Remains of Rare and Extinct Birds from Illinois Indian Sites

April]1958J PARmALEE,Remains of Birdsfrom Illinois Indian Sites 169

REMAINS OF RARE AND EXTINCT BIRDS FROM ILLINOIS INDIAN SITES

BY PAUL W. PARMALEE

A ½mzA•rdeal of informationconcerning past distributionand abundance may be derived from the remains of animals once utilized by aboriginal Indians. Identification of the shell and bone often found in considerablequantities in refuse pits and kitchen midden deposits enablesus to visualizebetter the ecologicaland environmentalconditions that existedin a given area in prehistorictimes. The extensiveprairies, thousands of miles of streams and rivers, and the countless numbers of sloughs,marshes, backwater ponds and lakes apparently provided an almost limitlesssupply of game to the Indians onceoccupying Illinois. The Indiansthat formerlyoccupied Illinois may be dividedinto three generalcategories, based primarily on time periodsand cultural traits: First, the Archaic,a prepotterygroup dating from about 8,000 (?) to 1,500 B.C. They apparently had no agricultureand dependedupon local flora and fauna for their existence. The Modoc Rock Shelter Site, Randolph County, is an archaic site in southwesternIllinois that con- tained large quantities of mollusk shells and bone. Remains of the Whitetail Deer (Odocoileusvirginianus) far outnumberall other species encountered,thus indicatingits apparentformer abundanceand impor- tance as a food to the people once occupyingthis site. In the case of birds, almost 80% were thoseof ducks,geese and swans(Fowler, Winters and Parmalee, 1956). The secondmajor group is referred to as the WoodlandCulture, occupyinga time period from about 1,500 B.C. to 1,200 A.D. and reachingthe climax of cultural developmentin the Hopewellphase--at or shortly after the time of Christ. This period saw the development of pottery and the beginningof agriculture, although wild game still formed a large percentageof their diet. Fanhal remainsrecovered from Hopewell and other Woodland village sites in Illinois also point to extensive use of waterfowl. All Indian sites in the state are, or were, locatedalong some body of water, a habitat that generallyprovided an abundant supply of mollusks,fish and birds; in almost all sites, the Anatidae constituteover 70% of the arian remains. The final prehistoriccultural faction, the Middle Mississippi,is thought to have lasted for about 350 years, from 1,200 to 1,550 A.D. Agricul- ture flourishedand the growingof cornand probablyother cropssupple- mented the diet of wild game to a greater extent than previously. Apparentlythe bow and arrow weredeveloped and, as indicatedby the fanhal material excavatedat the Cahokia Site (Madison Co.), there must [ Auk 170 PAR•IALEI•,Remains of Birdsfrom Illinois In•an Sites [Vol.75 have been more selective hunting for preferred game rather than indiscriminatecollecting. This is indicated by the large number of remainsof certain species(e.g. Whitetail Deer, squirrel(Sciurus spp.), Turkey, GreaterPrairie Chicken,Trumpeter Swan) uncovered recently at the Cahokia Site, probably the largest Middle Mississippisite in North America. Boneprovided the Indian with a sourceof raw materialfor the manu- facture of tools, ornaments and utensils. The awl, a tool (used as a punch)usually formed from a split or brokenlong bone sharpened at one end, is one of the bone artifacts generallyfound most abundantly and consistentlythrough all cultural levels. The ulna, metatarsal and metacarpalof deer, as well as splintersof theseand other heavy bones, were also used,but many of the finer awls were often fashionedfrom wing and leg bonesof birds,particularly the Turkey. Beadswere made from cut lengthsof wing bones,notably eagleand swan, and a variety of ornaments, tools and utensils were manufactured from bird bones. The functionor use of many, however,is often obscure. An unusual instrument,possibly a whistle or flute, was found with a burial in the CarlsonAnnis Mound in Kentucky and was tentatively identifiedby Dr. Wetmore as an ulna of the WhoopingCrane (Webb, 1950). The followingaccounts are noteworthy as indicatingprehistoric distribution and abundance of birds now extinct or rare in Illinois.

ACCOUNTS OF SPECIES White Pelican (Pelecanuserythrorhynchos)--The distal end of a tarsometatarsuswas recoveredfrom Hopewell village refuse (Snyder Site, CalhounCounty) in July, 1955,by Mr. Perino. The proximalend of a cut humeruswas found in the middendebris at Cahokiaby Mr. Perino during the 1956fall excavations. Thesetwo recordsare thus far the only archaeozoologicalevidence of the White Pelican in Illinois. The bird is presentlylisted as a rare migrant in the state, although formerly,according to Nelson(Cory, 1909),they wereregular and rather commonmigrants. Brown Pelican(Pelecanus occidentalis)--The occurrence of this species in Illinois is accidentaland there are only three records(1873, 1903and 1948)(Smith and Parmalee,1955). A tibiotarsussection (plus a coracoid fragment probablyassignable to this species)was found in the archaic Modoc Rock Shelter,Randolph County in July, 1956, by the Illinois State Museumarchaeological field party, and remainsof this maritime speciesat the ModocSite is especiallynoteworthy since it is the first and only archaeologicalrecord for Illinois and falls in an early time period prior to at least 1,500 years B.C. Aprill19581 PA•A•,•, Remainsof Birds.fromIllinois Indian Sites 171

Trumpeter Swan (Olor buccinator)--"The Trumpeter Swan occurs sparinglyin Illinois and Wisconsinduring the migrations. It is fast be- cominga very rare bird, at least east of the Mississippi."(Cory, 1909). Judgingfrom the quantity of bonesexcavated by Mr. Gregory Perino at the CahokiaSite, this bird (now extirpated east of the Mississippi) must have been exceedinglyabundant in Illinois in prehistorictimes. The Indian apparentlyfavored the long bonesof the swan,primarily the humerus and ulna, for making beads and other objects since numerous ends of these bonesencountered at Cahokia showedevidence of having been cut off. Approximately375 bonesof the Trumpeter Swan were identifiedfrom the sampleof middenmaterial excavatedat Cahokiaby Mr. Perinoduring the latter part of 1956. Severalbones were identified as beingthose of the WhistlingSwan (Olorcolumbianus), but thesewere few in comparisonto O. buccinator.Several remainsof the Trumpeter Swanhave beenidentified from the Fisher Site (Will Co.), SnydersSite (Calhoun Co.), et.al., but the greatestconcentration found thus far has been at Cahokia. Although certain historic tribes found a market for swan skins (plumage)in England and Europe (Audubon, 1828), the prehistoricgroups probably utilized the flesh for food and their bones, in some instances, as ornaments. Swallow-tailed Kite (Elano'idesforficatus)--According to Ridgway (1889) and other early workers,this Kite was commonthroughout the state in former years, but now it is certainly of accidentaloccurrence; apparentlythere have been no recordssince 1906. A completefemur and tibiotarsuswere recovered from a refusepit at Cahokiain November, 1956,by Mr. Perino. There is arehaeozoologicalevidence of this species in Ohio (Goslin, 1955), and, although it was reported as formerly commonin Illinois prior to 1900 (and thereforeto be expectedin midden refuse), these two bones from Cahokia representthe first prehistoric records for the state. MississippiKite (Ictinia rnisisippiensis)--Cory(1909) states that, "The MississippiKite is not uncommonin southernIllinois in summer" and refers to a statement by Nelson that it is an "abundant summer residentin the southernportion of the state,probably occurs in northern Illinois." Althougha few recentIllinois records of this speciesare known (Smith and Parmalee, 1955), it is now of accidental occurrence. A completeleft humeruswas found in 1956in the lowerlevels of the Modoc Site, an extremely early time period. The two humeri identified by Wetmore(1932) from sitesin JacksonCounty, Ohio, represented a new Ohio recordas well as the first archaeozoologicalrecord. The Modoc Site humerusis the first archaeozoologicalrecord for the state. As in the caseof the Brown Pelican,this representsan extremelyearly time period. [ Auk 172 PAR•AL•, Remainsof Birds from Illinois Indian Sites tVol. 7s

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysa•tos)--Black(1937) lists over 40 records of this eaglecollected in Illinois althoughit is now generallyconsidered a rare migrant or visitant. A bill, tarsometatarsaland carpometacarpal were found at Cahokia in November, 1956, by Mr. Perino, which apparently representthe first occurrenceof this speciesfrom an Illinois Indiansite. Of•interestalso are the remains ofthe Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)from Cahokia, a locally commonwinter residentalong the large rivers and an uncommonnester along the MississippiRiver in southern Illinois; a single tarsometatarsal,two phalanx and 26 carpometacarpals,representing at least 16 individuals, were identified. The prevalence of carpometacarpals,the bone supporting the primaries, pointsto the possibilitythat the eagleswere killed for their plumageand that the wing tips were used for decoration,or for ceremonialor other functions. Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchuscupido)--Although this bird is not consideredrare in Illinois, it is uncommon and the present dwindlingpopulations are in no way comparableto their formerdistribu- tion and abundancein early times. Approximately 120 bonesof this specieshave beenidentified from middenmaterial excavatedat Cahokia by Mr. Perino, a noteworthy recordsince it indicatesan abundant former populationin that area. Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)--Remains of this former nester (Ridgway, 1895), but now rare migrant (Smith and Parmalee, 1955), have been found rather sparinglyin midden refusethroughout Illinois. Baker (1937) refersto a bone of the more westernrace, G. c. canadensis, from a site in Jackson Co., and a carpometacarpalfragment of that subspecieswas found in the archaicModoc Rock ShelterSite, Randolph County, in 1953 (Fowler, Winters and Parmalee, 1956). During the 1956 summer excavations at Modoc by the Illinois State Museum archaeologicalfield party, six tarsometatarsalsof the Sandhill Crane (in additionto a bundleof approximated80 gooseradii, Chenand Branta), were found in associationwith a human burial. The largest number of remainsof this crane, approximately100 bones,primarily of wing and leg, were excavated by Mr. Perino at the Cahokia Site in west- central Illinois. Although the Indian may have utilized the crane for food, it, as well as certain other birds suchas eagles,owls, etc., may have been collectedfor their plumageor used in other capacities. Appar- ently there have been no new recordsof the Whooping Crane (Grus americana)from Illinois since Baker (1941) referred to that species remainsfrom the KingstonSite (Peoria Co.) and from a site in Jackson County. Shorebirds--A humerus of the Marbled Godwit (Limosafedoa), once April] ! 958J PARMALI•I•,Re•nains of Birdsfrom Illinois Indian Sites 173 a common speciesin Illinois but now a rare migrant, was found at the Steuben Site (Marshall Co.). Fowler, Winters and Parmalee (1956) record the Whimbrel (Numeniusphaeopus) from the archaicModoc Site in RandolphCo., a speciesthat is alsopresently considered a rare migrant in the state. Three ulnae, two radii, two carpometacarpalsand a section of tibiotarsus,at leastthree individualsbeing represented, were identified as Whimbrel from a sample of midden refuse recoveredby Mr. Perino in April, 1957, at the McDonough Lake Site, Madison County. An ulna of the Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus,now of accidental occurrencein Illinois, wasreported from the KingstonSite, PeoriaCo. by Baker (1936), while another ulna and a skull sectionwere found in a refusepit at Cahokiain November, 1956,by Mr. Perino. Four additional radii from Cahokiaalso are probablyassignable to this species. Remains of now rare shorebirds, as well as the more commonspecies such as the Killdeer and the Dowitcher,and of other birdsassociated with an aquatic environment(herons, bitterns, rails, etc.) are usually uncommon. The immenseareas of water that oncecovered large sectionsof Illinois must have provided excellenthabitat for numerousaquatic speciesof birds and, although limited remains of certain speciesprovide an index to former distribution, large concentrationsof one or a group of birds (e.g., ducks,geese, swans) indicate preference on the part of the Indian as well as abundanceof certain species. PassengerPigeon (Ectopistesmigratorius)--Considering the number of birds once residingin and migrating through Illinois, relatively few remainsof this extinct specieshave been encounteredthus far. Fowler, Winters and Parmalee (1956) recorded two bones (humeri) from the archaic Modoc Rock Shelter Site in southwestern Illinois, but since publishing their Preliminary Report, 32 additional bones (14 humeri, four phalanx, five ulnae, two tarsometatarsals,two coracoidsand five carpometacarpals)were found in the faunal material excavated in the summersof 1955-1956. Further southin JacksonCounty, an ulna and tarsometatarsalwere found at the Fountain Bluff Site, and a tarsometatarsal and coracold at Peter's Cave. Both sites are of Late Woodland-- Middle Mississippi Culture. The distal ends of two humeri and a carpometacarpalwere uncoveredat the Huber Site (Cook Co.); two humeri fragments were recoveredfrom the Fisher Site (Will Co.); two carpometacarpalscome from the McDonough Lake Site (Madison Co.) and the distal end of a humerus was found at Starved Rock (LaSalle Co., north-central Illinois). In the recent excavationsat Cahokia (Madison Co.; East St. Louisarea) by Mr. Perino, whichhave produceda tremen- dousquantity of bird material, only six bonesof the PassengerPigeon (two humeri, two ulnae, one radius and one carpometacarpal)were [ Auk 174 PARMAU•, Remainsof Birdsfrom Illinois Indian Sites tVol.75 recovered. Mr. William R. Adams, Indiana Laboratory of Osteology, Bloomington,identified a singlehumerus of this speciesthat wascollected by the Universityof Michiganarchaeological field party in 1950(personal communication).Goslin (1955) found PassengerPigeon remains quite numerousin severalrock sheltersites in Ohio. Their generalscarcity in midden refusefrom Indian sitesin Illinois may be attributed to greater local abundanceor availability of more preferred species. Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsiscarolinensis)--During the summerof 1953, Mr. Perino uncoverednumerous bones in a village refuse pit at Cahokia, including nine bills of this spedes, identified by Mr. Adams. They apparently representthe first archaeozoologicalrecords of the extinct parakeetin Illinois. Five were retainedby Mr. Adamsfor the comparativecollection at the Indiana Laboratoryof Osteology,and two were given to the Illinois State Museum by Mr. Perino. Sincethese bills were found togetherin a singlerefuse pit (none having been encounteredin later excavations),it is plausibleto assumethat they may have been usedas ornamentor decorationby the Indian, although they showno signsof having beenworked. A singletarsometatarsal and two ulnae were found in the faunal material excavated during the late fall of 1956by Mr. Perino. Audubon(1828) refersto the large number of parakeetsin the Ohio River bottom in southeasternIllinois, and they apparently were not uncommonlocally in similar habitats farther north, so it is somewhatsurprising that remains of this colorful bird are not more common in Indian sites. Ivory-billedWoodpecker (Campephilus principalis)--Ridgway (1889) states that "The writer has a distinct recollection of what he believes to have beenthis speciesin White county, someforty miles south of Mount Carmel.... "Except for this possiblesight record there are few or no other publishedaccounts of this woodpeckerin Illinois and apparently there are no specimensknown definitely to have been collectedin the state. Widmann (1907) refersto a specimencollected in southeastern Missouri (Scott County) and Bent (1939) considerssouthern Missouri and Illinois as the mostnorthwestern extension of its formerrange. The presenceof a tarsometatarsalbone in the village midden material excavated at Cahokia by Mr. Perino in November, 1956, is of special interest since it extends the range of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker approximately120 miles further north in westernIllinois. As Wetmore (1943) pointedout in the caseof Ivory-bill remains(metatarsus) from Scioto Co., Ohio, the leg bone would not have been of specialinterest or use to the Indian and thereforerepresents the remainsof a bird that probablydied or waskilled locallyand not an importedor barteredtrade item. The natural presenceof this woodpeckerin the Cahokia region Aprill 19581 PAR*L•-LEE,Remains of Birdsfrom Illinois Indian Sites 175 is quite plausible, since the heavily wooded bottoms and flood plain forestsalong the MississippiRiver couldhave providedsuitable habitat. Common Raven (Corvuscorax)--Cory (1909) lists severalreferences dealing with the former occurrenceand abundance of the Raven in Illinois. Apparentlythey weremost numerous in the northernsections, particularlyalong the shoreof Lake Michiganbut by 1900the bird was consideredrare and today its presencein Illinois is listed as accidental (Smith and Parmalee, 1955). Remainsof the Raven are rare in kitchen middenrefuse throughout the midwestregion. Goslin (1955) refersto two bones of this speciesfound in an Ohio cave, and Baker (1941) records the humeri of two individuals found in a pit on Plum Island (StarvedRock Site, LaSalleCo.). Faunal remainsexcavated at Cahokia, Mad/son County, by Mr. Perino in October, 1956, containedthe radius, ulna and carpometacarpalof a Raven. Sectionsof a radius and ulna were identified from the extensivemidden depositsat the Fisher Site (Will County, northernIllinois), excavatedby GeorgeLangford about 1924.

A number of speciesnow extinct, extirpated in Illinois, or rare today are representedby remainsin Indian sites. Theseremains throw light on former abundanceand on ecologicalconditions. Acknowledgments I would like to expressmy appreciationto Mr. Gregory Perino, Thomas Gilcrease Foundation, Tulsa, Oklahoma, for his kindnessin giving the fatreal material he excavated at the Cahokia Site, Madison County, Illinois, in the fall of 1956 to the Illinois State Museum, as well as permission to use the data. I am particularly in- debted to Dr. Alexander Wetmore, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, for verify- ing determinations,identifying numerousspecimens and offering helpful suggestions. I also wish to thank the following for their generousassistance in identifying certain specimens:Dr. Robert W. Storer, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Dr. Harrison B. Totdoff, then with the Museum of Natural History, Univer- sity of Kansas, Lawrence;and Dr. Herbert Friedmann, U.S. National Museum, Washington. LITERATURE CITED AUDUBON,J. J. 1828. The winter's wreath for MDCCCXXIX, pp. 104-127. (London and Liverpool, 1828). Republishedin part in J. F. McDemott. 1942. Audubon's journey up the Mississippi. Journ. Ill. State Hist. Soc., 35: 148-173. BAKER, F. C. 1936. Remains of animal life from the Kingston kitchen midden site near Peoria, Illinois. Trans. Ill. State Aead. Sci., 29 (2): 243-246. BAKER, F. C. 1937. An Illinois record for the Little Brown Crane. Auk, 54: 388. BAKER,F.C. 1941. A study in ethnozoologyof the prehistoricIndians of Illinois. Pt. 2. Trans. Amer. Philosoph. Soc., n.s., $2: 51-77. [ Auk 176 PARMAL•, Remainsof Birdsfrom Illinois Indian Sites [vol.7s

BI•NT, A.C. 1939. Life histories of North American woodpeckers. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull., 174: 1-334. BLACK, C. T. 1937. Additional Illinois Golden Eagle records. Auk, 54: 385- 388. Co•tY, C.B. 1909. The birds of Illinois and Wisconsin. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Set., 9: 1-764. FowleR, M. L., H. D. WXNT•RSand P. W. P•mMAL•. 1956. Modoc rock shelter, preliminary report. Ill. State Mus., Rept. of Investig., no. 4: 47-53. GOSLXN,R. M. 1955. Animal remains from Ohio rock shelters. Ohio Journ. Sci., 55 (6): 358-362. RInGwAY, R. 1889. The ornithology of Illinois. State Lab. Nat. Hist., pt. 1, vol. 1: 1-520. RInGwAY, R. 1895. The ornithology of Illinois. State Lab. Nat. Hist., pt. 1, vol. 2: 1-282. SmXH, H. R. and ?. W. ?A•AL•. 1955. A distributional check list of the birds of Illinois. Ill. State Mus., Pop. Sci. Set., 4 and Ill. Aud. Soc. 62 pp. W•BB, W.S. 1950. The carlsonannis mound. Univ. Ky. Repts. Anthrop., 7, no. 4: 267-354. W•X•o•, A. 1932. The former occurrence of the Mississippi Kite in Ohio. Wilson Bull., 44: 118. WBT•o•B, A. 1943. Evidenceof the former occurrenceof the Ivory-billed Wood- pecker in Ohio. Wilson Bull., 55: 55. WmMAN•, O. 1907. A preliminary catalogue of the birds of Missouri. St. Louis, Mo.