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FRANKLIN
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E.K.
Cunninghan
& Company
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antee satisfaction to
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“THE SHOP
OF QUALITY”
Summer Birds of the
Highlands Region
, % Henry M. Stevenson.
In order to properly understand
the summer bird life of the High
lands region one must first make a
preliminary study of the life zones
represented here. Of the five life
zones described from eastern
North America, four are repre
sented in North Carolina, but only
three of them in the Highlands re
gion, and two of these occupy a
relatively small portion of the ter
ritory In question. Beginning at
the Atlantic coast we find that the
eastern and southern parts of this
State represent the Lower Austral
zone, which is characterized among
the vegetation by scrub palmet
tos, slash pines, live oaks, and
Spanish “moss.”’ This life zone
occupies from one-third to two
fifths of the State. Farther north
and west occurs the Upper Austral
Zone, extending roughly from Ra
leigh to the foot of the mountains.
Characteristic trees of this zone
are the loblolly pine and water
oak, and characteristic birds of
this zone and the preceding one
are: Mocking-bird, Fine and Prai
rie Warblers, Summer Tanager,
Orchard Oriole, and Black Vulture.
The large part of the mountain
district is made up of the Alle
ghanian or Transition one, where
such frees and shrubs as the white
pine, hemlock, mountain laurel,
rhododendron, and sourwood are
NU - WAY
Shooting Gallery
L* F. Speed
WITH BIG JACK POT
found. Such typical birds* of this
zone as the Cairns’s Warbler,
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black
burnian Warbler, Scarlet Tanager,
Song Sparrow, and Least Fly
catcher rarely or never summer in
the central and eastern portions of
the State. The last (and least rep
resented) zone is the Canadian,
found only in the highest moun.
tains, always above 4,000 or 4,500
feet. Such northern forms as
Spruce, balsam, yellow birch, hem
lock (more abundant than in pre
ceding zone), and mountain alder
among the trees, and the Raven,
American Crossbill, Winter Wren,
Golden-crowned Kinglet, and
Brown Creeper among the birds,
occur in this zone.
The common life zone represent
ed in the territory near Highlands
is the Alleghenian, and only in two
limited localities do other zones
enter this county. The Upper Aus
tral Zone is represented as a nar
row strip along the Little Tennes
see River, near Franklin, and Can
adian one conditions exist in the
great Primeval Forest, near High
lands. Visiting tourists from towns
of lower elevations in this State,
such as Winston-Salem, Raleigh
and even Asheville, should realize
that a year-round study of birds
in their territory would result in
a larger number of species of
birds than would a similar study
here, as the summering birds of
these mountains visit the lower
regions oi me state aunng tne
fall, winter and spiring months,
while the typical breeding birds of
the lower altitudes almost never
get high into the mountains.
On a basis of summer residents
alone, however, the Highlands Re
gion would rank second to few re
gions of comparable size in the
State. About the territory adja.
cent to Franklin, and to a lesser
extent in other of the lower parts
of Macon County, are found such
eastern and southern forms as the
Mockingbird, Meadowlark, Grass-1
••
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Tub and Shower
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hopper Sparrow, Yellow Warbler,
Kentucky Warbler, Kingbird, and
Redstart; and among the interest
ing northern forms of birds found
in the Primeval Forest are the
Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, and
Golden-crowned Kinglet. The Ra
ven also nests on the rocky crags
of our higher mountains and is by
no means so rare as is frequently
Jsupposed. In the entire region
slightly upwards of 100 species of
summer residents have been listed,
91 of them this summer. A few
early fall migrants to be seen in
late July and August somewhat
augment this list.
It is not to be supposed, 'how
ever, that the restriction of birds
to their own life zone is an iron
bound one, the exceptions always
making the most interesting rec
ords for a region. The most not
able of these records fjor the pres
ent summer was the discovery of
the Swainson’s Warbler, a bird
•supposed to be limited entirely to
the coastal swamps. This species
was heard in song once near Have
nel Lake, once about a mile from
the Primeval Forest, and two in
dividuals were seen in Horse Cove.
The only previous record of the
summering of this species in the
mountains of North Carolina was
made at Try on, at an altitude
probably not exceeding 2,500 feet.
The altitude at the spot where the
highest of this summer’s records
was made must have been all of
4,000 feet. Other interesting
strays from the lower levels that
seem worthy of mention are: Pine
Warbler, frequently seen on the
streets of Highlands; Yellow
breasted Chat, found on. the side
of Satulah Mountain at an eleva
tion of at least 4,400 feet; Yellow
throated Vireo, a few blocks from
the center of town. Among the
migrants, a Redstart seen near the
top of Shortoff Mountain must
have been at least 4,800 feet above
sea level.
This article could not properly
be closed without some mention of
the more typical birds of High,
lands, the most comfnon of which
are: Carolina Junco, Veery, Scar
let Tanager, Rosebreasted Gros
beak, Song Soarrow, Carins’s
Chestnut-sided Blackburnian, and
Canada Warblers, Least Flycatch
er, and Red-breasted Nuthatch, the
last suedes being typical of the
Canadian Zone, but nevertheless
common on the streets of High
lands in white pines, as well as in
the nearby hemlock forests.
Mr. and Mrs. Boston Lunz, of
Kansas City, . Mo., spent several
days at the Pierson Inn.
HIGHLAND-er-er
Esther Cunningham, of Scars
dale, N. Y., is stopping in High
lands for several days.
Mr. and Mrs. Julian Howard, of
Orlando, Fla., are spending their
summer vacation at King’s Inn.
Mr. Howard is a wholesale grocer.
Judge and Mrs. T. S. Sease, of
Spartanburg, S. C., are recent ar_
rivals at the King's Inn. They
plan to spend several weeks here.
Judge Sease is a member of the
Circuit Court in South Carolina.
Mr. and Mrs. Horace A. Long
and Mr. Lawrence A. Long, of
Jacksonville, Fla., arrived at the
King’s Inn last Sunday. They will
be in Highlands for an extended
stay during the warm season.
Mr. and Mrs. A. Smith, R. M.
Bostick and son, Roger, have re
turned Jor their annual vacation
at King’s Inn These people are
all from Memphis, Tenn. Mr. Bos
tick is a wholesale exporter of
lumber and lumber products.
Mr. W. F. Coachman, Jr., of
Jacksonville, Fla., is occupying
one of the large cottages in con
nection with King’s Inn through
September. Mr. Coachman is chair
man of the Florida State Canal
Commission.
Mr. Harry Ferguson, of Rock,
mart, Ga., is a Highlands visitor.
Mrs. Doris Misener, Mr. and
Mrs. R. L. Condon, and Mr. and
Mrs. L. G. Misener, all from Mi
ami, Fla., were recent visitors in
Highlands, and were stopping at
Edwards Farm in Horse Cove. The
Misener’s like this community very
much, in fact, recently bought a
lot in Highlands.
Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Nougherty,
of Tallmadge, Ohio; Mr. and Mrs.
P. N. Taylor, of Cuyahago, Ohio;
and Miss Florence M. Hesse, of
Cleveland, Ohio, are stopping at
the Tricemont Terrace for two
weeks. They were here for two
weeks last summer, and have made
reservations for next summer al
ready.
Mr. John Slaton, Jr. ,of Atlanta,
Ga., is stopping at the Tricemont
Terrace. Mr. Slaton is the Vete
rans Administrator covering the
entire South, and is a nephew of
the former Governor John Slaton
of Georgia.
Mrs. Grady Clay, of Atlanta,
Ga., and daughter, Eleanor; and
Miss Margaret Troutman, also of
Atlanta, are stopping at the Trice
monit for several days. Mrs. Clay’s
husband is an eye specialist in
Atlanta.
Talley & Burnette SPECIAL!!
WHITE SHOES ON SALE
Ladies’—Reg. Value —$2.25; New Price $1.75
Ladies’—Reg. Value —$2.10; New Price $1.60
Men—Regular Value—$3.50; New Price $2.75
WE ALSO HAVE OUR FALL BOOTS
King’s Inn
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