Adult, as described by authors cited above. Large frontal space, commencing at the base of bill, white, which is also the colour of the greater wing coverts, the abdomen, and the tail. All other parts of the plumage blackish brown; bill, cere, legs and feet, yellow.
Hab. Russian possessions in Asia and America. Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. The largest of all known Eagles, and nearly related to H. Washingtonii (Aud.). It differs from the latter, as described by Audubon, in being larger generally, but has the wing shorter and the tail wedge shaped, and containing fourteen feathers. We suppose H. Washingtonii to be the young of a closely allied species, and that both are strictly congeneric with H. leucocephalus, H. albicilla, H. vocifer, and others known as Fishing Eagles.
Plate 7
The Ground Wren
Chamaea fasciata (Gambel)
CHAMÆA FASCIATA.—(Gambel.)
The Ground Wren.
PLATE VII.—Adult Male.
This little bird was discovered in California, by William Gambel, M. D., an enthusiastic and highly talented young naturalist, who, during an overland journey across the North American Continent, made many discoveries, and added much valuable information to several departments of Natural History, and we regret to say, whose recent death, during a second expedition of the same character, occurring, as it did, so early, and thus terminating so prematurely a life of such promise, is to be deplored as a loss to science and to his country.
Dr. Gambel’s account of this bird in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, II. p. 265, and in the Journal of the same society, quarto, I. p. 34, which is the first and, as yet, the most satisfactory, is as follows: “For several months before discovering the bird, I was attracted in the fields of dead mustard stalks, the weedy margins of streams, low thickets and bushy places, by a continued loud, crepitant, grating scold, which I took for that of a species of Wren, but at last found it to proceed from this Wren-tit, if it may be so called. It was difficult to be seen, and kept in such places as I have described, close to the ground; eluding pursuit by diving into the thickest bunches of weeds and tall grass, or tangled bushes, and uttering its grating Wren-like notes whenever approached. But if quietly, watched, it may be seen, when searching for insects, mounting the twigs and dried stalks of grass sideways, jerking its long tail, and holding it erect like a Wren, which, with its short wings in such a position, it much resembles.
“Sometimes it utters a slow, monotonous, singing chicadee note, like pee, pee, pee, pee, peep; at other times its notes are varied, and a slow whistling continued pwit, pwit, pwit, pwit, is heard. Again, in pleasant weather, towards spring, I have heard individuals answering each other, singing in a less solemn strain not unlike sparrows, a lively pit, pit, pit, tr, r, r, r, r, r, but, if disturbed, they at once resumed their usual scold.”
Mr. Bell, whose collection contained numerous specimens of this bird, found it abundant in the neighbourhood of San Francisco, and has kindly allowed us to use his memoranda: “I observed this bird in bushes and briers every where along the roads, and in brush heaps on lands which had been recently cleared, though it appeared rather to prefer damp places. It was very pert, and not easily frightened, and as it moved about with its tail erect, uttered several rather peevish notes, unlike those of any other bird with which I am acquainted.