Bill brownish-black. Iris brown. Feet reddish-brown, claws black. Head, neck, breast, sides and abdomen, greyish-black; lower tail-coverts white, lower wing-coverts bluish-grey. The general colour of the upper parts is dark bluish-grey; the outer web of the first quill greyish-black.
Length to end of tail 9 inches, to end of wings 11; extent of wings 24; wing from flexure 8 3/4; tail 3 1/2; bill along the back 1 1/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1 5/12; tarsus 8/12; middle toe 8/12, its claw 5 1/2/12. Weight 3 oz.
Young Male in Autumn. Plate CCLXXX.
The bill, iris, and feet nearly as in the adult. The upper parts are greyish-blue, the feathers of the fore part of the back, and especially the scapulars, brown towards the end; the upper and hind part of the head greyish-black, of which there is a darker mark behind, and another before the eye; the forehead greyish-white, as are the sides of the head, the fore neck, the breast, and the abdomen; the sides dusky grey; the lower wing-coverts greyish-white. The quills are darker towards the end, and the first primary is black along the outer web.
Length to end of tail 7 3/4 inches, to end of wings 9 8/12; wing from flexure 7 3/4; tail 2 10/12; bill along the ridge 11/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1 2/12; tarsus 7 1/2/12; middle toe 8/12, its claw 5/12.
NATCHEZ IN 1820.
One clear frosty morning in December I approached in my flat-boat the City of Natchez. The shores were crowded with boats of various kinds, laden with the produce of the western country; and there was a bustle about them, such as you might see at a general fair, each person being intent on securing the advantage of a good market. Yet the scene was far from being altogether pleasing, for I was yet “under the hill;” but on removing from the lower town, I beheld the cliffs on which the city, properly so called, has been built. Vultures unnumbered flew close along the ground on expanded pinions, searching for food; large pines and superb magnolias here and there raised their evergreen tops toward the skies; while on the opposite shores of the Mississippi, vast alluvial beds stretched along, and the view terminated with the dense forest. Steamers moved rapidly on the broad waters of the great stream; the sunbeams fell with a peculiarly pleasant effect on the distant objects; and as I watched the motions of the White-headed Eagle while pursuing the Fishing Hawk, I thought of the wonderful ways of that Power to whom I too owe my existence.
Before reaching the land I had observed that several saw-mills were placed on ditches or narrow canals, along which the water rushed from the inner swamps towards the river, and by which the timber is conveyed to the shore; and on inquiring afterwards, I found that one of those temporary establishments had produced a net profit of upwards of six thousand dollars in a single season.
There is much romantic scenery about Natchez. The Lower Town forms a most remarkable contrast with the Upper, for in the former the houses were not regularly built, being generally dwellings formed of the abandoned flat boats, placed in rows as if with the view of forming a long street. The inhabitants formed a medley which it is beyond my power to describe; hundreds of laden carts and other vehicles jogged along the declivity between the two towns; but when, by a very rude causeway, I gained the summit, I was relieved by the sight of an avenue of those beautiful trees called here the Pride of China. In the Upper Town I found the streets all laid off at right angles to each other, and tolerably well lined with buildings, constructed with painted bricks or boards. The agricultural richness of the surrounding country was shewn by the heaps of cotton bales and other produce that encumbered the streets. The churches, however, did not please me; but as if to make up for this, I found myself unexpectedly accosted by my relative Mr Berthoud, who presented me with letters from my wife and sons. These circumstances put me in high spirits, and we proceeded towards the best hotel in the place, that of Mr Garnier. The house, which was built on the Spanish plan, and of great size, was surrounded by large virandas overlooking a fine garden, and stood at a considerable distance from any other. At this period the City of Natchez had a population not exceeding three thousand individuals. I have not visited it often since, but I have no doubt that, like all the other towns in the western district of our country, it has greatly increased. It possessed a bank, and the mail arrived there thrice in the week from all parts of the Union.
The first circumstance that strikes a stranger is the mildness of the temperature. Several vegetables as pleasing to the eye as agreeable to the palate, and which are seldom seen in our eastern markets before May, were here already in perfection. The Pewee Fly-catcher had chosen the neighbourhood of the city for its winter quarters, and our deservedly famed Mocking Bird sang and danced gratis to every passer by. I was surprised to see the immense number of Vultures that strode along the streets, or slumbered on the roofs. The country for many miles inland is gently undulated. Cotton is produced abundantly, and wealth and happiness have taken up their abode under most of the planter’s roofs, beneath which the wearied traveller or the poor wanderer in search of a resting place, is sure to meet with comfort and relief. Game is abundant, and the free Indians were wont in those days to furnish the markets with ample supplies of venison and Wild Turkey. The Mississippi, which bathes the foot of the hill, some hundred feet below the town, supplies the inhabitants with fish of various kinds. The greatest deficiency is that of water, which for common purposes is dragged on sledges or wheels from the river, while that used for drinking is collected in tanks from the roofs, and becomes very scarce during protracted droughts. Until of late years, the orange-tree bore fruit in the open air; but owing to the great change that has taken place in the temperature, severe though transient frosts occasionally occur, which now prevent this plant from coming to perfection in the open air.