The Birds of Illinois BY T. E. MUSSELMAN. A. M. Reprinted From the Journnl of the Illinois State Historical Society Volume XIV, N umbers 1 and 2. April-July, 1921 The Birds of Illinois BY T. E. MUSSELMAN, A. M. Reprinted From the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society Volume XIV, Numbers 1 and 2 April-July, 1921 SCHNEPP & BARNES, PRINTERS SPRINGFIELD, I I I . 1922 73546—50 F o u r C o m m o n Beneficial F a r m Birds. Screech Owl Nighthawk Quail Kildeer A HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. B Y T. E. MUSSELMAN, A. M. ILLINOIS AS NEAKLY AS WE CAN PICTURE IT IN 1818. In 1818 at the time Illinois entered the Union as a state, the territory within its boundaries was a wilderness of woods, rivers, swamps, and prairies, penetrated occasionally by winding game trails and cultivated only on a few prominent situations along the rivers where a tiny fort gave protection to a meager village. Here in the very heart of America, lay Illinois, a veritable bird land, which was due to its ideal geographical location; to the great variety of physiographical conditions; and to the growth of nearly every type of vegetation required by the bird home-seeker. Each spring tremendous flights of birds swept northward in huge waves, entering Illinois at the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. As they migrated northward they passed from the cedar grown foothills of the Ozark range into the tremendous lowland forests of hard and soft wood, which then characterized nearly all of southern Illinois. Many clear streams ran slowly through this magnificent growth of great trees and occasionally broadened into pretty lakes whose surfaces were broken by growths of water-lilies, spatter dock and other water vegetation while the borders were lined with cat-tails, arrowhead, willows, and cottonwood. Swamps galore bordered these tiny streams many assuming pretentious size particularly along the Indiana border, in which location were found southern cypress, swamp oaks, gums, sycamore and corresponding trees, many of which grew to unusual size. High in these trees nested countless hawks of numerous varieties. An occasional eagle upon finding a tree which gave a view over miles of valley, placed her aerie in the topmost 4 T. E. Musselman J. I. S. H. S. branches. Great-horned owls, Barred owls, Screech owls and Bullbats filled the dark hours of night with weird noises; while the day time was resplendent with the flying of such brilliant birds as the Great Blue Herons, Yellow-crowned Night Herons, American Egrets, Cardinal Eedbirds, and Tanagers. Even the harsh cry of the Carolina Paroquet was common. In the lower situations the Prothonotary Warblers nested by the hundreds in the woodpecker holes which literally riddled many of the willows and birches along the swamps. The sedges, iris, and rank vegetation in the water were alive with nesting rails, gallinules, coots, and ducks, while the Hooded, Blue-winged, and Kentucky warblers were not uncommon in the grasses along the moist banks. Farther back in the woods the giant Northern Pileated Woodpecker after mounting some resonant limb would beat a tattoo which in volumn and rapidity sounded like a trip hammer; and immediately the hundreds of smaller woodpeckers hearing the challenge would hunt smaller limbs and try unsuccessfully to rival the bold monarch. Skulking in the brush were the majestic wild turkeys while sailing above without any apparent wing motion circled the Turkey Buzzards. So ideal were the conditions that thousands of birds stopped their travels here, and many a southern bird strayed northward and spent happy weeks in these solitudes. Occasional reports of the appearance of the Roseate Spoonbill and the Anhinga have come down to us and no doubt many other rare southern varieties unknown to us, frequented these woods when conditions were most ideal. PASSENGER PIGEONS BY THE MILLIONS. Probably the most unusual of all the sights occurring in these woods were the flights of the Passenger Pigeons going into roost or returning to their nesting sites. Flocks numbering into the millions would approach the roosting site, their wings making a noise resembling thunder. Here they would settle in the trees in such numbers that their weight would often break the limbs. In the morning the flocks would leave for their feeding grounds and so great were the numbers of Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 5 the individuals that they literally shut out the light of the sun for hours. The following description by Alexander Wilson, the great ornithologist, was written sometime prior to his death in 1813, and tells of one of these flights down in Kentucky where the conditions were similar to those in Illinois: "About 1 o'clock the (Passenger) pigeons which I had observed flying northerly the greatest part of the morning began to return in such immense number as I never before had witnessed. At an opening by the side of Benson Creek, I was astonished at their appearance. "They were flying with great steadiness and rapidity at a height beyond gunshot in several strata deep, and so close together that could shot have reached them one discharge would not have failed of bringing down several birds. From right to left, as far as the eye could reach, the breadth of the vast procession reached, seeming everywhere crowded. Curious to determine how long this appearance would continue, I sat down with my watch in hand at 1:30 P . M. for more than an hour, but instead of diminuation of this prodigious procession, it seemed rather to increase, both in numbers and rapidity of flight. Anxious to reach Frankfort before night, I rose and went on. At 4 o'clock that afternoon I crossed the Kentucky Eiver at the town of Frankfort, at which time the living torrent above my head seemed as numerous and as extensive as ever. The great breadth of space which this mighty multitude preserved would seem to intimate a corresponding breadth of their breeding place, which several gentlemen who had lately passed through part of it told me was several miles wide and—they estimated—about forty miles long, in which every tree was absolutely loaded with nests of young b i r d s . " T H E PRAIRIE DISTRICTS YEARS AGO. NO doubt, the many migrants lingered because they hated to desert the attractivness of the southern woods and swamps, yet the migratory instinct urged the majority of them forward into the prairie districts to the north which welcomed them with tremendous growths of rich grass, in many places higher than a man's head. The occasional streams were lined with 6 T. E. Musselman j. i. s. H. s. thickets of sumac, button wood and willow, interspersed with clusters of elms, oaks, and maples, which in spots extended into woods, the size of which often threatened the existence of the prairie. This encroachment of the forest was somewhat held in check, however, by prairie fires which annually occurred during the late fall. These occasional wood clusters allowed the forest birds to add their numbers to the large variety of native prairie birds. The following interesting account of a trip to the prairies west of Olney, Eichland County on June 8, will give an idea of the number of species and individuals which inhabited the central state even as late as 1871. The writer is none other than the venerable Eobert Eidgway and the article appears in the introduction to his, " T h e Ornithology of Illinois" P a r t 1, page 14. " T h e day was a delightful one; for, although the heat ranged above 80 degrees, the fresh prairie breeze tempered it to a delightful mildness. Eesting upon the cool green sward in the shade of a large elm in the hollow, our ears were delighted by such a chorus of bird songs as we have heard nowhere else. Among the leafy arches overhead the Baltimore Orioles whistled their mellow flute-like notes, accompanied by the soft contented warble and joyous carol of the Warbling and Eed-eyed Vireos; the birds of the meadow were chanting on every hand their several ditties, while the breeze wafted to us the songs of various woodland species. In the scrubby jungle, a Mocking-bird filled the air with his rich medley of varied notes, the singer leaping in restless ecstacy from branch to branch, with drooping wings and spread tail, or flitting from tree to tree as he sang. A Brown Thrasher poured forth a ceaseless accompaniment as he sat perched sedately upon the summit of a small vine-canopied tree—a contrast in bearing to the restive, sportive Mimus, his rival in vigor, and superior in sweetness, of song. Several Yellowbreasted Chats interpolated their loud cat-calls, vehement whistlings, and croaking notes. These three, loudest of the songsters, well nigh drowned the voices of the smaller birds; but in the brief intervals—"between the acts"—were heard the fine and sweet, though plaintive song of the little Field Sparrow, the pleasant notes of the Chewink, the rich whist- Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 7 lings of the Cardinal, and the clear, proud call of Bob White. Upon proceeding to the thickets and thus interrupting the louder songsters, the wondrously strong and vehement notes of the Chickty-beaver Bird or White-eyed Vireo greeted us from the tangled copse, and soon a song we had never heard before—the gobbling, sputtering harangue of Bell's Vireo— attracted our attention and, of course, our interest. In the more open woods marking the border of the timber, the several woodland species were noticed; there the vermilion Tanager or Summer Bed-bird warbled his Bobin-like but fine and well sustaining song, the Blue Jays chuckled and screamed as they prowled among the branches, and gaudy Bed-headed Woodpeckers flaunted their tri-colored livery as they sported about the trunks or occasional dead tree tops. "On the open prairie, comparative quiet reigned. The most numerous bird there was "Dick Cissel" (Spiza Americana), who monopolized the Iron-weeds uttering his rude but agreeable ditty with such regularity and persistence that the general stillness seemed scarcely broken; hardly less numerous Henslow's Buntings were likewise perched upon the weed stalks, and their weak but emphatic 'se-wick' sounded almost like a faint attempt at imitation of Dick CissePs song. The grasshopper-like wiry trill of the Yellow-winged Sparrow, the meandering wavering warble of the Prairie Lark (Otocoris alpestris praticola)—coming apparently from nowhere, but in reality from a little speck floating far up in the blue sky,—and the sweet 'Peek-you can't see me' of the Meadowlark, completed the list of songs heard on the open prairies. Many kinds of birds besides those already described were seen, but to name them all would require too much space. We should not, however, omit to mention the elegant Swallowtailed Kites which now and then wheeled into view as they circled over the prairie, or their cousins and companions, the Mississippi Kites, soaring above them through the transparent atmosphere; nor must we forget a pair of croaking Ravens who, after circling above for a short time over the border of the woods, flew away to the heavy timber in the Fox River bottom.'' 8 T. E. Musselman j . i. s. H. s. In all ninety-five species were seen by this eminent ornithologist in the small prairies, while the birds in the neighboring woods brought the total to one hundred and forty species; all probably breeding within a radius of five miles. " As large a number of regular summer residents as any locality of equal extent in North America can boast,'' said Mr. Eidgway. As a comparison, I wish to say that, at the present time although but fifty years later, a collector hunting through the same territory during the same month would be fortunate to record fifty to sixty summer residents. The writer while listing birds at the height of the migration season has never been able to record more than 105 species in one day, while the average number during the summer months is more nearly fifty. WILD FOWL ON THE ILLINOIS BIVER YEAKS AGO. Along the Illinois river and the Mississippi river about the 40th degree were wonderful lakes and sloughs where Bails, Cranes, Gallinules, Coots and Ducks lived and nested in unbelievable numbers. The article herewith printed gives an account of how the ducks came in during the early days before the incursion of drainage districts, pump guns, automobiles, launches, etc. This stirring account of the abundance of the wild fowl in the wild rice fields along the Illinois river more than fifty years ago, is taken from an article written by the graphic pen of Mr. T. S. VanDyke, contributed many years ago to the columns of Forest and Stream, from which the different excerpts given below are taken. This is the story, as he tells it—a story of the last days of the muzzleloading shotgun: " I t was a bright September afternoon, the day after my arrival at Henry, that my friend and I were paddling up the crooked slough that leads from Senachwine to the Illinois river. Wood Ducks, Mallards and Teal rose squealing and quacking from the slough ahead of us, but he paid no attention to them, and I soon ceased dropping the oar and snatching up the gun and getting it cocked and raised just as the ducks were nicely out of range. When we reached Mud Lake —a mere widening and branching of the slough at the foot of Senachwine—we drew the boat ashore. Huge flocks of Mai- Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 9 lards rose with reverberating wings from the sloughs all around us and mounted high, with the sun brightly glancing from every plume. Plainly could I see the sheen of their burnished green heads and outstretched necks, the glistening bars upon their wings, the band of white upon their tails, surmounted by dainty curls of shining green. '' There were already in sight what seemed to me enough of ducks to satisfy anyone. Long lines of black dots streamed along the blue sky above Senachwine, up the Illinois and over Swan Lake—between the river and Senachwine—while from down the slough, up the slough, from over the timber on the west, and the timber along the river on the east, came small bunches and single birds by the dozen. Shall I ever forget that big Mallard that bore down upon me before I was fairly hidden in the reeds? He came along with sublime indifference, winnowing the air with lazy stroke, bobbing his long, green head and neck up and down, and suspecting no danger. As he passed me at about twenty-five yards, I saw, along the iron rib of the gun, the sunlight glisten on his burnished head. I was delightfully calm, and rather regretted that letting him down was such a merely formal proceeding. If he were further off, or going faster, it would be so much more satisfactory. Nevertheless, he had to be bagged, whether skill was required or not, so I resigned myself to the necessity and pulled the trigger. The duck rose skyward with thumping wings, leaving me so benumbed with wonder that I never thought of the other barrel. "But little time was left me for reflection, for a Wood Duck, resplendent with all his gorgeous colors, came swiftly down from the other direction. Every line of his brilliant plumage I could also plainly see along the gun, for I was as cool as before. Yet this gay rover of the air never condescended to fall, sheer, rise, or even quicken his pace, but sailed along at the report of each barrel as unconcerned as a gossamer web on the evening breeze. " I concluded to retire from the business of single shots and go into the wholesale trade. This conclusion was firmly braced by the arrival of fifteen or twenty Mallards in a wellmassed block. They came past me like a charge of cavalry, 10 T. E. J. I. S. H. S. Musselman sweeping in bright uniform low along the water, with shining necks and heads projecting like couched lances. I could see four or five heads almost in line as I pulled the first trigger, yet only one dropped, and that one with only a broken wing. As they rose with obstreperous beat of wing, I rained the second barrel into the thickest part of the climbing mass, and another one fell with broken wing, while another wabbled and wavered for a hundred yards or more, then rose high and hung in air for a second, then, folding his wings, descended into a heavy mass of reeds away on the other side of the main slough. Meanwhile, my two wounded ducks, both flattened out on the water, were making rapid time for the thick reeds across the little slough, and both disappeared in them just as I got one barrel of my gun capped. 11 So it went on for an hour or so. There was scarcely a minute to wait for a shot, yet in that hour I bagged only four or five ducks. " While gazing a moment into the blank that despondency often brings before me, two Blue-winged Teal shot suddenly across the void. With the instinctive quickness of one trained to brush shooting I tossed the gun forward of the leading Teal about the same space that I had been accustomed to fire ahead of Quail at that apparent distance. The rear duck, fully four feet behind the other, skipped with a splash over the water, dead, while the one I had intended to hit skimmed away unharmed. I had fallen into the common error of tyros at duck shooting, viz., underestimating both the distance and speed of the game. •IT •?!• TP *$r w TT 9P " T h e number of ducks increased by the minute. They came with swifter and steadier wing and with more of an air of business then they had shown before. Those hitherto flying were nearly all ducks that had been spending the day in and around Senachwine and its adjacent ponds and sloughs. But now the host that during the day had been feeding in the great corn fields of the prairie began to move in to roost, and the vast army of traveling wild fowl that the late sharp frosts in the North had started on their southern tour began to get under way. Long lines now came streaming down the north- History of Birds of Illinois 11 ern sky, widening out and descending in long inclines or long, sweeping curves. Dense bunches came rising out of the horizon, hanging for a moment on the glowing sky, then massing and bearing directly down upon us. No longer as single spies, but in battalions, they poured over the bluffs on the west, where the land sweeps away into the vast expanse of high prairie, and on wings swifter than the wind itself came riding down the last beams of the sinking sun. Above them the air was dotted with long, wedge-shaped masses or converging strings, more slowly moving than the ducks, from which I could soon hear the deep, mellow honk of the goose and the clamorous cackle of the brant. And through all this were darting here and there and everywhere, ducks, single, in pairs, and small bunches. English snipe were pitching about in their erratic flight; plover drifted by with their tender whistle, little alarmed by the cannonade; Blue herons, Bitterns and Snowy Egrets, with long necks doubled up and legs outstretched behind, flapped solemnly across the stage, while Yellow-legs, Sand Snipe, Mud hens, Divers—I know not what all—chinked in the vacant places. ^F ! s( t ! JF 5 X! TP "SF TS '' The nerves that felt but a slight tremor when the Ruffed Grouse burst roaring from the thicket, now quaked like aspens beneath the storm that swept over me from every point of the compass. There I stood, the converging point of innumerable dark lines, bunches and strings, all rushing toward me, at different rates of speed; indeed, but even the slowest, fearfully fast. " Hitherto the ducks had all come from the level of the horizon. But now, from on high, with rushing, tearing sound, as if rending in their passage the canopy of Heaven, down they came out of the very face of night. With wings set in rigid curves, dense masses of Blue-bills came winding swiftly down. Mallards, too, no longer with heavy beat, but with stiffened wings that made it hiss beneath them, rode down the darkening air. Sprigtails and other large ducks came sliding down on long inclines with firmly set wings that made all sing beneath them. Blue-winged Teal came swiftly and 12 T. E. Musselman j. i. s. H. s. straight as the flight of a falling arrow, while Greenwings shot by in volleys or pounced upon the scene with the rush of a hungry hawk. In untold numbers the old Gray geese, too, came trooping in, though few came near enough to give us a fair shot. Nearly all of them steered high along the sky until over Senachwine Lake, or Swan Lake—a little below us to the northwest—then, lengthening out their dark strings, they descended slowly and softly in long spiral curves to the bosom of the lake. Brant, too dotted the western and northern skies, marching along with swifter stroke of wing and more clamorous throats, until over the water's edge, then slowly sailing and lowering for a few hundred feet in solemn silence, suddenly resumed their cackle, and, like a thousand shingles tossed from a balloon, went whirling, pitching, tumbling and gyrating down to the middle of the lake. Far, far above all these, and still bathed in the crimson glow of the fallen sun, long lines of Sandhill Cranes floated like flocks of down in their southward flight, not deigning to alight, but down through a mile of air sending their greeting in longdrawn, penetrating notes. "Myriads of ducks and geese, traveling from the North, swept by, far overhead, without slackening a wing. F a r above us, the Mallard's neck and head, looking fairly black in the falling night, could be seen outstretched for another hundred miles before dark. "Darkly painted on the crimson sky," the Sprigtails streamed along with forked rudders set for a warmer region than Senachwine. "Widgeon sent down a plaintive whistle that plainly said igood-bye.' Bluebills, Wood Ducks, Spoonbills and Teal sped along the upper sky with scarcely a glance at their brethren who chose to descend among them. And far over all, with swifter flight and more rapid stroke of wing than I had deemed possible for birds so large, a flock of Snowy Swans clove the thickening shades, as if intending to sup in Kentucky instead of Illinois. "Yet, of those that tarried, there were enough for me. With tremulous hand, I poured my last charge into the heated gun, and raised it at a flock of Mallards that were gliding swiftly downward, with every long neck pointed directly at my devoted head. Wheeooo shot a volley of Green-wings between History of Birds of Illinois 13 the Mallards and the gun; kssss came a mob of Blue-wings by my head as I involuntarily shifted the gun toward the Greenwings; wiff, wiff, wiff, came a score of Mallards along the reed tops behind me, as, completely befuddled with the whirl and uproar, I foolishly shifted the gun to the Blue-wings. As I wheeled at these last Mallards, after making a half shift of the gun toward the Blue-wings, they saw me, and turned suddenly upward, belaboring the air with heavy strokes, and just as I turned the gun upon them a mass of Bluebills, with the sound like the tearing of forty yards of strong muslin, came in between, and just behind me I heard the air throb beneath the wings of the Mallards I had first intended to shoot at. The gun wabbled from the second Mallards to the Bluebills, and then to the Mallards behind me—each chance looking more tempting than the last—and finally went off in the vacancy just over my head that the Mallards had filled when I raised it. "You who think you know all about duck shooting, if you have never been in such a position, have something yet to learn. Excitement and success you may enjoy to the full, but while your ammunition lasts you know nothing of the pleasures of contemplation. Amid the shock, and jar, and smoke, the confusion of even loading the quickest breechloader, and retrieving the ducks even with the best of dogs, you see nothing compared to what you may see without a gun. As I dropped the worthless gun upon a muskrat house, and sat down upon the top of it, the whole world where I had been living vanished in a twinkling and I found myself in another sphere, filled with circling spirits, all endowed with emotions, hopes and fears, like those that Dante saw in Paradise. " T h e r e , indeed, was the great sea of being, but all one vast whirlpool that engulfed the soul of the poor powderless "tenderfoot," while his ears were stunned with the whizz and rush of wings all around his head, with the thump and bustle and splash of ducks alighting in the water before him, the squeal of Wood Ducks, the quack of Mallards, the whistle of Widgeon, the scape of traveling snipe, the grating squawk of Herons, Egrets and Bitterns, the honk-honk of Geese, the 14 T. E. Musselman j. i. s. H. s. clank-a-lank of Brant, and the dolorous grrroooo of the far off Sandhill Crane.» Shifting this picture quickly from the Illinois River westward, we arrive at the Mississippi river which also was a wonderful haven for birds. T H E MISSISSIPPI RIVER LONG AGO. Lima Lake, located eighteen miles above Quincy, Illinois, was a tremendous swamp situation particularly attractive to the wild fowl and birds. Yearly the White Swans, White Pelicans, and myriads of ducks and geese fed there for days on their migratory trips to and fro. An occasional Swan was reported to have nested there in the early days and one stray oologist collected 250 full sets of eggs of the Prothonotary Warbler among the willows and birch about its borders. King Rails, Wood Cock, and allied birds nested there by the thousands, while hundreds of hollow willow trees sheltered the nests of the now rapidly decreasing Wood Duck together with an occasional nest of the Hooded Merganser. EAGLES ON THE MISSISSIPPI. Everywhere in those days birds seemed abundant. Along the Mississippi river proper the Eagles were ever in evidence and took a mighty toll of carrion and material thrown into the waters by the occasional slaughter houses situated along its banks wherever some small town had grown. One veteran editor recently wrote: " T h e presence of a pair of Eagles recalls the days of half a century ago when the locality where these birds are now seen was simply alive with Eagles which were attracted by the offal discharged into the river from the pork houses at Keokuk. " T h e 'Plough Boy' was operating between Keokuk and Warsaw at that period, and the big birds would come so close to the craft, in gathering the food, that they became a common object of curiosity to passengers who marveled at the strength exhibited in lifting from the water, loads apparently larger than themselves. 9 ' Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 15 VARIED PHYSIOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF THE NORTH STATE ATTRACTED BIRDS. As the birds passed northward beyond the center of the state they encountered rougher country. In many places lime stone cliffs and high clay banks bordered the streams. Happy colonies of Cliff and Barn Swallows built their houses along these rocky fastnesses while the clay banks were honey combed with thousands of holes from which the Bank Swallows flew, twittering in their sweet contentment. Pine trees grew on the crests of many of the cliffs while a heavy natural growth of ferns added variety to the valleys. As the migrants traveled onward they approached the lake district which was one of the most ideal situation for bird life in the United States. This was due largely to Lake Michigan which was a veritable inland sea, also to the numerous small lakes, the sand dunes, marshes, prairies, and hills, which were graced with an assortment of trees, shrubs, grasses and water growth equal in variety to almost any situation known. To OUR NORTH. Thus Illinois with Lake Michigan on the northeast welcomed millions of ducks, snipe, gulls, terns, and other water birds, to say nothing of many strays from the Atlantic coast such as the Jaegers, Dowitchers, Turnstones, Knots, etc. Directly north of her border lay a network of thousands of lakes, which attracted the Ducks, Grebes, and Loons; while in the winter from the extreme North beyond these bodies of water, came irregular flocks of Bohemian Waxwings, Crossbills, Pine Grosbeaks, and Snowflakes, which found a refuge from the bitter cold of the Arctic regions near that neutralizing agent, Lake Michigan. At irregular periods of twelve of fourteen years a pestilence attacked the Arctic hares causing a terrific decrease in their ranks. Upon such occasions of food shortage, the dreaded Goshawk and the Snowy Owls deserted their northern solitudes and visited the land of plenty, at which time they have been found in abundance over the entire state. 16 T. E. Musselman J. I. S. H. S. To OUB WEST. The trackless prairies to the west sent surprises in the form of Harris Sparrow, McCown's Longspur, Townsend's Solitaire, Swanson ? s Hawk, etc., to say nothing of many varieties requiring close identification such as the Parkman's House Wren, western Meadow lark and others. To OUB SOUTH. So direct were the river connections with the South that during the mild seasons large number of rare species strayed northward. Particularly did this apply to river and marsh loving birds. These rare visitors included the Roseate Spoonbill, Anhinga, Carolina Paroquet, Florida Cormorant, etc. To OUB EAST. Finally Illinois was geographically close to the rough and heavily wooded East, a condition which accounted for many of the eastern varieties which were occasionally recorded within her boundaries. Because of these various conditions, Illinois could expect birds of ocean, lake, river, and swamp, birds of upland and lowland, forest and prairie, including stray visitors from East, North, South, and West, which lingered within these ideal conditions. No matter what Nature required for each species or how fastidious might have been the taste of the individual bird, somewhere in this great land of wonderful streams, lakes and marvelous verdure could be found a site which would arrest the flight of the bird home-seekers or migrants. One hundred years later the land could scarcely be recognized as the same. Certain it is, that the bird migrants of a century before would have looked with bewilderment on the ravages which civilization has made on their Arcadia. ILLINOIS AS SEEN AT THE TIME OF H E B CENTENNIAL. The Ozark hills still are sparsely dotted with occasional clusters of Juniper. Huge mounds of earth with strange shafts show the entrance to numerous bituminous coal mines. Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 17 The forests have disappeared and in their place stand small farms with their orchards bordered with split rail or barbed wire fences. As the birds travel farther north the farms become more elaborate. Neat woven wire fences stretched tightly on metal posts everywhere greet the eye. Scarcely any fence corners are filled with hazel brush and blackberry briers. Everywhere the brush and grass are burned to rid the farmer of the dreaded chinch bug. Well defined roads lined with poles and wires lead from hamlet to village and then on to the towns and cities which are filled with noise and confusion, strange lights and odors, and soot belching smokestacks. In despair the birds might turn to the rivers which formerly were bordered with lakes and swamps. But here the transformation is even more astounding. At times rivers which formerly were clear steady streams, now have become surly, muddy floods, speeding on to the Gulf, while at other times they wend their ways slowly through sand bars and mud flats. On the banks, an occasional sentinel still stands to suggest the giants of the former forest primeval, while the islands of silt and the low banks are almost impenetrable with river willows, poplars, and cottonwoods. "Where once stood the swamps now are wonderful farms, which are protected from the floods' wrath by huge levees. High power electric wires lead to tremendous pump houses where all drainage and seepage is pumped into the river. From time to time, tremendous bridges topped with a network of telegraph and telephone wires stand across the path of the bird migrants checking them in the freedom of their flight, dropping those which dare question the right of way bruised and wounded into the boiling, muddy waters below. The endless prairies no longer welcome the migrant with a wealth of tall grass and wooded morass. Instead the tilled land, rich in its yield of corn, grain and farm products, seems almost endless to all birds seeking cover. The cliffs which once were so thickly populated with swallows still welcome those visitors which care to accept of their hospitality; however, the cutting of the trees on the 18 T. E. Musselman J. I. S. H. S. crests above, has often caused erosion to set in, and the soil which originally filled the crevices and encouraged the growth of vines and columbine has now largely washed away on many, while other such situations have changed little in one hundred years. Some hills have been blasted away and the stone has been reduced to lime and cement. The building of roads has often resulted in the cutting away of hills and in these cuts the Bank Swallows always have found an abundance of suitable nesting sites. Even Lake Michigan to the north is less hospitable now than formerly, with its metropolis and chain of suburban towns. True, many of these maintain bird sanctuaries and protect the birds that loiters in the cemeteries and parks. All nature seems to have been shorn of its rough spots. Gradually the hills and forests are being cut down and the swamps and lakes are being drained and filled in. Modern farming dooms the natural growth of the land, while the demands of the cities force the farmer to make every acre productive. In one century the land has changed from a territory of woods and prairies boasting a dozen or so mere villages and 55,162 people (census of 1820) to a live, pulsating commonwealth with hundred of cities and towns surrounded by thousands of modern, scientific, farms in which live more than five and a half millions of people. T H E PROBLEM OF THE LAND TRANSFORMATION AND THE BIRD. And the birds ? Well, it is a scientific fact that the distribution of bird life within a certain locality is affected by the character of the vegetation. Naturally with the revolutionary character of the conditions within our state throughout the past century due to land clearance for farming, the bird life accordingly has changed to conform with the surroundings. The result is that the status of the present bird population is practically everywhere dissimilar to that of the bird dwellers of a century ago. A few varieties have been able to change their habits and thus kept pace; they are still here. Some varieties which were then rare have now increased in numbers while many of the then common varieties Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 19 have now decreased, most of them having migrated elsewhere or nearly ceased to exist. Unfortunately, we have too many examples of the latter. WHERE HAVE THE PASSENGER PIGEONS GONE? And where are the millions of Passenger Pigeons which once graced the southern woods, nesting in such numbers as to burden the trees with their weight? They are gone forever, a sacrifice to man's greed and avarice. They have not migrated elsewhere. They are extinct. The following graphic description by Alexander Wilson will give a slight idea of one of the reasons for their passing. " A s soon as the young were fully grown and before they left the nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants from all parts of the adjacent country came with wagons, oxen, beds, cooking utensils, many of them accompanied by the greater part of their families—and encamped for several days at the immense nursery. The noise was so great as to terrify their horses, and it was difficult for one person to hear another speak without bawling in his ear. " T h e ground was strewed with broken limbs of trees, eggs and young squab pigeons which had been precipitated from above, and on which herds of hogs were fattened. Hawks, buzzards and eagles were sailing above in great numbers and seizing the squabs from their nests at pleasure; while from twenty feet upward to the tops of the trees the view through the woods presented a perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering multitudes of old pigeons, their wings roaring like thunder, mingled with the frequent crash of falling timber. F o r now the axe-men were at work cutting down those trees which seemed to be most crowded with nests of the young birds, and contriving to fell the trees in such manner that in their descent they might bring down several other trees. The falling of one large tree sometimes produced two hundred squabs, little inferior in size to old birds and almost one mass of f a t . " Farther north the birds were netted commercially and John C. French is my authority in quoting the shipment of crates of live pigeons as numbering one hundred and seventy- 20 T. E. Musselman j . i. s. H. s. five thousand a year from single dealers of whom there were many. So numerous were the pigeons that they could be bought at $1 a dozen. Bait nets and traps were used. One man secured 300 dozen live birds at one haul from a house over a salt spring. Everywhere the ceaseless slaughter continued until the birds were reduced to a few scattering flocks, the last of which was seen in 1905. They have been entirely wiped out by unrestricted shooting, trapping, etc. T H E SOUTH STATE SITUATION NOW. With the cutting of the Southern woods and the replacing with little farms and small towns and mining properties, we find the disappearance of the nesting hawks and eagles. No longer do we hear of Wild Turkeys within our borders, while the Carolina Paroquet is a thing of the past. Some Cranes, Egrets and Night Herons are still to be found in the few remaining swamp situations and the Pileated Woodpecker is a rarity whose occurrence marks its appearance as a red letter day on the calendar of the bird lover. EVOLUTIONARY CHARACTEE OF THE SITUATION. One naturally asks, " W i t h all these varieties of birds gone do we find southern Illinois destitute of bird life?" No indeed; as the forests were cut away and farms and meadows supplanted them, so did the farm and meadow loving birds following the forest and swamp loving birds which had died or migrated elsewhere. Bluebirds, Eobins, Grosbeaks, Blackbird, and many varieties of sparrows gradually assumed possession as the situation continually increased to suit their demands. The hawks are in little evidence, except the Sparrow Hawk which cheats some Woodpecker out of his rightful home or builds in the rafters of an old barn or in the steeple of the country church, still causing havoc to the now increasing numbers of grasshoppers and mice. Many of the birds of the central and northern Illinois situations particularly the prairie and plain birds have increased ; while many others will probably never again be seen in these situations. The most notable loss is that of the Miss- Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 21 issippi and Swallowtail Kites which are gone from this locality and only an occasional report now comes that a Eaven has been seen in the far north land. The few Eagles that now appear are mercilessly shot at, even though they are our national birds, symbolic of " Libe r t y . " Until recently, the only place where the Eagle has been able to maintain its numbers has been in Alaska. Several years ago, however, the Alaska Government placed a bounty of 50 cents a head on all Eagles killed. From April 30, 1917 until April 10, 1919 about 5600 Eagles had been killed. This probably represents one-half to two-thirds of the Eagle population of Alaska. If we are not heedful, the tragedy of the Passenger Pigeon will be reenacted with the Bald Eagle. Yearly fewer of these beautiful big birds travel South and remain with us as migrants. Very early in the last century, many scientists and naturalists began to appreciate the economic, as well as the aesthetic value, of our birds. This resulted in a movement to import many varieties of helpful European birds into America. Had the Skylark and other such beautiful songsters accepted our hospitality as readily as did the English House Sparrow and the Starling, we might have called the action successful, but instead, we have to admit that the importation has proved a failure. T H E ENGLISH SPAKEOW. In 1851 and 1852 a number of English Sparrows (Passer domesticus, were brought from Europe and were liberated at Brooklyn, N. Y. I t was not until the early 70'ies that a few over zealous natives of Illinois bought a number of pairs of these English parasites and liberated them in this state. So prolific are they, and so able to adapt themselves to the conditions of this country that at the present time they are so numerous as to constitute a pest. "Without song, being noisy, dirty and quarrelsome, they have developed into one of the worse nuisances ever perpetrated upon the American Public. The Illinois State Legislature recognized this and placed a bounty upon each bird killed, but their increase was not curbed by this action and the bounty was later withdrawn. 22 T. E. Musselman j. i. s. H. s. Mr. Eobt. Eidgway says of it, " I t is in every respect a firstclass nuisance, to be classed along with the house rat and other noxious vermin.'' T H E STABLING. This bird, likewise, has been able to maintain its existence because it can withstand the rigors of the American winters. It looks like a short tailed blackbird, and builds its nest about domestic dwellings. Its habits are reported to be similar to those of the English House Sparrow. However, we shall pray that it will not develop to be such a disagreeable pest. The Starling has just been reported in Illinois (1922) at Champaign-Urbana. It is to be hoped that in the future, no more birds will be brought to America for propagation purposes, unless the government is sure of their beneficial qualities. Better that we should join our efforts to those of the Audubon Societies and protect the birds which we now have with us, and increase the number of individuals and varieties by the establishment of bird sanctuaries, game preserves, and the proper enactment of game laws, thus allowing them suitable nesting sites and protection while rearing their young. MIGBATIOST. The phenomenon of yearly migration of birds has been one which has caused a great deal of wonderment for many years. In the course of the last fifteen or twenty years a great deal of progress has been made in solving many problems pertaining to this subject. Yet, because of the lack of proper observers in localities over different parts of the state who can give a sufficient amount of time in securing complete records each day, we lack a great deal of co-ordinated data. Illinois birds might be classified into four principal groups and one secondary class; namely, permanent residents, summer residents, winter residents, regular spring and fall migrants, and a subsidiary class of irregular migrants and strays. PEKMANENT EESIDENTS. By a permanent resident, we mean a bird which is to be seen in any given locality at all times of the year. The com- Vol. XIV, No. 1 History 23 of Birds of Illinois mon permanent residents of Illinois are such birds as the Crow, Blue Jay, English Sparrow, Quail, Cardinal, Red-tailed Hawk, Barred Owl, Screech Owl, Great Horned Owl, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Eed-bellied Woodpecker, Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Chickadee, etc., any or all of which an interested person may record at any season of the year in almost any part of the state. The Flicker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Ruffed Grouse, Carolina Wren and others are permanent residents in some sections of the state, and are differently classified in other places. F o r example, select Quincy, which is one of the most centrally and the most westwardly located city in the state. With us the Song Sparrow is a permanent resident, because one can go out at any season of the year and get records of it; yet, the bird that dodges in and out of the brush piles along the creek during the winter time, is not the same bird which nests with us in June. The winter bird moves on to the North when the spring migration gives us such an abundance of other Song Sparrows SUMMER * } FERMArtZNJ ftES/£ENc£- WINTER w w */ 24 T. E. Musselman J. I. s. H. s. which in turn pass northward, and Quincy gets as summer residents a few birds which wintered far south of us. Thus at Quincy the bird is always with us. In northern Illinois, they consider the Song Sparrow as a summer resident, while south of us it is practically a winter resident. The middle part of the state is the place where the winter and summer zones overlap, and consequently we have the birds with us constantly as shown in the accompanying illustration. By rearranging the lines in the above map, the ratio may be changed so that birds winter entirely south of us and summer entirely north of us. This arrangement would make such birds merely migrants at this point. Because of this condition a complete list of winter residents in all parts of the state is almost impossible without zoning the seasonal wanderings of each bird. SUMMER EESIDENTS. By summer resident we mean a bird which migrates into the state in the spring and spends its summer in this locality, returning south in the fall. The principal summer residents a r e : Eobin Crested Flycatcher Bluebird Phoebe Wood Thrush Kingbird Wrens Hummingbird Brown Thrasher Migrant Shrike Catbird Swallows Eedstart Tanagers Yellow-breasted Chat Dickcissel Northern Yellowthroat Indigo Bunting Yellow Warbler Eose-breasted Grosbeak Prothonotary Warbler Towhee Eed-eyed Vireo Field Sparrow Warbling Vireo Chipping Sparrow Orioles Grasshopper Sparrow Meadowlark Grackles Bobolink Cowbird Wood Pewee Eedwing Blackbirds Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 25 The principal summer residents are—Concluded. Mourning Dove Swift Killdeer Whippoorwill Spotted Sandpiper Nighthawk Yellowlegs Cuckoos Woodcock Great Blue Heron Coot Bittern Bails Wood Duck Night Herons WINTER RESIDENTS. The winter residents are those which make their appearance sometime during the fall or early winter and remain in this locality until the warm winds of spring send them northward to their summer home. The common winter residents a r e : Brown Creeper Junco Golden-crowned Kinglet Tree Sparrow Winter Wren Lapland Longspurs While in the northern part of the state, the following are regular winter birds: Pine Siskin Redpoll Snowflake American Crossbill together with many water birds. REGULAR MIGRANTS. In addition to these, we have a large number of birds which are mere transients, passing northward in the spring and returning southward in the fall. Many of these birds we see for a day or two while enroute from summer to winter homes or vice versa, and we can scarcely learn to know them because of their short stay. This group includes many of the warblers, fly-catchers, thrushes, ducks, terns, gulls, and other water birds. IRREGULAR MIGRANTS AND STRAYS. Finally, we have a large number of migrants which come irregularly and often are not seen again for several years. 26 T. E. Musselman j. i. s. H. s. This group includes the Goshawk, Snowy Owl, Bohemian Waxwing, Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker, Northern Shrike, Pomarine Jaeger, Evening Grosbeak, etc., most of which are winter residents when they do visit us. After examining these classifications, one immediately wonders why the birds have such variable migratory habits, thus allowing us to classify them in this way. Many valuable articles have been written for different scientific magazines and a variety of reasons have been assigned as the direct cause of such flight. Some authors give the desire for food as the main cause of the yearly migration flight No doubt this does affect a certain class of birds. The gulls from the frozen lake district of the North appear along the Mississippi river during late January and February. They fly along the shores at the point where the ice is breaking and there feed upon the abundance of dead fish which have been starved to death in the shallow water, or which have been caught in the ice and have finally been washed upon the banks. As soon as the food supply begins to wane, the gulls move onward. Years when we have large supplies of persimmons, barberries, and dried wild grapes, tremendous flocks of Cedar Waxwings may be expected. Even occasional flocks of Bohemian Waxwings make their appearance and remain as long as the food supply is abundant. But even with such apparent illustrations as this, I can not believe that the food supply is the direct cause of migration, for during September and early October with the supply of insects at its greatest, hordes of insect-eating birds leave the Northland and pass on through the state working southward, leaving behind them an abundance of food. Eeverse the situation. During the winter, tremendous flocks of birds have gathered in Mexico, Central America, and South America, in which tropical and semi-tropical countries, insects, berries, and fruits are at all times abundant. If food were the stimulus which excited their migratory flight, all would be permanent residents. None would leave this land of plenty to endure the hardships of a flight across the Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 27 Gulf of Mexico, to enter a land just emerging from the desolation of winter's ice and cold; but such is the case. Other authors give the cause of migrations as an inherited instinct which has been passed on to the birds through thousands of generations, from the time of the glacial period when the birds were forced from their northland homes to the warm countries about the equator by the tremendous force of ice which pushed down from the Northland. A natural desire to get back to the old northern home has been felt in successive generations ever since the Glacial Period, and yearly as spring begins to open up the land to the North, something impels these birds to gather in large numbers for the northward journey. Evidently it is a homing instinct. Becent experiments in banding birds show most certainly that the migrants do manifest a tendency to return to the same general locality whence they were reared, and here they build their nests and raise their young. These are several of the theories governing the yearly cycle of migratory birds which we watch and study and yet do not fully understand. The following discussion of migration is taken from the 1921 Illinois Arbor and Bird Day Bulletin. " About seven-eighths of our different species are travelers, making annual journeys back and forth between their summer and winter homes. The regions occupied as such homes are now known for very nearly all of the three hundred and more different kinds of Illinois birds, and the principal facts are published so that anyone can look them up. Furthermore, the general routes followed by the birds in traveling back and forth between summer and winter homes are also known for most of the species. An examination of the published data shows that birds of nearly one-half (48%) of the species regularly found in Illinois have their summer and winter homes entirely separated, necessitating a migration by all of the individuals of those species over the intervening territory, annually, in each direction. F o r some species these may be journeys of but a few hundred miles, while for others they are thousands of miles. Summer residents of Illinois that winter in the states next south of us do not have far to travel, but birds that nest in or near Alaska and the Arctic 28 T. E. Musselman J. I. S. H. S. regions, and have their winter home in the southern half of South America, make journeys of 8,000 or 9,000 miles twice each year. The birds of more than one-third (36%) of our Illinois species journey beyond the boundaries of our country to reach their winter homes. A few kinds, winter in the West Indies, others in Mexico, a greater number in Central America, and representatives of more than one-fifth (21%) of our Illinois species push on into South America for their winter feeding grounds. Among these are included many thrushes, warblers, swallows, tanagers, flycatchers, cuckoos, snipe, and sandpipers. The accompanying map shows the migration routes followed by most birds that leave the United States for the winter season. It is similar to one in a bulletin of the United States Department of Agriculture (No. 185) on the subject of a bird migration, prepared by "W. W. Cooke who, when living, was a leading authority and writer on that subject. "Most Illinois birds which migrate beyond the boundaries of the United States doubtless follow route 3, which involves a direct flight across the Gulf of Mexico to the southeastern part of Mexico, and then travel overland into Central America, and many of them go still farther into South America. A few, like the Cliff Swallow, fly around the gulf through Mexico (route 4) and a few, like the Bank Swallows and Bobolinks, follow route 2 via Cuba and the Carribean Sea directly to South America. " I t soon becomes apparent to those who make an effort to keep approximately complete records of the birds found in their localities, that these migration flights with the consequent changes in the bird population are going on actively during the greater part of the year. In central Illinois, the arrival of birds from the south usually begins in February and often before the middle of the month. From this time on for nearly four months there is a continually shifting population, and not until sometime in June have the last migrants that hail from South America, taken their departure for more northern regions. In August the return journey is under way and birds on their way to the South American Vol. xiv, No. i History of Birds of Illinois 29 30 T. E. Musselman J. I. S. H. S. winter quarters are again with us for a brief time. Not until December have the last autumn migrants left us again for the south. In the spring migration, the greatest number of new arrivals and the longest lists of birds seen on a single trip are usually recorded early in May or, less frequently, in the last week in A p r i l . " Frank Smith, A. M. in 6 Illinois Birds as Travelers. 9 COMPAEATIVE MIGRATION ALONG THE 4 0 T H DEGREE OF PARALLEL. An experiment which was maintained for a period of four years by Professor Prank Smith, writer of the preceding excerpt, who is the head of the Ornithology Department at the University of Illinois, Urbana, and the writer who spent one year at White Heath, Piatt County, Illinois, and three years at Quincy, Illinois in securing comparative migration records, produced some very interesting data concerning relative migration of birds along the 40th degree of parallel at the two extremes of the state. The University records of first arrivals for a number of years show that certain birds make their appearance each year at about the same time. Early in March, there is often a large bird movement which will bring the Phoebe, Killdeer, Fox Sparrows, Meadow Lark, Kingfisher, Song Sparrows, and many others. A little later other groups of birds make their appearance. Thus, from year to year, as one bird of an associated group made its appearance, one can naturally expect other birds which had in former years made their appearance about the same time to appear in conjunction with the new arrival. The following record gives the appropriate date at which the spring migrants and summer residents have made their appearance in Adams County, Illinois, for a number of years. These dates will, generally speaking, hold good for any city in Illinois along the 40th degree of parallel. Naturally, any town farther south should have a relatively earlier date of arrival, while the towns farther north would have a proportionately later date. vol. xiv, No. i History of Birds of Illinois AVERAGE OF S P R I N G A B RIVALS. Date of Arrival. February 17. 23 24 25 30 March 3 6 10 .9 13 14. 15 19 20 23 24. Variety. [Bluebird [Robins f Golden-crowned Kinglet j Pintail Duck [Sparrow Hawk Killdeer /Mallard Ducks [Meadow Lark Purple Finch Grackle f Savannah Sparrow [Kingfisher fRedwinged Blackbird \ Fox Sparrow I Cowbird Winter Wren Green-winged Teal Phoebe Flicker Migrant Shrike Spoonbill Duck Wood Duck f Mourning Dove \ Coot [White-throated Sparrow Field Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Gadwall 31 32 T. E. Musselman J. i. s. a s. AVERAGE OF SPRING ARRIVALS—Continued, Date of Arrival. March—Concluded. 27 Variety. JTowhee t $ c a u p Duck [Purple Martins [Yellow-bellied Sapsucker [Florida Gallinule [Blue-winged Teal April [Great Blue Heron 1 [Hermit Thrush 2 Pied-billed Grebe 3 Swamp Sparrow [Brown Thrasher [Myrtle Warbler 4 ' * •' [Jack Snipe [Spotted Sandpiper 6 Semipalmated Sandpiper [Tree Swallow [Vesper Sparrow [Baehinan's Sparrow [Grasshopper Sparrow 12 14 15 19 on Z{) 21 Bank Swallow Whippoorwill Swift later in the central state Little Green Heron [Gnatcatcher [House Wren Eed-headed Woodpecker Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 33 AVERAGE OF SPRING ARRIVALS—Continued. Date of Arrival. April—Concluded. 22 Variety. Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pine Warbler Palm Warbler 24 (Olive-backed Thrush [Black and White Warbler 26 fWood Thrush [Scarlet Tanager 28 29 30 May 1 King Bird Warbling Vireo Baltimore Orioles f Gray-cheeked Thrush Northern Yellow Throat Wilson Thrush lOvenbird Water Thrush Yellow Rail Red-eyed Vireo Great-crested Flycatcher Magnolia Warbler Wilson Warbler Redstart Biekcissel Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow Warbler Least Flycatcher Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Indigo Bunting Kentucky Warbler Wood Pewee 34 T. E. Musselman J. I. S. H. S. AVERAGE OF SPRING ARRIVALS—Concluded. Date of Arrival. May—Concluded. 4 9 10. 11 Variety. Night Hawk f Cape May Warbler [Catbird Prothonotary Warbler Canadian Warbler Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Yellow-bellied Flycatcher [Buby-throated Hummingbird H I G H AND LOW BAROMETRIC PRESSURE THEORY. Why do many varieties of birds sometimes arrive upon the same night, and is there anything which causes such a general bird wave to occur at some times, while upon other occasions the birds make their appearance in ones and twos? The writer was glad to be able to correlate his records with those of Professor Frank Smith, A. M., who had written many articles on this phase of bird migration, and whom I have to thank for most of the information I have gained concerning the migration of birds. I refer all readers to his articles in the Illinois Audubon Bulletin for the spring and summer of 1918; and to a more comprehensive article in the Illinois Arbor and Bird Day Circular for the spring of 1921, from which the several excerpts herewith printed were taken. " A study of the daily records made in the months of February to May inclusive, during the years 1903-1918, at Urbana, Illinois, furnish ample evidence that there is a great lack of uniformity in the amount of migration activity on successive nights. On some mornings we have found large numbers of new arrivals belonging to as many as 15 or 20 species not previously seen that season, and such movements are very likely to be preceded and followed by several nights of very little activity. Such extensive movements or bird waves, as they are called, are evidently independent of any History of Birds of Illinois 35 particular food conditions, since they commonly involve birds as unlike in food habits as are the green herons, black and white warblers, and fly-catchers. Extensive bird waves commonly occurred with us, while records were being kept, at the end of February, soon after the middle of March, near the end of April, and early in May. The early May movement was the greatest of all, and at its height, we expected to list 70 to 80 different species a day and see multitudes of individuals. A study of the weather maps of such times of migration activity reveals a close correlation between bird waves and special weather conditions. The greatest flights of night migrants have taken place at times when the weather maps have shown the near approach from the west, of an area of low barometric pressure, with the accompanying rise in temperature, and southerly winds. The two weather maps which are reproduced will serve as illustrations of such maps. On each of the days of the two dates borne by the maps, birds of more than 100 species were seen listed in the vicinity of Urbana. On one of these days, April 29, 1901, birds of 32 species were seen for the first time during the season, and 14 " first reco r d s " were listed on the other day, May 7, 1916."—Frank Smith, A. M., in 'Illinois Birds as Travelers.' When spring comes, the tendency of all the birds seems to be to return to the nesting grounds which have been used for generations by their progenitors. The birds naturally move northward gradually, unless they are checked by steady north winds. Should these winds be local in nature, with south winds farther to the south, it causes birds to move up to the point where the north wind has banked the birds, and the longer the period of stagnation at this point, the greater become the numbers and variety of birds which assemble there. When the areas of barometric pressure rearrange themselves, as shown in the accompanying maps, so that a general south wind results, the birds suddenly are released and move northward in a so-called " b i r d wave", arriving in tremendous numbers as far as the south wind is effective. In completing our records for the last three years, I found that as a general thing birds arrived in Quincy and Champaign on the same night. There were exceptions to this, 36 T. E. Musselman j . I. s. H. s. however. Occasionally a number of the birds would be seen in Quincy one day and similar varieties would be seen in Champaign after the next night. The question naturally arose, why should this be? A careful study of the weather maps again revealed a curious condition. When the birds were banked south of Illinois and an area of " h i g h s " and " l o w s " had appeared which developed a general south wind which released these birds, the time at which this south wind began to blow had much to do with the time of arrival of the birds. The majority of these smaller birds are weak in flight and for protection's sake they migrate at night. If the south wind approached Quincy about midnight or later, the birds, taking advantage of the wind and darkness, would arrive during the early morning hours and at daybreak cease their migrations. Champaign, being across the state would not be affected by this south wind until sometime later in the day. Naturally the birds, banked south of Champaign, would not move until the next night, when they would move northward on the south wind, and consequently would then appear twenty-four hours later there, than at Quincy. The above theory applies definitely to the spring migrations. In the fall, the prevailing winds are from the north. By reversing the arrangement of " h i g h s " and " l o w s " , one can tell approximately when the birds will move southward. As a general thing those birds which were the last to come in the spring are the first to pass in the fall and any birds which winter just south of Illinois linger late into the fall in this locality before being driven south by the chilling blasts of winter. Having seen the effects of migration upon our bird life, it is necessary that we have an authentic list of all the varieties of birds which live permanently, or have migrated to our borders, together with their nesting data. The following list was taken from the Audubon Bulletin published in the spring of 1917 and I have enlarged upon the descriptions and have supplemented it with information from Mr. Frank Smith of ITrbana, Mr. Otho Poling of Ocean Beach, California, Mr. Harold Holland of Galesburg, Mr. B. T. Gault and Mr. Ruthven Deane of Chicago, The Spring Migration notes of The Chicago area, compiled by James D. Watson, George P. Lewis, Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 37 and Nathan F . Leopold, Jr., together with records taken from several of the leading magazines on ornithology, covering years back. CHECK LIST OF BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Grebes. HolboelPs Grebe. Rare winter and spring migrant in Illinois, even in the Lake Michigan district. Horned Grebe. Nests occasionally in northern Illinois, a rare winter migrant in central Illinois, a common spring migrant along Lake Michigan. Eared Grebe. A rare spring and fall migrant along Lake Michigan. Pied-billed Grebe. (Hell-diver) A common migrant over the entire state. I t occasionally nests in swampy situations along the Mississippi and 111nois rivers and along Lake Michigan. Loons. Great Northern Diver. Spring and fall migrant over the state. Nests occasionally in the northern part of the state. Black-throated Loon. An Arctic bird which rarely visits Illinois. Red-throated Loon. A rare winter resident in northern Illinois. Jaegers and Skuas. Pomarine Jaeger. A northern variety which occasionally visits Lake Michigan. Long-tailed Jaeger. One seen September 21, 1915, Dune Park, Indiana. One found dead at Cairo, Illinois, on the Mississippi River in November, 1876. Gulls and Terns. Kittiwake Gull. A northern gull that visits Lake Michigan occasionally in the winter. 38 T. E9 Musselman J.I.S.H.S Glaucous Gull. Bare winter visitor to Lake Michigan from the Arctics. Iceland Gull. Occasionally it gets as far south as the Great Lakes during the winter time. Great Black-backed Gull. Seen along the coasts of North America occasionally wandering south to the Great Lakes. Herring Gull. One of the commonest of our winter residents. Active in eating fish killed by the winters's severity. Ring-billed Gull. A fairly common winter migrant along Lake Michigan, occasionally seen in the central part of the state. Laughing Gull. Essentially a coast bird. According to Professor Cooke a few pass up the Mississippi during the summer as far as Southern Illinois. Franklin's Gull. A western plain gull, seen rarely along the Mississippi river. Bonaparte's Gull. An unusual little winter migrant in the central and southern part of the state. Common migrant along Lake Michigan. Sabine's Gull. An Arctic gull, a very rare migrant to Lake Michigan. Gull-billed Tern. Caspian Tern. Irregular in its distribution. At times it appears in some numbers along Lake Michigan. Royal Tern. A very rare visitor from the south and east. A doubtful species in Illinois. Forster's Tern. Rather a common bird in certain sections of northern Illinois. Seen rarely along the Mississippi River. Has been found nesting in northern part of the state. Common Tern. Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 39 A common migrant in the northern part of the state. Least Tern. Seen occasionally in late summer along the Mississippi Eiver. Black Tern. Common in north. Seen as a migrant in April and late July along the Mississippi. Nests in north part of the state in abundance. Anhingas. Snake Bird. Found in swamp locations of southern Illinois. Its nests have been taken there. Cormorants. Double-crested Cormorant. Found in the south and central part of state. Nests at Havana on the Illinois, and above Quincy on the Mississippi. Florida Cormorant. A summer resident in the southern part of the state, nests having been taken there. Mexican Cormorant. Specimens have been taken at Cairo. Pelican. American White. A regular spring and fall migrant which nests far north of us and winters south of the state. Brown Pelican. But one record, made at Warsaw, Illinois. Ducks, Geese, Etc. American Merganser. Common winter duck in the north, seen irregularly over the rest of the state. Bed-breasted Merganser. A winter resident, particularly numerous in the north along Lake Michigan, where it occasionally nests. Hooded Merganser. Nests over the state in wooded swamps. 40 T. E. Musselman J. I. S. H. S. Mallard. Probably confined as a breeder to Northern half of State. Eegular and common migrant often wintering in the central and southern parts of the state where the water is open. Black Duck. Seen as an occasional spring and fall migrant in central Illinois becoming more common in the North, where it sometimes nests. Gadwall. An occasional migrant through the state. Increasing recently. European Widgeon. A rare stray. Baldpate. A possible breeder in northern Illinois. Eegular, though uncommon migrant in spring and fall along the Illinois, less common than formerly along Lake Michigan. Green-winged Teal. A common migrant over the state which occasionally winters in the south part of the state. Nests in north part of the state. Blue-winged Teal. Regular migrant over the entire state. Nests irregularly over entire state. Cinnamon Teal. An irregular migrant from the "West. Shoveller. Nested formerly in northern Illinois and may do so now. Common migrant spring and fall along the Mississippi, less common along the Illinois River. Pintail. Common spring and fall migrant over the state. Nests sparingly in the northern part of state. Wood Duck. Nests in cavities in old willow trees. Once a common nesting bird over the entire state. Now less numerous due to summer shooting and the cutting down of available nesting sites. Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 41 Bedhead. Very rare fall migrant along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, fairly common but erratic migrant on Lake Michigan. Canvas-back Duck. A common spring migrant particularly along the Illinois river. Much less common on the Mississippi river. Seldom seen in the fall. Not a common bird along Lake Michigan. Greater Scaup Duck. Eather uncommon spring and fall migrant along the Mississippi and Illinois Eivers. Lesser Scaup Duck. Very common migrant in spring probably nesting in northern Illinois. Not so abundant in the fall as in the spring. Eing-necked Duck. Eather an uncommon migrant, very similar to its close relative the Scaups. Nests in the northern part of the state. American Golden-eye. (whistler). An occasional migrant along the rivers in the late fall. Very abundant on Lake Michigan. Barrow's Golden-eye. A rare winter migrant in the north, (western bird) Bufflehead. A common late fall and early spring migrant often to be found among the floating cakes of ice on the Mississippi Eiver. Fairly common along Lake Michigan. Old Squaw. A regular winter migrant on Lake Michigan. Very rare in the central state. Harlequin Duck. A rare migrant. Larry St. John sport writer of the Chicago Tribune reports several in Lake Michigan recently. It is a lover of swift water. American Eider. Eegarded as a stray to Illinois. 42 T. E. Musselman J. I. S. H. S. King Eider. An unusual winter migrant on Lake Michigan. A rough weather bird. American Scoter Duck. Common winter visitor on Lake Michigan. White-winged Scoter. An uncommon winter migrant on Lake Michigan. Surf Scoter. Abundant fall and winter visitor to Lake Michigan occasionally seen in the central state. Euddy Duck. A not uncommon species which has nested in the northern part of the state. Lesser Snow Goose. An irregular spring and fall migrant along the Mississippi. Greater Snow Goose. An uncommon migrant along the Mississippi. Blue Goose. I have seen it once in the fall on a sandbar in the Mississippi with a flock of snow geese. A few stray birds were killed each spring. White-fronted Goose. Rather common migrant along the Mississippi. Canada Goose. Common migrant, many in captivity in central state where they breed readily. Nest in the northern part of state. Hutchin's Goose. A regular migrant, though not numerous during the spring and fall along the Mississippi and Illinois Eivers. Cackling Goose. Rare migrant from the west. Brant. Rare stray from the Atlantic Coast. Swan. Whistling Swan. A migrant. Several flocks have been seen at Lima Lake, Illinois since the Federal Migration Bird Law went into effect. vol. xiv, No. i History of Birds of Illinois 43 Trumpeter Swan. No recent records. Bitterns, Herons and Cranes. Eoseate Spoonbill. (?) Reported to be an occasional resident of southern swamps about 1850. A specimen was killed in Adams County on the Mississippi about 1887 by 0. C. Poling, and one in Jay County Ind. in 1887. White Ibis. Seen by Ridgway in 1878 on the Wabash. Glossy Ibis. One killed near St. Louis. A very rare summer resident. Wood Ibis. Not uncommon late summer visitor to Southern and Central Illinois. American Bittern. Summer resident in swamp and river districts over the entire states. Nests generally over the state. Least. Bittern. Summer resident over the entire state, nesting generally. Cory's Least Bittern. A peculiar color-phase of the Least Bittern-one record. Great Blue Heron. Common summer resident over the entire state, nests generally. American Egret. Probably not nesting now. Formerly nested, generally in south and central parts of state. One killed in October 1921 at Quincy, others seen. Snowy Heron. Restricted to an occasional stray in the southern part of the state. Reddish Egret. Very rare migrant to southern Hlinois. Little Blue Heron. Late summer resident in Southern Illinois. 44 T. E. Musselman J. I. S. H. S. Green Heron. Common summer resident over entire state. I t nests generally. Black-crowned Night Heron. Over entire state as a migrant, nesting in many parts of the state. Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Summer resident in the southern states. Nests in swamp districts. I t strays farther north. Whooping Crane. Eare. An occasional pair may be found along the Illinois Eiver. Sandhill Crane. Nested formerly, but doubtless not now. Limpkin. A bird common in Florida which is reported to have strayed to Illinois. Rails, Gallinules and Coots. King Bail. Common marsh resident over the state during the summer time. Nests generally over the state. Very abundant at Lima Lake. Virginia Eail. Summer resident over the entire state. Commoner to the north where it nests. Sora Eail. Common summer resident over entire state, nesting generally from the central part of the state northward. Yellow Eail. Found over the entire state. Less common then other Eails. Black Eail. Nests in Northern and Central and possible Southern Illinois. Purple Gallinule. Ttare visitant. Only occasionally reported thru out the state. History of Birds of Illinois 45 Florida Gallinule. Common summer resident over the entire state. Nests in the marshes generally. American Coot. Common migrant over the entire state. Nests from the central portion northward in swampy locations. Phalaropes. Red Phalarope. Eare Migrant from the far north. Northern Phalarope. Eare Migrant during May and October. Wilson's Phalarope. Summer resident in north, nesting in the Calumet regions and elsewhere. Seen occasionally in the central states about the swamps. Avocets and Stilts. American Avocet. Eare migrant. Black-necked Stilt. Eare migrant. Snipe, Sandpipers, Etc. Woodcock. Once common but now an irregular summer resident over the state. Increasing. Wilson's Snipe. Migrant in south and central p a r t of the state. Nests in north part of state. Occasionally winters in Adams County and increases in number towards the south during the winter. Short-billed Dowitcher. An Atlantic seacoast bird that has been recorded from Cook CQ. Long-billed Dowitcher. A rare straggler. Seven seen and one specimen taken at Calumet, May 14, 1920. 46 T. E. Musselman j . i. s. H. s. Stilt Sandpiper. A spring and autumn migrant which passes through very rapidly. Knot. Occurs sparingly along the Lake Michigan territory. Purple Sandpiper. An Atlantic Ocean variety which has been known to stray to Illinois along Lake Michigan. A rarity. Pectoral Sandpiper. A migrant over the state and although some are found as summer residents, they are not known to nest. White-rumped Sandpiper. Eeported by Chapman as an abundant migrant along the Mississippi. One flock was seen by the writer in 1918. Baird's Sandpiper. Uncommon migrant along Lake Michigan during May and September. Least Sandpiper. May have nested very rarely in former years. A common migrant. Bed-backed Sandpiper. Not a common migrant in south or central Illinois but occasionally plentiful in Cook County along the lake. Semipalmated Sandpiper. Occasional summer resident, but do not nest. A migrant which is more common in fall then in the spring. Western Sandpiper. Formerly common during migrations. Sanderling. I have never recorded it down state, but it is reported as a regular migrant along the Lake in Cook County, particularly during August, September and October. Marbled Godwit. A migrant wherever there are wet prairies and fresh water marshes. Never recorded from this section. Hudsonian Godwit. Formerly a regular migrant. Now rare. vol. xiv, No. i History of Birds of Illinois 47 Greater Yellow-legs. Occasional Summer Resident, and may breed in Northern Illinois. Common migrant. Lesser Yellow-legs. A common migrant which breeds very rarely in northern Illinois. Solitary Sandpiper. Common migrant and casual summer resident but has never been found breeding. Willet. Eeported by Nelson as a rare summer resident in the marshes and wet prairies of northwestern Illinois. (Probably the western willet). Western Willet. Authority—W. W. Cooke. Rare. Found in the north state. Bartramian Sandpiper. Summer resident over the state in the prairie districts, where it nests. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Rare migrant. Seen rarely along the Mississippi River as fall migrant. One reported from the Chicago district in 1916. Spotted Sandpiper. Common summer resident over the entire state, nesting generally. Black-bellied Plover. A few non-breeding birds are Summer residents in north. Long-billed Curlew. Authority of Nelson who once found it nesting in Northeastern Illinois. Hudsonian Curlew. Seen only as a rare migrant along Lake Michigan. Eskimo Curlew. Spring and fall migrant. No recent records. 48 T. E. Musselman j. i. s. H. s. Plovers. Black-bellied Plover. Arrives in Cook County in May. A few remain but most go north returning in September and remain until October. American Golden Plover. Occasional in spring and common migrant in the north during the fall. Killdeer. Common over the entire state as summer resident. Seen in the upland fields as well as in lowland marshes. Nests generally. Semipalmated Plover. A common migrant over state. A few remain as Summer Eesidents in the north and may breed there. Belted Piping Plover. Uncommon Summer Resident along Lake Michigan where it still nests. Turnstones, Oyster-Catchers. Turnstone. Earely seen in May, more generally seen as a migrant along Lake Michigan during August. Bob-White, Grouse, Etc. Bob-white. Distributed as a permanent resident over the entire state. Scattered in north but numerous in central and south p a r t of state. Ruffed Grouse. Nests in North and Central part of state (eastern) and possibly of rare occurrence in Southern Illinois. Willow Ptarmigan. A very doubtful species. Has been taken in Wisconsin. Prairie-Hen. Found over the entire state. Becoming very uncommon in Central Western p a r t of state. Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse. Nested formerly in North Eastern Illinois. Once at Waukegan. Very rare. History of Birds of Illinois 49 Wild Turkey. A few are supposed to be in the heavy river bottom woods of Southern Illinois. Dove. Passenger Pigeon. (Once nested sparingly in North Eastern Illinois, and in abundance in the southern woods. Now extinct.) Mourning Dove. Summer resident which nests over the entire state. I t spends the winter in scattered flocks in the Southern part of the state and southward. Vultures. Turkey Vulture. Abundant in, south and fairly common in center state. Bare summer resident in Northern Illinois. Nests on the ground in hollow trees from central state southward. Black Vulture. A few are seen in the southern p a r t of the state. Hawks and Eagles. Swallow-tailed Kite. Bare even in southern Illinois. Half a century ago it was a common resident, nesting throughout the southern half of the state. White-tailed Kite. B a r e / One reported from Bantoul by George Ekblaw during the winter of 1916. Mississippi Kite. If any are now to be seen in the state, it will be in the south. Once common throughout the state. Marsh Hawk. In Northern and Central Eastern part of state said to be uncommon if not rare. Along the Mississippi marshes in Central to the south it is a permanent resident in goodly numbers. Sharp-shinned Hawk. Seen as an irregular migrant over entire state. 50 T. E. Musselman j. i. s. H. s. Cooper's Hawk. Common over the entire state. Similar in distribution to the above. Goshawk. Bare winter migrant. Migrates into the states occasionally, as does the Snowy Owl. Both are forced south from the sub-arctic regions when a periodic scourge kills off the varying hares upon which they normally live. Very common along the Illinois River in winter of 1918. Western Goshawk. A rare stray in southern Illinois. Bed-tailed Hawk. Common resident over the entire state, nesting throughout, Krider's Bed-tailed Hawk. A very rare stray. Western Bed-tailed Hawk. A casual migrant. Harlan's Hawk. A casual migrant. Mexican Gosgawk. Bare stray to our southern border. Bed-shouldered Hawk. Common over the entire state, nesting generally. Swainson's Hawk. Very rare migrant from the west and north. Broad-winged Hawk. Native over the entire state, nesting throughout. American Bough-legged Hawk. Bather rare spring and fall migrant. Ferruginous Bough-legged Hawk. A western bird which occasionally strays into Illinois. Golden Eagle. Formerly nested in different parts of state. Barely seen except as a winter migrant. Bald Eagle. Now rare winter migrant. A few are killed each year. Even in Alaska where they were formerly able to hold their own, a bounty is now paid for killing them. Vol. XIV, No. 1 History of Birds of Illinois 51 Prairie Falcon. A mere straggler from the West. Richardson's Pigeon Hawk. Duck Hawk. Found in southern Illinois where it sometimes nests in the tall sycamore trees. Pigeon Hawk. Rare summer resident and may nest in th