“one reason why i deferred our talk about birds,” said uncle elk, addressing the troop of boy scouts who had gathered in the large room of the bungalow the next evening, “is that you might have more opportunity to brighten up your knowledge on the subject. scout master hall tells me that when you learned you were to spend your vacation in southern maine, you started in to inform yourselves about the birds which are to be found in new england. it is impossible under the circumstances that you should see them all, for the season is not the most favorable and not even a majority are to be found in this section. instead of dealing out a lot of facts, i am going to ask you do it for me. secretary rothstein has given me a list of all the boy scouts who are present. there are too many of you 88for me to identify separately, so i shall call upon you at random. i think,” he added with a sly glance at the invalid on his right, “that i shall except jack, since he seems to know all about our feathered inhabitants and would be simply taking my place.
“starting with mr. hall’s patrol i call upon his leader, charles a. chase, to name the first order as it is generally accepted.”
the alert young man promptly arose and said:
“it is the raptores, which means robbers.”
“what does it include?”
“the falcons proper, hawks, buzzard-hawks, eagles, horned owls, gray owls and day owls.”
“very good. corporal george robe will name the second order.”
the plump little fellow blushed but did not hesitate.
“scansores or climbers, which takes in cuckoos and woodpeckers.”
“the third order is so numerous that i can hardly expect any one to remember the complete list. will kenneth henke name the third order?”
“insessores or perchers.”89
“i will ask kenneth mitchell, robert snow and ernest oberlander to help you in making out a complete catalogue.”
while these boys did well, they would not have succeeded but for the aid of colgate craig and robert rice. even then uncle elk had to supply several names, for the long list included humming birds, goatsuckers, screamers, kingfishers, flycatchers, singers, thrushes, mocking birds, wrens, warblers, tanagers, swallows, shrikes, skylarks, sparrows, orioles, blackbirds, crows, jays and some others less known.
alvin landon had an easy task with the rasores or scratchers, which embrace the doves, game birds such as the canada grouse, spruce partridge, pinnated grouse, ruffed grouse improperly called the partridge, virginia partridge, quail and bob white.
chester haynes gave the fifth order as grallatores or waders, which with its herons, shore birds, plovers, snipes, sandpipers and others are known to every one.
the sixth and last order as named by hubert wood was the natores or swimmers, with the principal of which every 90american boy is familiar. hubert, with the assistance of harold hopkins, named swans, geese, several kinds of ducks, gulls, terns, divers, loons and grebes.
“that is a pretty full list,” commented uncle elk, “but it may be that michael has some other waders in mind.”
“that i hev,” responded the irish youth springing to his feet; “the first time alvin and chester tried to paddle a canoe it tipped over wid ’em—they lacking the sense i showed—and the water not being deep the same was waders for the time.”
mike did not smile as he resumed his seat on the floor, though every one else did.
“let me remind you,” added uncle elk, “that we have simply named the six orders, without any attempt to particularize. to illustrate will you name a bird?”
some one called:
“let’s talk about the thrush.”
“very well; its head is a clear cinnamon brown, the under parts white, sometimes tinged with buff on the breast and thickly marked beneath except on the chin and throat. the sides of the head are a dark brown, streaked with white, with maxillary 91streaks on each side of the throat. it is a trifle over eight inches long, the wings being a little more than half of that, and the eggs are usually four in number, of a uniform light-blue color, without spots and showing a slight tint of green.
“the song thrush is common in rhode island, connecticut and massachusetts, but is not often seen in the other new england states. i have had persons say they saw and heard them in this section, when it was either the hermit or olive-backed thrush. you may look for their return from the south about the tenth of may, the two sexes coming at the same time.
“the great charm of the thrush is its wonderful voice. hardly has it arrived when you hear the sweet notes of the male at early dawn or when twilight is coming on. very rarely is it heard in the middle of the day, unless the sky is overcast. the best description of that which cannot be described is by nuttall, which so impressed me when i first read it that i have never forgotten the words. he says:
“‘the prelude to this song resembles almost the double-tonguing of the flute, blended with a tinkling, shrill, and solemn warble, which re-echoes from his solitary retreat like the dirge of some recluse, who shuns the busy haunts of life. the whole air consists usually of four parts, or bars, which succeed in deliberate tune, finally blending together in impressive and soothing harmony, becoming more mellow and sweet at every repetition. rival performers seem to challenge each other from various parts of the wood, vying for the favor of their mates with sympathetic responses and softer tones. and some, waging a jealous strife, terminate the warm dispute by an appeal to combat and violence. like the robin and the thresher, in dark and gloomy weather when other birds are sheltered and silent, the clear notes of the wood thrush are heard through the dripping woods from dawn to dusk; so that the sweeter and more constant is his song. his clear and interrupted whistle is likewise often nearly the only voice of melody heard by the traveler to midday, in the heat of summer, as he traverses the silent, dark and wooded wilderness, remote from the haunts of men.’
“you have all been charmed by the music 93of this bird and will agree that this description, while it falls short of the reality, cannot be excelled. now, in your rambles you have seen birds with gorgeous plumage; which one do you consider the most beautiful of all?”
after some discussion, the majority pronounced in favor of the scarlet tanager.
“most persons will agree with you, but my preference is for what is popularly known as the wood duck, which builds its nests in trees and in size and habits resembles the common duck. the colors shown in the feathers of this bird to my mind are simply bewildering in their beauty.
“but to return to the tanager. he is found in all parts of new england but more frequently in the southern portions. a noticeable fact about this tanager is that it seems to be extending its range. i hear that it has been seen for the first time in sections where those familiar with its habits never expected to find it. will arthur mitchell tell me when it arrives from the south and about its nesting?”
the lad appealed to rose and replied:
“it comes north about the middle of may, looks around for two weeks or so and then begins building its nest. it prefers oak groves situated near swamps. the nest is placed on the horizontal limb of a tree not more than twenty feet above ground.”
“what of the eggs?”
“they vary from three to five in number, and are of a light greenish blue with spatters of purplish brown. it belongs to the order of perehers.”
“is the tanager a useful bird?”
“it is; the males destroy thousands of insects and though the song isn’t noteworthy, it is pleasant to hear.”
“will gordon calhoun give a general description of this bird?”
“the wings and tail of the male are like black silk velvet, but the main color is a brilliant blood red. the female wears a more sober dress.”
when the rambling talk had continued for some time longer, scout master hall asked uncle elk to tell them something about bird migration.
“that is an interesting subject over which i with thousands have speculated and theorized without learning much. it is easy to understand why the geese from the extreme north hike south with the approach of the arctic winter, and why many others in more temperate latitudes do the same, coming north with the return of spring, but some of the migrations are beyond explanation. i should like to ask what birds make the longest flights?”
scout master hall and jack crandall expressed their views, but the old man shook his head.
“since all of you did no more than guess, it was a waste of time. now follow me closely. we have no large maps here to place on the wall for you to study, but you have a fair knowledge of geography and can draw a mental map that will serve. picture a map of the western hemisphere. have you done so?”
a general nodding of heads.
“you didn’t nod, mr. hall.”
“i have the map before my mind’s eye,” replied the scout master; “i am following you.”
“since the discovery of the north pole, you have all become familiar with the 96contour of the polar regions. locate the arctic islands in, say seventy-five degrees north latitude; then draw an imaginary line from those islands down along the coast of labrador, across to newfoundland, and down to nova scotia, then over the atlantic to the lesser antilles in the west indies, from there to brazil and across argentina and end your line in patagonia at the extremity of south america.
“you have mentally swept over a tremendous stretch of country and water, but are not yet through. push on westward to the pacific, northward up the coast, then across central america and up the mississippi valley, through central canada and back to the arctic islands from which you started. truly a long journey and yet it is the yearly itinerary of the american golden plover, which, measured in miles, is three-fifths of the distance round the world.”
“you have mentioned one of the most remarkable facts in natural history,” commented mr. hall, who, like every listener, was deeply impressed.
“quite true,” replied uncle elk, “though there are many equally inexplicable. i have sometimes fancied that birds resemble men in their longing for travel. with means of locomotion at their command still far beyond the skill of our best aviators, what wonder that our little brothers of the air are impelled to gather the best that can be secured?
“this, however, is a fanciful theory which the naturalists will not accept. it must be remembered that the majority of golden plovers who start on this long journey never complete it, for almost every mile is attended with danger. they are dazzled by the vivid electric lights of the cities, and confused by the tall buildings, telephone and telegraph wires, especially on dark nights when the birds fly low. thousands are thus killed, besides which adverse gales blow many out to sea, and blizzards and snowstorms destroy myriads.
“perhaps we have talked enough about birds,” said uncle elk, “but i shall be glad to answer any questions that may occur to you.”
after a moment’s silence, mike murphy rose to his feet. his face, as usual, was serious even when about to indulge in some of his waggeries, but this time he was in earnest.
“maybe it’s mesilf that knows mighty little about birds excipt them as is met with in ireland, which isn’t many. there is one that i once heerd of that belongs to anither counthry.”
“describe it, michael,” remarked the old man indulgently.
“it has the bill of a duck, webbed feet, lays eggs, has a furry body and i belave is what is called a mammal. it’s a mighty qu’ar bird that i’d like to know the name of.”
in answer to the general smiles uncle elk asked:
“have you ever seen one of the creatures, michael?”
“not that i know of, though i have often made search for ’em.”
“michael has described no fancy creation. such a thing exists. can any one tell me its name?”
isaac rothstein replied:
“it is the ornithorhynchus or water mole of australia, but it is not classed as a bird.”
“no, although there seems to be some reason why it should be. you see what a limitless field opens before you when you leave the american continent to make investigations elsewhere. for a long time to come we shall find our hands full in our own country.”
“what about the birds that are called indians?” gravely asked mike.
“there are some facts regarding maine indians which are worth remembering. in 1612, they numbered 38,000. at the close of the french and indian war this number had been reduced to a thousand, which is the aboriginal population to-day. the decrease was due to the fierce wars which the tribes waged among themselves. the indians in maine were four times as numerous as those in massachusetts. the pine tree state was the ‘dark and bloody ground’ of colonial days.
“in a general way the tribes bore the same names as rivers. those west of the penobscot were of the abnaki group, and those to the east into new brunswick called themselves etechemins. all belonged to the algonquin nation. when king philip’s war broke out in 1675, the maine indians numbered about 12,000. this was twice the white population and sufficient to wipe out the settlements nearly to the new hampshire border. finally, in 1759, the indians in maine did not number more than a thousand. they were mainly penobscots and passamaquoddies. they remained faithful to the americans throughout the revolution. it is a curious fact that while the passamaquoddies have decreased in number during the last ninety years, the penobscots have increased to the extent of seven, the former being slightly more numerous. both keep up their tribal conditions, and the penobscots live in the same village site that their forefathers occupied before the white men set foot on the continent.”
