244
Phaeton
Ro•)x)¾
on Feedlnff[tabits of •oun• Raj•tores.
•ethereus
2;inn.
RED-BILLED
lJuly
TROPIC BIND.
The birds breed in holes and creviceson the sidesof the steep
cliffs that often overhangthe water; many were inaccessible. I
was therefore able to reach and examine but few of their nesting
places. These werewithout materialof any kind for a nest; the
egg (for they lay but one) was upon the bare rock. In nearly
all, however,I founda young bird, abouthalf grown; frmn this
I think the birds begin to lay as early as the middle of February.
With the aid of the Indians, who are expert climbers, I was only
able to procureand savesevenof their eggs. The groundcolor
is dull grayishwhite, ratl•erfinelyandevenlysprinkledwith deep
claret brown, generallythickestat large end, the specksrunning
largely together,giving the eggsa cloudedor nmrbledlook. In
form they are ovate. Measurementsof the same,2.3I X •.7 I, 2.40
X 1.72, 2.40 X 1.78, 2.26 X 1.71, 2.49X 1.81, 2.40 X 1.69, 2.38
X 1.68. When approachedthe birds within their homesdo not
attempt to leave, but vigorouslydefend the same,striking and
biting with their strong, pointed, sharp-edged,jagged bills,
lacerating the ungloved hand that daresintrude, uttering at the
same time a loud, harsh, rapid che-che-che-che-che-che-oSe,-notesof defiance,and often heard in their rival flights. The birds
are very beautiful, and cannotfail to attract attention, especially
when in the air, by the peculiar rapid strokeof their wings and
gracefulwaving motion of their long whip-like tails.
FEEDING
HABITS
OF SOME YOUNG
BY H. JUSTIN
RAPTORES.
RODDY.
ALL raptorial birds, whether.juvenileor adult, eat large quantities of food when it can be obtained. But they are able to
endure long fasts. Digestion is rapid, as is absorption. In fi-om
one-half to oneand a half hoursafter eatingthe stomachis empty,
as are also the greater part of the intestines.
Young rapacious birds eat more than the adult birds, since
both sustenanceand growth must be provided for. By careful
•885.]
RODDYon Feedœn•
Habt'tsof •oun• ]?a•lores.
24.5
comparison I think they eat more than those of any other class
of birds. The actual quantity may not be so great but when
quality is consideredin connectionwith quantity the amount is
greater. Their food is largely animal, the nutrient quality of
which is of the highest character.
The great amount of nutriment is essentla] for their active life
and predatory habits, in which .the highest muscular exertion is
necessaryfor securing their prey. The amount of food, therefore, is only an essential condition of their active life.
Gathartes aura.--A
young Turkey Buzzard gorges itself
with food to such an extent that it can hardly move. One will
eat at a single meal a whole water snake (75-o•Sz'donolus
Sl'•Sedon) three feet long, as a young one once in my possessionfi'equently did. Before it had a single feather it ate a housesnake,
three and a half feet long, equal in weight to one-fifth that of the
bird. And in one and a half hours it was entirely digested, as I
determinedby killing and dissectingit at the end of that time.
The young birds are fed for a considerable time hy the
parents by ejection of food from the crop or stomach,where
it had either been softenedor partially digested. The young
insert the opened bill into the mouth of the parent, and drink
the food from it much as a fo•vl drinks water.
The food is,
probably, always quite moist or juicy, thus furnishing drink to
the youngbird at the sametime.
The young birds kept in captivity drank water fi'eelyfrom any
vesselas a fowl drinks, but were fonder of drinking fi-om some
vessel,as a bottl% with a narrow opening partially inverted, that
the liquid might flow out. This mustbe becauseit is similarto
the openedbill of the parents.
They are very fond of thrusting the bill into the opening
formed by the partially closedhand. I inferred from this fact
the manner of feeding before I had an opportunity of observing
it.
They are fond of being caressed,or at leasthandled,especially sowhile feeding. In a few daysafter beingplacedin captivity they becomefondof being handled,and soonfollow persons
about like dogs. They express pleasure by a low hiss; dis-
pleasureby a moreforciblehiss.
They have a strongantipathy to dogsand expresstheir displeasurethe momentoneappearsin sight. Possiblythey mistake
246
RODDY
onFeeding
[[abilsof 2%ung
)gaibtores. [July
thein for foxes,in whose company,or rather in proximity to
whose dens,I have sometimesfonnd the young in their nests.
If a dog approachesnear enough,the young Buzzard will attack
him with bill, claws,andwings,usingthemvery effectively.
Accipiter cooperi.--A young Cooper'sHawk I took fi'om
the nest when quite sinall, probably not more than two weeks
aœter
being hatched. It was without any difficultyreared to
size; indeed, to more than full size, for the abundanceof good
fbodand favorableconditionsinndeit attaina morethanordinary
size. In length itgrew two and a half inches,and in alar expanse
fi)ur inches,greater than the largest specimenin my collection,
or of which I had any record.
It was ,agreat eater. When six weeks old it ate nine English
Sparrows (Passer domes•z'cus)and a common mouse (J/Zus
musculus) in one day; and ate on an averageeight Sparrows a
day from that time until it was ten weeksold.
At first I removed the remiges and rectrices and some of the
other
stiffer
feathers
of the birds I fed
it.
But wheu
it had at-
tained considerablesize I gave it its fired without suchpreparation.
The bird ate them, feathers and all.
This, however,
influencedthe amountit ate,- as one would naturally suppose,
sincetheselarger feathersfilled up the crop and stomach,sometimes giving the bird trouble to eject thein when the digestible
portions had been absorbed. After attaining full growth it
gradually came to be more choice in the selectionof food, and
always removedall of the larger feathers.
The bird became very much attached to me, and even when
it could fly and was allowed its liberty did not leave, but returned
every few hoursfor its food, which I always liberally provided.
How long it would have coutinued to do this I do not know, as
the experiment ended with its death. It was shot by one who
did not know it was lny pet.
In eating the bird tore its food to pieceswith the bill, nearly
always beginning at the entrails. It almost always seemed
to relish the intestinesmore than any other part of the bird or
animal, sometimeseating only this part and leaving the rest.
When
the bird or animal was still warm
and the blood therefore
uncoagulated,it tore it open and apparently bathed the bill
in the blood and the visceral juices. It appareutly suckedup
these fluids in order to allay thirst. But I invariably found it
•SSS.]
Rom)vo•t Feed[n•Habt'lsoœ•ounfft?a•lores.
247
refusewater,--in this respect Itcting quite differently fi'om the
Cathartes az•ra, which drank xwtterfi'eely.
It rejected cold amt still' birds which had lain a day or more,
especiallywhen abnndanceof food was fi,'nisbed. PerImpstl•is
is owing to tile coagulatedcondition of the blood and the drying
up of the visceral jtfices, ofboth of which it appearedtobe so
fond.
It made no soundsto expresspleasure or displeasureduring
captivity, but when fi'ee and flying made tile somtdscommonto
the adults of this species.
Buteo pennsylvanicus.--Side by side xvith the •ccœ•z't'er
cooiberi[ reared a •'uleo ibennsy[vanicusof about the same age.
The charactersof the two birds were essentially different. The
fierceaspectof the Accipiter showeditself quite early, and indicated by its every action its rapacity and daring. The Buteo,
on the other band, was mild in appearanceand never exhibited
the fiercenessnor voracityof the Accipiter.
Bnt I succeededbetter in pettingthe latter. It seemedto grow
rapidly fond of my company. The Buteo, however', neither
expressedpleasure, nor showed displeasureupon my coming
near it, though it would make itself felt when one attemptedto
handle it.
It never, however', used its claws with the same
spirit as the Accipiter. I couldhandlethe latter with impunity
at'terit grew to know me. Strangers,it foughtwith spirit and
resistedall their' attempts at familiarity. The Buteo regarded
all alike, seeminglyneither as foesnor as friends.
Its voracity was not nearly so great as that of the Cooper's
Hawk. It never at any time ate more than five Sparrows aday,
and generallyfewer than five. It, too, was more daintyin its
feeding, nearly always pulling the feathersbeforeeating. It was
fond of insects,especiallypreferring grasshoppers,and ate fi'ogs
and fishwith apparentrelish. This theAccipiter did only when
very hungry.
If any preferencewas shownby theseHawks in the selection
of food,it was for food in the form of warm birds. And I experiencedsomedifficulty in procnring enoughSparrows for them.
I wished to supply in abundancethe food they preferred, in
order to make the conditions of their growth most fitvorable,
aml further to test their effect upon physical organization. The
effectswereapparentin largersizeandmorerobustphysique.
248
HOPKINS
onSense
of Smellin theTurkey
Buzzard. [July
The Buteo never fed in my presencewith the same fi'eedom
that the Accipiter did, uor were its actions so free. The latter's
boldnessand daring malfifestedthemselvesin every action.
Syrnium nebulosum.--Lastly I had a juvenile Barred Owl
in my possession.In it, as iu the others, abundanceof food producedthe sameeffects--largersizeand morerobustorganization.
The food •nostpreferred was birds and small rodents; fi'ogs and
fish were eaten when quite fresh, thongh the latter were taken
only when hungry. Insects, too, were eaten.
Digestiou was rapid, requiring about one and a half hours for
the digestionand absorption of a pair of Sparrows. Birds were
always eaten without pulling a feather. If not too large they
were swallowedwhole, for the throatsof young Owls are qnite
capacious. The indigestibleparts are ejectedwhen digestionis
completed.
The Owl never,exceptonce, fed knowingly in my presence
(and it was difficult to observeits habits without its kno•vledge).
Its seuseof sight is so acute, and its range of vision so extended.
that I was compelledto usemany devicesto deceivethe bird and
accomplish my purposeof observationwithout being observed.
The food put into its cage was seldom eaten until pressedby
huuger, and the bird neverate in a day more than one-third the
quantity of foodeatenby the Accipiter in the sametime.
It could not easily be petted, nor did it acquire a fondnessfor
being handled. Indeed it seemedto remain unaffectedby kindness, aud to love solitude.
NOTES
RELATIVE
THE
TO
TURKEY
THE
SENSE
BUZZARD
AURA).*
BY
C.
L.
OF
SMELL
IN
(CA
HOPKINS.
Dtmt•c; the recent mouthsthere has been a good deal of discussionin severalof the scientificnnd sportingpapersregarding
the seuseby which Buzzardsfind their food; and while taking
Readbeforethe Biological
Societyof Washington,
D. C.