Very few tribes of birds build, or rear their young, in the south or maritime parts of Virginia and Carolina, Georgia and Florida; yet all these numerous tribes, particularly of the soft billed kinds, which breed in Pennsylvania, pass in the spring season through these regions in a few weeks time, making but very short stages by the way; and again, but few of them winter there, on their return southerly; and as I have never travelled the continent south of New Orleans, or the point of Florida, where few or none of them are to be seen in the winter, I am entirely ignorant how far southward they continue their route during their absence from Pennsylvania, but perhaps none of them pass the tropic.
When in my residence in Carolina and Florida, I have seen vast flights of the house swallow (hirundo pelasgia) and bank martin (hirundo riparia) passing onward north toward Pennsylvania, where they breed in the spring, about the middle of March, and likewise in the autumn in September or October, and large flights on their return southward. And it is observable that they always avail themselves of the advantage of high and favourable winds, which likewise do all birds of passage. The pewit, or black cap flycatcher, of Catesby, is the first bird of passage which appears in the spring in Pennsylvania, which is generally about the first, or middle of March, and then wherever they appear, we may plant peas and beans in the open grounds, (vicia sativa) French beans (phaseolus) sow raddishes, (raphanus) lettuce, (lactuca) onions, (cepa) pastinaca, daucus, and almost every kind of esculent garden seeds, without fear or danger from frosts; for although we have sometimes frosts after their first appearance for a night or two, yet not so severe as to injure the young plants.
In the spring of the year the small birds of passage appear very suddenly in Pennsylvania, which is not a little surprising, and no less pleasing: at once the woods, the groves, and meads, are filled with their melody, as if they dropped down from the skies. The reason or probable cause is their setting off with high and fair winds from the southward; for a strong south and south-west wind about the beginning of April never fails bringing millions of these welcome visitors.
Being willing to contribute my mite towards illustrating the subject of the peregrination of the tribes of birds of N. America, I shall subjoin a nomenclature of the birds of passage, agreeable to my observation, when on my travels from New England to New-Orleans, on the Mississippi, and point of Florida.
Land birds which are seen in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, from S. Carolina, Georgia and Florida, N. and the sea coast Westward, to the Apalachian mountains, viz.
❁ These arrive in Pennsylvania in the spring season from the South, which after building nests, and rearing their young, return again Southerly in the autumn.
† These arrive in Pennsylvania in the autumn, from the North, where they continue during the winter, and return again the spring following, I suppose to breed and rear their young; and these kinds continue their journies as far as South Carolina and Florida.
‡ These arrive in the spring in Carolina and Florida from the South, breed and rear their young, and return South again at the approach of winter, but never reach Pennsylvania, or the Northern States.
|| These are natives of Carolina and Florida, where they breed and continue the year round.
¶ These breed and continue the year round in Pennsylvania.