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August 2009

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From:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:49:49 -0400
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My first idea was the Carolina wren as well. One problem is that both it 
and the waterthrush were unlikely in Ohio north of Chillicothe at the 
time. Wilson (1828) said the wren was rare as far north as Pennsylvania 
(he investigated Ohio along Lake Erie and the Ohio River, but not in the 
interior); Ohio's first ornithologist Kirtland (1838) wrote: "The Great 
Carolina Wren was common at Cincinnati the last winter. I have not seen 
it north of that city." Since that time, though this species has proven 
vulnerable to hard winters, it's inclined to nest farther north than two 
hundred years ago. Right now, it seems the Columbus-area population was 
thumped by the -13 degrees F temperatures this past winter, for example.
        Of the waterthrush (and most ornithologists of the time lumped the 
Louisiana and northern waterthrushes), Wilson said pretty much the same 
thing: rare in PA, but common further south; he also paradoxically says 
it passed through PA on its way north (undoubtedly the confused sister 
species). Kirtland says a few stay to nest in Ohio, but most passed to 
the north in migration--again confusing the two. The waterthrush's song 
does sound spookier than the wren's, I'll admit. It looks like either of 
these species would be decidedly uncommon between Chillicothe and the 
Lake at the time. But the text Bob quotes does say this bird was "not 
often seen," and "uncommon." You have to hope a bird of ill omen would 
not be seen every day!
Bill Whan
Columbus

Scott Moody wrote:
> From:    "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
> 
> Bob Evans,
> Geologist, etc.
> Hopewell Township, Muskingum County
> 
> wrote:
> 
> Subject: Daniel Boone's Ohio bird riddle
> 
> The old English vernacular "sparrow" just means a small bird so which
> little bird would start singing a lot when disturbed?  And be inhabiting
> clearings, not woodlands, but cleared areas that would be devoted to maize,
> beans, pumpkins, etc.?  Certainly not a Louisiana Waterthrush; I would
> instead suggest the Carolina Wren
> 
> Scott Moody
> Ohio University
> 

from Bob Evans:
...Daniel Boone spent considerable time in Ohio, mostly either fighting 
the “Indians,” (Miami and Shawnee) or as their captive.  A couple 
chapters describe customs he observed while a prisoner of the Shawnee. 
Ultimately his bravery and backwoods skills resulted in his being 
adopted by a prominent Shawnee widow. “He often accompanied them in 
their hunting excursions, wandering with them over the extent of forest 
between Chillicothe and lake Erie.”

One passage that is relevant here is, “There is in that country a 
sparrow, of an uncommon species, and not often seen. This bird is called 
in the Shawnese dialect by a name importing “kind messenger,” which they 
deem always a true omen, whenever it appears, of bad news. They are 
exceedingly intimidated whenever this bird sings near them; and were it 
to perch and sing over their war-camp, the whole party would instantly 
disperse in consternation and dismay.”

I wonder what it is, or was? Does anybody know? Maybe it is extinct. I 
suppose it may not even be a sparrow, given that this is a 
mid-nineteenth century account of incidents from 1778, but it was 
probably a small brown bird, thus a “sparrow.” It was “uncommon” but 
certainly well-known among the Shawnee. It had a song of sufficient 
clarity and duration to be regarded as a message of warning. We’re not 
talking Henslow’s here. It lived in the primordial forests of Ohio, and 
would at least sometimes perch in the trees, and so it could be “over 
their war-camp.”

This passage certainly illustrates that both the native Americans and 
Daniel Boone were familiar with bird song and bird identification, which 
I think is pretty cool.

My favorite candidate is Louisiana waterthrush. Any other thoughts or 
suggestions?

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