Birds of passage: Anas boschas. The first ducks were seen on the thirteenth of March; they were flying up the Missouri. On the fourteenth the first prairie hen (Tetrao phasian.) called. On the fifteenth a small flock of gray finches (Fring. canad.?) appeared; and on the sixteenth the first swan. Ducks now appear daily.
FOOTNOTES:
[274] Each month is divided into three parts of ten and eleven days each with the exception of February, where the divisions are shorter.—Maximilian.
Comment by Ed. For bibliographies of earlier as well as later works on American ornithology, see Elliott Coues, "List of Faunal Publications relating to North American Ornithology," being the Bibliographical Appendix to his Birds of the Colorado Valley (United States Geological Survey of the Territories, Misc. Pub. No. 11, 1878); also his "Second Instalment of American Ornithological Bibliography," U. S. Geog. and Geographical Survey Bulletin, v, No. 2 (1879).
[275] I describe this vulture under the term septentrionalis, because I now regard it as a distinct species. I am indebted to Privy Councillor Lichtenstein of Berlin for the opportunity of examining several specimens of Urubus from different parts of South America and from Mexico; and I am now convinced that they, together with the Brazilian, form a species which is distinct from the North American. The male of the southern red-headed Urubu (C. aura) is smaller, more uniformly dark, with stronger metallic gloss, and with less brightly-rounded wing feathers than the northern. In the Brazilian bird the iris is bright red, and in the mature bird the head is sky blue and orange. In the North American bird the head is of a dirty violet red, occasionally violet, the base of the bill lac red the iris grayish brown with a lighter band around the pupil, and a narrow bright red band on the outer edge. The immature birds of both species have a dirty violet head, etc. I hope to deal more thoroughly with this subject in another place. I will remark in passing that the statement of Schomburgk (see Annals of Natural History) in a natural history of the king vulture (Vultur papa l.), "that the other vultures will not eat until the king vulture has satisfied himself," is most certainly a fable.—Maximilian.
Comment by Ed. For Lichtenstein, see post, note 276. The Schomburgk referred to is probably Sir Robert Hermann Schomburgk, the famous explorer, and the author of works on Guiana and the Barbadoes. A publication was started at Edinburgh in 1837 under the title, Magazine of Zoology and Botany; in 1839 the name was changed to Annals of Natural History, and the place of publication to London; later, the title became Annals and Magazine of Natural History.
[276] Fulica americana is different from atra. This is shown more clearly in Wilson's description than in that of Audubon. The latter's description of the bill of the American bird does not agree with my observation; I have always found it uniformly colored, as Wilson describes it. I found no birds of the genus Fulica in Brazil; consequently D'Orbigny (see De la Sagra, Hist. Nat. de l'Isle de Cuba, ornith., p. 273) is in error when he says that Fulica atra was seen by me in Brazil. In North America I frequently found a similar bird, as has been said; but I cannot regard it as identical with the European. Regarding the Fulica observed by D'Orbigny in South America I can give no opinion, as I saw none myself.—Maximilian.
Comment by Ed. The references are to: Alexander Wilson, American Ornithology (Philadelphia, 1801-14, 9 vols.); John James Audubon, Ornithological Biography (Edinburgh, 1831-39, 5 vols.), forming the text to his Birds of America (London, 1827-38, 4 vols.); and to Histoire physique, politique et naturelle de l'Isle de Cuba; par M. Ramon de la Sagra ... Ornithologie par Alcide d'Orbigny (Paris, 1839, 1 vol. and atlas). Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigny was a French naturalist who spent several years in South America, collecting natural history specimens. An account of his journey is given in his Voyages dans l'Amerique meridionale (Paris, 1834-47, 9 vols.); he also published other works.
[277] On the pelican of the Mississippi and Missouri, which I have often mentioned under the term Brachydactylus, it is to be noted that Lichtenstein has rejected this word and chosen in its place for this species Latham's name, Trachyrynchos, and that I have followed the change. On this subject, see Lichtenstein, Beitrag zur ornithologischen Fauna von Californien.—Maximilian.
Comment by Ed. Martin Heinrich Karl Lichtenstein was a famous German naturalist. The work referred to by Maximilian was published in Abhandlungen der Koeniglichen Akademie (Berlin, 1838-39).