where here and. there grew tufts of grass, or stunted juniper
clinging to its surface, when our attention was attracted by
the singular cry of a Turnstone, which, in :its eager watch,
had seen our approach, and perched itself upon an eminence
of the rook, assuring us, by its querulous, oft-repeated note,
and anxious motions, that its nest was there. We -remained
in the boat a short time, until we had watched it behind a
tuft of grass, near which, after a minute search, we ^succeeded
in finding the nest in a situation in which I should never
have expected to meet with a bird of this sort breeding;
it was placed against a ledge of the rock, and consisted of
nothing more than the dropping leaves of the juniper bush,
under a creeping branch of which the eggs, four-i-tf number,
were snUgly concealed, and admirably sheltered from>'the
many storms by which' these bleak and exposed rocks are
visited, allowing just sufficient room for the ‘ bird- to cover
them. We afterwards found several more nests-with little
difficulty. AH the5 -nests contained- “four eggSf-eaqhi The
time of breeding is about the middle- o fJu n e . ” The eggs
measure 1*6 by 1*1 in., of a greenish--grey colour, spotted* and
streaked with ash-blue'"and two shades of brown.
The Turnstone is well known to 'the ornithologists of' the
United States; and interesting-accounts of its habits5 will
be found-in the works of “Wilson and-‘Audubon*: the latter
says, - *‘ My worthy friend, Dr. Bachman,-once had a bird of
this species alive.- It had recovered from a slight wound in
the wing, whence presented it to a lady, who fed ifi&on
boiled 'rice, and bread soaked in^feiS, Af both of which: it
was very fond. It continued in a state of captivity upwards
of a year, /but was at last killed-by accident.- It «Had
become perfectly-'gentle, would eat from the hand of its *lan.d
mistress, frequently bathed d®- a basin placed near it ffif-tle
purpose, and never attempted -w escape, although left qu-ite
at liberty to do so.”
: The adult bird in summer has the beak black,- with a
fleshy sheath at the base of the upper mandible; the Mdes
dark brown; the forehead black;reaching 'to■'thebye5on
each side'; below the-'-eye a black patch-; which/ cur viug
forward and upward, goes to the base of the lower mandible,
encircling a white spot at the base of the upper mandible;
top of the head, the occiput, and back of the neck, white,
streaked with black; sides of the neck and the scapulars
rich black; interscapulars, and smaller wing-coverts, dark
red; greater wing-coverts black, edged with re d - wing-
primaries greyish-black, with pure white shafts; tertials
nearly black, tipped and - spotted with red; the back white;
rump with a transverse band of black; upper tail-coverts
and the base of the tail-feathers ‘ white/ the other part
greyish-black: all, except the two' middle ones, tipped‘.with
white; -chin white ; ~ sides of thc neck, the throat, and upper
part Ip# the .breast, rich black; ‘lower part of’the' breast,
belly, vent, under tail-coverts, under surface^pf the wing,
andfthe axillary plume, pure white; l e g e n d toes rich
orange-red ^ clayjyblack; the hind toe articulate?! on the
inner s u ^ s e oj^the tarsus/ attd'HlfrecteM'vOTs towards
the otKe^Iegf rfdf backwards asun most other b/rdA
, The whole length of the bird is nine inches' and a half.
From the carpal joint'to th f 'enflT'of t^e wing, six inches;
the-first quill-feather n little ionger^than the second, and
thelongest in the wing. ' P - ; ' '
The sexes do not differ much-in plumage; hut in winter
the -ferruginous portions of the plumage are ijpt so rich p
“colour, and the legs and feefe-are much pa-ler.’
- / Imyoung birds of the year the^ whole of the plumage of
the upper surface of-the body, and round the throat in front,
is dull brownish-black;- the feather's of-fte body edged with
yellowish-white; those of the wing-coverts -and tertials edged
'with reddish buff-colour-pthe chin,-breast, belly, and under
tailfdoverts, white- the“l ||s and toes pale orange*almost
flesh-colour. ,
•^The-'young in down is dark .grey above, spotted with
black, a narrow black band from the crown to. the forehead,
and another from the gape .^# Mg > the underParts
merging from greyish to white.. ' -