RK-087

The Grove, West Northfield. Ill July 4^th/55

Dear Sir,

I spent several mornings this spring, in watching the prairie chickens in their "booming" ground. It was after the hens had commenced sitting, and I found thirty or forty cocks alone, with no hens in sight. - I have seen them alone in this way earlier in the spring, while the hens would be off by themselves; But I have oftener found them cocks & hens together in immense numbers, booming, fighting, and making love at a great rate.- By enveloping myself in a buffalo skin and leading a horse so that his body concealed me, I was enabled to approach within a few rods of the nearest birds, and as the spot chosen for a booming ground is always some dry knoll on which the grass has been burned off, or eaten close by cattle, I got a good view of this unique scene. Some of the cocks were booming at all times, and the roar was incessant A cock would give a preliminary shake of his feathers, drop his wings to the ground like a turkey gobbler, and running rapidly a rod or two, would stop, lower his breast

breast almost to the ground, with his head thrust straight out on a level, (not a bit raised as is ususally presented.) while his neck crests & tail were pointed directly upward. - As he now uttered the first [illegible] note, - "kooom" [musical score] a slight expansion of the booming sac - invisible before - could be seen. At the second note "booom." [musical score] the sac sac was more expanded, and of a deeper color. At the third (usually the last) (if the last as it usually was) - "bo o o o" [musical score] - the sac acquired its full size and becames of a deep orange color, while at first it was light yellow. At the utterence of each note the head & breast were violently jerked downward, as though a great and sudden effort were made. By all this it seems the sound is produced by forcing air into the sacs.

The boom ususally consists of three notes, though sometimes of four, - thus ^{ko o o om boom boom bo o-o-o-} [musical score] (By these hierogliphics I wish to give you some idea of the rise & fall of sound - I regret that I am no musician else I could give it to you by notes) The interval between each boom, as well as between the notes composing it, varied considerably. Sometimes a bird will boom several times in a minuite.

and again ^there it will be an interval of perhaps five minuites between each boom

Occasionally a singular and very loud sound would be produced; quite unlike the real boom; though apparently uttered by the aid of the booming sac. It was on a very high key, and could be heard at considerable distance. (a mile in still weather) but it did not seem to be ven= =triloquous like the boom which seems louder when heard at some distance than when near at hand. This nondescript sound usually consisted of two notes, uttered abruptly, and each note broken off at the highest pitch. It would be a difficult matter to give a correct idea of it by letters, but it is something like this ^{kw-a-wk' kwock'} [musical score] - the first note being longest, while the last is extremely abrupt, & ends on a very high key. I think the bird uttered this with the same attitude & gestures motions as when booming Could it be the first attempts of the young birds at boom= =ing? Possibly.

Frequently the sound which has been compared to that produced by a person tickled to excessive laughter, could be heard. It is the same cackling sound which is produced by the cocks

the cocks when alarmed, in the winter. The number of notes is irregular - it is like this ^{qua. qua-a'. qua-a-a. kak'. kak'. kak'.} [musical score]

Frequently, the cocks would suddenly spring from side to side, whirl around, or jump up shaking their wings and cackling, as if for amusement.

Occasionally two would approach each other, booming as they came till meeting, they would stop, eye each other an instant and then commence fighting like barn yard fowls. When one was vanquished, instead of ingloriously running away, he would merely draw off from his antagonist and again commence strutting & booming.

Prairie chickens never boom in the winter. The only sound I ever heard them utter at this time is the cackle, which is their cry of alarm warning when alarmed, though it is also uttered in the spring when booming. During the summer a few solitary cocks will occasionally be heard booming - And when the sound is thus heard at intervals and with [illegible] it comes over the prairie with fine effect. In the spring mornings when many are booming together, there comes to the ear nothing but a confused roar, but when each note is distinctly heard it has a mournful melody. - a little like the cooing of a dove.

5

Near Cairo Ill. I saw several snake birds (Plotus anhinga) They did not seem so very shy as I had supposed they were. The suckers call them "water turkies" I also saw plenty of Cardinal grosbeaks & Carolina mocking wrens, The mocking birds. Parakeets & some other southern birds were quite common in the southern part of this state.

I believe I wrote to you from Duquoin enclosing specimens of Cicada Cassinii". The note of this insect is much sharper (shriller) than that of C. Septendecun and it utters a clicking sound which the other does not

I have got two young screech owls - Their comical actions afford us much amusement. Queer customers, are they not

Truly Yours Robert Kennicott

P.S. You said you were going to write an Ornothology in the style of Nuttalls. When will you do it. It would be the means of inducing hundreds to study ornothology who would never do so otherwise as most people cannot afford to buy so many books as they would be required to, if they wished to get all they could on the subject. While your one book would embody the whole