Birds of America
By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.
VOLUME IV.
Family
Genus
BLACK-THROATED WAXWING, OR BOHEMIAN CHATTERER.
[Bohemian Waxwing.]
BOMBYCILLA GARRULA, Vieill.
[Bombycilla garrulus.]
PLATE CCXLV.--MALE AND FEMALE.
The first intimations of the occurrence of this beautiful bird in North
America, were made by Mr. DRUMMOND and Dr. RICHARDSON, by the former of whom it
was found in 1826, near the sources of the Athabasca, or Elk river, in the
spring, and by the latter, in the same season, at Great Bear Lake, in latitude
50 degrees. Dr. RICHARDSON states, in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, that
"specimens procured at the former place, and transmitted to England, by the
servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, were communicated by Mr. LEADBEATER to the
Prince of MUSIGNANO, who had introduced the species into his great work on the
Birds of the United States." "In its autumn migration southwards," he
continues, "this bird must cross the territory of the United States, if it does
not actually winter within it; but I have not heard of its having been hitherto
seen in America to the southward of the fifty-fifth parallel of latitude. The
mountainous nature of the country skirting the Northern Pacific Ocean being
congenial to the habits of this species, it is probably more generally diffused
in New Caledonia and the Russian American Territories, than to the eastward of
the Rocky Mountain chain. It appears in flocks at Great Bear Lake about the
24th of May, when the spring thaw has exposed the berries of the alpine arbutus,
marsh vaccinium, &c., that have been frozen and covered during winter. It stays
only for a few days, and none of the Indians of that quarter with whom I
conversed had seen its nests; but I have reason to believe, that it retires in
the breeding season to the rugged and secluded mountain-limestone districts, in
the sixty-seventh and sixty-eighth parallels, where it feeds on the fruit of the
common juniper, which abounds in those places." In a note, he further
states:--"I observed a large flock, consisting of at least three or four hundred
individuals, on the banks of the Saskatchewan at Carlton House, early in May
1827. They alighted in a grove of poplars, settling all on one or two trees,
and making a loud twittering noise. They stayed only about one hour in the
morning, and were too shy to allow me to approach within gunshot."
I am informed by Mr. TOWNSEND, who has spent about four years in the
Columbia river district and on the Rocky Mountains, that he did not observe
there a single bird of this species. In the autumn of 1832, whilst rambling
near Boston, my sons saw a pair, which they pursued more than an hour, but
without success. The most southern locality in which I have known it to be
procured, is the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, where, as well as on Long
Island, several were shot in 1830 and 1832. The specimens from which I made the
figures of the male and female represented in the plate, were given to me by my
friend THOMAS M'CULLOCH of Pictou, in Nova Scotia, who procured several others
in the winter of 1834. The following account of the affection displayed by one
towards its companion, with which he has also favoured me, will be found highly
interesting.
"During the winter of 1834, many species of the northern birds were more
than usually abundant in the province of Nova Scotia, being driven, no doubt,
from their customary places of resort by the cold which was very intense at the
commencement of the season. Large flocks of the Loxia Enucleator appeared in
every part of the country, while the Fringilla Linaria, of which we had not seen
a single specimen for upwards of two years, could be shot at almost any hour of
the day, in the streets of Pictou; and we were often told of birds being seen,
which from the description we could not recognise as belonging to any species
with which we were already acquainted. The first day of the year having proved
uncommonly mild, I went out, accompanied by my father, with the expectation of
obtaining something new for our collection of birds. We had scarcely left our
own door when we observed a small flock alight in a thicket of evergreens a
short distance from where we stood. Thinking they were Pine Grosbeaks, we
directed the man who was with us to push on and obtain a shot. He did so, and
we just arrived in time to pick up a pair of birds which he had killed. One
glance was sufficient to shew us that they were not what we had supposed, but a
species we had never previously seen or heard of as visiting that portion of the
Continent. You, my dear sir, have often enjoyed such moments, and therefore can
easily conceive the intense delight with which we surveyed our prize, and how
anxiously we watched the progress of the remainder, as they flew to an adjoining
thicket, where one immediately disappeared, while the other took its station on
the top of a spruce, from which its simple tze tze tze was uttered with the
greatest vehemence, as if calling on its companions to hasten from the danger
which it had recently escaped. Seeing the bird so very watchful, we made a
small circuit with the view of diverting its attention, and at the same time of
looking for the one by which it was accompanied, as I conceived it to be
severely wounded, from the apparent difficulty of its flight. After a careful
examination of the bush we at length observed it upon a low twig, and from its
inattention to the calls of its mate, and the cowering position in which it sat,
I concluded that it was unable to make another attempt to escape. Giving it an
occasional glance, we turned towards the other, which still retained its former
station on the top of the spruce, though its uneasiness seemed to increase at
every step. While the man was cautiously working his way through the thick
alder, in order to get within shot, I carefully examined the bird, which
certainly presented a very interesting object. It stood almost as upright as
the top on which it was perched, its height being much increased by its long and
graceful crest being quite erect, while at the same time its wings were kept in
a constant jerking motion, as if in readiness to remove at a moment's notice.
Independent of the mere beauty of the bird, there was something deeply
interesting in the anxiety for the safety of its mate, so touchingly displayed
by the force and rapidity of its simple but affectionate warning. The motion of
the alders frightened the bird, and I had the mortification of seeing it rise in
the air, as if about to commence a lofty and long-continued flight. Unwilling
to give it up, I watched its progress with longing eyes, but at last, when about
turning away in despair, it suddenly wheeled about, dashed by with great
velocity, gently brushed its companion, and thus by dispelling its stupor
induced it to make another effort to escape the danger which threatened its
destruction. Though surprised and delighted with this singular display of
fidelity and affection, I felt not a little disappointed to see them both about
to elude our grasp. The weakness of the wounded bird, however, soon induced it
to seek concealment in another thicket, while the other, still faithful to a
friend in distress, alighted as formerly on a spruce top, whence it could both
see and warn it of approaching danger. As we again drew near, its anxiety
seemed to be redoubled, while its notes were uttered with corresponding
quickness and energy; but before we could get within reach, it again launched
into the air, and made off, calling on the other to follow with all possible
speed. After flying for some time, and finding itself unattended, it again
returned and alighted on a top near the one it had just left. The opportunity
was too good to be lost, and notwithstanding our admiration of this additional
instance of its fidelity, we shot it down, affection for its species being the
occasion of its ruin. These, my dear sir, are all the observations I was
enabled to make upon these interesting birds, during the short and only time
they ever came under my notice. From the man I learned that before the first
shot they were quite mute, and unsuspicious of danger. Some days after these
were obtained, a single one was observed by my father repeatedly to come and sit
for a considerable time on some willows at the bottom of our garden, but not
being accustomed to the use of a gun, he did not procure it. Whether this was
the wounded one or not, we could not tell, but from the affection of the bird
for its kind, we thought that possibly it might be that one in search of its
lost companions."
BOMBYCILLA GARRULA, European Chatterer, Swains. and Rich. F. Bor. Amer.,vol. ii. p. 237.
BOMBYCILLA GARRULA, Bonap. Syn., p. 438.
BOMBYCILLA GARRULA, Bonap. Amer. Orn., vol. iii. pl. 16.
EUROPEAN WAXEN CHATTERER, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 579.
BOHEMIAN CHATTERER, Bombycilla garrula, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 462.
General colour light greyish-brown, passing behind in ash-grey, before into
brownish-orange, of which colour are the forehead, a patch on each side of the
throat near the base of the bill, and the feathers under the tail; a band of
deep black from the nasal membrane over the eye to the top of the head, where it
is concealed by the crest; feathers at the base of the lower mandible and a
narrow streak below the eye, white; upper part of throat deep black; feathers of
the wings greyish-black; primary coverts largely tipped with white; primary
quills with a bright yellow, secondary with a white elongated spot at the end of
the outer web, and tipped with oblong wax-red appendages; tail light grey at the
base, gradually shaded into deep black, with a broad band of bright yellow.
Female similar to the male, but somewhat smaller. Oblong waxen appendages to
the secondary quills, varying from seven to three, sometimes wanting, especially
in young birds; males with the shafts of the tail-feathers very slightly
enlarged at the end, and bright red. Carefully compared with European
specimens.
Male, 9 3/4, 16 1/4.
From New York, eastward and northward, to the Fur Countries.