victims, were he as silent as he is solitary. Among the choaking, loud, guttural sounds which he sometimes utters, in the dead of night, and with a suddenness which always alarms, because of his noiseless approach, is the ’waugh ho! ’waugh ho! which, Wilson remarks, was often uttered at the instant of sweeping down round his camp fire. Many kinds of owls are similarly dazzled and attracted by fire-lights, and occasionally finding, no doubt, some offal or flesh, thrown out by those who encamp in the wilderness, they come round the nocturnal blaze with other motives than barely those of curiosity.’
The Burrowing Owl differs essentially from all others in his habits and manners. Instead of hiding his head in the daylight, he fearlessly flies abroad in search of prey, in the broadest glare of the sun; and far from seeking abodes of solitude and silence, he lives in company with animals in the recesses of the earth, where they all enjoy the pleasures of fellowship and good harmony. The mounds of the prairie dog or marmot, which are thrown up in such numbers near the Rocky Mountains, are about eighteen inches in height. The entrance is by a passage two feet in length, which terminates in a comfortable cell composed of dry grass, where the marmot takes up his winter abode. Around these villages, the burrowing owls may be seen moving briskly about, singly or in small flocks. They seem to have very little fear of man; either soaring to a distance when alarmed, or descending into the burrows, where it is very difficult to come at them. In countries where the marmot is not found, this owl is said to dig a hole for himself. Their food appears to consist entirely of insects. Its note is similar to the cry of the marmot, which sounds like cheh, cheh, pronounced in rapid succession.
The burrowing owl is nine inches and a half long. The general color of the plumage is a light burnt umber, spotted with whitish. The under parts are white, banded with brown.50
Other birds of this species found in the limits of the states are the Great Gray or Cinereous Owl, the Long-eared Owl, the Short-eared Owl, the Acadian Owl, and the White or Barn Owl.
The Baltimore Oriole is a gay, lively, and beautiful bird, which passes its summers among us, but retreats for the winter to South America. The most remarkable instinct of this bird is the ingenuity exhibited in building its nest, which is a pendulous cylindric pouch, from five to seven inches in depth, and usually suspended from the extremities of high and drooping branches of a tree. The leaves, as they grow out over the top, form a protection from the sun and rain for the young. Though naturally shy and suspicious, this bird usually selects his building place in the neighborhood of farm-houses, and along frequented roads. He is easily domesticated, becomes playful and attached, and sings in confinement.
The Baltimore Oriole.
The Orchard Oriole is a smaller and plainer species, of similar habits. The Red-winged Blackbird is an inhabitant of all North America, but is migratory in the northern states. This bird commits great depredations on the unripe corn, and on the rice fields. He is known by a variety of names. His flesh is tough, and but little esteemed. The Cow Blackbird is passing from one part of the states to another, and lives in winter in the warmer parts. In the latter part of March, he appears in Pennsylvania, and as the weather becomes milder, he gradually advances into Canada.51 The Rice Bunting is a small bird of beautiful plumage and musical song, and as much of a favorite with the sportsman and gourmand, as of an enemy to the farmer and planter. They are found in immense numbers in the middle states, where they do great damage to the barley, Indian corn, and early wheat.
The Rice Bunting.
Blackbirds.—The Great Crow Blackbird is found only in the southern parts of the union, where it appears early in February. It is gregarious, omnivorous, and its note is said sometimes to resemble a watchman’s rattle. The Common Crow Blackbird appears in every part of the country, at different seasons, and commits great havoc among the fields of maize. It is easily domesticated, and may be taught to articulate a few words. The numbers in which this species are found are almost beyond belief; and the damage they do to the crops is astonishing. Other birds of this genus are the Slender-billed and the Rusty Blackbird.
The Raven is found in greater numbers in the western than in the eastern part of the union; it is a resident, however, in almost every country in the world. He has been too often described to require extended notice. The Crow is also an inhabitant of nearly every region. In most of the settled districts of North America, he is frequently met with, and is as little liked as he is often seen. He is smaller than the raven, and is of a deep black color, with brilliant reflections. Easily domesticated, and quite
