80 BLUE YELLOW-BACK WARBLER.
Bill brownish-black above, yellow beneath. Iris dark brown. Feet
and claws dusky. Front and lore black. Head and back part of the
neck bright rich blue, including the eye, above and beneath which is a
slight streak of white. Back yellowish-green; rump pale blue. Quills
blackish, margined externally with bright blue, of which colour are the
wing-coverts, the tips of the first two rows of which are white, forming
two bands of that colour on the wings. Tail-feathers blackish, the outer
webs blue, a white spot on the inner webs of the three outer, towards the
end. Throat whitish, spotted with yellow; a lunulated blackish spot on
the lower neck in front; breast yellow, spotted with orange ; the rest of
the under parts yellowish, fading into white on the abdomen and under
tail coverts.
Length 4$ inches, extent of wings 6£ ; bill along the ridge along
the gap | ; tarsus |*
Adult Female. Plate XV. Fig. 2.
Beak and feet of the same colour. Upper parts similarly coloured
but paler, the frontal band wanting. Throat, fore neck and breast, yellow,
without the orange spots, or black lunule. The other parts as in
the male, but fainter.
Length 4 inches.
THE COPPERY IRIS, OR LOUISIANA FLAG.
IRIS CUPREA, Pursh, Fl. Amer. vol. i. p. 30—TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn.
IRIDES. JUSS.
" Beardless, the stem equal in height to the leaves, which are broadly
ensiform, the stigmas linear and short, all the petals emarginate, reflected,
and obovate, the inner shorter, the capsules large and hexagonal.
Found on the banks of the Mississippi near New Orleans. Flowers of a
beautiful copper colour, veined with purple.1'
( 81 )
T H E P R A I R I E.
ON my return from the Upper Mississippi, I found myself obliged to
cross one of the wide Prairies, which, in that portion of the United States,
vary the appearance of the country. The weather was fine, all around
me was as fresh and blooming as if it had just issued from the bosom of nature.
My napsack, my gun, and my dog, were all I had for baggage and
company. But, although well moccassined, I moved slowly along, attracted
by the brilliancy of the flowers, and the gambols of the fawns around
their dams, to all appearance as thoughtless of danger as I felt myself.
My march was of long duration; I saw the sun sinking beneath the
horizon long before I could perceive any appearance of woodland, and
nothing in the shape of man had I met with that day. The track which
I followed was only an old Indian trace, and as darkness overshaded the
prairie, I felt some desire to reach at least a copse, in which I might lie
down to rest. The Night-hawks were skimming over and around me, attracted
by the buzzing wings of the beetles which form their food, and
the distant howling of wolves, gave me some hope that I should soon arrive
at the skirts of some woodland.
I did so, and almost at the same instant a fire-light attracting my eye,
I moved towards it, full of confidence that it proceeded from the camp of
some wandering Indians. I was mistaken :—I discovered by its glare
that it was from the hearth of a small log cabin, and that a tall figure
passed and repassed between it and me, as if busily engaged in household
arrangements.
I reached the spot, and presenting myself at the door, asked the tall
figure, which proved to be a woman, if I might take shelter under her roof
for the night. Her voice was gruff, and her attire negligently thrown about
her. She answered in the affirmative. I walked in, took a wooden stool,
and quietly seated myself by the fire. The next object that attracted my
notice was a finely formed young Indian, resting his head between his
hands, with his elbows on his knees. A long how rested against the log
wall near him, while a quantity of arrows and two or three raccoon skins
lay at his feet. He moved not; he apparently breathed not. Accustomed
to the habits of the Indians, and knowing that they pay little attention