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«Easy Stories of ‘the Feathered Kingdom
4
y
ie - : COMPANION BOOK
a Se a “— To
gnagerie of Animals
BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED |
: EDITED BY LIDA BROOKS TILLER.
re _ MONARCH. BOOK COMPANY _
eanits _. Formerly L. P..Miller & Co. -
CcrcAco, mt PHILADELPHIA, ey and STOCKTON, ca,
COPYRIGHTED BY
LINCOLN W. WALTER,
Be EI TBO Re eee Ga
RAVEN CROW ROOK.
Introdaction,
HERE are few living beings that have. more interest for
children than Birps. Their beauty of plumage, their mode
of life, their power of flight and their gift of song ap- ~
peal to their sympathies as but few things can. Nor can
we wonder at this, for their gentle dispositions and joyous’ idle
lives give us all a thousand thoughts that tend toward a better
life and a nobler existence.
The Bird’s life though, like ours, is not all happiness, innocence
and song. Many of them are quarrelsome; others songless; others
cannot fly, while some are gluttonous and others unclean,
_ Many of them, too, live a persecuted life; other pirds and beasts |
of prey are continually on the watch to destroy their homes andâ€
nestlings to which they are much. attached. Sometimes, too, men
and boys pursue them with dogs and guns.
But -like ourselves, God has. made them for a PEIDOSe in life.
They keep the insects from the fruit and grain; give us eggs: for
bs
8 INTRODUCTION.
food; feathers for beds, and plumes for decoration. Plumes can
taken from birds and not destroy their life, yet. there are thousands
of innocent birds killed every year to supply milliners with orna-
ments for decorations.
How foolish and wicked to shoot these birds which serve us
so well, and how unkind to take their young and destroy their eggs!
We hope that all girls who read this book will protest against
this cruelty and, when grown to womanhood, will not permit birds
to adorn their hats and bonnets.
The bodies of some birds are not strong enough to remain with
us during the winter; hence they come with the flowers, and go ;
with the flowers. In traveling from the cold to the warm coun-
tries, their flight over land and water is frought with many dangers. :
In this little volume there has been no attempt to follow the
scientific order in which birds should be grouped.†The stories are
simple and instructive; not dry and scientific. The aim has been
to describe only those which the Creator has placed in our midst, . |
or which we occasionally see in some park, museum or menagerie.
. Study the book | carefully, dear boys, and remember that the .
birds are God's creatures and, as such, merit our care.
Very lovingly,
LIDA BROOKS MILLER.
oe PART I.
PSUR SCORN RE VN Ga sh eer Pana Ite lene rer Ok
PART II.
TALKING re es
es ol
BIRDS; OH (PASSAGE 7400 4 ee ee
: PART IV
WARBLERS- 92,2! Sena ae Sed uate des so Sener eas
PART V
Water: Birps Te ane tter iimgesr iste pereahs hae Ane enee
PART VI
Domestic anD GAME Birps ...-.... Fete eee estes
PART VII
STRANGE BIRDS... ..- PDO C ES RM rao on tie na
PART VIII.
STORIES Or De ee ere Epos er erg ne
PAGES.
CMaMere 13-64
aodboosany > Oka
poe erepesu en OIA)
tee ee IZ Tan
teeeeeees 145-180.
eee aloo 00
ee ane 229-250
Eee are oR OO:
LITTLE Bird with feathers
brown, sat singing ona tres;
The song was very soft and low, |
- but sweet as it could bene ae
And all the people passing by looked up *
| to see the bird
That made the sweetest melody that ever
they had heard.
But all the bright eyes looked in vain, for birdie —
was so small, | : ae
And with a modest dark brown coat, he made no
show at all. ;
“Why, papa,†little Effie said, ‘Where can this birdie be?
If I could sing a song like that, I'd sit where folks could Seer.
12
‘This birdie is content to sit, unnoticed by
Though others may forget your
> long,
“UP IN A TREE. : _ 13
ay hope my little irk will earn dv lesson a ee
from that bird, .
And try to do what good she can, not to
“be seen or heard. |
the way, —
And sweetly sing his Maker's
praise from dawn to close.
of ‘day. pie
50. live; my child, all through
ne your life, that, be it short or
looks, they'll not forget yout
song.
14 OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
Our Brothers and Sisters.
HINK how bleak a world this would be if it were quite empty
of birds and animals! Imagine a broad field of grass with-—
out a living thing in it! Picture a forest with boughs and
branches and leaves all dancing in the sunshine, and never a robin,
: \
nor a sparrow, nor a linnet; think of a hillside without a squirrel
or a rabbit to run and frisk.
The busy bees, the merry crickets, the grasshoppers and speckled
butterflies, the curious little squirrels, the shy rabbits, the bluejays,
‘the woodpeckers, the chattering “sparrows, the cooing doves and
the quails—all are filled with the same life which animates us. They
are our little brothers and sisters in feathers and furs, and we owe
them love, care and remembrance.
dep seth Ya wage a
Their Homes and
Their Habits.
The Fatcon.
MONG all the birds known the Falcon is one of the largest
-and strongest. It can fly the farthest. and can see the
greatest distance.
Our boys and girls have no doubt seen pictures of this eeaiin
creature and wondered if it really were a bird or an animal. The
upper jaw has a strong projecting tooth which enables it to feed
upon the flesh of other birds, and its bill is hooked at the point.
| The claws are sharp, curved and strong. ‘The whole body is
robust and full of muscles. This enables the bird to strike hard
and seize its prey. is, 2 15
ioe THE FALCON.
PEREGRINE FALCON.
The wings are long, |
pointed and. powerful.
-One. blow » from. them ~
ail bring death to the
smaller birds with which
it comes in contact, vet
can fly hundreds of
miles ina day, but sel-
dom flies - during the
night. It soars. ‘to..a
very great height i in the
air and usually flies
© higher than any other
bird which itis trying to. . ‘
catch. “It then ‘swoops
down upon it.
On a calm, quiet.
GENE alt is almost ‘im-
possible for this bird to
rise vertically in the air. It usually starts off in a slanting manner,
or else flies against the wind and is gradually borne higher and
higher up, something after the fashion of a boy's kite.
It can see at a distance of many miles and you will, nenans
wonder why God has given it a stronger sight than He has given.
us, but this is one of the things that we cannot understand. It:
only teaches us to be kind and thoughtful to these creatures which
cannot talk but which have sight, hearing, feeling, taste and ‘smell ©
very much as we have.
The Falcon is as remarkable for boldness as for power of flight,
Se =
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SSS
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nia
ESAS
“BABY EAGLE,
18 THE FALCON.
It has sometimes been seen to pouncé on game that has been. shot
by the sportsman before it could fall to the ground.
To show its strength, a traveler once told me that in his own
country one of these birds dashed through the heavy plate glass of
his store and carried off a pet bird. .
It builds its nest on ledges of high rocks, either on the sea-
coast or in ravines. There, hidden from the touch of man ea
beast, the eggs are laid and the young raised and schooled in all
the arts of flight. . ae alas :
- Strange as it may. seem, with such powers of protection, these
birds after all are not as plenty as in early times. No matter how
dangerous and difficult the path, sportsmen have climbed on, thus
capturing them ‘until now; instead of thousands flying over the
mountains, they are numbered by hundreds, and in many places
have almost disappeared,
bring you
| ae good tidings
Viggeg of great joy.
‘ LUKE ii, 10,
THE BIRD’S CONCERT.
20 = THE EAGLE. =
The Eagle.
S the lion is called the ‘‘King of Beasts,†so the Eagle is
considered the ‘‘King of Birds.†. nee
Among all the feathered tribe we know of none that
GOLDEN EAGLES.
is more noted or stands out more ‘prominently than the Eagle.
There are a great many kinds, each having a name according
Sy ee _THE EAGLE. ap Pe 21
to its form and color. The Golden Eagle is the oe of the
European eagles, the extent of its wings being above seven feet.
It is found in many places on the Continent, besides Scotland,
Wales and Ireland. It builds its nest in the most inaccessible
places, high up among the mountains. The eagle generally lays
- two eggs, and. the eyrie, which is used as a dwelling as well as a
nest, is placed on a ledge of rock, and made soft with hay and
wool, which it gathers from the fields and hedges far below.
Pein Code Word we read of the eagle’s love for high places.
“She dwelleth and abideth on the tock, on the crag of the rock,
and the strong place. From thence she seeth the prey, and her
eyes behold afar off.†4
_ The eagle was called by the ancients the ‘celestial bird,†on
account of its’ flying to a great height with its eye fixed on the sun.
_ It often causes much alarm to the people in the Highlands of Scot-
land, for it will seize upon jambs and kids, and carry them aves,
to its nest in its talons. ;
The eagle is said to live over one hundred years, and can exist
a long time without food. Once a gentleman caught an eagle alive,
and gave it in charge to his servants, who were so careless as to
leave it: without food for three weeks, at the end of which time it
was visited, and seemed in perfect health. But you may be sure
_ it would have been far happier enjoying the freedom of its native
mountains, and getting its food as it liked.
Though. the eagle is often called a cruel bird, it is full of affec;
tion and kindness to its own young ones, providing their food with
the greatest care, and teaching them to fly by spreading its own
_- large wings beneath, so that if the venue ones grow frightened and
= fall, they shall not be hurt,
22 OLD ABE. =
%
Game of all kinds, such as rabbits, ‘and even larger animals,
are carried home to feed the young. In some countries where
eagles live, we have heard of children being carried off by them to _
feed their young. .
Because of ‘the great strength of the eagle, because of its cour-
age and because of its boldness, this bird has been invested with
the attributes of greatness. Even in early times, the Romans.
placed’a gold or brass eagle on their implements of war, which ex-
pressed a confidence of victory. Our own’ United States, too, has
selected the eagle as a national emblem. The stamp of the eagle
is put on our coin and figures of this bird everywhere decorate our
public buildings.
Old Abe,
LD ABE is an eagle that
than birds usually do. During
the war between the States, he
soldiers in camp, who named him
Old Abe, in honor of Lincoln.
During their months of enforced
and became the bird of the reg-
iment. He took a fierce delight
in battle; while it. raged he would
perch on his standard, gloating
over carnage, or, flapping his great wings, would fly hither. and
thither, shrilly screaming his joy in the red battle.
has become more: famous,
‘idleness he was tamed by them.
was captured by some Union *
- of A SE yy \
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Lele i WiC, i yA Hi i
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23 WEDGE TAILED EAGLE OF AUSTRALIA,
24 THE EAGLE.
Old Abe went through the war. He was in many a fight; _
shells crushed over his head and minnie ball whistled on all sides,
but he came out unharmed; perhaps the loser of a feather or two
but otherwise sound. . ,
In one battle, when the cannons were booming and the men
surging backward and forward, that noble bird entered into all the
spirit of the fight. He danced with delight on his perch and his
scream could be heard above the roar of the battle. As a result of
his excitement, a large feather dropped from his wing, or. it might
be that some bullet just grazed past him. Anyway, this feather
fell a few yards from Mr. Olroyd, one of the men in battle line. 7
It came from ‘‘Old Abe,†the best. known name during. the war,
and he made up his mind to have the feather. ‘That was a souve-
nir that could not be obtained in future years, whether the Union
were saved or not, so he just ducked his head: and’ made a dive on
for it. He put his arm over his face as if that could shield’ him
from the bullets, and rushed into the open space in front of the
line, grabded the feather, stuck it under his blouse and carried it
away. ee oe
This feather of the grand old bird, ‘‘Old Abe,†is now framed
and hangs in the very house in Washington where that great and
good man, Abraham Lincoln, breathed his last; just opposite the
building where the fatal shot was fired that ended his lite.
The eagle was kept with his regiment until the close of the :
war, when he was consigned to a museum.
He was described to me by a lady who saw him in 1883 in
Woodward’s Garden, San Francisco. Here he was one of\the chief
attractions of the place, being visited by hundreds of people daily.
He was a large bird, and, of course, too dignified to put on alts;
THE EAGLE AND THE PIG. : 25
but he seemed thoroughly to appreciate the fact that he was a bird
of importance. His mien showed that he was used to homage, and
he accepted it with gracious condescension from the crowd about him.
PAIR of bald eagles built |
their nests in a high
“ tree on a river shore in
Virginia. I will tell you a true
story about them. |
Mr. Heath lived not far off,
ita oe,
(ac he heard a pig squealing over his head.
‘‘T never heard of a pig with wings,†he said to himself, look-
ing up in the air. But this poor little pig did not want to fly.
The huge eagle had seized him, and was bearing him to his nest,
Just at the foot of the tree the bird lit on the ground, and began
to strike the pig on the head with his powerful beak.
“T will have that pig, myself,†said Mr. Heath; but, as he ran
up, the eagle rose in the air with his -prey. a
Not long after this, Mr. Heath shot at the same bird and
crippled him. He then tried to kill him with a heavy stick, and
his son ran to help him. ;
Now began a real battle. The eagle fixed his piercing eye on
his enemy, and rushed to méet him. The first blow from the stick
stunned the bird, but he quickly came to himself. When, at last,
and one day, while walking on his |
\
26 THE CONDOR.
he seemed to be dead, Mr. Heath and his son set out homeward,
each holding a wing of the eagle. All at once he revived, and tried
to strike with his beak. They had to stop and renew the fight,
and finally killed the brave bird. He was found to measure séven
feet from the tip of one wing to the other. CN ee
‘PINK HUNTER.
CONDORS.
The Condor.
HE largest known ‘‘Bird of Prey†is the Condor. It is
called the “King of Vultures, †because it prefers the flesh
of dead animals to live. It will often eat so much that
if attacked it cannot fly.
It is large and strong and can carry large animals a long dis-
tance in the air to its nest. It soars away out of sight of the
naked eye, even many miles above the clouds. It has no voice
and makes only a weak snoring’ noise.
THE CONDOR OF THE ANDES. ae
Its wings are long and powerful, the tail short and the color
_ generally bright. The head of some of the birds is Suited with a
large Busty eouin, Say
The Condor of the Andes.
( | among the cold, white peaks-of the Andes, higher than
human foot has had the daring to tread, is sometimes seen
a dark speck, slowly circling in the clear air. The speck
gradually descends, and we see that itis the largest bird of the
air, the condor. -Its flight is swifter than the eagle’s. Nothing but
the distance could have made the condor of.the Andes seem small
_and slow of wing. Swiftly descending, strong, cruel, hungry, he
fastens his horrid eye upon some luckless lamb or kid. Rarely is
it able to escape or hide from its enemy; successful resistance is
impossible. The condor cannot carry off its prey in its talons like
the eagle, for it has not the eagle’s power of grasp, and the sharp-
ness.of its claws is in time worn off on the hard rocks which are
its home; so, standing upon the struggling animal with one foot,
the condor kills the poor thing with his me beak and his
other foot. *
Like many other greedy creatures, the condor after his dinner
becomes incapable of flight, and it is only then that he can be ap-
proached with safety; but even then the hunter must be cautious
and strong. “A Chilean miner, who was celebrated for his great
physical strength, once thought that without weapons he could cap-
ture a condor which seemed unusually stupid after its heavy meal.
The man put forth all his strength, and the engagement was long
and desperate, till at last the poor miner was glad to escape with
‘
28 THE CONDOR OF THE ANDES.
his life. Exhausted, torn and bleeding, he managed to carry off a
few feathers as trophies of the hardest battle he had ever fought.
He thought that’ he had left the bird mortally wounded. The other
miners went in search of the body, but ‘instead, .
found the bird alive and erect, flapping his wings
-for flight. ie
If the condor does not reach an untimelyâ€
end by violence, iets.
according to all ac-
counts, very long-lived.
The Indians of the
Andes believe that he.
lives for a hundred
years. ° =
oe he condors’ homes -
seem just suited for
birds sougly and fierce. ~
They build “no nest,
but the female selects
some hollow in the
_barren rock that shall
be large enough to
CONDOR.
7 shelter her from the
strong winds while she is hatching her eggs. Here, in the midst-
of a dreadful desolation, the. ugly little condors begin their cries for
food, and after they are six weeks old begin attempting to use
their wings. The parents manifest the only good trait they possess
in their care for their young, feeding and training them to fly, so
that in a few months they are able to hunt for themselves.
\
| THE AMERICAN OSPREY. | 29
The American
=) SOSPrey 3
HIS: bird has not the
same easy, graceful
sailing motion, when resting
on its outstretched wings in
the light air, that the vulture
has; never-
theless, it is
a pleasure to
-watch it hov- _—
ering in mid-
air over its
watery hunt-
ing-ground. As it is
not a lazy bird, like
its unpleasant relative, but, on the con-
é trary, is endowed with great activity
and energy, its motions are accordingly different.
1
30 | THE AMERICAN OSPREY. —
Hark! There sounded his discordant shrill whistle; and see!
there sits our fish-hawk on the topmost branch of lofty pine. Out
stretches his: neck, a few clumsy, preparatory flaps of. his great
wings, and he is launched out into space. - For a few seconds he
beats the air with long, powerful strokes, and then, steadying his
wings, he shoots along, and rests over the unquiet waters below.
Almost motionless are his wings, but his head moves incessantly;
his piercing eyes searching the depths of water for the unwary fish
that shall approach too near the surface. A moving object: arrests
his eye. The strong wings, with a few strokes, carry him a short
distance away for a good swoop. Down he shoots, with eager
talons, brushes the waves, and then, having missed his prey, again
mounts aloft, ashamed of his failure, but in no wise disheartened.
Ah! that swoop was successful, and now the little ones at home
shall feast. . . . :;
The Osprey its seldom more than four feet long, from tip to
tip of outstretched wings, and usually is smaller than this. It is
very powerful, and has such confidence in its own strength that it
will attack almost any inhabitant of the water. Occasionally this
_hardihood has led to its destruction; for instances have been known
where it has essayed to carry away so large a creature as a seal.
It would sink its talons so deeply into the would-be victim’s flesh
that it could not withdraw them when the seal. dived, and would
thus be drawn under and drowned.
THE VULTURE. 31
The Vattare.
HIS bird, like the Condor, lives on the flesh of dead an-
imals. The beak is long, straight at the base and slightly
toothed. The head is generally bare, with a ruff of short
feathers around the neck, into which the head can be drawn. The
legs and feet are large.
eA
—_
YP
in at 4
iN
i = = S
- “SY KB
VULTURE.
y
Vultures have great power of flight and some of them soar
high in the air. The plumage is not neat like the Falcon’s, but is
thick, and on this account the bird cannot be easily shot.
1
32 SECRE mes VY BIRD; OR, SERPENT ATER =
are
_ These birds are found in warm countries. and “mostly in 1 the | age
mountains. They do not often attack a live animal, but have been’
‘known to sit for hours and watch for. an animal to die. and ‘then eee
begin their feast. They: are not bravé like the eagle and are: often
scared away by birds much smaller than themselves. © If, let alone, ae
though, they will become used to the sight of man, and oy
hungry will seek for food in the streets of a town. - eas
Very closely related to this ‘bird is the Turkey Binzsarde which :
fly in flocks, make its nests. in hollow trees, in. chimneys of old
houses where no one lives, and on roofs of houses. ‘In warm coun-
tries during the heat of the day, they perch on. the tops of houses
and sleep with their heads on their wings. . The California Vulture os
is the largest of the vultures found in North America,
‘Seeretary Bird or, r, Serpent ater.
UR oa ahd girls may think this a fanny. name, for a
bird. The fact is, this. bird gets its name from. ‘the : 2
tufts of | feathers at the back sof its © head “which . look :
very similar to pens stuck here and, there.
The legs are long and the toes armed with sharp ‘claws. ‘The
_ wings are long and armed with blunt. Sly at the shoulder.’ The t
tail is also long. A ate she ee peas Ne
Tt feeds upon reptiles of. all kinds, and iS SO†5 biehly valued on
account of the war which it. ‘wages against serpents, that in some...)
countries a fine is put upon any person who shoots, it. It is bold © :
and Less when starting out to attack a serpent, and always suc-\ ge
ceeds ‘in killing it with. blows from its wings. It attacks some of a
‘the most poisonous: Benen known, -and if it cannot kill them ines
THE HAWK—A BIRD OF PREY.
SECRETARY BIRD; OR, SERPENT EATER. . 35
one way it will in another. Frequently it carries the serpent into
the air at a dizzy height and lets it fall. This is sure to kill it.
_Another way is to strike violent blows with the feet.
In some countries this bird is tamed and kept in the poultry
SECRETARY BIRD.
yard to protect the chickens and ducks, but must be well fed or
else it is apt to help itself to some of the game. _ When battling
36 THE WOODPECKER.
with a snake, it covers itself with one wing so as to form a shield,
and with the other strikes the reptile until it falls senseless.
There is an island called Martinique in the Atlantic Ocean,
which is said to be exceedingly fertile and would become a favorite
gardening spot were it not for the venomous reptiles. An attempt
has been made to introduce this bird there and thus reduce the
number of venomous snakes. No doubt it will become a success
‘The Woodpecker.
ID you ever stop to think,
children, where the Wood-
_pecker got its name? If.
you think a moment you will know
that the name has been given it
from a habit it has of pecking into
the decayed wood of trees to find
insects.
In order to perform these duties,
it is made differently from other
birds. ‘The feet are extremely powerful, and the claws strong and
sharp-hooked, so that it can take a firm hold of the tree to which
it is clinging while it works away at the bark with its bill.
The tail, too, has stiff and pointed feathers which, are pressed
against the tree to form a support on lhl the bird can rest its
weight. The beak is long, strong and sharp. This helps ve bird
to cut away the wood but there is still one other provision made
by God to enable this little bird to get its food, It has a long
THE WOODPECKER. ay
bill, but even a bill would not do the work alone; it must have a
tongue to aid in seizing the insects which lurk in holes where the
beak could not penetrate. The tongue bones are very long and
EN NS
= SS
TR“
HRS RNAWY FAN
‘s\ WN 2X
W fs
S
GOLDEN WINGED WOODPECKER.
the tongue is furnished at the tip with a long, horny appendage,
covered with barbs and sharply pointed at the end,. so that the
bird can project it out, fasten an insect and draw it into its mouth,
38 THE WISE LITTLE WOODPECKER.
Although the woodpecker lives mostly on insects, it is fond of.
fruit, choosing the ripest. The common notion that these birds are
injurious to trees, is wrong, for they do more good, by eating up ~
the insects, than harm by their pecking. |
They make their homes in the stumps of trees by striking out
chips of wood with their strong bill and there lay their eggs. They
sometimes carry away the chips to a distance so that the nest may
not be discovered. The nest consists of a mere hole in the tree,
perhaps with a few chips in the bottom, but with no other lining.
“} f LD» Zz
vA Ay) Eo
& YY Pb
A Trae Story.
a ‘i
. nua al tt 4
APA was so long coming! Allen had been sitting in the .
great rustic chair by the window ‘‘about forty hours,†he
was sure; and Mamie and King, in the window near,
thought it was twice as long.
THE WISE LITTLE WOODPECKER. Ree oe
A redshieaded woodpecker darted into the Zonnenbe
“What does a woodpecker want in the corncrib, mamma?â€
chorused three little voices. : :
“Wait a moment, and you on see what I saw yesterday,â€
replied mamma.
In a moment more the pretty woodpecker flew back to an old
tree, where the children could see her pecking and hammering, as
if she had seen, or heard, or smelled, a fat worm in the hole in
the tree.- Then she flew to her nest and fed the hungry birdies,
and back again to the corncrib. | “ae
“What does she do that
for?†was the query again.
Mamma. bade them . watch
very carefully, as she had
done the day before.
They soon saw that the
dear little mother-bird brought
corn from the crib, and dropped
it into a hole in the old tree;
then she cracked it in pieces
small. enough for her little Pd
ones, and carried it to them. . ;
‘Isn't God good to teach the little’ mother-bird to think how
to get supper for her birdies, when the worms are all gone?†said
thoughtful ‘little Allen.
Yes," said King; “T neler that oe knows a good deal
more than many people.†:
“Oh, there’s papa!†shouted little Memo ‘““We were just
ready to see you—hayen’t waited hardly a little minute!â€
40 ea THE CROW.
“It seems the birdie can shorten time as well as feed her nest-
lings,†added mamma.
MRS. FRANCES SMITH.
The Crow.
HE common Crow, so plentiful in America, resembles the -
Raven in habits and appearance, though much smaller.
Young hares are frequently the prey of this bird. The
crow pounces upon the young ones as they steal abroad to feed.
t
THE CROW.
It is able to kill and carry them off without difficulty. The crow
also eats reptiles of various kinds, frogs and lizards.
It is also a plunderer of other birds’ nests, even carrying away
BENNIE AND THE CROWS. x
the eggs of poultry by driving the beak into the egg and flying
away with it. Even large eggs have been stolen by the crow.
Sometimes it feeds on the seashore and there finds food among the
crabs, shrimps, and shells that are found near the low-water mark.
It cracks the hard-shelled | creatures by flying with them to a great.
height, and then letting them drop on a rock,
The nest of the crow is always made in the topmost branches
of a tree far away from other birds. In hunting the eggs to obtain
them safely, one must have a steady head, a practiced foot, and a
ready hand.
_ The color of the crow is generally blue-black, but varieties
have been known in which the feathers were cream white. The
crow is greatly disliked by farmers, chiefly because it pulls up and |
eats the sprouting grain in the cornfield. Sometimes ‘Scare-crowsâ€
are made to resemble a man with a gun. This frequently keeps
them away for a time.
Bennie and the Crows.
6 WILL not go to school,†said Bennie.
| the fields and have a good time.
So he laid down on the soft, green grass, under a
thee, and threw his books and slate on the ground by his side.
It was the first day of May. The sun was bright and the air
fresh and sweet, as it always is in the spring, and the SOnES of
birds were heard on every side.
“T will not go to school,†said Bennie again. ‘‘I do not like.
books and slates as well as green fields and May flowers; and this
grass is so much softer than out seats in*the school- house.â€
oe RENNIE AND THE CROWS.
Just as he said this, he looked up into the. tree and saw two
old crows sitting there, and close by them a nest, very much like
a bundle of eee =o
) tlete sa. pretty. dunce! = said vone. ol) the crows. “ile says
he won't go to school.†And the birds began to Say ‘Caw, caw,’
as if they were laughing at Bennie.
_ CROWS.
“What! You do not like to work?†said the crow again. ‘‘O
you idle boy! You are worse than a bird! Do you think I am
idle? Look at my nest. What do you think Of it, Sit?
“T suppose it is a very nice one, Mn Crow,’ ’ said Beanies
“but I should not like to live Tatas
‘That is because you are-only a boy and not so wise as a
crow, said his new friend; and the other crow cried, “Caw, caw, .
caw!†as if it thought so too. . :
“Do you know why a crow is wiser than a silly boy?†asked
CEP PTE Re
44 ; BENNIE AND THE CROWS.
his Hava aren eNies
NGC conic muerte Wenibant nel boys were wiser than.
crows. â€
“You thought,†said the crow. ‘Very little you know about .
it! Tell me, can you build a house?â€
“No,†said Bennie, ‘“‘but when I am a manT shall.â€
‘““And why can’t you do it now?†said the crow, turning his
head to the other side and looking at Bennie with the other eye.
“Why, I have not learned how to build one,†said the little boy.
‘‘Ho, ho!†said the crow, flapping his wings and hopping round
and round. ‘‘He must learn how to build a house! Here’s a
pretty boy! Here’s a wise boy!â€
Then the crows flapped their wings and cried ‘‘Caw, caw,
caw!†louder than before.
‘““No one taught me to build my house,†said the crow, when.
they were quiet again. ‘‘I knew how to do it at once. Look at
it—what a nice house it is!†. .
“T brought all the sticks it is made of myself. I flew through
the air with them in my mouth. Some of them were very heavy,
but I do not mind hard work. ‘I am not like a little boy that I |
know.†.
“But there are other things in the world besides houses,†said
Bennie. | -
“Yes, indeed,†said the crow. ‘I was just thinking so. You
want clothes as well as a house.â€
“That I do,†said Bennie, “and new ones very often. But
you birds can’t wear clothes.†an
“Who told you that?†said the crow in a sharp tone. ‘Look
BENNIE AND THE CROWS. 4s
at my black coat, if you. please, and tell me if you ever saw a
finer one than mine. Could you make yourself such a coat?â€
“No,†said Bennie, ‘‘but I can learn.â€
“ONCE, SES, SO Calin learn: but that is the way with you silly
boys—you must learn everything, and yet you are too idle to set
about it.†.
Bennie felt that the crow had the best of it.
‘‘Dear me,†he said to himself, ‘I never thought crows were
so wise and clever.â€
“You may well say that,†said the little crow, coming down
to a bough a little nearer Bennie. ‘You may well say that Master
Ben; but there is more for you to learn yet. How about your
food? Who. gives you food?â€
“Why, mother does, †said Bennie.
“You are a baby, then.†|
‘‘No, indeed, I am not;†said Bennie, ‘‘and I will throw a
stone at vouwie you say taat leans.
a
‘Boys should never throw stones,†said the crow, very gravely.
“We never throw stones. It is a very rude trick. I only asked
if you were a baby, because, when a crow can go alone, he finds
his own food.â€
‘‘T shall do that when I am grown up,†said Bennie. ‘‘I shall
learn how.â€
â€
‘Dear me,†said the crow, ie have a great deal to learn
before you. will be as wise as a crow.’
neve is very true,†said Bennie, hanging his head “pit
there is plenty of time.â€
‘‘T am not so sure of that,†said the crow. ‘‘You are as big —
as twenty crows. A pretty fellow, to come here and lie on the
46 BENNIE AND THE CROWS.:.
grass all day, when you are such a dunce! Go. to school, lazy
Ben! Go to school! Go to school!â€
Many other crows had by this time found their way to the
tree, and they all took up the cry, and made such a noise that
Bennie picked up his books to throw at them; but they all flew to
the highest branches, where they perched and cried, ‘‘Caw, caw,
caw!†till poor Bennie could bear it no longer.
He put his hands over-his ears and ran off to school as fast.
as he could. He was just in time and learned: his. lessons well.
His teacher said he was a good boy, and Bennie went home quite
happy. -
As he passed -by the tree under which he. had been sitting. in
..the morning, he saw the old crow perched on one of the branches,
looking very grave.
‘Come, come,†said’ Bennie; “‘don’t be cross, my old friend,
I was going to throw my books at you this morning because I was |
cross myself. You have taught me a good lesson, and we must be
good friends.â€
But the crow looked as if he had never said a word in his’
life, and had never seen Bennie before. He ruffled up his black
feathers, fluttered his wings, and then. flew slowly across the fields
to join some friends in the wood.
Bennie watched him until. he was lost ‘among the trees, and
then went home and told his mother all about it; but she said that
birds did not talk and that he must have gone to sleep while lying
under the tree and dreamed it.
Bennie does not think so; and now, whenever he feels lazy,
he says to himself, ‘‘Come, come, Master Bennie,’ ue must work
hard; for you are not yet so wise as an old black crow.’
THE OWL. o# 4
Phe Owl
OW many ci our boys and girls
have heard at night, this wise.
old bird say, ‘‘To-Who, To-
Whit, who are you?†How many
have missed one or two of their nicest
chickens or ducks the next morning?
_ This bird is very fond of such food.
. The Owl is quite different from
other | birds in its general looks. It
has a very large head, large eyes, a
small hooked bill that is half hidden
by feathers. The claws are very sharp
and curved, but like the bill, is not so :
strong as in the falcon. The owl
catches ‘its prey by surprise rather than by chasing it. The plum-
age 1s soft, and for that reason the owl makes no noise when it
flies, the feathers even on the wings being soft and downy. Its
soft, loose plumage makes the bird ‘look very much larger than it
really is. Aas
The owl has a very keen sense of hearing. It has an arch on
the outside of the ear, which is not found in any other bird. The
feathers ardund the ear are cone-shaped and serve as an ear-
trumpet. |
2 athe cowl canitsee well in the twilight or moonlight but cannot
see ‘much in the glare of the day, and will become confused when
taken into the light, and.seems to be in pain. The legs and feet
48 THE OWL.
e FE
are feathered to the toes, and in.some cases to the claws. The
throat is very wide and it can swallow:its food either whole, or in
very large pieces. The largest owls feed upon rabbits,. fawns, and
sometimes reptiles and fishes. ‘
The owl has from early times been looked upon as a bird
bringing bad luck with it, and on this account is an object of dis-
CANADA OWL.
like and dread to some people. It is, perhaps, because it appears
suddenly in the twilight, but no doubt the chief reason is perhaps
its loud, hollow cry heard during the night. Owls are found in all
parts of the world, and in all. climates. It is said that there are
seventeen different kinds in North America alone.
The White Owl or Screech Owl is perhaps the most plentiful.
It kills great numbers of rats and mice. |
°G ANGER.
, ay ieiclad owl!
kab! :
nai e cilia dblouys tn } ,
Vi Comber logsiinlo the hall, fh
| ) A drni Ly
cherie il
ghtly sing the staring oul
Giewhit teh cnet “role, 1h
| ahi e nareeee dofh eel the poE«|i
Shakespeare
50 ; COMPOSITION EXERCISE.
S ae
When teased the owl will hiss and snap its jaws. It hardly
ever leaves its home in daytime, and when it is driven out, all the
little birds will gather about it as a foe which they, may safely tor-
ment. It cannot see then, and is thus at their mercy.
Composttion Exercise.
The Owl
ET the children describe parts.
The head is large, eyes round, large, encircled bya ring
of fine feathers. The bill is large and hooked, throat wide, ,
tongue cleft or Jdzfd.
Plumage: upper part dusky; lower,
tawny with dusky bars, chin white, bill
black, eyes golden. Tail of white or
barn owl is forked, feet clumsy.
Habits. —They are found in dark
deep swamps. They can see best at
night, during the day they keep con-
cealed. They feed on small birds,
~ mice, bats, etc.; their hearing .
is very acute. They prowl |
about farm yards and gardens
at night; and send forth un-_
earthly sounds. Their nests:
co sticks, lined with leaves
and feathers, are built in tall
VIRGINIA OWL.
trees,
te
REBECCA AND ISAAC. 51
Rebecca and Isaac.
HAT do you
think they were?
_A couple of owls.
Bertie’s big brother
found them away up in the
top of a tall tree. He
climbed up and got them
for him.
They named them Re-
becca and Isaac, but every-
body called them Becky
and Ike.,
Bertie “made a little
nest for them and tied . Br i
their ‘legs with a string ‘sO ie
they could walk a little’but — Ne
could not fly away.
They grew very tame
and would come to Bertie
when he called them. They
sometimes flew upon his.
shoulder or alighted on his
| curly head.
| They looked very Sei
REBECCA AND ISAAC.
rolling. their big, round eyes
in the daytime, and blinking. away at the light.
52 THE FUNNY OWE,
But when it grew dark, they could see. when Bertie could not.
After a time he let them go all over the house. Sometimes they
went out-of-doors, but they always came back.
At last they grew very troublesome, and Bertie’s mamma told
him she thought they had better go into the woods again.
He felt very badly over it at first, but when Becky flew against
a pan of milk his mother was carrying and spilled it all over her
clean dress, and Ike broke sister Lucy’s prettiest vase, knocking it
off the organ with his long wings, he consented. .
So his big brother went with him, and when they got away
out in the woods they let them go.
He never saw them again but once. That was when he and
his brother and sister were in a boat on the river. Two owls flew
down from a tree on the bank and round and round their boat; and’
they seemed to know him when Bertie called them. :
He thought it was Becky and Ike, and I think so, too; don’t you?
EMMA HARRIMAN,
The Fanny owt.
OOK at this dignified, sober creature, with its eyes almost __
shut up in the daytime, and wide open in the night! This —
queer bird works just as watchmen do; does all its hunting
for mice and other food in the dark. .
If you want the rats caught in your barn, owls are better than |
all the cats in the world. ;
A live owl in the daylight has his head shrunk into his body,
and is very stupid; but the moment night comes, his eyes are like
living balls of fire, and he is cy for work,
THE FUNNY OWL. Rates
Owls have the edges of their wing-quills slightly turned back,
and covered with fine hairs, so they may fly very quietly. The
‘
We
only one without them is the hawk owl. Do you know why? Be-
cause it is the only one that flies in the daytime. .
They cannot sing like other birds, but make a dismal cry which
sounds like ‘‘T’whit, T'whoo!†Even the beautiful snowy owls of
54 PRAIRIE OWLS.
Greenland make the winters there lonely and sad with its frightful.
screech.
Most birds have some fun about them, but the owls haven't.
a bit.
MRS. G. HALL.
Prairte Owls.
HE Prairie Owl cannot live in a hollow tree, like his cousins
of the East, because there are few, if any, trees about
his home. He moves into the prairie dog’s burrow, and
the furry and feathered live contentedly together. To find a bird
living under ground is droll.
There the female lays her eggs and rears her brood. She
spends much time sitting at the éntrance, perhaps with her owlets
by her side. When any person comes near, she makes a bow and
drops into the hole out of sight. Owls cannot see by daylight, but
wait for darkness, and then go out in search of prey.
In parts of California, Utah and Arizona, where the summers
are hot and long, great numbers of scorpions appear. The people
dread them, for their sting is poisonous. They might be so many
as to drive the people from their homes, if it were not for the owls.
The owls feed on scorpions, with a great appetite. So the owl is
the friend of man, and should not be harmed. ;
Every night at dusk the owl comes quietly into the dooryard
and garden paths, looking for scorpions. The scorpions have come
out, and are crawling everywhere. The hungry owl picks them up
by dozens. He eats only the soft parts‘of the body, leaving the
head, claws and tail, Sometimes a quart or more of these remains
PRAIRIE OWLS.
on-a cornice or.on a beam of the barn will show where an owl
has made his night’s feast, . |
| | LAVINIA 8, GOODWIN,
56 BLACKBIRDS.
Blackbirds.
N the early spring it is always
a pleasure to greet the black-
birds.- They come back to us
from their winter homes in the |
sunny south. i diiey scomie an flocks,
and you can hear their loud song
in the meadows. They like to make
their nests in the low bushes and
among the tufts of grass. They
like to be near a pond or stream
of water. In the fall they get to-
gether in large flocks and go down.
_upon the farmers’ cornfields. They
are also fond of grain, and the
BLACKBIRDS.
farmers call them great pests. Their
nests are made of grass, small twigs, and fine roots, and in each -
nest you will find four or five pale-blue eggs spotted with dark
brown. | :
These birds are very handsome.’ The male is a glossy black,
with a patch of brightest red feathers on his shoulders and the
upper part of his wings. The female is brown and has no red
feathers, though the upper part of the wings is faintly tinged. with
red, but you would hardly see any of the red unless you had the
bird in your hands. They are shy and will not let you get very
near them. _
There is another blackbird found in England; it. is a much
#
THE SWALLOW. $7
sweeter singer than the one we have told you about. It is a real.
jolly bird—a sort of wag among the birds. It is like the clown at
the circus, and just like those merry-makers it will not do its best
unless thére is some one round to applaud. They are quite sure
to be on hand to show themselves off when other birds are near to
see the frolic and listen to the music. ‘
These birds are very fond of wild berries, stone-fruits and grapes. |
These. they find about the English hedges, and they are as full of
glee as a lot of school girls out for a holiday. So long as, the fruit,
holds out little care they for erubs and.worms. One-by one the
fruit trees lose their leaves and their fruit, and there is nothing left
for the blackbird. About the last of November, when the fruit is
all gone, the blackbird hastens to his winter home in big clumps of
trees. Here he is obliged to: eat grubs and worms, and sometimes
he is not even able to find as many of these as he would like. During
‘the cold weather ‘he is not as happy as in the spring-time, but all
the while he seems to be thinking of the good time coming. _
The blackbird is a near relative of. the mocking-bird, and has
many of the same habits, or habits that are somewhat similar. But
there is not a bird in England that begins to be so much of a wag
The Swallow.
HERE are some seventy-five different kinds of swallows.
as he.
They consist of birds which prey on insects, catching
; them in the air. They have great powers of flight, now
soaring to a great height, now skimming near the surface of the
ground or of the water and wheeling with great rapidity. The bill
is short and weak, very broad at the base so that the gape is wide;
58 SWALLOWS,
THE SWALLOW. 59
the wings are very long, pointed, and more or less sickle-shaped
when expanded; the legs are short and weak, The tail is generally
forked. The plumage is short and glossy.
Those living in the colder parts of the would migrate to warmer
THE SWALLOW.
60 THE SWALLOW.
regions when winter approaches and insects disappear. The com-
mon swallow of Europe has a very long and deeply forked tail.
The nest is made of mud and clay, formed into little pellets and
stuck together with
straw, and lined with
teathers, | It is) sopen
and cup-shaped, and is
placed where it is shel-
tered from wind and
rain, oftentimes down an
old chimney, under the
root of an open shed, or
in an old building. Two
ee broods are produced in
ni
ee .
|
a 7 The Window Swal-
Zi
a year.
|
|
|
i
©
CCST
i ih
i i oS
NEST OF THE ESCULENT SWALLOW.
|
|
low is a very common
bird, glossy black above, .
and white below. The feet are covered with short, downy feathers.
The nest is built of mud or clay, and is round like an apple with
the entrance on the side; it is attached to a rock or to the wall of
a house under the eaves or in the upper angle of a window. This
bird is a great annoyance to housekeepers who prefer the cleanliness
of the windows to the lively twitter of the birds and the nest-
building.
Swallows congregate in great numbers, and then disappear all |
at once, but only to come again with the spring.
>t PDE
ees
EARLY SWALLOWS. 61
“ Oh, let us away o’er the ocean once
mores
Said some swallows when first they
arrived on this shore ;
“How bitterly cold when compared
with the south,
And no sign of food, e’en for one
little mouth.â€
‘‘ Have patience,†cried one; “though
I grant, things look ill,
There is surely enough to be thank-
ful for still;
The sun, see, is trying his hardest
to nie:
And the lark overhead has a voice
quite divine !:
“Let some go and search, while the
others rest here,
For food and a glimpse of the nests
of last year ;
This well can be done by a party of
three, .
And let us draw lots as to which it
‘shall be.†“
THE EARLY SWALLOWS.
No better advice could the swallows
desire ;
So, seating themselves on a tele
graph wire,
They each gave a feather, and one
held them loose
In a dear little bunch for the others
to choose.
Then they who the three longest
feathers had drawn,
"Mid showers of good wishes, were
‘speedily gone ;
While those left behind did their best
to look bold,
And nestled together to keep out
the cold. -
An hour slowly passed—and then,
swift through the air,
Came a wonderful story of nests and
ood fare;
So each little bird gave a chirp of
delight,
And, spreading their wings, all were
soon out of sight.
—ELLis WALTON,
62 THE SWALLOWS.
THE KINGFISHER. 63
The Kingfisher.
INGFISHERS are brilliant in color, rival-
ing even the finest tropical birds. Blue
and green are the prevailing colors. It is
found in almost all parts of Europe except the
most northern, and over a great part of Asia
and Africa. It frequents the banks of rivers
and streams, and ‘is often seen flying near the
Banc of the water. It lives on small fish and insects, such as
minnows, trout, enon leeches and water insects. _ After catching
a fish it kills it. by, beating it against | a branch of a tree aud then
swallows it head foremost.
It seems probable, though
not certain, that the King-
fisher. is the Halcyon of the
ancients, about which many
fables were current, among
them, its having power to
quell storms; of its float-
ing nest and the stillness of
the winds during the ‘time
necessary for its safety. It
was a popular notion that if
the stuffed skin of the King-
fisher was hung up by a
KINGFISHER.
thread, the bill would always point to the rector from which the
wind blew. t
KINGFISHER.
ENS
TALKING BIRDS. -
s
°
@e
e
; :
ee ye doers :
of the word, and |
| nol hearers only. ee
JAMES i. 22. : ;
: \ ;
s |
THE ROBIN FAMILY,
r
nee See ct et i
\ ; dj
i Pu
emer ey ee a
THE PARROT. 69
AMAZON PARROT.
~The Parrot.
E now come to the Parrot, a favorite bird with boys and .
girls. It is noted for its gaudy and handsome plumage
and for its power of repeating names and words which
it hears, -
70 THE PARROT.
Its home is mostly in warm countries and it varies in size from
the Great Macaw to the little Love Birds, not larger than sparrows.
The birds are often seen in vast flocks in the forests making~ nests
in trees. They feed chiefly on fruits and seeds. Some of them,
though, dwell in open plains and feed upon grasses and vegetables.
The voice of the Parrot Bird is somewhat harsh, although some
of the smaller birds have pleasant voices. It exhibits a greater
degree of intelligence than is usual in birds and speaks not only
words but sentences. It is generally docile and affectionate, but
has an irritable temper. It has, also, a monkey-like restlessness
and is fond of tricks.
The beak is different from that of other birds. It is short,
hard, stout and rounded on all sides. The upper jaw is generally
longer than the lower, is curved and pointed. The tongue is very
long, thick, round and fleshy. .
Nearly all birds when feeding pick up the food with the bill,
and, if necessary, hold the food down with the claw. The Parrot,
though, does not. It makes use of the feet very much like the
monkey and the prairie dogs. It employs the fore-feet as hands
for lifting food and carrying it to the mouth.
The Macaw is among the most splendid of the parrot race.
Its home is in Tropic America. These birds go im flocks, and the
appearance of a flock on a bright, sumshiny morning is wonderfully
brilliant.
Parrots are often a great worry to farmers. A flock will often
destroy whole fields of grain. They are cunnimg as can be, and
when in search of food seem to understand that they should not
trespass upon forbidden ground. In case they do this, one of the
flock is generally set to watch either im a high tree, or on top of
â„¢
7 WHAT POLLY DID.
72 THE PARROT.
MACAW PARROT,
a building, and when any one approaches, the cry of alarm is given.
The Great Scarlet Macaw is more than three feet in length
and very beautiful. There is also a green Macaw, a blue and :
yellow,
THE MAGPIE. 73
The Magpie.
F there is such a thing as a rascal among birds, the Magpie is
one of them. It is very mischievous, much resembling a mon-
key in this respect. It has a tendency to tear and bite all
papers which it can get. We once knew of a Magpie which was
the property of a professor. One day after the professor had re-
turned from school,
he found his room
strewn with pamph-
ES lets and torn news-
papers so that until
os the real culprit was
fessor thought thieves had been in the house. A Magpie never
seems to be happy unless it possesses a hiding place, nor did this
one form an exception to the rule, as it had pecked a hole in a
tree, wherein to dispose of its ill-gotten goods and showed great
* discovered, the pro-
uneasiness if any one approached it.
Another magpie gained entrance into the chapel of Wadham
College, Oxford, and remained quiet until the service had begun
when it gravely walked up the center of the aisle, bowing and
saying, ‘Pretty Mag! pretty Mag!†much to the amusement of the
members.
It builds its nest in high trees, the outside being formed of
thorny sticks strongly interwoven, the inside plastered with earth
and lined with fibers and dry grass; the top is a dome’ and an
- opening is left on the side for the parent bird, It is shy and
oe THE MAGPIE.
vigilant in an extreme degree, notable for cunning both in hiding
from its enemies and seeking its own food. ;
It is crafty, and may be taught to pronounce not only words
but short sentences. .
In certain districts of Norway, the Magpie is so uncommon a
bird, that its appearance is considered a sign of the approaching
death of some principal person in the neighborhood. In England
also it is esteemed a bird of omen. In the north of England, one
of these birds flying by itself is accounted a sign of ill luck; two
together forbode something fortunate; three indicate a funeral; and
four a wedding.
THE MAGPIE'S FOOLISH CHATTER. 9s
a
<<“ eae ie’S
te OPoollish) Chatter.
feb a fine sunny day, in the
sweet month of May,
o
:
Sri
when the flowers unfolded, just ready
to bloom, the birds in the bushes, —
jays, robins, and thrushes, flashed out
in the light with their loveliest bloom.
Said the thrush with a thrill, as he whet- —
ted his bill, ‘Good day, neighbor Robin,
“Maite well,
how fares it with you?â€
Robin said, as he nodded his head, ~ and
picked from the ground a bright crystal of
dew. Quoth the thrush, ‘‘I’ve a mind (long,
indeed, I’ve designed) to ask a few friends for
a sociable call; and the day is so fine I shall
‘ask them to dine; will you favor me, pray, with
’ “Bowing low, he replied.
your presence, withal?’
Said the Thrush, ‘‘Bring your bride!†And flew
76 THE MAGPIE’S FOOLISH CHATTER.
to the woods to invite other friends; and they brushed up their
wings, from the Linnet that sings, to the gravest old bird that his
council extends. I am sure ‘twas a sight that would give you de-,
light, in the shade -of the grove when the party were met. And
the strains mingled there with the balmy May air, in a musical
treat I shall never forget. But a Magpie was there, for the Thrush
did not dare to pass her quite by, ‘twould have given offense.
And her voice was soon heard breaking in every word, and chatting
away without reason or sense. She had stories to tell of the snow-
‘drops that fell in August, she saw them come down with her eyes.
And in her own nest, I heard her protest, she had a bright star,
that fell down from the skies. But the birds gave a look, and a
sober old Rook bowed low as he said, at the chatterbox winking,
‘‘People often do speak, though their heads are so weak, it is plain
to the world that they talk without thinking.â€
PDD
A PARROT THAT TALKS GERMAN. 7
A Parrot that Talks German.
UR boys and girls have all, no doubt, heard parrots talk.
' We fancy, though, that many of them would laugh at
the idea of one of these birds talking German. Yet
such a parrot lives in one of our large cities. Her
home is opposite a German church, and, on a bright morning, Poll
hanging in her cage outside her window can hear the services and
78 HOW AN OWL-PARROT PUT OUT GAS.
Sceluamion take quite an interest in them. Sometimes, though, she
will interrupt them by remarks which, we are sorry to say, aré not
always reverent. In the ‘morning when asked how she slept the
previous night, Polly will ea “Sehr gut,†which means in English,
Evieiye Welles
This Polly is sometimes naughty and her mistress punishes her
by confining her in a closet. While in the closet she will cry and
moan piteously so that her mistress is at last compelled to release
her. This seems to do her good for it is often several days before ©
she will repeat oe offense.
How an Owl-Parrot Pat oat Gas.
A Trae Story.
&
N a little town called Ravenswood near Chicago, lives a family
consisting of father, mother and four beautiful children. The
children are fond of dogs, but the father objects to dogs and
permits his his children to keep an owl as a pet, instead.
A short time ago, after tucking the children carefully in bed,
the father, with the older members of the family, went out to
spend the evening. But before going he turned the gas lights low.
The owl soon began his nightly wanderings. You know, owls see
better in the dark than in the light, and he seemed to understand .
this and flapped his wings until he had blown out the lights, one.
after another. : ;
When the father returned home late at night, he was almost
overpowered by the fumes of escaping gas. He rushed in and found
his little girl nearly suffocated. He soon opened the windows and
ZACK THE COCKATOO. Se
doors, all the‘ time wondering how in the world the affair had taken
‘place. In his efforts to drive the gas from the house he stumbled
over his pet owl lying on the floor almost lifeless. He soon under-
OWL-PARROT.
stood. the situation and now thinks that a dog is a better pet’ for
his children than an owl, especially when left to wander over the
house.
Zack the Cockutoo.
“ACK was a cockatoo. He was snow-white, with a yellow
crest. What was left of his tail was yellow. By an acci-
dent it had lost all but two feathers.
He could say several words. What he said oftenest was, ‘‘Poor
cockatoo! Poor cockatoo!†in a pleading voice. We used to lift
him upon a ffnger, and he would give usa kiss by placing his open
foe ZACK THE COCKATOO.
bill close to our lips and moving his little tongue back and forth.
He was not a good bird, though, and we were always afraid of his
. kisses. . | .
When very angry, he would spread his wings and tap his hard bill
on the floor. His crest would stand wp and open like a fan. Instead
of walking in the usual way he
would hop like a frog, screeching
all the while in a horrid way.
Zack took a dislike to a dear
Quaker lady. He tore the crown
out of several of her nice white
‘caps. She learned to keep her eyes
all around her when she passed
him. He soon found
there was no longer
any hope of that
kind of fun. He
slipped up behind her
one day, while she
bent over to pluck ‘a
flower, and bit her
heel. The harder’she
shook her foot the
harder he bit and
flapped his wings. By and by some one came and took him away.
One lady in the house had a number of cats. Once when she went
out to call them to dinner, a voice above her head cried out, just as
she opened her lips, “ Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.†She looked up, aston-
ished to see the old cockatoo peeping roguishly down through the
grape-vine leaves.
FAITH WYNNE.
THE COCKATOO. 81
The Cockatoo.
HE Cockatoo is related to the parrot family but differs from
Oe Me Torewal - lexy having a long bill and a rounded tail.
The head is also large and has a crest which can be
raised or lowered at pleasure. The birds are white, but the crests
are yellow. Sometimes they live to the age of 130 years, even in
captivity. They do not speak many words but have the faculty of
crying out Cock-a-too, and their name is thus derived from their
own cry.
Our Cockatoo is a beautiful, great bird, with a deep orange
crest and snow-white feathers. When he first saw Ilttle Kitty
Simmons he went into peals of laughter, and shook me crest in
etme: .
Somehow he never laughed at anybody else. She had a way
of shaking her curls at him which pleased him very much. Then,
too, she took him in the carriage with her to see a very old parrot
sometimes. . |
When he reached the house where old ‘‘Molly†lived, and
the door was thrown open, ‘‘Cockatoo,†as we called him, would
walk out with a most majestic air, as if he was the ‘great mogul.â€
ga ‘THE RAVEN.
“Molly†always listened be-
hind the door, and as soon as
1 ‘‘Cockatoo†came in sight she
would cry out, ‘‘Oh, you proud
thing! You put on so many
airs!†Then Cockatoo looked as ashamed as a human being.
MRS. G. HALL.
The haven.
HIS truly handsome bird is found in nearly all parts of the
globe. It lives in the wildest districts that can be found,
and feeds on the nuts and fruits in forests as well as on
young hares and lambs; it sucks eggs; it rejoices in carrion, and
sometimes attacks weak or sickly beasts. It generally makes its
nest of sticks, coarse weeds, wool or hair and builds its nest in
rocky places, or on a narrow. ledge of a precipice. The color is a
glossy black. . |
Ravens are occasionally captured and become pleasant pets.
They are impudent, cunning, mischievous and thievish. — They have
a love for glittering things and their power for imitating the human
THE RAVEN. . . 83
speech is almost equal to that of the parrot. Whole sentences are
learned by them. They are celebrated for their long life; many
, of them live to be seventy years of age. The appearance of one
RAVENS.
of these birds has generally been reckoned an ill-omen, probably
on account of its color and its extremely harsh, croaking voice,
which may sometimes be heard in fine weather as if coming from
the sky.
84 THE RAVEN.
The first historical notice we have of this bird is in the Bible
where we are told that at the end of forty days after the great
flood had covered the earth, Noah, wishing to find out if the waters
NOAH AND THE RAVEN.
had abated, sent forth a Raven which did not return to the ark. He
afterward sent forth a dove which brought back a sprig from a tree.
Our boys and girls have no doubt read about the Raven feeding
the Prophet Elijah in the wilderness. Although these birds do great
injury to the crops, they are still held in veneration by the Romans
on account of this one act, —
THE RAVEN. 85
A friend of mine once, owned a Raven. After she had clipped
its wings so that it could not fly, it was permitted to go about the
yard. It took advantage of its freedom for it would steal the food
‘of other birds.
One day the lady was walking in the garden reading the ad-
dress of a letter, when, she saw the Raven watching her with great
cent stele
SS
Be SVEN
iil
ELIJAH AND THE RAVEN,
curiosity. The paper was of no value so she let it fall and walked
on as if it had been by accident. The Raven waited until she had
left the paper some yards behind, when it took a sidelong walk
86 | THE RAVEN.
toward it, tore it into scraps and ran with the largest piece to a
tree branch where the- paper was examined thoroughly and then —
destroyed.
STO Ns Ooo ne Te ee em Ee ae EE Rte Te ee, TOG eRe Ah ape†SH ATi ie oe Vephys tate oe Ment Pe
tl
a
.
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il
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Fees mer?
our ae GOD’S BEAUTIFUL BIRDS.
BIRDS OF PARADISE. - . el
Birds of Paradtse:
Fuey handcomec audience
world is the Bird of Paradise. It
is found in New Guinea and neigh-
boring islands, and is noted for its
splendor of plumage. Aside from this,
though, it is like the crow in form,
habits, and even in voice.
Unfortunately, though, it is ae the
papa bird that is noted for splendid
KING BIRD OF PARADISE. Plumage. ‘The mamma bird has neither
. . brilliancy of colors nor handsome feath-
ers. The plumage of the papa bird not only shows brightness of
tints, but a. glossy, velvety appearance and a beautiful play of colors.
Tufts of feathers generally grow from the shoulders, and these are
often prolonged so as to cover the wings.
The skins of these birds are usually sent over from the islands
without feet, thus giving rise to the notion that they had no feet;
some people have thought that they spent their whole lives floating
in the air, except when they suspended themselves for a little time
by their long tails.
Pigafetta, however, in his voyage. around the world, tells us
‘that they have legs, but that the natives, when preparing the skins,
cut off the legs. These skins are so valuable as an article of mer-
chandise that the inhabitants prefer keeping the people in ignorance.
The skins are used in those Dee for ornaments, and also as a
charm to preserve the life of the wearer against the dangers of
battle.
92 BIRDS OF PARADISE.
These birds are lively and take great care of their plumage.
They sit always on the perches of the cage, so that no part of it
may reach the floor or get in the least degree soiled.
When caged, they are fed on rice and insects, but when wild
they eat the fruit of the teak-tree, and also the large butterflies
RED BIRD OF PARADISE.
which are plentiful in their native islands. They are timid birds,
hiding by day in the thick branches of the trees and only coming
from their hiding places at the rising and setting of the sun, for
food. Often they hold large dancing parties under the shade of
the: trees, and seem to get much pleasure out of life.
FEATHER PICTURES. 93
_ FEATHER PICTURES.
Trp aztecs, the people who ruled Mexico four hundred years ago,
were very clever. They could copy any object in nature that they
saw around them. Frogs, birds, leaves, ducks, lizards, serpents,
foxes, wolves, and dogs, —of all these they made images in gold, sil-~
ver, clay, and stone. Many of these they adored as gods, but most
of them they used as ornaments. The Spaniards, who took their
country from them in 1521, wondered at their skill. They said that
no silversmith in Spain could make such fine work.
But what they most admired,-and what they had never seen before,
was the feather-work. Even the old soldiers, who had passed all
their lives in war, were struck with its beauty.
When the Aztecs were conquered, nearly all their beautiful arts
were lost. They soon forgot how to cut precious stones, and how to
mould silver and gold, for they were made slaves of, and had to—
labor in the fields. The art of making objects in feathers is about
the only one they have kept and passed down to the present time
from father to son. Even this they are very careful not to show to
strangers. They work in secret, and carefully guard it from sight.
When in Mexico I tried hard to find out how they made the lovely
birds on cards, which they offered for sale on the streets. A friend,
took me to the house of one of these artists. It was a little hovel,
where he sat on the mud floor and toiled. But when he heard us
coming he put away all his work and would not let us see it.
- We was an Indian, with brown skin and black, straight hair. He
wore ragged clothes, and had an old blanket to‘ keep him warm at
night. Poor as he was, no money would tempt him to show us the -
secret process he had learned from his father, which had been kept
in the family for hundreds of years.
94 FEATHER PICTURES.
Great skill is required to produce a perfect picture. First, the
., Indian traces on the card the outlines of
the body of the bird in wax, just enough |
- for the feathers to stick to. Then he be-
gins at the lower part and places them on,
one at a time, one row lapping over the
, other, as a ae lays slates. He works
very slowly and patiently.
Perhaps this is the secret
of his perfect work, and
the reason that no other
people have been able to
The result is, a bird that -
‘looks as though it
might sing or fly.
The eyes are
made with small
glass beads, and
the bill and feet are eon so nicely |
that they appear to be part of the bird.
Then he paints a twig or branch for it to
rest on, or makes one from a feather, and
his work is done.
The finest pictures are made from the .
bright feathers of the humming-bird.
These are found only on the throats of : :
these living jewels, and BH takes several birds to yield ‘feathers
=
FEATHER PICTURES. 95
enough for one picture. When in the sun, or strong light, the
feathers glow like bright gems. They gleam like rubies and emer-
alds, and seem like live birds perched in the sunlight of their
_ native tropics. aa
As works of art, these feather pictures are admirable. As the
last remains of a gifted people, they take us back to the storied
past.
FREDERICK A. OBER.
"eS
agah
A CPs
a ; :
See, brother Harry, see that bird,
Up in the sky its cry is heard. — 98
rien
Ses \
BLUE JAYS AT BREAKFAST,
THE HUMMING-BIRD. 99
~The Homming-Bird.
OW aptlygthe Indian names this winged fairy when he calls
it a ‘living sunbeam.†From its body flashes all the
bright gleams known to metal and precious stone.
The tiniest of birds, it has not note or song, yet no other bird
is more admired. Its’ brilliant plumage, its never-ceasing activity,
an THE HUMMING-BIRD.
———_ A
\†5 “if Le
\ GH
BOE
(
LEY,
Ne
SWORD BILL HUMMING-BIRD.
4%
its cunning, its bravery and its rapid flight, make it a source of
never ending wonder.
It dances about in the sunshine, looking like streaks of brilliant
light; and so rapid is the vibration of their fine and elastic wings,
|
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GROUP OF TALKING PARROTS.
q
«Easy Stories of ‘the Feathered Kingdom
4
y
ie - : COMPANION BOOK
a Se a “— To
gnagerie of Animals
BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED |
: EDITED BY LIDA BROOKS TILLER.
re _ MONARCH. BOOK COMPANY _
eanits _. Formerly L. P..Miller & Co. -
CcrcAco, mt PHILADELPHIA, ey and STOCKTON, ca,
COPYRIGHTED BY
LINCOLN W. WALTER,
Be EI TBO Re eee Ga
RAVEN CROW ROOK.
Introdaction,
HERE are few living beings that have. more interest for
children than Birps. Their beauty of plumage, their mode
of life, their power of flight and their gift of song ap- ~
peal to their sympathies as but few things can. Nor can
we wonder at this, for their gentle dispositions and joyous’ idle
lives give us all a thousand thoughts that tend toward a better
life and a nobler existence.
The Bird’s life though, like ours, is not all happiness, innocence
and song. Many of them are quarrelsome; others songless; others
cannot fly, while some are gluttonous and others unclean,
_ Many of them, too, live a persecuted life; other pirds and beasts |
of prey are continually on the watch to destroy their homes andâ€
nestlings to which they are much. attached. Sometimes, too, men
and boys pursue them with dogs and guns.
But -like ourselves, God has. made them for a PEIDOSe in life.
They keep the insects from the fruit and grain; give us eggs: for
bs
8 INTRODUCTION.
food; feathers for beds, and plumes for decoration. Plumes can
taken from birds and not destroy their life, yet. there are thousands
of innocent birds killed every year to supply milliners with orna-
ments for decorations.
How foolish and wicked to shoot these birds which serve us
so well, and how unkind to take their young and destroy their eggs!
We hope that all girls who read this book will protest against
this cruelty and, when grown to womanhood, will not permit birds
to adorn their hats and bonnets.
The bodies of some birds are not strong enough to remain with
us during the winter; hence they come with the flowers, and go ;
with the flowers. In traveling from the cold to the warm coun-
tries, their flight over land and water is frought with many dangers. :
In this little volume there has been no attempt to follow the
scientific order in which birds should be grouped.†The stories are
simple and instructive; not dry and scientific. The aim has been
to describe only those which the Creator has placed in our midst, . |
or which we occasionally see in some park, museum or menagerie.
. Study the book | carefully, dear boys, and remember that the .
birds are God's creatures and, as such, merit our care.
Very lovingly,
LIDA BROOKS MILLER.
oe PART I.
PSUR SCORN RE VN Ga sh eer Pana Ite lene rer Ok
PART II.
TALKING re es
es ol
BIRDS; OH (PASSAGE 7400 4 ee ee
: PART IV
WARBLERS- 92,2! Sena ae Sed uate des so Sener eas
PART V
Water: Birps Te ane tter iimgesr iste pereahs hae Ane enee
PART VI
Domestic anD GAME Birps ...-.... Fete eee estes
PART VII
STRANGE BIRDS... ..- PDO C ES RM rao on tie na
PART VIII.
STORIES Or De ee ere Epos er erg ne
PAGES.
CMaMere 13-64
aodboosany > Oka
poe erepesu en OIA)
tee ee IZ Tan
teeeeeees 145-180.
eee aloo 00
ee ane 229-250
Eee are oR OO:
LITTLE Bird with feathers
brown, sat singing ona tres;
The song was very soft and low, |
- but sweet as it could bene ae
And all the people passing by looked up *
| to see the bird
That made the sweetest melody that ever
they had heard.
But all the bright eyes looked in vain, for birdie —
was so small, | : ae
And with a modest dark brown coat, he made no
show at all. ;
“Why, papa,†little Effie said, ‘Where can this birdie be?
If I could sing a song like that, I'd sit where folks could Seer.
12
‘This birdie is content to sit, unnoticed by
Though others may forget your
> long,
“UP IN A TREE. : _ 13
ay hope my little irk will earn dv lesson a ee
from that bird, .
And try to do what good she can, not to
“be seen or heard. |
the way, —
And sweetly sing his Maker's
praise from dawn to close.
of ‘day. pie
50. live; my child, all through
ne your life, that, be it short or
looks, they'll not forget yout
song.
14 OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
Our Brothers and Sisters.
HINK how bleak a world this would be if it were quite empty
of birds and animals! Imagine a broad field of grass with-—
out a living thing in it! Picture a forest with boughs and
branches and leaves all dancing in the sunshine, and never a robin,
: \
nor a sparrow, nor a linnet; think of a hillside without a squirrel
or a rabbit to run and frisk.
The busy bees, the merry crickets, the grasshoppers and speckled
butterflies, the curious little squirrels, the shy rabbits, the bluejays,
‘the woodpeckers, the chattering “sparrows, the cooing doves and
the quails—all are filled with the same life which animates us. They
are our little brothers and sisters in feathers and furs, and we owe
them love, care and remembrance.
dep seth Ya wage a
Their Homes and
Their Habits.
The Fatcon.
MONG all the birds known the Falcon is one of the largest
-and strongest. It can fly the farthest. and can see the
greatest distance.
Our boys and girls have no doubt seen pictures of this eeaiin
creature and wondered if it really were a bird or an animal. The
upper jaw has a strong projecting tooth which enables it to feed
upon the flesh of other birds, and its bill is hooked at the point.
| The claws are sharp, curved and strong. ‘The whole body is
robust and full of muscles. This enables the bird to strike hard
and seize its prey. is, 2 15
ioe THE FALCON.
PEREGRINE FALCON.
The wings are long, |
pointed and. powerful.
-One. blow » from. them ~
ail bring death to the
smaller birds with which
it comes in contact, vet
can fly hundreds of
miles ina day, but sel-
dom flies - during the
night. It soars. ‘to..a
very great height i in the
air and usually flies
© higher than any other
bird which itis trying to. . ‘
catch. “It then ‘swoops
down upon it.
On a calm, quiet.
GENE alt is almost ‘im-
possible for this bird to
rise vertically in the air. It usually starts off in a slanting manner,
or else flies against the wind and is gradually borne higher and
higher up, something after the fashion of a boy's kite.
It can see at a distance of many miles and you will, nenans
wonder why God has given it a stronger sight than He has given.
us, but this is one of the things that we cannot understand. It:
only teaches us to be kind and thoughtful to these creatures which
cannot talk but which have sight, hearing, feeling, taste and ‘smell ©
very much as we have.
The Falcon is as remarkable for boldness as for power of flight,
Se =
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SSSSSSSSSSSQSSSSSSSqqsss
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= See
nia
ESAS
“BABY EAGLE,
18 THE FALCON.
It has sometimes been seen to pouncé on game that has been. shot
by the sportsman before it could fall to the ground.
To show its strength, a traveler once told me that in his own
country one of these birds dashed through the heavy plate glass of
his store and carried off a pet bird. .
It builds its nest on ledges of high rocks, either on the sea-
coast or in ravines. There, hidden from the touch of man ea
beast, the eggs are laid and the young raised and schooled in all
the arts of flight. . ae alas :
- Strange as it may. seem, with such powers of protection, these
birds after all are not as plenty as in early times. No matter how
dangerous and difficult the path, sportsmen have climbed on, thus
capturing them ‘until now; instead of thousands flying over the
mountains, they are numbered by hundreds, and in many places
have almost disappeared,
bring you
| ae good tidings
Viggeg of great joy.
‘ LUKE ii, 10,
THE BIRD’S CONCERT.
20 = THE EAGLE. =
The Eagle.
S the lion is called the ‘‘King of Beasts,†so the Eagle is
considered the ‘‘King of Birds.†. nee
Among all the feathered tribe we know of none that
GOLDEN EAGLES.
is more noted or stands out more ‘prominently than the Eagle.
There are a great many kinds, each having a name according
Sy ee _THE EAGLE. ap Pe 21
to its form and color. The Golden Eagle is the oe of the
European eagles, the extent of its wings being above seven feet.
It is found in many places on the Continent, besides Scotland,
Wales and Ireland. It builds its nest in the most inaccessible
places, high up among the mountains. The eagle generally lays
- two eggs, and. the eyrie, which is used as a dwelling as well as a
nest, is placed on a ledge of rock, and made soft with hay and
wool, which it gathers from the fields and hedges far below.
Pein Code Word we read of the eagle’s love for high places.
“She dwelleth and abideth on the tock, on the crag of the rock,
and the strong place. From thence she seeth the prey, and her
eyes behold afar off.†4
_ The eagle was called by the ancients the ‘celestial bird,†on
account of its’ flying to a great height with its eye fixed on the sun.
_ It often causes much alarm to the people in the Highlands of Scot-
land, for it will seize upon jambs and kids, and carry them aves,
to its nest in its talons. ;
The eagle is said to live over one hundred years, and can exist
a long time without food. Once a gentleman caught an eagle alive,
and gave it in charge to his servants, who were so careless as to
leave it: without food for three weeks, at the end of which time it
was visited, and seemed in perfect health. But you may be sure
_ it would have been far happier enjoying the freedom of its native
mountains, and getting its food as it liked.
Though. the eagle is often called a cruel bird, it is full of affec;
tion and kindness to its own young ones, providing their food with
the greatest care, and teaching them to fly by spreading its own
_- large wings beneath, so that if the venue ones grow frightened and
= fall, they shall not be hurt,
22 OLD ABE. =
%
Game of all kinds, such as rabbits, ‘and even larger animals,
are carried home to feed the young. In some countries where
eagles live, we have heard of children being carried off by them to _
feed their young. .
Because of ‘the great strength of the eagle, because of its cour-
age and because of its boldness, this bird has been invested with
the attributes of greatness. Even in early times, the Romans.
placed’a gold or brass eagle on their implements of war, which ex-
pressed a confidence of victory. Our own’ United States, too, has
selected the eagle as a national emblem. The stamp of the eagle
is put on our coin and figures of this bird everywhere decorate our
public buildings.
Old Abe,
LD ABE is an eagle that
than birds usually do. During
the war between the States, he
soldiers in camp, who named him
Old Abe, in honor of Lincoln.
During their months of enforced
and became the bird of the reg-
iment. He took a fierce delight
in battle; while it. raged he would
perch on his standard, gloating
over carnage, or, flapping his great wings, would fly hither. and
thither, shrilly screaming his joy in the red battle.
has become more: famous,
‘idleness he was tamed by them.
was captured by some Union *
- of A SE yy \
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Lele i WiC, i yA Hi i
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23 WEDGE TAILED EAGLE OF AUSTRALIA,
24 THE EAGLE.
Old Abe went through the war. He was in many a fight; _
shells crushed over his head and minnie ball whistled on all sides,
but he came out unharmed; perhaps the loser of a feather or two
but otherwise sound. . ,
In one battle, when the cannons were booming and the men
surging backward and forward, that noble bird entered into all the
spirit of the fight. He danced with delight on his perch and his
scream could be heard above the roar of the battle. As a result of
his excitement, a large feather dropped from his wing, or. it might
be that some bullet just grazed past him. Anyway, this feather
fell a few yards from Mr. Olroyd, one of the men in battle line. 7
It came from ‘‘Old Abe,†the best. known name during. the war,
and he made up his mind to have the feather. ‘That was a souve-
nir that could not be obtained in future years, whether the Union
were saved or not, so he just ducked his head: and’ made a dive on
for it. He put his arm over his face as if that could shield’ him
from the bullets, and rushed into the open space in front of the
line, grabded the feather, stuck it under his blouse and carried it
away. ee oe
This feather of the grand old bird, ‘‘Old Abe,†is now framed
and hangs in the very house in Washington where that great and
good man, Abraham Lincoln, breathed his last; just opposite the
building where the fatal shot was fired that ended his lite.
The eagle was kept with his regiment until the close of the :
war, when he was consigned to a museum.
He was described to me by a lady who saw him in 1883 in
Woodward’s Garden, San Francisco. Here he was one of\the chief
attractions of the place, being visited by hundreds of people daily.
He was a large bird, and, of course, too dignified to put on alts;
THE EAGLE AND THE PIG. : 25
but he seemed thoroughly to appreciate the fact that he was a bird
of importance. His mien showed that he was used to homage, and
he accepted it with gracious condescension from the crowd about him.
PAIR of bald eagles built |
their nests in a high
“ tree on a river shore in
Virginia. I will tell you a true
story about them. |
Mr. Heath lived not far off,
ita oe,
(ac he heard a pig squealing over his head.
‘‘T never heard of a pig with wings,†he said to himself, look-
ing up in the air. But this poor little pig did not want to fly.
The huge eagle had seized him, and was bearing him to his nest,
Just at the foot of the tree the bird lit on the ground, and began
to strike the pig on the head with his powerful beak.
“T will have that pig, myself,†said Mr. Heath; but, as he ran
up, the eagle rose in the air with his -prey. a
Not long after this, Mr. Heath shot at the same bird and
crippled him. He then tried to kill him with a heavy stick, and
his son ran to help him. ;
Now began a real battle. The eagle fixed his piercing eye on
his enemy, and rushed to méet him. The first blow from the stick
stunned the bird, but he quickly came to himself. When, at last,
and one day, while walking on his |
\
26 THE CONDOR.
he seemed to be dead, Mr. Heath and his son set out homeward,
each holding a wing of the eagle. All at once he revived, and tried
to strike with his beak. They had to stop and renew the fight,
and finally killed the brave bird. He was found to measure séven
feet from the tip of one wing to the other. CN ee
‘PINK HUNTER.
CONDORS.
The Condor.
HE largest known ‘‘Bird of Prey†is the Condor. It is
called the “King of Vultures, †because it prefers the flesh
of dead animals to live. It will often eat so much that
if attacked it cannot fly.
It is large and strong and can carry large animals a long dis-
tance in the air to its nest. It soars away out of sight of the
naked eye, even many miles above the clouds. It has no voice
and makes only a weak snoring’ noise.
THE CONDOR OF THE ANDES. ae
Its wings are long and powerful, the tail short and the color
_ generally bright. The head of some of the birds is Suited with a
large Busty eouin, Say
The Condor of the Andes.
( | among the cold, white peaks-of the Andes, higher than
human foot has had the daring to tread, is sometimes seen
a dark speck, slowly circling in the clear air. The speck
gradually descends, and we see that itis the largest bird of the
air, the condor. -Its flight is swifter than the eagle’s. Nothing but
the distance could have made the condor of.the Andes seem small
_and slow of wing. Swiftly descending, strong, cruel, hungry, he
fastens his horrid eye upon some luckless lamb or kid. Rarely is
it able to escape or hide from its enemy; successful resistance is
impossible. The condor cannot carry off its prey in its talons like
the eagle, for it has not the eagle’s power of grasp, and the sharp-
ness.of its claws is in time worn off on the hard rocks which are
its home; so, standing upon the struggling animal with one foot,
the condor kills the poor thing with his me beak and his
other foot. *
Like many other greedy creatures, the condor after his dinner
becomes incapable of flight, and it is only then that he can be ap-
proached with safety; but even then the hunter must be cautious
and strong. “A Chilean miner, who was celebrated for his great
physical strength, once thought that without weapons he could cap-
ture a condor which seemed unusually stupid after its heavy meal.
The man put forth all his strength, and the engagement was long
and desperate, till at last the poor miner was glad to escape with
‘
28 THE CONDOR OF THE ANDES.
his life. Exhausted, torn and bleeding, he managed to carry off a
few feathers as trophies of the hardest battle he had ever fought.
He thought that’ he had left the bird mortally wounded. The other
miners went in search of the body, but ‘instead, .
found the bird alive and erect, flapping his wings
-for flight. ie
If the condor does not reach an untimelyâ€
end by violence, iets.
according to all ac-
counts, very long-lived.
The Indians of the
Andes believe that he.
lives for a hundred
years. ° =
oe he condors’ homes -
seem just suited for
birds sougly and fierce. ~
They build “no nest,
but the female selects
some hollow in the
_barren rock that shall
be large enough to
CONDOR.
7 shelter her from the
strong winds while she is hatching her eggs. Here, in the midst-
of a dreadful desolation, the. ugly little condors begin their cries for
food, and after they are six weeks old begin attempting to use
their wings. The parents manifest the only good trait they possess
in their care for their young, feeding and training them to fly, so
that in a few months they are able to hunt for themselves.
\
| THE AMERICAN OSPREY. | 29
The American
=) SOSPrey 3
HIS: bird has not the
same easy, graceful
sailing motion, when resting
on its outstretched wings in
the light air, that the vulture
has; never-
theless, it is
a pleasure to
-watch it hov- _—
ering in mid-
air over its
watery hunt-
ing-ground. As it is
not a lazy bird, like
its unpleasant relative, but, on the con-
é trary, is endowed with great activity
and energy, its motions are accordingly different.
1
30 | THE AMERICAN OSPREY. —
Hark! There sounded his discordant shrill whistle; and see!
there sits our fish-hawk on the topmost branch of lofty pine. Out
stretches his: neck, a few clumsy, preparatory flaps of. his great
wings, and he is launched out into space. - For a few seconds he
beats the air with long, powerful strokes, and then, steadying his
wings, he shoots along, and rests over the unquiet waters below.
Almost motionless are his wings, but his head moves incessantly;
his piercing eyes searching the depths of water for the unwary fish
that shall approach too near the surface. A moving object: arrests
his eye. The strong wings, with a few strokes, carry him a short
distance away for a good swoop. Down he shoots, with eager
talons, brushes the waves, and then, having missed his prey, again
mounts aloft, ashamed of his failure, but in no wise disheartened.
Ah! that swoop was successful, and now the little ones at home
shall feast. . . . :;
The Osprey its seldom more than four feet long, from tip to
tip of outstretched wings, and usually is smaller than this. It is
very powerful, and has such confidence in its own strength that it
will attack almost any inhabitant of the water. Occasionally this
_hardihood has led to its destruction; for instances have been known
where it has essayed to carry away so large a creature as a seal.
It would sink its talons so deeply into the would-be victim’s flesh
that it could not withdraw them when the seal. dived, and would
thus be drawn under and drowned.
THE VULTURE. 31
The Vattare.
HIS bird, like the Condor, lives on the flesh of dead an-
imals. The beak is long, straight at the base and slightly
toothed. The head is generally bare, with a ruff of short
feathers around the neck, into which the head can be drawn. The
legs and feet are large.
eA
—_
YP
in at 4
iN
i = = S
- “SY KB
VULTURE.
y
Vultures have great power of flight and some of them soar
high in the air. The plumage is not neat like the Falcon’s, but is
thick, and on this account the bird cannot be easily shot.
1
32 SECRE mes VY BIRD; OR, SERPENT ATER =
are
_ These birds are found in warm countries. and “mostly in 1 the | age
mountains. They do not often attack a live animal, but have been’
‘known to sit for hours and watch for. an animal to die. and ‘then eee
begin their feast. They: are not bravé like the eagle and are: often
scared away by birds much smaller than themselves. © If, let alone, ae
though, they will become used to the sight of man, and oy
hungry will seek for food in the streets of a town. - eas
Very closely related to this ‘bird is the Turkey Binzsarde which :
fly in flocks, make its nests. in hollow trees, in. chimneys of old
houses where no one lives, and on roofs of houses. ‘In warm coun-
tries during the heat of the day, they perch on. the tops of houses
and sleep with their heads on their wings. . The California Vulture os
is the largest of the vultures found in North America,
‘Seeretary Bird or, r, Serpent ater.
UR oa ahd girls may think this a fanny. name, for a
bird. The fact is, this. bird gets its name from. ‘the : 2
tufts of | feathers at the back sof its © head “which . look :
very similar to pens stuck here and, there.
The legs are long and the toes armed with sharp ‘claws. ‘The
_ wings are long and armed with blunt. Sly at the shoulder.’ The t
tail is also long. A ate she ee peas Ne
Tt feeds upon reptiles of. all kinds, and iS SO†5 biehly valued on
account of the war which it. ‘wages against serpents, that in some...)
countries a fine is put upon any person who shoots, it. It is bold © :
and Less when starting out to attack a serpent, and always suc-\ ge
ceeds ‘in killing it with. blows from its wings. It attacks some of a
‘the most poisonous: Benen known, -and if it cannot kill them ines
THE HAWK—A BIRD OF PREY.
SECRETARY BIRD; OR, SERPENT EATER. . 35
one way it will in another. Frequently it carries the serpent into
the air at a dizzy height and lets it fall. This is sure to kill it.
_Another way is to strike violent blows with the feet.
In some countries this bird is tamed and kept in the poultry
SECRETARY BIRD.
yard to protect the chickens and ducks, but must be well fed or
else it is apt to help itself to some of the game. _ When battling
36 THE WOODPECKER.
with a snake, it covers itself with one wing so as to form a shield,
and with the other strikes the reptile until it falls senseless.
There is an island called Martinique in the Atlantic Ocean,
which is said to be exceedingly fertile and would become a favorite
gardening spot were it not for the venomous reptiles. An attempt
has been made to introduce this bird there and thus reduce the
number of venomous snakes. No doubt it will become a success
‘The Woodpecker.
ID you ever stop to think,
children, where the Wood-
_pecker got its name? If.
you think a moment you will know
that the name has been given it
from a habit it has of pecking into
the decayed wood of trees to find
insects.
In order to perform these duties,
it is made differently from other
birds. ‘The feet are extremely powerful, and the claws strong and
sharp-hooked, so that it can take a firm hold of the tree to which
it is clinging while it works away at the bark with its bill.
The tail, too, has stiff and pointed feathers which, are pressed
against the tree to form a support on lhl the bird can rest its
weight. The beak is long, strong and sharp. This helps ve bird
to cut away the wood but there is still one other provision made
by God to enable this little bird to get its food, It has a long
THE WOODPECKER. ay
bill, but even a bill would not do the work alone; it must have a
tongue to aid in seizing the insects which lurk in holes where the
beak could not penetrate. The tongue bones are very long and
EN NS
= SS
TR“
HRS RNAWY FAN
‘s\ WN 2X
W fs
S
GOLDEN WINGED WOODPECKER.
the tongue is furnished at the tip with a long, horny appendage,
covered with barbs and sharply pointed at the end,. so that the
bird can project it out, fasten an insect and draw it into its mouth,
38 THE WISE LITTLE WOODPECKER.
Although the woodpecker lives mostly on insects, it is fond of.
fruit, choosing the ripest. The common notion that these birds are
injurious to trees, is wrong, for they do more good, by eating up ~
the insects, than harm by their pecking. |
They make their homes in the stumps of trees by striking out
chips of wood with their strong bill and there lay their eggs. They
sometimes carry away the chips to a distance so that the nest may
not be discovered. The nest consists of a mere hole in the tree,
perhaps with a few chips in the bottom, but with no other lining.
“} f LD» Zz
vA Ay) Eo
& YY Pb
A Trae Story.
a ‘i
. nua al tt 4
APA was so long coming! Allen had been sitting in the .
great rustic chair by the window ‘‘about forty hours,†he
was sure; and Mamie and King, in the window near,
thought it was twice as long.
THE WISE LITTLE WOODPECKER. Ree oe
A redshieaded woodpecker darted into the Zonnenbe
“What does a woodpecker want in the corncrib, mamma?â€
chorused three little voices. : :
“Wait a moment, and you on see what I saw yesterday,â€
replied mamma.
In a moment more the pretty woodpecker flew back to an old
tree, where the children could see her pecking and hammering, as
if she had seen, or heard, or smelled, a fat worm in the hole in
the tree.- Then she flew to her nest and fed the hungry birdies,
and back again to the corncrib. | “ae
“What does she do that
for?†was the query again.
Mamma. bade them . watch
very carefully, as she had
done the day before.
They soon saw that the
dear little mother-bird brought
corn from the crib, and dropped
it into a hole in the old tree;
then she cracked it in pieces
small. enough for her little Pd
ones, and carried it to them. . ;
‘Isn't God good to teach the little’ mother-bird to think how
to get supper for her birdies, when the worms are all gone?†said
thoughtful ‘little Allen.
Yes," said King; “T neler that oe knows a good deal
more than many people.†:
“Oh, there’s papa!†shouted little Memo ‘““We were just
ready to see you—hayen’t waited hardly a little minute!â€
40 ea THE CROW.
“It seems the birdie can shorten time as well as feed her nest-
lings,†added mamma.
MRS. FRANCES SMITH.
The Crow.
HE common Crow, so plentiful in America, resembles the -
Raven in habits and appearance, though much smaller.
Young hares are frequently the prey of this bird. The
crow pounces upon the young ones as they steal abroad to feed.
t
THE CROW.
It is able to kill and carry them off without difficulty. The crow
also eats reptiles of various kinds, frogs and lizards.
It is also a plunderer of other birds’ nests, even carrying away
BENNIE AND THE CROWS. x
the eggs of poultry by driving the beak into the egg and flying
away with it. Even large eggs have been stolen by the crow.
Sometimes it feeds on the seashore and there finds food among the
crabs, shrimps, and shells that are found near the low-water mark.
It cracks the hard-shelled | creatures by flying with them to a great.
height, and then letting them drop on a rock,
The nest of the crow is always made in the topmost branches
of a tree far away from other birds. In hunting the eggs to obtain
them safely, one must have a steady head, a practiced foot, and a
ready hand.
_ The color of the crow is generally blue-black, but varieties
have been known in which the feathers were cream white. The
crow is greatly disliked by farmers, chiefly because it pulls up and |
eats the sprouting grain in the cornfield. Sometimes ‘Scare-crowsâ€
are made to resemble a man with a gun. This frequently keeps
them away for a time.
Bennie and the Crows.
6 WILL not go to school,†said Bennie.
| the fields and have a good time.
So he laid down on the soft, green grass, under a
thee, and threw his books and slate on the ground by his side.
It was the first day of May. The sun was bright and the air
fresh and sweet, as it always is in the spring, and the SOnES of
birds were heard on every side.
“T will not go to school,†said Bennie again. ‘‘I do not like.
books and slates as well as green fields and May flowers; and this
grass is so much softer than out seats in*the school- house.â€
oe RENNIE AND THE CROWS.
Just as he said this, he looked up into the. tree and saw two
old crows sitting there, and close by them a nest, very much like
a bundle of eee =o
) tlete sa. pretty. dunce! = said vone. ol) the crows. “ile says
he won't go to school.†And the birds began to Say ‘Caw, caw,’
as if they were laughing at Bennie.
_ CROWS.
“What! You do not like to work?†said the crow again. ‘‘O
you idle boy! You are worse than a bird! Do you think I am
idle? Look at my nest. What do you think Of it, Sit?
“T suppose it is a very nice one, Mn Crow,’ ’ said Beanies
“but I should not like to live Tatas
‘That is because you are-only a boy and not so wise as a
crow, said his new friend; and the other crow cried, “Caw, caw, .
caw!†as if it thought so too. . :
“Do you know why a crow is wiser than a silly boy?†asked
CEP PTE Re
44 ; BENNIE AND THE CROWS.
his Hava aren eNies
NGC conic muerte Wenibant nel boys were wiser than.
crows. â€
“You thought,†said the crow. ‘Very little you know about .
it! Tell me, can you build a house?â€
“No,†said Bennie, ‘“‘but when I am a manT shall.â€
‘““And why can’t you do it now?†said the crow, turning his
head to the other side and looking at Bennie with the other eye.
“Why, I have not learned how to build one,†said the little boy.
‘‘Ho, ho!†said the crow, flapping his wings and hopping round
and round. ‘‘He must learn how to build a house! Here’s a
pretty boy! Here’s a wise boy!â€
Then the crows flapped their wings and cried ‘‘Caw, caw,
caw!†louder than before.
‘““No one taught me to build my house,†said the crow, when.
they were quiet again. ‘‘I knew how to do it at once. Look at
it—what a nice house it is!†. .
“T brought all the sticks it is made of myself. I flew through
the air with them in my mouth. Some of them were very heavy,
but I do not mind hard work. ‘I am not like a little boy that I |
know.†.
“But there are other things in the world besides houses,†said
Bennie. | -
“Yes, indeed,†said the crow. ‘I was just thinking so. You
want clothes as well as a house.â€
“That I do,†said Bennie, “and new ones very often. But
you birds can’t wear clothes.†an
“Who told you that?†said the crow in a sharp tone. ‘Look
BENNIE AND THE CROWS. 4s
at my black coat, if you. please, and tell me if you ever saw a
finer one than mine. Could you make yourself such a coat?â€
“No,†said Bennie, ‘‘but I can learn.â€
“ONCE, SES, SO Calin learn: but that is the way with you silly
boys—you must learn everything, and yet you are too idle to set
about it.†.
Bennie felt that the crow had the best of it.
‘‘Dear me,†he said to himself, ‘I never thought crows were
so wise and clever.â€
“You may well say that,†said the little crow, coming down
to a bough a little nearer Bennie. ‘You may well say that Master
Ben; but there is more for you to learn yet. How about your
food? Who. gives you food?â€
“Why, mother does, †said Bennie.
“You are a baby, then.†|
‘‘No, indeed, I am not;†said Bennie, ‘‘and I will throw a
stone at vouwie you say taat leans.
a
‘Boys should never throw stones,†said the crow, very gravely.
“We never throw stones. It is a very rude trick. I only asked
if you were a baby, because, when a crow can go alone, he finds
his own food.â€
‘‘T shall do that when I am grown up,†said Bennie. ‘‘I shall
learn how.â€
â€
‘Dear me,†said the crow, ie have a great deal to learn
before you. will be as wise as a crow.’
neve is very true,†said Bennie, hanging his head “pit
there is plenty of time.â€
‘‘T am not so sure of that,†said the crow. ‘‘You are as big —
as twenty crows. A pretty fellow, to come here and lie on the
46 BENNIE AND THE CROWS.:.
grass all day, when you are such a dunce! Go. to school, lazy
Ben! Go to school! Go to school!â€
Many other crows had by this time found their way to the
tree, and they all took up the cry, and made such a noise that
Bennie picked up his books to throw at them; but they all flew to
the highest branches, where they perched and cried, ‘‘Caw, caw,
caw!†till poor Bennie could bear it no longer.
He put his hands over-his ears and ran off to school as fast.
as he could. He was just in time and learned: his. lessons well.
His teacher said he was a good boy, and Bennie went home quite
happy. -
As he passed -by the tree under which he. had been sitting. in
..the morning, he saw the old crow perched on one of the branches,
looking very grave.
‘Come, come,†said’ Bennie; “‘don’t be cross, my old friend,
I was going to throw my books at you this morning because I was |
cross myself. You have taught me a good lesson, and we must be
good friends.â€
But the crow looked as if he had never said a word in his’
life, and had never seen Bennie before. He ruffled up his black
feathers, fluttered his wings, and then. flew slowly across the fields
to join some friends in the wood.
Bennie watched him until. he was lost ‘among the trees, and
then went home and told his mother all about it; but she said that
birds did not talk and that he must have gone to sleep while lying
under the tree and dreamed it.
Bennie does not think so; and now, whenever he feels lazy,
he says to himself, ‘‘Come, come, Master Bennie,’ ue must work
hard; for you are not yet so wise as an old black crow.’
THE OWL. o# 4
Phe Owl
OW many ci our boys and girls
have heard at night, this wise.
old bird say, ‘‘To-Who, To-
Whit, who are you?†How many
have missed one or two of their nicest
chickens or ducks the next morning?
_ This bird is very fond of such food.
. The Owl is quite different from
other | birds in its general looks. It
has a very large head, large eyes, a
small hooked bill that is half hidden
by feathers. The claws are very sharp
and curved, but like the bill, is not so :
strong as in the falcon. The owl
catches ‘its prey by surprise rather than by chasing it. The plum-
age 1s soft, and for that reason the owl makes no noise when it
flies, the feathers even on the wings being soft and downy. Its
soft, loose plumage makes the bird ‘look very much larger than it
really is. Aas
The owl has a very keen sense of hearing. It has an arch on
the outside of the ear, which is not found in any other bird. The
feathers ardund the ear are cone-shaped and serve as an ear-
trumpet. |
2 athe cowl canitsee well in the twilight or moonlight but cannot
see ‘much in the glare of the day, and will become confused when
taken into the light, and.seems to be in pain. The legs and feet
48 THE OWL.
e FE
are feathered to the toes, and in.some cases to the claws. The
throat is very wide and it can swallow:its food either whole, or in
very large pieces. The largest owls feed upon rabbits,. fawns, and
sometimes reptiles and fishes. ‘
The owl has from early times been looked upon as a bird
bringing bad luck with it, and on this account is an object of dis-
CANADA OWL.
like and dread to some people. It is, perhaps, because it appears
suddenly in the twilight, but no doubt the chief reason is perhaps
its loud, hollow cry heard during the night. Owls are found in all
parts of the world, and in all. climates. It is said that there are
seventeen different kinds in North America alone.
The White Owl or Screech Owl is perhaps the most plentiful.
It kills great numbers of rats and mice. |
°G ANGER.
, ay ieiclad owl!
kab! :
nai e cilia dblouys tn } ,
Vi Comber logsiinlo the hall, fh
| ) A drni Ly
cherie il
ghtly sing the staring oul
Giewhit teh cnet “role, 1h
| ahi e nareeee dofh eel the poE«|i
Shakespeare
50 ; COMPOSITION EXERCISE.
S ae
When teased the owl will hiss and snap its jaws. It hardly
ever leaves its home in daytime, and when it is driven out, all the
little birds will gather about it as a foe which they, may safely tor-
ment. It cannot see then, and is thus at their mercy.
Composttion Exercise.
The Owl
ET the children describe parts.
The head is large, eyes round, large, encircled bya ring
of fine feathers. The bill is large and hooked, throat wide, ,
tongue cleft or Jdzfd.
Plumage: upper part dusky; lower,
tawny with dusky bars, chin white, bill
black, eyes golden. Tail of white or
barn owl is forked, feet clumsy.
Habits. —They are found in dark
deep swamps. They can see best at
night, during the day they keep con-
cealed. They feed on small birds,
~ mice, bats, etc.; their hearing .
is very acute. They prowl |
about farm yards and gardens
at night; and send forth un-_
earthly sounds. Their nests:
co sticks, lined with leaves
and feathers, are built in tall
VIRGINIA OWL.
trees,
te
REBECCA AND ISAAC. 51
Rebecca and Isaac.
HAT do you
think they were?
_A couple of owls.
Bertie’s big brother
found them away up in the
top of a tall tree. He
climbed up and got them
for him.
They named them Re-
becca and Isaac, but every-
body called them Becky
and Ike.,
Bertie “made a little
nest for them and tied . Br i
their ‘legs with a string ‘sO ie
they could walk a little’but — Ne
could not fly away.
They grew very tame
and would come to Bertie
when he called them. They
sometimes flew upon his.
shoulder or alighted on his
| curly head.
| They looked very Sei
REBECCA AND ISAAC.
rolling. their big, round eyes
in the daytime, and blinking. away at the light.
52 THE FUNNY OWE,
But when it grew dark, they could see. when Bertie could not.
After a time he let them go all over the house. Sometimes they
went out-of-doors, but they always came back.
At last they grew very troublesome, and Bertie’s mamma told
him she thought they had better go into the woods again.
He felt very badly over it at first, but when Becky flew against
a pan of milk his mother was carrying and spilled it all over her
clean dress, and Ike broke sister Lucy’s prettiest vase, knocking it
off the organ with his long wings, he consented. .
So his big brother went with him, and when they got away
out in the woods they let them go.
He never saw them again but once. That was when he and
his brother and sister were in a boat on the river. Two owls flew
down from a tree on the bank and round and round their boat; and’
they seemed to know him when Bertie called them. :
He thought it was Becky and Ike, and I think so, too; don’t you?
EMMA HARRIMAN,
The Fanny owt.
OOK at this dignified, sober creature, with its eyes almost __
shut up in the daytime, and wide open in the night! This —
queer bird works just as watchmen do; does all its hunting
for mice and other food in the dark. .
If you want the rats caught in your barn, owls are better than |
all the cats in the world. ;
A live owl in the daylight has his head shrunk into his body,
and is very stupid; but the moment night comes, his eyes are like
living balls of fire, and he is cy for work,
THE FUNNY OWL. Rates
Owls have the edges of their wing-quills slightly turned back,
and covered with fine hairs, so they may fly very quietly. The
‘
We
only one without them is the hawk owl. Do you know why? Be-
cause it is the only one that flies in the daytime. .
They cannot sing like other birds, but make a dismal cry which
sounds like ‘‘T’whit, T'whoo!†Even the beautiful snowy owls of
54 PRAIRIE OWLS.
Greenland make the winters there lonely and sad with its frightful.
screech.
Most birds have some fun about them, but the owls haven't.
a bit.
MRS. G. HALL.
Prairte Owls.
HE Prairie Owl cannot live in a hollow tree, like his cousins
of the East, because there are few, if any, trees about
his home. He moves into the prairie dog’s burrow, and
the furry and feathered live contentedly together. To find a bird
living under ground is droll.
There the female lays her eggs and rears her brood. She
spends much time sitting at the éntrance, perhaps with her owlets
by her side. When any person comes near, she makes a bow and
drops into the hole out of sight. Owls cannot see by daylight, but
wait for darkness, and then go out in search of prey.
In parts of California, Utah and Arizona, where the summers
are hot and long, great numbers of scorpions appear. The people
dread them, for their sting is poisonous. They might be so many
as to drive the people from their homes, if it were not for the owls.
The owls feed on scorpions, with a great appetite. So the owl is
the friend of man, and should not be harmed. ;
Every night at dusk the owl comes quietly into the dooryard
and garden paths, looking for scorpions. The scorpions have come
out, and are crawling everywhere. The hungry owl picks them up
by dozens. He eats only the soft parts‘of the body, leaving the
head, claws and tail, Sometimes a quart or more of these remains
PRAIRIE OWLS.
on-a cornice or.on a beam of the barn will show where an owl
has made his night’s feast, . |
| | LAVINIA 8, GOODWIN,
56 BLACKBIRDS.
Blackbirds.
N the early spring it is always
a pleasure to greet the black-
birds.- They come back to us
from their winter homes in the |
sunny south. i diiey scomie an flocks,
and you can hear their loud song
in the meadows. They like to make
their nests in the low bushes and
among the tufts of grass. They
like to be near a pond or stream
of water. In the fall they get to-
gether in large flocks and go down.
_upon the farmers’ cornfields. They
are also fond of grain, and the
BLACKBIRDS.
farmers call them great pests. Their
nests are made of grass, small twigs, and fine roots, and in each -
nest you will find four or five pale-blue eggs spotted with dark
brown. | :
These birds are very handsome.’ The male is a glossy black,
with a patch of brightest red feathers on his shoulders and the
upper part of his wings. The female is brown and has no red
feathers, though the upper part of the wings is faintly tinged. with
red, but you would hardly see any of the red unless you had the
bird in your hands. They are shy and will not let you get very
near them. _
There is another blackbird found in England; it. is a much
#
THE SWALLOW. $7
sweeter singer than the one we have told you about. It is a real.
jolly bird—a sort of wag among the birds. It is like the clown at
the circus, and just like those merry-makers it will not do its best
unless thére is some one round to applaud. They are quite sure
to be on hand to show themselves off when other birds are near to
see the frolic and listen to the music. ‘
These birds are very fond of wild berries, stone-fruits and grapes. |
These. they find about the English hedges, and they are as full of
glee as a lot of school girls out for a holiday. So long as, the fruit,
holds out little care they for erubs and.worms. One-by one the
fruit trees lose their leaves and their fruit, and there is nothing left
for the blackbird. About the last of November, when the fruit is
all gone, the blackbird hastens to his winter home in big clumps of
trees. Here he is obliged to: eat grubs and worms, and sometimes
he is not even able to find as many of these as he would like. During
‘the cold weather ‘he is not as happy as in the spring-time, but all
the while he seems to be thinking of the good time coming. _
The blackbird is a near relative of. the mocking-bird, and has
many of the same habits, or habits that are somewhat similar. But
there is not a bird in England that begins to be so much of a wag
The Swallow.
HERE are some seventy-five different kinds of swallows.
as he.
They consist of birds which prey on insects, catching
; them in the air. They have great powers of flight, now
soaring to a great height, now skimming near the surface of the
ground or of the water and wheeling with great rapidity. The bill
is short and weak, very broad at the base so that the gape is wide;
58 SWALLOWS,
THE SWALLOW. 59
the wings are very long, pointed, and more or less sickle-shaped
when expanded; the legs are short and weak, The tail is generally
forked. The plumage is short and glossy.
Those living in the colder parts of the would migrate to warmer
THE SWALLOW.
60 THE SWALLOW.
regions when winter approaches and insects disappear. The com-
mon swallow of Europe has a very long and deeply forked tail.
The nest is made of mud and clay, formed into little pellets and
stuck together with
straw, and lined with
teathers, | It is) sopen
and cup-shaped, and is
placed where it is shel-
tered from wind and
rain, oftentimes down an
old chimney, under the
root of an open shed, or
in an old building. Two
ee broods are produced in
ni
ee .
|
a 7 The Window Swal-
Zi
a year.
|
|
|
i
©
CCST
i ih
i i oS
NEST OF THE ESCULENT SWALLOW.
|
|
low is a very common
bird, glossy black above, .
and white below. The feet are covered with short, downy feathers.
The nest is built of mud or clay, and is round like an apple with
the entrance on the side; it is attached to a rock or to the wall of
a house under the eaves or in the upper angle of a window. This
bird is a great annoyance to housekeepers who prefer the cleanliness
of the windows to the lively twitter of the birds and the nest-
building.
Swallows congregate in great numbers, and then disappear all |
at once, but only to come again with the spring.
>t PDE
ees
EARLY SWALLOWS. 61
“ Oh, let us away o’er the ocean once
mores
Said some swallows when first they
arrived on this shore ;
“How bitterly cold when compared
with the south,
And no sign of food, e’en for one
little mouth.â€
‘‘ Have patience,†cried one; “though
I grant, things look ill,
There is surely enough to be thank-
ful for still;
The sun, see, is trying his hardest
to nie:
And the lark overhead has a voice
quite divine !:
“Let some go and search, while the
others rest here,
For food and a glimpse of the nests
of last year ;
This well can be done by a party of
three, .
And let us draw lots as to which it
‘shall be.†“
THE EARLY SWALLOWS.
No better advice could the swallows
desire ;
So, seating themselves on a tele
graph wire,
They each gave a feather, and one
held them loose
In a dear little bunch for the others
to choose.
Then they who the three longest
feathers had drawn,
"Mid showers of good wishes, were
‘speedily gone ;
While those left behind did their best
to look bold,
And nestled together to keep out
the cold. -
An hour slowly passed—and then,
swift through the air,
Came a wonderful story of nests and
ood fare;
So each little bird gave a chirp of
delight,
And, spreading their wings, all were
soon out of sight.
—ELLis WALTON,
62 THE SWALLOWS.
THE KINGFISHER. 63
The Kingfisher.
INGFISHERS are brilliant in color, rival-
ing even the finest tropical birds. Blue
and green are the prevailing colors. It is
found in almost all parts of Europe except the
most northern, and over a great part of Asia
and Africa. It frequents the banks of rivers
and streams, and ‘is often seen flying near the
Banc of the water. It lives on small fish and insects, such as
minnows, trout, enon leeches and water insects. _ After catching
a fish it kills it. by, beating it against | a branch of a tree aud then
swallows it head foremost.
It seems probable, though
not certain, that the King-
fisher. is the Halcyon of the
ancients, about which many
fables were current, among
them, its having power to
quell storms; of its float-
ing nest and the stillness of
the winds during the ‘time
necessary for its safety. It
was a popular notion that if
the stuffed skin of the King-
fisher was hung up by a
KINGFISHER.
thread, the bill would always point to the rector from which the
wind blew. t
KINGFISHER.
ENS
TALKING BIRDS. -
s
°
@e
e
; :
ee ye doers :
of the word, and |
| nol hearers only. ee
JAMES i. 22. : ;
: \ ;
s |
THE ROBIN FAMILY,
r
nee See ct et i
\ ; dj
i Pu
emer ey ee a
THE PARROT. 69
AMAZON PARROT.
~The Parrot.
E now come to the Parrot, a favorite bird with boys and .
girls. It is noted for its gaudy and handsome plumage
and for its power of repeating names and words which
it hears, -
70 THE PARROT.
Its home is mostly in warm countries and it varies in size from
the Great Macaw to the little Love Birds, not larger than sparrows.
The birds are often seen in vast flocks in the forests making~ nests
in trees. They feed chiefly on fruits and seeds. Some of them,
though, dwell in open plains and feed upon grasses and vegetables.
The voice of the Parrot Bird is somewhat harsh, although some
of the smaller birds have pleasant voices. It exhibits a greater
degree of intelligence than is usual in birds and speaks not only
words but sentences. It is generally docile and affectionate, but
has an irritable temper. It has, also, a monkey-like restlessness
and is fond of tricks.
The beak is different from that of other birds. It is short,
hard, stout and rounded on all sides. The upper jaw is generally
longer than the lower, is curved and pointed. The tongue is very
long, thick, round and fleshy. .
Nearly all birds when feeding pick up the food with the bill,
and, if necessary, hold the food down with the claw. The Parrot,
though, does not. It makes use of the feet very much like the
monkey and the prairie dogs. It employs the fore-feet as hands
for lifting food and carrying it to the mouth.
The Macaw is among the most splendid of the parrot race.
Its home is in Tropic America. These birds go im flocks, and the
appearance of a flock on a bright, sumshiny morning is wonderfully
brilliant.
Parrots are often a great worry to farmers. A flock will often
destroy whole fields of grain. They are cunnimg as can be, and
when in search of food seem to understand that they should not
trespass upon forbidden ground. In case they do this, one of the
flock is generally set to watch either im a high tree, or on top of
â„¢
7 WHAT POLLY DID.
72 THE PARROT.
MACAW PARROT,
a building, and when any one approaches, the cry of alarm is given.
The Great Scarlet Macaw is more than three feet in length
and very beautiful. There is also a green Macaw, a blue and :
yellow,
THE MAGPIE. 73
The Magpie.
F there is such a thing as a rascal among birds, the Magpie is
one of them. It is very mischievous, much resembling a mon-
key in this respect. It has a tendency to tear and bite all
papers which it can get. We once knew of a Magpie which was
the property of a professor. One day after the professor had re-
turned from school,
he found his room
strewn with pamph-
ES lets and torn news-
papers so that until
os the real culprit was
fessor thought thieves had been in the house. A Magpie never
seems to be happy unless it possesses a hiding place, nor did this
one form an exception to the rule, as it had pecked a hole in a
tree, wherein to dispose of its ill-gotten goods and showed great
* discovered, the pro-
uneasiness if any one approached it.
Another magpie gained entrance into the chapel of Wadham
College, Oxford, and remained quiet until the service had begun
when it gravely walked up the center of the aisle, bowing and
saying, ‘Pretty Mag! pretty Mag!†much to the amusement of the
members.
It builds its nest in high trees, the outside being formed of
thorny sticks strongly interwoven, the inside plastered with earth
and lined with fibers and dry grass; the top is a dome’ and an
- opening is left on the side for the parent bird, It is shy and
oe THE MAGPIE.
vigilant in an extreme degree, notable for cunning both in hiding
from its enemies and seeking its own food. ;
It is crafty, and may be taught to pronounce not only words
but short sentences. .
In certain districts of Norway, the Magpie is so uncommon a
bird, that its appearance is considered a sign of the approaching
death of some principal person in the neighborhood. In England
also it is esteemed a bird of omen. In the north of England, one
of these birds flying by itself is accounted a sign of ill luck; two
together forbode something fortunate; three indicate a funeral; and
four a wedding.
THE MAGPIE'S FOOLISH CHATTER. 9s
a
<<“ eae ie’S
te OPoollish) Chatter.
feb a fine sunny day, in the
sweet month of May,
o
:
Sri
when the flowers unfolded, just ready
to bloom, the birds in the bushes, —
jays, robins, and thrushes, flashed out
in the light with their loveliest bloom.
Said the thrush with a thrill, as he whet- —
ted his bill, ‘Good day, neighbor Robin,
“Maite well,
how fares it with you?â€
Robin said, as he nodded his head, ~ and
picked from the ground a bright crystal of
dew. Quoth the thrush, ‘‘I’ve a mind (long,
indeed, I’ve designed) to ask a few friends for
a sociable call; and the day is so fine I shall
‘ask them to dine; will you favor me, pray, with
’ “Bowing low, he replied.
your presence, withal?’
Said the Thrush, ‘‘Bring your bride!†And flew
76 THE MAGPIE’S FOOLISH CHATTER.
to the woods to invite other friends; and they brushed up their
wings, from the Linnet that sings, to the gravest old bird that his
council extends. I am sure ‘twas a sight that would give you de-,
light, in the shade -of the grove when the party were met. And
the strains mingled there with the balmy May air, in a musical
treat I shall never forget. But a Magpie was there, for the Thrush
did not dare to pass her quite by, ‘twould have given offense.
And her voice was soon heard breaking in every word, and chatting
away without reason or sense. She had stories to tell of the snow-
‘drops that fell in August, she saw them come down with her eyes.
And in her own nest, I heard her protest, she had a bright star,
that fell down from the skies. But the birds gave a look, and a
sober old Rook bowed low as he said, at the chatterbox winking,
‘‘People often do speak, though their heads are so weak, it is plain
to the world that they talk without thinking.â€
PDD
A PARROT THAT TALKS GERMAN. 7
A Parrot that Talks German.
UR boys and girls have all, no doubt, heard parrots talk.
' We fancy, though, that many of them would laugh at
the idea of one of these birds talking German. Yet
such a parrot lives in one of our large cities. Her
home is opposite a German church, and, on a bright morning, Poll
hanging in her cage outside her window can hear the services and
78 HOW AN OWL-PARROT PUT OUT GAS.
Sceluamion take quite an interest in them. Sometimes, though, she
will interrupt them by remarks which, we are sorry to say, aré not
always reverent. In the ‘morning when asked how she slept the
previous night, Polly will ea “Sehr gut,†which means in English,
Evieiye Welles
This Polly is sometimes naughty and her mistress punishes her
by confining her in a closet. While in the closet she will cry and
moan piteously so that her mistress is at last compelled to release
her. This seems to do her good for it is often several days before ©
she will repeat oe offense.
How an Owl-Parrot Pat oat Gas.
A Trae Story.
&
N a little town called Ravenswood near Chicago, lives a family
consisting of father, mother and four beautiful children. The
children are fond of dogs, but the father objects to dogs and
permits his his children to keep an owl as a pet, instead.
A short time ago, after tucking the children carefully in bed,
the father, with the older members of the family, went out to
spend the evening. But before going he turned the gas lights low.
The owl soon began his nightly wanderings. You know, owls see
better in the dark than in the light, and he seemed to understand .
this and flapped his wings until he had blown out the lights, one.
after another. : ;
When the father returned home late at night, he was almost
overpowered by the fumes of escaping gas. He rushed in and found
his little girl nearly suffocated. He soon opened the windows and
ZACK THE COCKATOO. Se
doors, all the‘ time wondering how in the world the affair had taken
‘place. In his efforts to drive the gas from the house he stumbled
over his pet owl lying on the floor almost lifeless. He soon under-
OWL-PARROT.
stood. the situation and now thinks that a dog is a better pet’ for
his children than an owl, especially when left to wander over the
house.
Zack the Cockutoo.
“ACK was a cockatoo. He was snow-white, with a yellow
crest. What was left of his tail was yellow. By an acci-
dent it had lost all but two feathers.
He could say several words. What he said oftenest was, ‘‘Poor
cockatoo! Poor cockatoo!†in a pleading voice. We used to lift
him upon a ffnger, and he would give usa kiss by placing his open
foe ZACK THE COCKATOO.
bill close to our lips and moving his little tongue back and forth.
He was not a good bird, though, and we were always afraid of his
. kisses. . | .
When very angry, he would spread his wings and tap his hard bill
on the floor. His crest would stand wp and open like a fan. Instead
of walking in the usual way he
would hop like a frog, screeching
all the while in a horrid way.
Zack took a dislike to a dear
Quaker lady. He tore the crown
out of several of her nice white
‘caps. She learned to keep her eyes
all around her when she passed
him. He soon found
there was no longer
any hope of that
kind of fun. He
slipped up behind her
one day, while she
bent over to pluck ‘a
flower, and bit her
heel. The harder’she
shook her foot the
harder he bit and
flapped his wings. By and by some one came and took him away.
One lady in the house had a number of cats. Once when she went
out to call them to dinner, a voice above her head cried out, just as
she opened her lips, “ Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.†She looked up, aston-
ished to see the old cockatoo peeping roguishly down through the
grape-vine leaves.
FAITH WYNNE.
THE COCKATOO. 81
The Cockatoo.
HE Cockatoo is related to the parrot family but differs from
Oe Me Torewal - lexy having a long bill and a rounded tail.
The head is also large and has a crest which can be
raised or lowered at pleasure. The birds are white, but the crests
are yellow. Sometimes they live to the age of 130 years, even in
captivity. They do not speak many words but have the faculty of
crying out Cock-a-too, and their name is thus derived from their
own cry.
Our Cockatoo is a beautiful, great bird, with a deep orange
crest and snow-white feathers. When he first saw Ilttle Kitty
Simmons he went into peals of laughter, and shook me crest in
etme: .
Somehow he never laughed at anybody else. She had a way
of shaking her curls at him which pleased him very much. Then,
too, she took him in the carriage with her to see a very old parrot
sometimes. . |
When he reached the house where old ‘‘Molly†lived, and
the door was thrown open, ‘‘Cockatoo,†as we called him, would
walk out with a most majestic air, as if he was the ‘great mogul.â€
ga ‘THE RAVEN.
“Molly†always listened be-
hind the door, and as soon as
1 ‘‘Cockatoo†came in sight she
would cry out, ‘‘Oh, you proud
thing! You put on so many
airs!†Then Cockatoo looked as ashamed as a human being.
MRS. G. HALL.
The haven.
HIS truly handsome bird is found in nearly all parts of the
globe. It lives in the wildest districts that can be found,
and feeds on the nuts and fruits in forests as well as on
young hares and lambs; it sucks eggs; it rejoices in carrion, and
sometimes attacks weak or sickly beasts. It generally makes its
nest of sticks, coarse weeds, wool or hair and builds its nest in
rocky places, or on a narrow. ledge of a precipice. The color is a
glossy black. . |
Ravens are occasionally captured and become pleasant pets.
They are impudent, cunning, mischievous and thievish. — They have
a love for glittering things and their power for imitating the human
THE RAVEN. . . 83
speech is almost equal to that of the parrot. Whole sentences are
learned by them. They are celebrated for their long life; many
, of them live to be seventy years of age. The appearance of one
RAVENS.
of these birds has generally been reckoned an ill-omen, probably
on account of its color and its extremely harsh, croaking voice,
which may sometimes be heard in fine weather as if coming from
the sky.
84 THE RAVEN.
The first historical notice we have of this bird is in the Bible
where we are told that at the end of forty days after the great
flood had covered the earth, Noah, wishing to find out if the waters
NOAH AND THE RAVEN.
had abated, sent forth a Raven which did not return to the ark. He
afterward sent forth a dove which brought back a sprig from a tree.
Our boys and girls have no doubt read about the Raven feeding
the Prophet Elijah in the wilderness. Although these birds do great
injury to the crops, they are still held in veneration by the Romans
on account of this one act, —
THE RAVEN. 85
A friend of mine once, owned a Raven. After she had clipped
its wings so that it could not fly, it was permitted to go about the
yard. It took advantage of its freedom for it would steal the food
‘of other birds.
One day the lady was walking in the garden reading the ad-
dress of a letter, when, she saw the Raven watching her with great
cent stele
SS
Be SVEN
iil
ELIJAH AND THE RAVEN,
curiosity. The paper was of no value so she let it fall and walked
on as if it had been by accident. The Raven waited until she had
left the paper some yards behind, when it took a sidelong walk
86 | THE RAVEN.
toward it, tore it into scraps and ran with the largest piece to a
tree branch where the- paper was examined thoroughly and then —
destroyed.
STO Ns Ooo ne Te ee em Ee ae EE Rte Te ee, TOG eRe Ah ape†SH ATi ie oe Vephys tate oe Ment Pe
tl
a
.
| |
il
pep emnn nT ae
ee iy
7 if
Fees mer?
our ae GOD’S BEAUTIFUL BIRDS.
BIRDS OF PARADISE. - . el
Birds of Paradtse:
Fuey handcomec audience
world is the Bird of Paradise. It
is found in New Guinea and neigh-
boring islands, and is noted for its
splendor of plumage. Aside from this,
though, it is like the crow in form,
habits, and even in voice.
Unfortunately, though, it is ae the
papa bird that is noted for splendid
KING BIRD OF PARADISE. Plumage. ‘The mamma bird has neither
. . brilliancy of colors nor handsome feath-
ers. The plumage of the papa bird not only shows brightness of
tints, but a. glossy, velvety appearance and a beautiful play of colors.
Tufts of feathers generally grow from the shoulders, and these are
often prolonged so as to cover the wings.
The skins of these birds are usually sent over from the islands
without feet, thus giving rise to the notion that they had no feet;
some people have thought that they spent their whole lives floating
in the air, except when they suspended themselves for a little time
by their long tails.
Pigafetta, however, in his voyage. around the world, tells us
‘that they have legs, but that the natives, when preparing the skins,
cut off the legs. These skins are so valuable as an article of mer-
chandise that the inhabitants prefer keeping the people in ignorance.
The skins are used in those Dee for ornaments, and also as a
charm to preserve the life of the wearer against the dangers of
battle.
92 BIRDS OF PARADISE.
These birds are lively and take great care of their plumage.
They sit always on the perches of the cage, so that no part of it
may reach the floor or get in the least degree soiled.
When caged, they are fed on rice and insects, but when wild
they eat the fruit of the teak-tree, and also the large butterflies
RED BIRD OF PARADISE.
which are plentiful in their native islands. They are timid birds,
hiding by day in the thick branches of the trees and only coming
from their hiding places at the rising and setting of the sun, for
food. Often they hold large dancing parties under the shade of
the: trees, and seem to get much pleasure out of life.
FEATHER PICTURES. 93
_ FEATHER PICTURES.
Trp aztecs, the people who ruled Mexico four hundred years ago,
were very clever. They could copy any object in nature that they
saw around them. Frogs, birds, leaves, ducks, lizards, serpents,
foxes, wolves, and dogs, —of all these they made images in gold, sil-~
ver, clay, and stone. Many of these they adored as gods, but most
of them they used as ornaments. The Spaniards, who took their
country from them in 1521, wondered at their skill. They said that
no silversmith in Spain could make such fine work.
But what they most admired,-and what they had never seen before,
was the feather-work. Even the old soldiers, who had passed all
their lives in war, were struck with its beauty.
When the Aztecs were conquered, nearly all their beautiful arts
were lost. They soon forgot how to cut precious stones, and how to
mould silver and gold, for they were made slaves of, and had to—
labor in the fields. The art of making objects in feathers is about
the only one they have kept and passed down to the present time
from father to son. Even this they are very careful not to show to
strangers. They work in secret, and carefully guard it from sight.
When in Mexico I tried hard to find out how they made the lovely
birds on cards, which they offered for sale on the streets. A friend,
took me to the house of one of these artists. It was a little hovel,
where he sat on the mud floor and toiled. But when he heard us
coming he put away all his work and would not let us see it.
- We was an Indian, with brown skin and black, straight hair. He
wore ragged clothes, and had an old blanket to‘ keep him warm at
night. Poor as he was, no money would tempt him to show us the -
secret process he had learned from his father, which had been kept
in the family for hundreds of years.
94 FEATHER PICTURES.
Great skill is required to produce a perfect picture. First, the
., Indian traces on the card the outlines of
the body of the bird in wax, just enough |
- for the feathers to stick to. Then he be-
gins at the lower part and places them on,
one at a time, one row lapping over the
, other, as a ae lays slates. He works
very slowly and patiently.
Perhaps this is the secret
of his perfect work, and
the reason that no other
people have been able to
The result is, a bird that -
‘looks as though it
might sing or fly.
The eyes are
made with small
glass beads, and
the bill and feet are eon so nicely |
that they appear to be part of the bird.
Then he paints a twig or branch for it to
rest on, or makes one from a feather, and
his work is done.
The finest pictures are made from the .
bright feathers of the humming-bird.
These are found only on the throats of : :
these living jewels, and BH takes several birds to yield ‘feathers
=
FEATHER PICTURES. 95
enough for one picture. When in the sun, or strong light, the
feathers glow like bright gems. They gleam like rubies and emer-
alds, and seem like live birds perched in the sunlight of their
_ native tropics. aa
As works of art, these feather pictures are admirable. As the
last remains of a gifted people, they take us back to the storied
past.
FREDERICK A. OBER.
"eS
agah
A CPs
a ; :
See, brother Harry, see that bird,
Up in the sky its cry is heard. — 98
rien
Ses \
BLUE JAYS AT BREAKFAST,
THE HUMMING-BIRD. 99
~The Homming-Bird.
OW aptlygthe Indian names this winged fairy when he calls
it a ‘living sunbeam.†From its body flashes all the
bright gleams known to metal and precious stone.
The tiniest of birds, it has not note or song, yet no other bird
is more admired. Its’ brilliant plumage, its never-ceasing activity,
an THE HUMMING-BIRD.
———_ A
\†5 “if Le
\ GH
BOE
(
LEY,
Ne
SWORD BILL HUMMING-BIRD.
4%
its cunning, its bravery and its rapid flight, make it a source of
never ending wonder.
It dances about in the sunshine, looking like streaks of brilliant
light; and so rapid is the vibration of their fine and elastic wings,
LHE HUMMING-BIRD. 101
that a humming or buzzing sound is produced; on account of this,
the name “Humming-Bird†has been given them.
Though least in size of any of the birds, the glittering mantle
of the Humming-Bird entitles it to the first place in the list of
birds of the New World. It may be truly called the Bird of Par-
adise; and had it existed in the Old World, it would have claimed
the title instead of the bird which has now the honor to bear it.
HUMMING-BIRD.
See it darting through the air almost as quick as thought; now it
is within a yard of your face—in an instant gone—now it flutters
from flower to flower to sip the silver dew—it is now a ruby—now
a topaz—now an: emerald—now all burnished gold.
It is the smallest of birds and in some cases is not larger than
a bumblebee when stripped of its feathers.
Naturalists tell.us there are over four hundred varieties in the
world, only seven of which are found in the United States. Of
102 ‘THE HUMMING-BIRD.
these the ruby throat is the most common. It feeds on the sweets
of flowers and on the insects found in the calyx or blossom. Its
wings are strong and so rapidly do they vibrate that the Hum-
ming-Bird seems to stand on air as it thrusts its long grooved tongue
into the depths of some wild flower and draws out the sweet juices
HUMMING-BIRD’S NEST.
or perchance an insect hidden there. So rapidly does it move that
it gathers its food from one hundred flowers in a minute. No
wonder you must look quick to see it. A flash of splendor, and |
then it is gone. ; ae 3
. Come with me some bright morning and let’s see if we can
THE HUMMING-BIRD. ~ ics
find the nest of this tireless wonder. We will not look in a wee
tree, but rather in some twig, in a bundle of bushes.
This tiny bird though ‘brave and ready to fight for its little
ones, cannot ‘hope to defend: itself against its larger brothers, and
so depends “upon its cunning for safety. There in the fork of
yonder, twig swaying in the breeze is a bunch of moss. As we ap-
proach and grasp it, out from the depths darts the “living Sun-
beam.†And here within this uninviting moss is the nest, a fairy
cradle. It is lined with silken fibers gathered from the plants
around, held in place by a gum-like saliva, arranged in a pretty _
manner, thus forming a downy cushion. Within this nest, no
larger than a walnut, the mother bird lays two snow white eggs
twice a year. These are hatched in six days and the parents are
kept busy gathering insects and sweets for the little ones. As they
grow, the old birds build the nest higher so that the baby birds
will not fall out.
Since their rich plumage has become an article of adornment,
the catching of them has become an important business.
Let us go with a tropical. hunter and watch him as he catches
one. He will first lead us to some mountain palm, beneath which
are some leaves fifteen feet in length These he strips. leaving the
midrib bare, a long slender stem tapering to a point. Upon the
point of this he places a lump of bird lime made by chewing the
fruit of the bread tree until it is like soft wax. Cautiously ap-
proaching some flowers from which the bird is gathering honey he
carefully extends the palm-rib with its coating of sweet gum. The
bird eyes it curiously for a moment, darts at it and hangs helplessly
by the tongue beating the air furiously with its wings in a vain
attempt to escape the cruel gum, but it is caught.
104 ; ROBIN REDBREAST.
Robin Redbreast.
HIS friendly little bird is one of the first heralds of spring.
Soon as the days begin to grow warm the Robin begins
to make its way north to meets its old acquaintances. It
has many friends in the North and all the little Bev and girls are
glad to see Robin Redbreast come again.
Robin has a short, thick body,
with upper feathers of a dull
brown, while the breast is a
‘lovely red. His wings are long
and his legs short and slender.
Robin never hops but runs along. :
Generally, these little birds go
south for the winter, but once in
a while one will be seen in the
North during the cold weather,
‘then it will come and peck at the
window for crumbs. Sometimes
one will become the friend of the
ROBIN REDBREAST. tie
wood-cutter, visit him every day
and warm himself at his fire, and fluttering around him the whole
day long. Sometimes one will go into the house and pick crumbs
from the table.
105
The Jackdaw-
HE Jackdaw is plentiful in Europe, fe aeane Africa, but is
not found in America. ie? ee
It builds its nest in the holes of cliffs and mines.
Sometimes it goes into towns and villages, often making its nest in
chimneys by dropping down stick after stick until some of them are
caught while falling, and on these others are piled making Ae ubtetey
106 SNOW=BIRDS,
ne) oe THE ROOK. ae 107
base for a nest of hair or other soft things. The Jackdaw lays
_ from four to seven bluish-white eggs which. are covered with dark
brown spots. ,
Wonderful stories are told of the renee of sticks that are
used to form a Jackdaw's nest. Many years ago a pair of Jackdaws
in eighteen days made a pile ten feet high on the staircase of the
bell-tower of Eton College. The Jackdaw is a social bird and is
easily tamed, becoming pert, familiar and friendly.
The Rook.
OOKS are about the size of a crow, and closely related
‘{Y to it. They are bright, keen and cunning.
They are noted for the care with which they watch
the approach of danger. When feeding in the fields, a few solitary
ROOK.
rooks perch. on trees and give the call of alarm to the flock if
needed. They are also noted fér their dread of a gun and seem
108 - THE ROOK.
to understand the danger. A man without a gun may come much
nearer than one carrying a gun. Even a stick lifted up is apt to
excite their alarm. a .
ites commonly believed, in some districts, that Rooks: ener
Sunday, and are less timid of the approach of man on that day
than on any other day of the week. They are not afraid of a car-.
riage, and seldom notice the passing of a railway train.
Rooks often fly in immense flocks and frequently the numbers .
are so great as to darken the sky. Farmers complain because they
root up young grass, young corn, and injure young potatoes and
turnips. But after all they are of great use to him by eating up
wire worms, grubs and other insects. The truth is, rooks and crows
in moderate numbers are very useful. |
The same rooks take possession of the same nests year after
year, repairing them instead of building new. The time of building
and repairing is one of prodigious clamor in the rookery and Deine
early in the spring. .
ROOKS.
110 THE NIGHT HAWK.
The Night Haw. —
HE Hawk is a common bird of America and very much at
home in our woods and marshes and even in our poultry
yards. It will sit on a tree and watch for hours the
fowls, and, when dusk comes, will fly quickly down, pick up one of
the fattest it can find and then depart. .
It visits the North in summer and the South in winter. The
<
\
Yi) \N ANN ‘
i A iN DS x N
general color is brown but marked with white. A white mark on
the throat in shape of the letter V is also conspicuous. .
The Hawk attracts attention by its rapid, sharp, impatient cry.
When flying downward it makes a hollow booming sound, like
%
“HE CAT BIRD. Se ie
blowing into the bunghole of a barrel. When flying its movements
are beautiful and: rapid.
When fat and plump, it is delicious for the table. In the
picture you will notice that hawks are afraid of ferrets and keep
well out of their way. &
ee
The Cat Bird
HE Catbird resembles the Mocking-bird. It is a bird of
passage, making its way northward in spring, and south
a in winter. It feeds on fruits and berries, worms and in-
THE CAT BIRD.
sects; it builds a large nest of dry twigs, weeds, etc., without any
attempt at concealment, in a bush or tree, often in the vicinity of
cies A THE WHIP-POOR-WILL.
. human habitations, and shows extraordinary boldness in defense of
its young. . a
It takes its name from a mewing cry which it makes when
annoyed by an intruder near its nest. Its song is often very fine
and it can imitate the notes of other birds with much exactness.
The Whtp-Poor-Wtll
HIS bird has taken the popular name of «Whip-poor- Will, p
because of its own song which is sung at the approach of
evening, and which sounds like «Whip-poor- Will.†The
bird is a native of North America, and lives mostly in the eastern
THE WHIP-POOR-WILL. | 113
part of the United States, It is about ten inches long, spotted
and marked with small bands. The top of the head is streaked
with black and it was made with a narrow white collar on the
throat. =
It is seldom seen through the day but seeks its food by night,
catching moths, beetles, and other insects on the wing. Its flight
is near the ground, in a zigzag fashion and noiseless, Its notes are
heard only during the night and are clear and loud. Even though
only a few of these birds are at hand, the noise is such that one
can scarcely sleep and will imagine that hundreds of them have
congregated for the night.
Tee A PUZZLING QUESTION.
A PUZZLING QUESTION.
Are you sitting for your portrait
That you look so grave and glum?
Are you working out a problem,
Or a long division sum ?
If my pussy-cat, my Chloe,
Happ’ned to come wand'’ring by,
Would you leave your meditations,
Spread your pretty wings, and fly?
Are you dead, or are you living?
That is what-I’d like to know;
Are you stuffed, you poor dear dicky,
Put there just to make a show?.
Se VWVEAT HREOC
He stands upon the old church tower,
Through calm or tempest, sun or shower :
A bird who never seems to care
To eat or drink, but lives on air!
And why? The reason’s plain to me:
‘He's but a weathercock, you see.
4
‘MR. WREN.
Mr. Golden-crested Wren,
How you sing when Winter’s gone!
For, when leaves are showing, then,
Mr. Golden-crested Wren, .
Of your nest you dream again,
. Soft and snug, with roof thereon!
Mr. Golden-crested Wren,
How you sing when Winter's gone!
IT5
SNOW BIRDS.
116 HOW THE MARTINS SERVED AN OWL.
How the Martins Served an Owl
HE martin birds are great fighters and build their nests in
boxes, if they can find them. |
No other bird dares trouble them, but one day a stupid
screech-owl took possession of the box of two birds who had Bons in
pursuit of material to build their nest.
Ps FR
When the martins came home at night the owl would not let
them in. Owls are brighter at night, you know, and the birds were
so small they flew away, as if afraid to fight with so large a bird.
But this was not so. They had only gone to bring a whole
army of birds, and. together they set to work. What do you think |
they did? Ousted him out? No. They brought pecks of mud,
and just plastered him in the box. Then they flew away and
waited. When they thought he was dead, they came back and
carried off the plastering, and went on with their nest. Wasn't
that very bright? MRS. G. HALL,
oath PART Iv.
I—_ aD
118
THE NIGHTINGALE. 119
The Nightingate.
HE sweetest singer in all the world is the Nightingale. Its
«
bill is slender and straight. Its plumage is of a rich
brown color above, and greyish white below. |
It is a native of Europe, Asia and Africa, going north in the
summer and south in the winter. It lives in thickets, hedges and
low, damp meadows, near streams. It arives in England about the
middle of April, the papa bird from ten to fourteen days earlier
than the mamma bird. This is the season of the year that bird
catchers usually procure them for cage birds. They become easily
reconciled to the cage, then while if taken later, fret, pine and die,
120 THE LVRE BIRD. ay
The Papa bird is a better singer than his mate. . She lays and
hatches the eggs and he sings, beginning every evening about dusk |
and sings at brief intervals all night long. The variety, loudness
and richness of his notes is wonderful. On account of the sweetness
of his voice, this bird has been a favorite from most ancient times.
and is often mentioned in the poetry of Persia, India, Greece and
Rome. |
There are some people though, who cannot appreciate its song.
I once read about a man who was engaged as gardener in a wealthy
family. This man was given a home within the grounds. In a
short time he asked permission to change his house, and being asked
his reason for giving up so good a place, answered, ‘‘that he could
not sleep at. nee scene those nasty Nightingales kept up such a
continual noise.’
These warblers have en almost the entire world and
many of them gladden this country with their beautiful songs.
The byre-Bird.
HE Lyre-Bird is the largest of all song birds and is found
~ only in Australia. Its chief beauty is in the plumage of
“its tail, which is extremely elegant and in the form of an
ancient Lyre. It is composed of three different sorts of feathers.
While singing it spreads its tail over its head like a Peacock and
droops its wings to the ground. Its song is heard mornings and
evenings and more often in winter than summer. :
This bird is not only a fine songster, but can imitate all kinds —
of noises. One living near a wood-sawyer’s hut imitated the filing
of the saws. The crowing of the cocks, the cackling of the hens,
THE MOCKING-BIRD. 3 Se iat
and the barking and howling of the dogs, are within its range. Its
own song is different from other birds, being a much louder and
fuller tone.
LOS
LYRE BIRD.
It goes in pairs and.each pair has its own boundary, and is
never seen on the grounds of others. It is'not good to eat, the
flesh being dark, dry and tough.
oe The Moching-Bird.
HE most pleasing of all birds is the Mocking-Bird, Its
“name is derived from the fact that it imitates the voice
of all other living things, except man. It readily learns
to whistle a tune even of some length, but there is no true account
|
be | THE MOCKING-BIRD: -
of its imitating the human voice. The barking of a dog, the mew-
ing of a cat, the crowing .of a cock, the cackling of a hen, and the
creaking of a wheelbarrow are all within the compass of its powers. —
During its performance it spreads its wings, expands its tail and
throws itself about as though full of fun and joy:
The bird is full of songs at all seasons of the year. It is fond. —
of man and often makes its nest in a tree or bush near the house.
MOCKING-BIRD.
The papa bird is es fond of his mate and shows great :
courage in driving away enemies from the nest. Snakes are killed
by one blow on the head, and cats soon learn to let a Mocking-
Bird’s nest alone.
The upper feathers are of a dark brown color, the wings and
tail nearly black, and the under feathers brownish white. - |
_ This bird is found in all parts of America, and is one of the
most common birds of the West Indies. Its exquisite song fills the
groves with melody by night, for which reason it is often called
‘the Nightingale. — |
a | supply of which is necessary for their health.
CANARIES.
The Canary.
HE Canary is a beau-
tiful creature, and
much esteemed for its mu- .
sical powers. It is found in Madeira
and the Canary Islands. It builds
its nest of moss, feathers and hair,
and produces four or five broods in
aseason. In its wild state its plum-
age is greenish-yellow, sometimes
tinged with brown.
Tame Canaries often have —
beautiful voices, yet they are sur-
passed in loudness and clearness
123
of note by some of the wilder: brothers, which when caught and im-
ported, are sold for extraordinary prices.
Besides seeds they are fond of green leaves, such as chickweed,
124 j THE CANARY..
The Canary often lives fifteen years. It can be taught various
tunes, and some even learn to pronounce words. ‘The ‘raising and
ee
CANARIES.
training of these birds afford occupation to a large number of per-
sons in Germany.
THE CAT AND THE CANARY. 128
The Cat and the
Canary.
A Trae Story.
AANARIES are afraid of
cats, and no wonder, for
if there is anything that
ae GAt likes, it is little
harmless birds. As a
usual thing, the prettier the
bird, the better the
naughty cat likes it.
Grandmother once
had a yellow Can-
ary called ‘‘Bob;â€
Bob had a fine
voice and his mis-
tress thought very
much of him. She
would let him out
Â¥of his. cage to fly among
the flowers and feast upon
the flies. One day after
Grandmother let him
out, she was called from
the room, and, upon re--
turning, found the old cat
‘126 THE LINNET.
| just in the act of springing at Bob. This frightened him so that he
fell over on the floor dead.
The. Linnet.
HE .Linnet is common in all the northern parts of the world,
bringing sunshine to the people with its pleasant twitter
and sprightly habits, even to the desolate lands of Spitz-
bergen.
LINNET.
The bill is “shore, straight, conical aa pointed, the wings long
and pointed, the: tail forked. In its winter plumage its color is
brown. In the spring, its plumage is bright vermillion.
- The sweet notes of its song make it a favorite to old and
young. It sings well even in a cage.
YY yy
Hy
Li
Y
yy,
YY
yy
YY
Uh
N.
THE THIEVISH KITTE
127
eae on i THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.) 088
The Baltimore Oriole. -
HE one peculiar thing about
this bird is its nest. It is:
made of wood, sticks and
grasses, and suspended from a limb
of a tree like the pendulum of a clock.
The materials for the nest are
woven together with great nicety. It is sometimes sewed through
and through with long horse hair. Thread which the dressmaker
‘has cast aside and even strings are used with great art and care.
The Oriole is found in all parts of the United States in sum--
mer, but leaves for warm regions in the winter. The bill is conical,
acute and curved. The plumage is brilliant, glossy black, mixed
with bright orange and red. “It is active and lively and its song 1s
‘extremely agreeable. = rae - .
Orioles are easily caught in traps; and can, without difficulty,
be rendered tame, and even taught to speak. They are fond of
130 3 THE BULLFINCH.
singing, and are exceedingly playful, either'when confined or allowed
to run about the house. With the liveliness and familiarity which
they possess, it is funny to place these birds before a looking-glass.
and observe their strange and whimsical manners; sometimes they
erect the feathers of the head, and hiss at the image; then, low-
ering their crest, set up their tail, quiver their wings, and strike at
it with their bills. | Ore
The Ballfineh.
HE Bullfinch is a great favorite asa cage bird. It hasa -
wae
short, thick bill and dense plumage, of a delicate bluish
"gray. The wings are crossed by a conspicuous white bar.
It is found in most parts of Europe. It feeds chiefly on seeds
and berries. It is said that a pair of
these birds will strip a good-sized plum
tree of every bud in the space of two
days. On this account farmers are com-
pelled sometimes to wage war against:
them. nee 23
_ The song of the Bullfinch in a wild.
state is very simple. It improves by
education. Trained Bullfinches are sold
at a very ae
great price.
Some of!
these birds
Learn 0
whistle a
THE GOLDFINCH. mae
tune very accurately, and with a power and ability far exceeding
their own natural song. ;
The ability, though, to whistle several tunes well, is rare. The
training of these birds is a work both of time and trouble. It is
BULLFINCHES.
chiefly carried on in Germany. Not less than nine months of
training are required. It begins when the bird is a mere nestling,
and must be: carefully continued until after the first moulting, for
it is a curious circumstance that all that has been previously ac-—
quired is lost at that time.
~ The Goldfinch
HE Goldfinch is much employed by bird: catchers as a call
"bird. It can be trained and taught to perform a great
“many little tricks; one of which is the raising of water for
itself as though from a well, in a bucket the size at a thimble.
It isa favorite cage’ ‘bird on account of ‘its pleasant song, its
AN
132: * THE GOLDFINCH.
intelligence, its liveliness and the attachment which it forms for
those who feed and caress it.
:
S
=
5
2
=
THE WREN. 133
There are two kinds of Goldfinches; one has a gay’ plumage
and a prolonged bill; the other dark plumage and short bill. It is
found throughout Europe and in some parts of Asia.
It congregates in small flocks on open grounds, feeding on the
seeds of thistles and other plants. Its nest is made in a tree, bush
or hedge, and is remarkable for its extreme neatness.
The Wren.
| A Warbler.
\ HE Wren has wings and yet flies but little. Its bill is
pointed, its wings short, its legs slender. and its plumage |
dull. This bird is entirely at home in America. It lives
WRENS. .
on insects and worms. It has a peculiar form and is active, lively
and gentle. 7
On this account it has many friends. It cannot fly any long ..
ge Oe re . THE WREN.
4 2 - 4 SS a SA =ae : -
2
; distanes but flits from. Beek to bush and Te stone to stone by. a
rapid movement of . the wings. It sometimes creeps up into trees
but cannot fly into them. es eae ley eas a
Its nest is: always: a large one, made _oven- -shaped ‘with: an.
opening on the side. It. Is. made of ‘hay or moss, ined with feathers
<< ewe
ny TL DU
: and i the. same: color 3 as the objects beside It 80 it cannot easily
be found. Bee Gres Oe ae ae ee a ea ae eae
The song of tha Wren’ is†“hoch ee ‘being a ening
warble, and louder than. could be expected from | the size’ of the
bird. This ‘it continues throughout the year; these. birds have teen
. heard to sing unconcerned even during’ a fall of snow. They alsoâ€
sing very late: in the evening: meter ‘not, _ Tike. the Nightingale,
after dark.
o“~
Seo eee Q
oe
as
WARBLERS.
THE BOBOLINK. ies “437
BOBOLINK.
The Bobolink.
HE happiest bird of the American spring, and one that rivals
the European lark, in my estimation, is the Bobolink. He
arrives in the month of May.
Earlier than this, winter is apt to return and blight the opening
beauties of the year; and later than this, begin the parching heats
of summer. In May ‘‘the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear
on the earth, the time of the singing. of birds is come, and the
voice of the turtle is heard in our land.â€
In June the trees are in their. fullest foliage; the woods are gay
with the clustered flowers of the laurel; the air is perfumed by the
sweet-brier and the wild rose; the meadows are enameled with
138 | THE BOBOLINK.
clover blossoms; while the young apple, the peach and the plum,
begin to swell, and the cherry to glow among the green leaves.
This is the chosen season of revelry of the Bobolink. He comes
amid the pomp and fragrance of the season; his life seems all
sensibility and enjoyment, all song and sunshine. He is to be
found in the soft bosoms of the freshest and sweetest meadows; and
is most in song when the clover is in blossom.
He perches on the topmost twig of a tree, or on some long,
flaunting weed, and, as he rises and sinks with the breeze, pours |
forth a succession of rich, tinkling notes, crowding one upon another
like the skylark.
Sometimes he pitches from the summit of a tree, begins his
song as soon as he gets upon the wing, and flutters tremulously
down to the earth, as if overcome with his own music. Sometimes
he is in pursuit of his mate—always in full song, as if he would
win her by his melody, and always with the same appearance of
delight. .
Of all the birds of our groves and meadows, the bobolink was
the envy of my boyhood. He crossed my path in the sweetest
weather, and the sweetest season of the year, when all nature called.
to the fields, but when I was doomed to be shut up, during the
livelong day in the schoolroom; it seemed as if the little varlet
mocked at me as he flew by in full song, and sought to taunt me
with his happier lot. Oh, how I envied him! No lessons, no task,
.no school—nothing but holiday, frolic, green fields and fine weather.
As the year advanced, though, as the clover blossoms disap-
peared and the spring faded into summer, I noticed he gradually
gives up his elegant tastes and habits, took off his poetical suit of
black, and put on a russet, dusty garb.
(Ss : ZA? V ORNS Ea ‘i
Je gieree
hp A Ee nf ti Q
‘Ep
Gira
LEG
&
ey we ave Looelver, % y
: FOr Ce could eRe bobil
A 4 could oather « sweet
o Ry7e some yor the flowers,
ry Wouldayat fe ag. sweet 2 SIP
as the sift of Love. «se WZ
G&_your feck; Lies
| love You brucsy
Gis the skwv is blue. ;
‘jee oe Pe most 315
Aird goucre only 1
y ear ttle , ¢
pre Weer ‘Little
RD alewtiqe,
739
140 ee THE BOBOLINK.
His notes no longer vibrate on the’ ear; he is stuffing himself
with the seeds of the tall weeds on which he lately swung and
chanted so melodiously. He has become a gormand; with him now
there is nothing like the ‘‘joys of the table.†In a little while he ©
grows tired of plain, homely fare, and is off on a eee in quest: of
foreign luxuries.
We next hear of him, with myriads of his kind, peer
among the reeds of the Delaware. He has changed his name in
traveling. Bobolink no more, he is the reed-bird now, the much-
sought-for titbit of Pensylvania epicures. Wherever he goes, pop!
pop! pop! every rusty firelock in the country is blazing away. He
sees his companions falling by thousands around iui
Does he take warning and reform? Alas! not he. Again he
wings his flight. The rice swamps of the South invite him. He
gorges himself among them almost to bursting; he can scarcely fly
for corpulency. He has once more changed his name, and is now
the famous vice-bird of the Carolinas. Last stage of his career;
behold him spitted, with dozens of his companions, and served up,
‘a vaunted dish, on some southern table.
WASHINGTON IRVING.
,
st)
al
sat Hid
ME B R. : Cc r pas a > °
Jay,
The Blac
THE BLUE-JAY.
142
UR little boys and girls in’
the country. know this
bird well;
know how well
3.
ies and_ber-
t likes the first ripe cherr
i
/
ely Cee
a 25
Steen
o a, Ore
a a ©
Coen
eS there
@
ye ctina
hey anes
ZB og
GH
PaCS es
ob 2 3
eo 8 E
Gite. oe
n O x
Gree aire
Bega
Ones Go
Se ee
—
12 aU
Oh refi, Oke
hey hay Sy els Stevo!)
‘THE BLUE-JAY. 143
This bird is found in eastern and central America. Some go
south in the winter, as far as the Bermuda Islands, but fae most
of them which pass the summer in the. north, do not go farther
than Florida and Mexico.
The Jay is easily tamed and will learn tricks of all kinds. It
will learn to imitate other birds, and also any other strange noise.
A neighbor had one of these birds for a pet. She would let him
JAY.
out of his cage, at which time he would fly all over the park.
When she went to the door and whistled he would answer her back
and then come like a child and seemed to be glad that he was -
144 THE BLUE-/AY.
home again. The lady also had a sick little kitten which cried,
and “Jay†would mock, it. Often it was hard to tell whether it
was the bird or the cat crying. He would also answer the post-
man’s whistle.
One day in the fall when the birds were all going to their
winter homes, Mrs. Brown let Jay out and he never came back.
It is thought that he followed his playmates to the far sunny South.
Si Wy ; = : an
S eS ne ee a Lyf 1p Bvhn ny CR
ay is is, ISS ocenuuy Miilhyinb
uy
SSG i i
148
=
i
ae
iy ny ‘i
hs
IR
WATER BIRDS.
et
aq |FIFTYFIVE] (>
IN. ALL: Vy
: 0
i little eee o Ay
},making “cherry†pies\,
Diittle “Turtles
running for a prize;
little Peacocks |
driving out in state; |
4 little, Goslings _ 1B
-Jearning how to:skateli) vf
5 little Katydids«. » (¢
- going to a ball;
{6 little Tadpolesâ€
} _. rowing ina yaw;
7 little: Owlets:
ge. Ieee ee
ittle Fireflies >a
. upina balloons
X little White Mice
living in a-shoe;
10. lit tle Butterflies.
146
a cm :
yo
BIRD with a basket! Who over ALE a
| \ heard of such a funny thing? %
“\ But there is a ‘bird called a
pelican, which has a large pouch or bag
under its beak. Some people have called it) .\ :
a basket. The Pelican is a very clumsy if “= =e
not really ugly-looking bird. His bill is
almost as long as his body, and he has very —
~ short legs .
When he walks, or rather waddles, he topples along from side
to side, just like you may have seen some old sailor, who is as
awkward on land as a duck. _
The pouch, or bag, under the pelican’s bill is the most curious.
thing about this odd bird, Although this pouch cannot be seen
147
148 THE GREEDY PELCIAN.
except when in use, it is large enough to hold nearly a pailful of
water. The pelican uses it as a basket in which to carry to his
mate and young their dinner of fish. He catches it by diving
down into the water with his mouth open.
Once a pelican, which was kept in a large cage with other
curious birds, acted very much like the ‘‘dog in the manger.â€
When corn was put in the cage for the other birds to eat, the
pelican stood over it, and would not permit any of the birds to. get
even a kernel. When a hungry little duck or pigeon would approach,
the pelican would open his immense mouth and make a hissing
noise which made him seem quite terrible. He looked as though
he would have said, if he could have spoken, ay can’t eat corn,
and so you shall not eat it either. If I can’t have some fish, no-.
body shall have corn.†|
Finally his fish was brought, and ee he was swallowing it
the other birds ane up the corn.
CULMER BARNES.
THE PELICAN. 149
The Petican.
HE Pelican is a water-bird, with a long, large flat bill. Be-
neath the lower jaw a great pouch of naked skin is fastened;
the tongue is short, the face and throat, are bare. The
Pelican is found in Asia and Africa, ‘on ie shores of the sea, lakes
150 - | THE AUK.
and rivers and feeds chiefly on large fish. Some catch their prey -
by hovering over the water, waiting and watching, and plunging in.
upon it as soon as it appears; others swim along and scoop up
the fish. The prey thus seized is stored away in their pouch, from
which they bring it out when desired, either for their own eating,
or to feed their young. ,
The nest is made’of grass or mud on the ground, and in some
spot not easily found, generally near the water. The eggs are
white and there are seldom more than three found in a nest.
The papa and mamma birds are said to carry water as well as food
to their young, in their pouch. During the night, the pelican sits
with its bill resting on its breast.
The ack
Water Bird.
UKS are web-footed birds with short wings. These are used
/ \ as paddles in swimming under the water. Some can
L fly little, others none at all as their legs are placed too
far behind the back part of their body. They even walk very awk-
wardly and hence are more at home on the water. y
They are extremely fond of cold weather and make their home
in cold regions; on this account they have been given a dense
plumage; this plumage has a beautiful polished appearance and a
silvery lustre.
It is simply wonderful how oa these birds move under the
water; one of them was once pursued by a six-oared boat for hours
without finding the bird. They get their food almost entirely from
the water and make their nests close by the water.
THE AUK. 151
GREAT AUK. re og
It seems strange that birds should select cold regions for a
home, but God in. his goodness seems to have made birds for all
climes and clothes them accordingly, just as he has made ‘the Polar
Bear and Reindeer for the frozen north,
s
Tae THE PENGUIN.
The Pengain
HE Penguias seem to hold the same place in the southern
parts of the world that the Auks do in the northern. In
many ways the Penguin resembles an animal and in other
ways resembles fish and turtles,» Ihe wings are better adapted to
swimming than flying and remind one of the flippers of turtles.
The legs are short and placed far back “80 that on land the
Penguin rests on the shank which is made something like ie foot
of an animal. In this way the bird is enabled to stand erect.
_ Nearly all birds have air cavities in their bones, to enable them
PENGUIN.
to fly. These birds have no air cavities, but instead their bones
contain an oily marrow, similar to that of animals.
In some places these birds are tamed, and will follow their
master like a dog. It is amusing to watch them waddle along,
their plump bodies and short legs keep in balance only by the
THE PENGUIN. 183
motion of the wings; they seem intelligent and learn to answer
when their name is called. In the southern seas they are so nu-
merous that oftentimes thirty or forty thousands continually land
and ‘put out to sea.
Penguins do not make a nest but lay their eggs in a chosen
place on the shore. These eggs are hatched by being held between
the thighs: When threatened with danger the bird moves away
still keeping ‘the ege in the same position.
The manner in which they feed their young is curious and
amusing. The old bird gets upon a rock and has the young one
stand a little lower, but near. The parent bird makes ‘a great cry
holding its head up in the air; after it has made this clatter about
a minute, it puts its head down and opens its mouth widely into
which the young one puts its head and appears to suck from the
throat of its mother for a minute or two, after which the clatter is
repeated and the young one is again fed.
The voice is loud and harsh and is between a quack and a
bray. Sailors kill thousands of them for the oil which is valuable
in market. The flesh and bones are mixed with guano and put
on the market as a: fertilirzer.
The Petret.
154
It is -
flying above the waves in
known sea bird is the stormy Petrel.
- STORMY PETREL,
search of shell fish and other small animals which are
oftenest seen during storms
NOTHER well
THE PETREL.. 155
brought to the surface by the tempest. The sailors call petrels
»
“Mother Carey’s chickens,†and do not view them with much favor,
owing to their being constant companions of storms. ‘‘Jack†thinks
that rough weather may be expected when he sees petrels about.
_ When the bird is on the outlook for its prey it seems to walk
on the water. Hence the seamen of olden time, in allusion to the
Apostle Peter’s walking on the water, called the bird “petrel, trom
the Latin petrellus, ‘Little Peter.â€
The method of catching them is peculiar. A common bottle
cork is tied to the end of a long piece of thread, and trailed astern
so that the cork touches the water. This gives the required taut.
ness to the thread. As the birds fly in clouds from side to side
astern, some of them constantly strike the thread with their wings,
and the resistance is enough to turn them over, when the thread is
wrapped around the wing and the bird is hauled on board.
156 THE ALBATROSS.
THE ALBATROSS. —
The Albatross.
HE Albatross is a web-footed bird, closely related to the |
Gull. It has a strong beak with a hooked point, for the
purpose of catching fish. A curious thing about the bird
is that the feet have no hind toe or claw.
The Wandering Albatross is the largest of all web-footed birds;
LHENALBEALROSS. 157
its powers of flight are exceeding great; it is almost constantly on
the wing, and is equally at ease during the stillest calm, or flying
with meteor-like swiftness before the most furious gale. Great
numbers are found in the Southern seas, especially near the Cape
of Good: Hope. It often follows ships and becomes an object of
much interest to people on board. It generally glides just above
ener surface of the ocean, and chases flying-fish with a swiftness and
cunning hard to believe. It stops to rest on.the rigging of the ship
when tired. It does not fly like other birds, but seems to float or
glide in such a way that one can scarcely see its wings move, and
it is said of them that they even sleep while gliding in the air.
It-is a greedy bird, but is not at all brave and often gives up
its food to sea-eagles, and even to the large gulls. Bits
Its nest is a rude heap of earth, close to the sea, or often it
lays its one lone egg in a little hollow which it makes in the ground.
Many of the Indians set a high value on the feathers of these
birds, which they use for arrows, as they last much longer than
those of any other birds. :
In the West. Indies the appearance of these birds is said to
foretell the arrival of ships; this, indeed, is sometimes true, and
arises from a very natural cause. They always fish in fine weather;
so that when the. wind is boisterous out at sea, they retire into the
harbors, where they are protected by the land; and the same wind
that blows them in, oftentimes brings also vessels to seek a retreat
from the storm.
158
HOW BIRDS USE THEIR BILLS.
Mow Birds Use their Bills.
HESE birds do not have
hands but something that
answers just as well. Their
bills are as useful to them as your
hands are to you. a
They are not all made alike,
or used in the same way. The duck
has a very queer bill. It is made
so because this bird has to find itsâ€
food under water. It cannot see
‘what it gets, and must feel instead.
So this bill is filled with nerves
for the “purpose. It has a zow of
little points, too, all around the
edge, something like teeth. But
how does the duck use it? Let
us see. =
When searching for food it
.
Zi <<
Ae
SSSSSL_SSSS—> =
SSS Ss =
== SSS
LLSSSSVJSJJzJJS
WS QS
WE WO QQ
\\ \\ \
=S=>
\
1
SEA GULLS.
160 ee THE GULL.
thrusts this bill down and brings it up full of mud. Now in the -
mud are the very things the bird lives upon.
These little nerves tell it just what is good to eat. - What is |
not good is sent out through these queer points, just as if it was a
sifter. The nerves in this funny sieve take very good care that
nothing shall be lost that is worth the eating. You know all about
the little birds that build their nests with their ‘bills, and what won-
- derful things they are. Some can sew very well with - their beaks;
Polcollise. they suse tei teeta too. | ee .
. . " MRS, G. HALL.
The Gatl oe
HE Gull is a web-footed bird and lives on the sea coasts in
all parts of the world. The feet have three toes in front
fastened together by a web, and a small hind toe not in
the web. 4
The Gull has great power in its wings, and can’ fly easily
against a storm. At such times it flies low down, whether over sea
or land; but in fine weather it flies high in the air. It then seems
_ to take sport and is pretty and graceful in its movements.
The Gull is not a good diver and the fish which it ene ites are
mostly those which swim near the surface. °
Many gulls visit inland districts and hover over rivers. watching
for food. Some are also to be seen in meadows and ploughed fields
looking for worms and other such food.
It is a common prophecy among farmers that, when gulls are
seen in inland districts, stormy weather may be expected to follow.
Some gulls break the shells of oysters and clams by taking
162 ioe THE GULL.
them high in the air and dropping them on a rock. In one case a
Gull was seen to carry a shell up the third time, each time higher
Pe Mo breakeit-. (4, of eaâ€
a the old gull is rather’ coarse, but the flesh of the
used on the northern coasts for: food and. is salted for
he eggs of some are good and. collected -in great
plumage is mostly white mixed with gray. |
_THE GULL.
TWO PAIR OF DUCKS.
THE SWAN. . 165
The Swan.
WANS belong to the duck family but are very much larger
and a much more royal bird. They have a bill about as
long as the head, and the neck is very long and arched.
They make a hissing sound like geese, and when offended use their
wings to defend themselves.
The common Swan is about five feet in length and weighs
about thirty pounds. It lives to a good old age; some have been
known to live one hundred years. The plumage of the old ones
SWANS.
is a pure white with a reddish bill. In a half tamed state it has
often been found in lakes, rivers and ponds as a common ornament...
The swan is a very beautiful bird when seen on the water. It
raises its finely curved neck and wings in order to catch the wind
and thus travels much easier and faster. Every move that it makes
is graceful. It is said to have great musical powers, but that it
166 INGE JORIS,
sings only as death draws near. Its voice is said to be low and
plaintive and is sometimes heard when it moves about with its
young.
It makes its nest at the edge of the water in a mass of reeds
and rushes; it lays from five to seven large eggs. The mamma.
swan sometimes swims about with her little ones on her back. The
flesh of swan is now seldom used as food, but in days long ago it
was served up in great state.
In England swans are royal birds. If found in the rivers or
on the sea in a half wild state, they are supposed to belong to the
Crown. They have a royal mark placed upon them and any person
who steals or destroys swan’s eggs, forfeits five shillings for every
egg, and whoever steals a marked swan of the Crown, commits
felony. There are great numbers of these birds kept in England.
The Ibts.
HE Ibis is of a beautiful color. The bill is long, slender ©
and curved. The face and sometimes the neck have no
feathers. The neck and legs are long, the wings are
neither short nor long but the tail is very short.
The Sacred Ibis is an African bird, over two feet long.
The White Ibis is a bird with pure white plumage, and is found
on the coasts of Florida. .
The Scarlet Ibis is a lovely tropical American bird, noted for
its bright scarlet and black plumage. | =
The Sacred Ibis was one of the birds worshiped by the ancient
Egyptians, and is a bird with a long beak and legs. It has a
heart-shaped body covered with black and white plumage. In early
THE IBIS. 167
times its feathers were supposed to scare and even kill the croc-
odile. It appeared in Egypt at the rise and disappeared at the
overflow of the Nile, and was thought to deliver Egypt from all
kinds of serpents which came from Arabia in certain narrow passes.
a i A
A
v
S
Sie
me
i rt
wad WA LAA
NY
a
Te
Ni
(i
\
IBIS.
It was noted for its purity, and only drank from the purest
water. The strictest priests drank only of the pools of water where
the Ibis had been seen to drink. To kill this bird was a crime
punished by death.
168 THE FLAMINGO.
The Flamingo.
ale ‘Flamingo aoe its name from the eee nae color of
its plumage. It makes its home around shallow pools of
water and gets its food from the mud where it wades. It
prefers salt to fresh water.
It has a strange way of making a nest. It is built up in the
water by adding one hillock on top of another until it rises above
the top of the water like a little island. The mother does not sit upon
the eges like a hen, but usually leans against the nest m a very
awkward position. Sometimes, ‘though, these birds lay their eggs
upon a rock close to a muddy lagoon, and, then they can keep.
them warm and hatch them by leaning against the rock. |
_ These birds are fond of ‘each other’s society and usually asso-
ciate in great companies. When large numbers are together, the
flaming plumage make them look like a battalion of red-coated
: soldiers. ;
This bird cannot only fly well but can run with great ec
and if sick or wounded, will run instead of fly.
They are hard to shoot, for they are watchful and generally.
each flock has one or more birds that keep guard while the rest
feed or sleep. .
It is amusing to see their position when sleeping. They cor
upon one of their long, slender legs with the head under the wing,
having the other leg drawn up close to the body. :
They live upon fish, sea-worms and the eggs of insects. We
fancy they live a delightful life, for they are free to stalk about at
pleasure and go on long flights with good companions, and, when
A JURY OF FLAMINGOES. 169
170 1GEGE ION, OUR JOMUTEIE.
tired, sleep in the hot sun close to muddy pools where food is
plenty. When captured, though, their life is quite different; fre-
quently they live a long time, but the bright plumage slowly fades,
the bird wastes away, takes frequent colds, and finally refuses to
eat and then dies.
The oon, or Diver.
Water Bird.
LL country boys are acquainted with the Loon. When at
work in the orchard in the. autumn gathering up the
apple crop or digging the last of the potatoes, or loading
_ the wagon with bundles of cornstalks, they often hear, far up in the
sky, the loud wailing cry of the Loon. » It is always a sad, wailing
cry, which reminds one that the bird, too, knows that summer is
dying and the cold frosts of the winter are coming. The farmer
turns to his men and says: ‘‘That is a sure sign of a cold storm.â€
Perhaps you know that the Loon is a splendid swimmer. It
will dive up and down in the water, many times hidden entirely.
THE KITTIWAKE. , 171
from view. Because it is so fond of swimming it has often been
given the name of The Diver. |
This bird has feet, yet it can scarcely walk. It is more at
home, though, on water than on land; consequently it does not
much matter to the bird that it cannot walk well. It is said by
hunters to. be almost an impossibility to kill this bird because, when
they shoot over the water, the bird will always dive, thus missing
the bullet. It prefers fresh to salt water, and every lake, no mat-
ter how far north, has its single pair of Loons.
These birds go south in the winter, and just before going
their wailing cry is heard; they perhaps dread taking their departure.
KITTIW AKE.
The Kittiwake.
ITTIWAKES are a kind of Gull, and a very important bird
to the poople in the far northern regions. The young of
the Kittiwake has dark marks on its plumage which go
away as it grows older.
172 THE HERON.
The flesh of this bird is very much: better to eat than that of —
most gulls, and its eggs are very good. It usually lays three eggs
which are about two inches long. It is found in all the northern
parts of the world where the coast is high and rocky.
The Heron.
A Wading Bird.
ERONS are wading birds, with long bill. The body is small
i in proportion to the length of the neck and limbs. When
flying the Heron carries the neck, head and bill in a
straight line before the body and the long legs in the same way
are stretched out behind.
These birds feed mostly on fish, frogs, and other animals found
in the water. They may be seen early in the morning standing
perfectly still in some shallow water, or on the seashore waiting
until their prey comes within reach. Then they seize it and make
a hearty breakfast. Sometimes they prey on young birds, also
reptiles. .
Each bird generally goes forth by itself when looking for prey,
but in the home-nest they are fond of each other's company and
a number of them generally build their nests near together. The
common Heron usually builds its nest in a high tree. .
The Night Heron feeds mostly by twilight, and is never seen
standing still like true Herons, but walks about looking for food by
the sides of ditches and ponds. Its food is mostly fish, frogs and
other animals. Its cry is very loud and hoarse.
There are many kinds of Herons found in America; the most
THE HERON. . 173
GREAT WHITE HERON.
common is the Green Heron. The flesh of this bird is well liked
for the table, and_is often to be found in the markets. Meron and
Egret plumes made of the long feathers were in olden times con-
sidered very valuable, being in some countries used as ornaments
for kings, queens and the highest nobles. The finer Egret plumes
are still used for decorations by milliners,
174 THE STORK.
The Stork.
A Wading Bird.
TORKS are large birds, not common, but of wide distribu-
tion. The common Stork is a migratory bird going to the
north in summer, and south in winter. The head, neck
and whole body are pure white, the wings partly black, the bill and
THE STORKS’ CUNNING. 175
i legs red. The neck is long, and generally carried in an arched
form; the feathérs of the breast are long and the bird often has its
bill half hidden among them. The Stork lives in marshy places,
feeding on eels, and other fishes, also reptiles and young birds.
It makes a rude nest of sticks and reeds on the tops of tall
trees, or of ruins, spires or houses. In many parts of Europe,
especially in Holland and Denmark, it is a common practice to
place boxes for Storks and it. is considered a fortunate thing for a
household- when the box on the roof is occupied.
In some countries Storks are protected by law on account of
their good services, not only in destroying reptiles and other. trouble-
some animals, but in the removal of carrion from the streets of ;
towns in which they stalk about with perfect ease, among crowds
O: people. = Iie papa and mamma birds are very fond of their
children, and they also show great regard for their aged parents.
Before leaving their summer home, they gather in large flocks and
“hold consultations as to where they will go and when they will
“ The Storks’ Canning.
| N one of the chimneys of the house where Tommy Turner
() lived, Mrs. Stork came and made her nest. ‘Mr. Stork
helped ie teneeee
Pretty soon Tommy’s father found an ege in it. He thought
he would take it out and put in a goose egg instead. At first Mr.
and Mrs. Stork did not seem to mind the change, but when the
egg was hatched, Mr. Stork set up a loud scream, flying about the
nest, as he did so, several times. Then he went away.
7 | - THE STORKS’ CUNNING.
a
For some days poor Mrs. Stork tended her adopted child
faithfully and alone, but at the end of a week the whole family
were one morning disturbed by loud cries very near by.
Tommy looked out of the window and saw about five hundred
storks standing all together. He ran and called his father and they
THE STORKS’ CUNNING.
watched them together. They appeared to be listening to the story
of a stork a little way off. j
After he had done, another stork took his place, and seemed
to tell the same story. Then another, and another, until eleven
‘
177
178 me THE CRANE.
had told the sad tale, when at once the whole conn flew,into the
air making the most dismal cries.
All this time the mother stork sat by her nest, but very much
afraid. rf cs
' When this queer meeting broke up, Ae it was decided what
was to be done,. the company of storks, headed by the offended
_ Mr. Stork, flew toward her. They knocked madam ace of “her
nest and shook her to pieces, as well as the gosling she had been
so tenderly nursing. A gosling wasn’t a baby stork to them, and
they wouldn’t have it so.
MRS. G. HALL,
The Crane.
Wading Bird.
HE Crane is a large
and stately bird,
long-legged, long-
necked, and of powerful
wing. It lives exclusively
in warm countries. Many
of them go on trips flying
ait prodigious height in the
CRANE. _-air. The common Euro-
pean Crane has feathers of |
a dark, slaty ash color on. the forehera top of the head and neck,
with a patch of grayish white behind the eyes. The eyes are red
and the beak is yellow with a green tinge. |
The total length of a full grown Crane is four feet. Its food
THE: CRANE ? 179
is insects, reptiles, worms and fish. Some kinds frequent newly-
plowed and planted fields to pick up seeds as well as worms, bugs
and insects.
. Cranes dwell in fields, marshes, and along the margin of ponds,
but they always roost in trees. The nest is raised to the height of
the body with grass and reeds, Cranes lay but two eggs, on
which each bird take turns in standing over until the young are
hatched. | |
There are three kinds of Cranes found in the United Sates.
The flesh is much esteemed for the table. It is supposed that the
name Cvane has been given this bird because of the way the neck
is generally craned, as if to listen.
Birds, like boys,
sometimes dis-
agree over small
matters. It should
not be so. Boys
can reason, birds
cannot.
oo. PART Viv 2.
Family Cares.
HEN with her brood of
chicks is the most devoted
of mothers. She passes
the entire day, if the weather is fine,
scratching about the farmyard, search-
ing for nice tid-bits for them to eat,
and, if there is a shower, she gathers _
them all safe and dry under her wings.
At night, too, when the chill air comes,
she tucks them away as carefully as
any human mother could do. If a
hawk flies overhead she is quick to
see it, ana at her sharp call the chickens all hide under her wings,
and are not permitted to peep out till all danger is passed.
With such a large family to care for, ‘the mother hen has to
be always on the watch for safety; and is never for a moment -
careless or forgetful of her children.
192
CHICKENS. 183
Chickens.
Domestic Fowts. |
LL of our little boys and
girls know what Chickens .
are like, and they also
know what the eggs are like. The
Chicken is a very useful bird. Its
s : flesh is good for food and its eggs
are good for a great many things.
The mother hen usually lays about eighteen or twenty eggs each
season. j
‘In the spring there is always a nice warm nest made for her,
and when the proud old mother comes off her nest with fifteen or
sixteen little babies, how pretty
they look. These little things are
all covered with nice soft down
to keep them warm, but they are
tender and must have good care; .
a nice warm place to sleep and &
some meal to eat. Then they °
grow fast, get fat, and are soon °
grown up.
184. PALMER AND THE CHICKENS.
PALMER AND THE CHICKENS.
Palmer and the Chickens.
NCE a little boy by the name of Palmer was out upon his
grandpa’s farm, and- there saw fowls of all kinds in great
abundance. One day he crept out in the chicken-yard,
having in his hands a bottle of milk. The chickens desired to have
a feast with him and at once began to reach up to his hands, which
PALMER AND THE CHICKENS. 185
he raised higher and higher, until one naughty old rooster flew upon
his shoulder, at which Palmer cried with all his might. His erandma,
hearing the noise, went out and not only gave the chickens a good
scolding, but brought little Palmer into the house with tears rolling
down his cheeks. It was a long time after that before he could be
persuaded to go out among the chickens again, and he was seldom
or never seen in the yard with anything to eat in his hands. . When
he had anything good to eat, he usually ate it in the house before
going out.
| “ ae al i i i Ge, my
= rm
—
eg
} 2
THE THREE CONSPIRATORS. - "186
ete eC ela, Sy ea Tels EONS ale 1A Tana ans
187
& MARCH PAST THE HOUSE THAT JACK OEE ie
Give te St Bantam, belonging to
Sack.
This is Don Spanish, in coat of jet-
black,
Who followed Sir Bantam, belong-
ing to Jack..
This is Lord Dee tne and
grand,
Who marched along third of the
feathered band,
Just after Don Spanish, in coat of
jet-black, [to Jack,
Who followed Sir Bantam, belonging
And here’s Rajah Brahma, from far-
away land,
Coming next to Lord Dorking, so
stately and grand,
Who marched along third of the
feathered band, ;
Just after Don Spanish, in coat of
_ jet-black,
Who followed Sir Bantam, belong:
ing to Jack.
And here's Farmer Barndoor, sturdy
and bold,
The last of the marchers that day
_in the cold,
- Right behind Rajah Bas from
far-away land,
Coming next to Lord Dorking, so
stately and grand,
Who marched along third of the
feathered band, [ jet-black,
Just after Don Spanish, in coat of
Who followed Sir Bantam, belong-
ing to Jack
188 THE MOTHER HEN.
THE MOTHER HEN.
ne mother hen was one day strutting
| on the green, with her chickens run-
f ning merrily about her, pecking and.
peeping, as happy as any family could
well be. Suddenly she caught sight of a
dark spot in the sky. What a cry of terror
came from her little throat! How the
frightened chicks rushed in an instant under.
her wings! How bristling and fierce: the
old hen looked! What was the matter?
Ah! it was a hawk in the air, out getting his breakfast, and ready to-
dive at some unwary chicken. But every chick is safe and snug under
its mother’s wings. The hungry hawk was loth to go. ‘‘I will die before
you shall seize one of my little ones,†the old hen seemed to say in every
feather of her body, and every look of her eye. The hawk soon saw it
was no use, and in a few moments flew away. She then gave a note of
joy and triumph, and out hopped the chickens from their secure hiding-
place,—some hesitating, as if not quite over their fright, others more bold,
stepping confidently off. And one little cock bolder than the. others —
jumped on his mother’s back and gave a funny little crow. Ah! they
knew those warm and friendly wings were ready at a moment’s notice to
shelter them again.
189
Ne
THE MOTHER HE
190 THE TURKEY.
The Tarkey.
WONDER if our country boys and girls that are acquainted
with the Turkey have ever thought from what source it gets
its name.
It was once supposed that this bird was first found in the Em-
: TURKEY.
pire of Turkey. On this account, it was given that name. The
people to-day, though, who have studied up this matter, say that
this bird was not first: found in Turkey, but in America. The bird
THE TURKEY. 191
has now, however, gotten its name so well established that probably
it will never be changed,
192 D0 THE TURKEY.
When the Turkey was first found it was wild. In many states.
and countries there are many wild ones still to be found. We think
of them to- -day, though; more as a domestic fowl than we do as a
wild one. They have now grown so valuable to the farmer that we
can scarcely get along without them. ~The’ flesh of the Turkey is
everywhere in favor. © Sia eek :
These birds live. upon: grass, fee beatles figs fa tad-
poles, but become. fat in the autumn when the acorns, chestnuts
and other nuts are plentiful.
The male Turkey is a vain bird avid is se provoked and
made to fly in'a Tage. Just - the sight of a red dress, or a sharp
sound as of a whistle, makes him fairly swell with anger. ‘Perhaps, —)
you have already seen the proud strut and heard the loud. gobble
of this bird as it walks around and away from’ you. ee .
The hen Turkey is exceedingly sly about -hiding her nest. even
when tame, and will sometimes walk for days hunting here and
there for a quiet place to lay her eggs. and hatch them, at which |
time she will come off with her brood, proud and happy as a boy
with his first pair of boots. She not only hides her nest to keep
it away from men and foxes, but frequently from the. papa bird »
‘himself. 7 ie ie
_ Very young Turkeys < are tender and sensitive, and a iar storm
will kill them by thousands —
ALLVOSE*—ENOS— DIOTIIIW
IN LINCOLN PARK, CHICAGO.
THE GROUSE. 105
GROUSE.
‘The Groase.
HE Grouse is a hen-like bird, having a short bill, rather
thick, sharp and a little curved, and a naked red patch
almost always over or behind the eye. The plumage of
some is very bright, being black, brown, green and blue.
The Grouse is mostly found in America. They used to be
common in the eastern states, but as the country became settled,
they slowly disappeared.
Its voice is like a low tooting, and it will strut after the man-
ner of gobblers,
106 , HARRY'S GOOSE.
The Ruffed Grouse is one.of the best known birds in North
America. About Philadelphia it is called Pheasant, and in New
England, Partridge; but both of these names are wrong.
One kind of this bird is the Steppehen, and is found in the
wild, cold country of Siberia. The feet and legs are so small and
weak that it can scarcely walk, but it can fly fast and for a long
time. In some sections, these birds run wild and are called Prairie
Hens.
Harry's Goose.
mo had one goose for his own. His parents had given him
his choice of the flock when the brood were quite young. He
HARRY’S GOOSE. a?
had fed and petted the one he picked out until she became quite
tame. She would leave the other geese and follow Harry about
the farm like a dog.
What pleased him most was to see her swim on the pond.
He was never tired of watching her when she was in the water.
When the goose wanted to-sit, Harry made her a nest of straw,
lined with fine hay, and placed fifteen eggs under her. His father
told him not to disturb the goose while sitting. He said she must
remain on the nest thirty days, and during that time must be
allowed to stay off the nest only long enough to take her food.
Harry thought he could safely count on getting twelve. goslings
from the fifteen eggs.
ig HARRYV'S COOSE.
These he would keep until they were large enough to sell for
fifty cents apiece. Thus he had counted on having six dollars.
He had planned a hundred different ways to spendit. Finally, he
decided to invest the money in a sled and a pair of skates.
Twelve days passed away. Harry had missed his playmate
very much. He was thinking how he would like to see her swim
again, when she came running to him. He could not resist the
desire to take her to the pond. He intended
to be gone only a few minutes. But he had f[f sz
got interested in his play, and time flew faster
‘than he supposed. When he took the goose
back to her nest the eggs were cold. .
On the thirtieth day Harry watched
eagerly for some signs of the little goslings.
But the day passed, and two more days. after
it. Still there was not a little one in ;
the nest. Harry owned to his father
that he had taken the goose to the
pond; and this explained it all.
Poor Harry felt bad enough. The
six dollars he had been so sure of get-
ting were not in his pocket. When
Winter ,
came he
hadto get
along
with the
old sled,
and old
skates, ,
THE BUSTARD. 199
AY
"1 WO
Yn reBn
RAGE /
\
\J oh yg
Rs ‘) I Cd
RN REY
ii
{NEY
~The Bastard.
HE Bustard looks and acts a great deal like a hen. While
running, it makes use of its wings something like the
Ostrich.
It lives on the open plains or heaths. It eats worms, insects,
reptiles, birds and green vegetables.
The Bustard is common in the south and east of Europe. It.
200 : THE DUCK.
is the largest bird there and sometimes weighs thirty pounds. The
plumage is of a pale chestnut color.
The Bustard of South Africa is a very large bird, sometimes
five feet in height. It is one of the best kinds of game. There is
also a Bustard in Australia that is very large. It*is called. Wild
Turkey in that country. Its plumage is finely spotted but the most
of the color is brown.
The Dack.
66 THINK I will have one
of those frogs on those
stones for my dinner,â€
said Mr. Duck to himself.
“O dear, do you see that
big bird looking at me?†said
one frog-to another. ‘I am -
afraid of it. It is standing very
near the water watching me. If
I stay on this stone it will eat
me. Where shall I go? Ducks eat frogs. I will jump into the
water. Good-by, Mr. Duck; you did not get me this time.â€
There are two kinds of ducks, one has its hind toe fastened by
a thin skin to the other toes, and the other kind has its toe loose.
The one with the webbed hind toe lives mostly around the ocean
and dives for its food—it is wild. The other kind stays around
lakes and other inland waters. The duck that lives around the
ocean has its legs farther back on the body and hence cannot walk
well. It has longer wings and a longer neck, and gets its food out
THE EIDER DUCK: 201
of muddy pools of water. It does not dive so often as the first named
duck, and when danger is near it can fly well and thus escape. A
great many of both kinds spend the summer in the northern regions
and then travel toward a warm climate as it grows colder.
The Eider Dack.
N a very cold country far away in the Northern Ocean,—lIce-
land it is called,—there are thousands of these beautiful birds.
Wherever you step you find one.
You think they would not like to stay where the rivers are always
302 THE EIDER DUCK.
ae
frozen, and snow is on the ground all the long year, with only a few
days of sunshine. But they do, because they can be very quiet
there, and do pretty much as they like.
Their nests are a sort of little mattress made of drift-erass and sea-
weed, over which they spread a bed of finest down. . The careful
mother plucks this down from her own breast, heaping it up in a
sort of thick fluffy roll around the edge of the nest.
You know that while she is sitting on her eggs she f
must sometimes leave the nest for food. The weather is
so cold, that before she goes she care-
fully turns this roll of down over the
egos, to keep them warm until her re-
turn. A great deal of money
is made by the Icelanders in
selling the down. When it
is taken from the nest the
little mother goes to work
just as carefully as before,
and makes it all over.
But if they take it the
second time, and her |
home is left with bare
walls, her breast bare
too, what is she to do?
In a moment. the
male bird comes to
her help, and plucks
the down off his own
breast. His feathers
are whiter, though not
so soft.
This down is so light, that it takes a great many feathers to
weigh anything at all. If you should fill your father’s hat with
them, they would not weigh an ounce. After all, they would make
you the warmest covering in the world,
MRS. G. HALL,
THE GUINEA FOWL. 203
The Guinea Pow.
HESE birds when
wild roam in large
flocks. They were
first found in Africa. About
six hundred years ago some
of them were brought to
England and tamed. They
THE GUINEA FOWL.
are now common in the poultry
yards of America, but as the young
ones are hard to raise, they are not
reared in large numbers like chick-
ens, turkeys and ducks,
204 HUNTING WILD GEESE.
signees of the Guinea Fowl is harsh, and, to some persons,
unpleasant. It consists chiefly of two notes, ca-mac, ca-mac, ca-mac,
frequently repeated. .
The Guinea Fowl is a restless and clamorous bird. During the
night it perches on high places; and, if disturbed, alarms every an-
imal within hearing by its unceasing cry. nes
Among the Romans they were in great repute fer the table;
and, on account of their scarcity, were generally sold for high prices.
They are at present much esteemed in this country, their flavor
being considered, by some persons, to resemble that of the Pheasant.
The eggs are a very delicate food.
Manting Wild Geese.
N capturing wild geese, the huntsman often takes a trained dog
with him in order that he may be sure to get the game that
he shoots, for in a great many cases, a wounded duck on
goose can run and thus escape the huntsman.
These dogs are faithful and take great sport in ‘Tunning after a
duck or any game that is shot but not killed; in case it is killed,
the dog brings it to his master.
The geese fly southward in the fall, just before cold weather
sets in; then in the oes they make their annual trip north to
colder regions. °
A short time ago in Dakota there was a huntsman out duck
shooting who had with him a young dog that had not been trained.
The dog did much harm in running out before his master shot and
thus scaring the ducks away; but they treated him kindly and held
. him back until the proper time, and, after a time, he became a
HUNTING WILD GEESE. 255
very fine dog with which to hunt ducks. If one fell into the water,
he would swim, bring it out and lay it at his master’s feet. Ducks
dread the sight of a dog as much as they do a man.
HUNTING WILD GEESE.
Hunting wild game is fine sport, besides affording a very savory
bit of meat, for the flesh of wild birds is thought to be of very fine
flavor. So fond are hunters of shooting these birds, that in order
to protect them, the government has put a fine upon any person
who shoots them only in certain months of the year.
206 THE UGLY DUCKLING.
THE UGLY DUCKLING.
On a river broad and fair,
In the land of You-know-where,
Lived a duck who was the envy of the rest;
And her offspring at her side
Filled her mother-heart with pride,
For she naturally considered them the best.
But pride must have a fall;
There was one among them all,
Whose arrival seemed a very sad mistake,
He’d a color all quite
wrong,
And his neck was far
too long,
And his legs. a deal too gawky
for a drake.
So with anger, all the rest
Drove him flying from
the nest,
And they called him “Ugly
Duckling†in their scorn,
And that ill-used little
thing
Unfurled each ugly wing, _
And drifted down the river all
forlorn.
And the days went sad and slow
As he drifted to and fro,
With all the joy of life forever gone,
Till one morning he espied
His reflection in the tide,’
And ’twas not an ugly duckling, but a swan.
Som misunderstood, s
Simply struggle to be oa
‘Tis the only way, you see, of getting on;
And with patience and with pluck
Tho’ you once were thought a duck,
Yon may prove yourself a grand white swan!
ok | THE HANDSOME KONK. 207
| The Handsome Konk.
MAMMA!†cried Effie Brown,
‘“‘do see this lovely bird!â€
“Konk!†screamed the lovely *
bird, as Mamma Brown
looked out of the door.
“He says his name
is Konk!†shouted Effie, .
laughing. <‘‘He came right
down from the sky.â€
“Yes, he isa wild goose,â€
replied her mother; ‘and
what a beautiful creature!†—
He was dark gray, and had a
black stripe ove this head and along
his back. He was limping as if he
had a broken leg... : ae
3 ; LE The Brown family
geese stood about and
bobbed their heads, and
- stared at the new goose.
Konk was much larger
and finer than they.
But they made up
vA Ye, their minds to be ;
Uri 7 ftiendiy,~and soon
Konk was quite at home with the Brown geese.
208 3 THE HANDSOME KONK.
‘We will take good care of him, Effie, and perhaps he will
always live with us.â€
“So we will, mamma,†said Effie, ‘‘I will feed him every day.â€
Konk staid all winter and was very pleasant with the other
geese. But early in the spring, one warm day, he seemed uneasy.
He kept turning his head, and looking up in the sky. |
All at once he cried ‘‘Konk!†and sereed his wings. Away he
flew into the air. z
Far up in the sky Effie could just see a file of wild geese
sailing away. Konk flew after them and’ was soon lost to sight.
A TALK ON PEACOCKS. 209
UCAS was holding a number of peacock feathers. —
‘“‘Grandma,†said he, ‘they say ‘as proud as a pea-
cock.’ Are peacocks proud of their beauty?†_
“They appear to know they cannot but be admired,†grandma
"replied. “I have seen .one strut on a lawn with his arching neck
and long train, as if he would say, ‘See how fine I am.’ Then
raising and spreading his tail in wheel shape, he would turn in the
sun, making a rich display of his glossy plumage. One can count
twelve different colors and tints on these handsome birds.â€
“Can they sing?†Lucas inquired.
“You would not like to hear one try,†grandma assured him.
“‘A peacock’s voice is harsh and unpleasant to hear. He seems to
know that his feet are coarse, and to be always trying to hide
them. But one thing more in his favor is a crest of twenty-four
short, upright feathers; this gives him a smart look.†|
The boy smiled ahd was ready with another quéstion.
210 A TALK ON PEACOCKS.
“Have all the. tail- feathers spots such as these have, like
eyes?†and he waved the beautiful plumes.
“Yes,†said grandma, examining the bunch of plumes eee
her spectacles. ‘‘They are of different length, the outer ones being
shortest, so that when the tail is spread it is all spotted over with
these circlets, or eyes. But we are told that tame peacocks, beau-
PEACOCK.
tiful as they are, have not so brilliant colors as those in a wild
state.†oe
“Ola eesaidumloticas: “are there wild peacocks, and here in
America?†.
“The native country of peleodesi is South Asia and the East
Indies,†erandma told the boy, “They are also found in the islands
of Java and Ceylon. Hunters tell of seeing flocks of a hundred or
THE OLD GENERAL. ar
more that have come out of the woods to feed on the grass lands,
sometimes high up in the mountains. They choose their home near
a pond or lake. They are swift runners, but heavy flyers, and do
not rise much above the top of trees.†|
‘‘Are their nests in the trees? Could I raise some young pea-
cocks?†Lucas had begun to ask questions two at a time.
‘““The female fowl, the plain, brown peahen,†said grandma,
‘lays ten or twelve eggs on the ground, when she has drawn to-
gether a few sticks and straws. She sits on her eges thirty days.
You could raise some, if you were careful, but remember that even
the tame bird is shy and will forsake her nest if it is meddled with,
-even after her babies are hatched. At three months old a young
_ cock is known by his plumage, al-
though it is not until his third year
that his train is in its full glory.â€
LAVINIA S.. GOODWIN.
} . The Old General.
UR peacock lived to be
twenty-nine years
old. We called him.
«The Old General.†A gen-
eral is an officer in an army.
Officers wear very handsome
clothing, called their uniform.
The peacock had very showy and
_elegant feathers. Imagine a bird
having one or two hundred splendid
212 : THE OLD GENERAL.
feathers, some of them. three or four feet long. Was not that a
nice uniform for any bird?
The Old General had a very stately walk. He walked like a
soldier. Soldiers are drilled to have a nice, regular step. The
General had a fine military gait, and no one had to teach him. I
should like to see a sergeant drilling peacocks! It was a good
sight to see the Old General. marching and counter-marching.
THE OLD\GENERAL 319
And the way he strutted! When a peacock shows himself off,
he is a grand sight. He has the power of making all his longest
and finest feathers stand out like a great fan. Think of the love-
liest fan you have ever seen, and then imagine it much lovelier,
with rich colors, green, blue, yellow and so-.on, and full of what
we call ‘ceyes.†Then you will have some idea of the Old General
when he was in full uniform and on dress parade.
Mrs. General was plain, but very domestic, and ,brought the
children up well and carefully. There were several young people
in the General's family. I never heard of any disputing among them,
and so I think they must have had good parents and very nice
} bringing up. They looked as much like their parents as any chil-
_ dren I ever saw. The girls grew up exactly like their mother; and
_ the boys exactly like the General. I scarcely could tell mother
from daughter. And. as to the Old General, one of his sons grew
up to be so very much like him, that if the General had not been
wounded and shown it a little in his walk, I never could have told
father from son, or son from father. :
One day the Old General died. We were all very sorry. It
was like losing a favorite cat or dog. Poor old General! He
. would have been thirty years of age if he had lived just one year
more.
GIT D NST eo
= Ee = a
S55) A
ee
Be
waa ee i
THE SNIFE. jim BF 215,
The Snipe.
NIPE live upon worms. For this reason it has a very long,
straight, soft bill with which it can feel and easily feed.
The eyes are large and placed far back in the head, thus
helping the bird. to guard against danger while pushing its bill into
the mud for worms. The common. Snipe of Europe is about eleven
inches long; the bill almost three inches. When excited, the Snipe
will change its course several times in a zigzag ‘manner in the air, .
and will then dart off : “very fast. The young sportsman finds it a
hard bird to shoot. “
It makes its nest of dry herbage in a hole in the ground or in
a tuft of grass. It is often tamed and becomes free and easy with
those about, but it is hard to keep on account of the great amount.
of worms it requires for its food. A tame Snipe has been known
to eat nearly twice its weight in worms in twelve hours. This bird
is in great demand for the table, but, being hard to shoot, is caught
in snares in large numbers. The Woodcock is closely related to
the Snipe.
The Rails.
\HE Rail bird belongs to a large family of marsh birds. It
has a long slender bill, solid body, long and strong legs: ~
~ and short tail. |
This bird is oftenest found on the edge of lakes and rivers, but
- generally. keeps out of sight of man. It threads its way- among the
reeds, and when in water dives out of sight. It can fly but is very
216 1. LEE RATS ok
HIE
WA) ) Ze
A
Sa (ip
SBS a
=i
Wi inh \
RN v \
QQ
\ aq ) \
\ ) /
Uy NK e
.
GOLDEN RAIL.
awkward. It makes its nest of coarse grass, and’among thick water
plants. The Rail feeds on worms, snails and similar insects.
America has quite a number of different ‘kinds of Rail. All of
these are highly prized for the table.
The @aail.
HE Quail is found everywhere in North America, and is
sometimes called the Quail and sometimes the Partridge.
The color of its plumage is brownish-red, the under parts
whitish.
This bird is. able to raise the feathers of the head into a sort
LHESOGATI, “217 |
of a crest, which often looks like a crown. Its call sounds very
much like, ‘‘Ah, Bob White,†and is heard by all boys and girls
that ever visit the country. It is easily tamed, and great numbers
of them will sometimes mingle with the chickens in the barnyard.
Cc
ae i)
WE)
ae
THE QUAIL.
The flesh of this bird is excellent for food and great numbers.
are trapped and sold for that purpose. It is very rapid in its flight
and will take long and tiresome journeys. Its ‘favorite food is in-
sects, but it also feeds at times on grain and seeds. The Quail is
an excellent mother, and often takes’ care of other birds that are
left orphans,
The Pheasant.
HE Pheasant is a bird similar to the turkey and. grouse.
“It 1s of splendid plumage, the head and neck being steel
blue, reflecting ‘brown, green. and: purple in different lights;
the back and wings exhibit a fine mixture of orange-red, black,
brown and _ light. ‘yellow. The breast ~is golden-red, while each
feather is mixed with black and “reflects - tints of gold and purple.
The whole length is about three feet, of which the al often meas-
ures two feet. eae
The nest is made on the ground and consists of a rude heap.
of grasses, in which eleven or twelve olive-brown eggs are laid.
The eggs are often | removed by the game-keeper and hatched by
hens.
They: roost in trees at no great height from the ground; on
this account hunters can easily capture them by burning sulphur
below. The shrewd farmer watches this and sometimes nails a tees
dozen wooden pheasants to the branches of the trees which deceives
_thé hunter and protects the bird.
PET DOVES
220 THE DOVE.
‘Toward fall, these birds gradually lay aside the’ old feathers.
and take on new. Then they do not roost in trees but spend the
night on the ground. It is at this time that they fall a ready prey
to foxes.
The Dove.
HE Dove isawon- _.
derful cute little
creature, found in
nearly all parts of the world. ~
In the parks of our large
cities dove houses are. al-
ways surrounded by admir-
ing little folks. |
'. There are several vari- _ ;
eties. One is called the Ring-Dove; it has @ ringlet of dark feath-
ers around the neck which gives it its name. Another is the Turtle- ;
Dove. Turtle-Doves are noted for their soft and gentle yet loud
cooing. This attracts even more attention than the plumage and
makes them a favorite subject of allusion in poetry.
Turtle-Doves are common in. Palestine, the boyhood home of
Jesus. This bird is probably the one alluded to in the Sone a
‘Solomon. ;
Doves make Poe pets, and, if happy, hen cooing resounds:
throughout the whole house. The mother Dove is fond of her
babies and from her nest teaches them to ‘‘coo†and fly. There
is also the Mourning Dove which makes a sort of low, plaintive
sound.
Don’t be frightened—here’s a treat,
I will wait, and see you eat.
THE CHRISTMAS ‘TURKEY.
TAB VCE RIST MAS TURKEY.
“My son,†said Mistress Fox,
“You're clumsy as an ox.
"Tis almost Christmas time,
The merry bells will chime;
But we may starve,
While Dobbs will carve
A fine fat turkey on his table ;
Go, bring that bird, if you are able.
You are so lazy,
For play so crazy;
No game you ever brought,
No chicken ever caught,
For Christmas or Thanksgiving,
Or for our daily living.â€
Young Foxy felt quite sad,
When called a clumsy lad,
And just at night,
With all his might,
He ran to Farmer Dobbs’ yard, .
And found the turkey off his guard.
Without a word
He choked -the bird; [ back,
Then proudly -slung him on his
And took for home the shortest
track. [no ox;
“Good boy, my son! You are
said Mistress
“T’m proud of you,â€
Box,
“Of name and fame you are the
winner,
And we have got our Christmas
dinner ; men
While panes Dobbs and his three
Must dine upon an ancient hen.â€
“4S —ARTHUR M, DRAKE,
THE LAZY PUSSY. . 223
“THE LAZY PUSSY.
There lives a good-for-nothing cat, Or climb around and pull her tail,
So lazy it appears, And boldly scratch her ‘nose.
That chirping birds can safely come. at 5 ee
And light upon her ears. _ Fine servants brush her silken coat
aid And give her cream for tea ;—
And rats and mice can venture out —S»- Yet she’s a good-for-nothing cat,
To nibble at her toes, As all the world may see.
224 RUFF-NECKED PIGEON.
Raff-Necked Pigeon.
ID you ever see | \en
a Ruff-Necked
Pigeon? When
Josie was six years old
her Aunt Margaret
brought her one, and
Josie named him Billy.
He had a ring of feath- “=
ers round his neck which
looked like the collars
we see in old pictures.
Aunt Margaret cut
the ends off the long feathers on Billy’s left wing, so that when he
tried to fly he went round and round, but could not get over the
fence. By and by the feathers grew out long again, and then Billy
flew up on Mr. Davidson’s barn, and would not let the children
catch him any more.
Mr. Davidson has chickens, and Billy flies down and helps
them eat the crumbs and scraps that are thrown out to them every
day. But he did something worse than this last summer; the chick-
ens had a pan of fresh water every day to drink, but Billy would
fly down and bathe in the pan. Was not he a bold fellow?
A DDE —_t-
THE PIGEON. 225
— The Pigeon.
HE Pigeon is very much like the common barnyard fowls.
It is found in almost all parts of the world. It sometimes
builds its nest in trees and sometimes in holes of rocks;
it lays but two eggs at a time but hatches them twice a year.
The bird is almost always a bluish-gray mixed with green and
purple. It has two broad bars of black across the closed wings.
The Ring-Dove is found over a great part of Europe, and its soft,
loud cgo is one of the pleasant signs of coming spring. The Pigeon
can do great harm to grain fields and cause the farmers trouble if
there are many in the neighborhood. They are fine food for the
table, but being shy they cannot easily be taken by sportsmen.
ee Te 3 £
SAS
226 _THE CARRIER PIGEON.
Double-Crested Pigeon is noted for its crest, which is divided into
two parts, one on the back of the head and one on the forehead.
The Carrier Pigeon.
HESE faithful birds are largely employed to take messages
from one place to another. They were of great use be-
fore the invention of the electric telegraph, and are even
now kept in many countries for this. purpose.:
THE CARRIER PIGEON. oe 227
The method devised is this: A letter is written on a piece of
paper and fastened under the neck. The feet are then bathed in
vinegar to keep them cool lest the bird should stop on the way in
quest: of water, in which case the letter might get injured. These
“CARRIER PIGEON.
birds have been known to fly two hundred and fifty miles in a
single hour, although the usual rate is fifty miles.
The instinct which guides the Pigeon to return to its home,
like most other instincts, has never been explained. It is generally
supposed, though, that the power of sight helps them out. These
birds are trained when young. They are taken short distances from
home and then let loose. The distance is gradually increased.
In the Turkish country more than any other part of the world,
these birds have been intrusted with important messages both in
affairs of war and commerce.
228
PRETTY CHICKS.
9
COME HERE
+ oe
a_i PART VII. gin
FLY CATCHER.
a STRANGE BIRDS. @
Ghe blessing
of the Gord,
it maketh
rich, — prov x
THE OSTRICH. 231
The Ostrich.
‘The Largest Living Bird.
y LL who read these stories must have heard of that beautiful
bird called the Ostrich. It is proud, happy and contented.
It cannot fly but its speed in running is very great.
God has made their ool strong and long, almost as solid as
those of a horse: ;
_The feet have only two toes; the wings are short and when
running are of great use. The Ostrich is the largest of any bird
now living. The colors are black and white.
Formerly these birds were found in the sand deserts of Arabia
but there are now several in America.
The writer visited an Ostrich farm, in 1894, in southern Cali-
fornia, and there saw these beautiful birds; ‘saw how they were
raised,. how their feathers were gathered, and made ready for the
market. Their legs are very strong and one ‘blow from the foot
will often kill a dog or even a larger animal. ‘It has also a keen
sight and can see at a great distance. :
The Ostrich feeds upon grasses and seeds of all kinds; it is °
not very particular about its food and will often swallow grains of
sand and sometimes even pieces of stone, brick, iron, or anything
that comes in its way. ae
Like the camel that lives in the desert it can go without water
for many days at a time. Its strength is so great that it can carry
two men upon its back. It has a deep hollow voice which sounds |
- something like the roar of a lion; it also makes a kind of cackling,
and when enraged hisses loudly.
OSTRICH HUNT.
The eggs weigh about three pounds each and are So large that
it would take two dozen of our hen’s eggs to equal one of these
i ae
: FEEDING THE CHICKENS.
THE AUSTRALIAN FLOWER-PICKER. 236
Sil ee ne pen ee are miner aC mums Late eee
eggs in weight. In Africa the shell of the egg is often used as a
water bottle or jug.
On ‘Ostrich farms these birds are raised almost exclusively for
the plumes. These are sold for high prices, and are used chiefly
for decorating hats and bonnets. These can be taken from the
living birds without injury to them.
We hope that some day all who read this story will be able
to visit southern California and there note the habits and life of
this bird. | |
The Aastrattan Flower-Dicker.
OMETIMES a person standing beneath one of the great
trees growing upon the bank of a creek or river, where
these birds are to be found, will hear a pretty warbling
song, unlike. any he ever -heard elsewhere; but unless he
knows the habits of the bird and isa skillful hunter, he can scarcely
hope to catch a glimpse of the singer. .
The nest of the Flower-Picker is very beautiful; it is made of the
cotton-like linings of the seed-pods of Australian shrubs and is per-
- fectly white, so that, as it swings in the breeze, it looks like a
snowball hanging on some wild ,vine or Sn plant.
One of these nests was found in a tree that was cut down.
Ail the nestlings but one were killed by the fall.
| Mr. Motley, who tells us all we know of the bird, took the one
little bird that was left alive, and succeeded by great care in -bring-
ing it up, feeding it first on rice and bananas. As soon as it was
strong enough it was placed in a small cage. Although very rest-
less, it was quite tame and fearless, and would sit upon. the finger
THE AUSTRALIAN FLOWER-PICKER.
ut | is
lity
AUSTRALIAN FLOWER-CATCHER.
without trying to fly away; and although its whole body, feathers |
and all, might have been shut up in-a walnut, it would peck at a
finger held out to it with great fierceness,
QUEER PETS. ee
EMU.
@Oaeer Pets.
N the distant wilds of northern Australia the sheep-farmers and
cattle-owners make many queer friends. E
One of the queerest pets was a big, homely bird. It was an |
Emu, a bird looking somewhat like an ostrich, about five feet tall.
wt
238 ; A BIRD WITHOUT WINGS.
One would not think this queer-looking bird would ‘be so full
of fun, but there seemed to be nothing too mischievous for Billy to
do. Round and round in the paddock he would chase the horses,
and seemed to think it rare sport. 5
Sometimes he made a great deal of trouble when the cattle
were driven into the stockyard. He would rush up at just the
moment when the cattle were the most easily frightened. His wings —
were outstretched and the cattle would run away in every direction,
and a day’s work of the cattlemen would. be lost.
Billy was a thief, too. He would stand and watch near the
kitchen window very patiently. As soon as the cook’s back was
turned, he would reach in with his long neck and eat whatever was
within reach. One day Billy stole a boiling-hot potato. It was'a
long time after this before Billy went near the kitchen again.
A Bird Without Wings.
P BIRD that is absurd enough to have no wings ought prop-
erly to be called by an absurd name. The natives of
New Zealand, where this bird lives, seemed to understand
this; for they call it ‘‘Kiwi-Kiwi.†The Kiwi-Kiwi, like very many
odd animals, was not plentiful when first discovered, and becomes
more and more rare as the years go by. :
Want of wings is not its only peculiarity. It is odd in almost
all of its features, as well as in many of its habits. Its feathers
are not like ordinary feathers. The quill is short and when pulled
out the down will often cover the bird completely.
It has apologies for wings, curved claws, and as for thé tail,
“the Kiwi-Kiwi has none at all, not so much as an apology even.
on
A BIRD WITHOUT WINGS. 239
One might
think that such
an uncouth bird
would escape
the pursuit of
men, but it is
not so. It hasa
very thick, tough
skin, and for this
the New Zea-
lander hunts it.
As there have always been very few Kiwi-Kiwi, and those few ex-
ceedingly hard to find, it follows naturally that the skins are very
KIWI-KIWI.
scarce, and consequently highly prized.
' The bird only goes forth at night, and as it confines itself to
marshy grounds, it is difficult to find. When found, it being ex-
tremely fleet of foot, is hard to kill or capture. It lays a monstrous
egg in proportion to its size. The bird is about two feet in height,
and weighs about four pounds. _
The food of the Kiwi-Kiwi is principally worms and beetles,
and nature has furnished it with proper tools for finding its food.
If its food were strewn on the ground ready for eating, all the
Kiwi-Kiwi would need would be good eyes to see with. But its
food is deep down in the soft earth, and it needs a long bill to reach
it. But now his eyes arc 50 far away, and above ground at that,
that they are of no use in such a case. Nature, to remedy. this’
evil, has placed a good pair of nostrils at the end of the long bill
- to do the work that eyes would do on a short bill. It smells a
worm instead of seeing it, as most of jae other animals do.â€
240 SOME STRANGE BIRDS.
SOME STRANGE BIRDS. cen
Tuere is a bird that knows
. how to sew so well that it is
called the tailor-bird. Look
at this queer nest, which is
hidden in the leaves all
sewed together.
Perhaps you wonder where
it gets its thread. Even that = -
it makes from the fine cotton
on the back of the cotton-
plant, which it spins into a
thread with its delicate bill
and little feet. When it is.
all ready to sew, it makes
holes through the leaves
with. its small bill, and then
sews them nicely together. —
r-- Some birds, like the wood-
pecker, use their bills to drill
holes in the trees, to get at
worms and insects, which
they eat. You can hear the
sound of this little instru-
ment a good ways off. It
is like many knocks, one
after the other.
I will tell you of one
other, and this is a strange-
looking bird. It really has —
no wings, but such a long
bill, which it uses, like alt
the others, for gathering its. -
food, — insects and worms.
But it has a stranger use
—— than that, for it makes a cane of it.
THE GARDEN BIRD. a 241
The Garden Bird.
N New Guinea there is a bird which not only builds a house,
but has a garden, too. He is known by the name of Garden
Bird.
This is a strange habit for a bird, is it not? Perhaps our little
ones would be pleased to see how the bird house and garden look.
If so, here is a picture of them.
When he is going to build, the Garden Bird first looks for a
level spot of ground which has a shrub in the center. Then he
‘is }
aN
covers the hesior of the stem of this shrub with a heap of moss.
Why he does this I can not tell you. No doubt he thinks it looks
fine.
242 THE UMBRELLA BIRD.
Next he brings some long twigs from other plants. These he-
sticks into the ground, so that they lean against his shrub. On
one side he leaves a place open for a door. The twigs keep on
erowing, so that his little cabin is like a bower. -
‘Last of all, in front of the door this dainty bird makes a pretty
lawn of moss. He carefully picks out every pebble and bit of straw.
Then, upon this lawn he scatters purple berries and “pink flowers.
As often as the flowers wilt he takes them away, and brings fresh
ones. | |
Now, this is quite a large house and garden for a bird. The
little cabin is sometimes three feet wide, and half as high. slaitene
iS plenty of room in it for two or three families, if need be: and
‘the garden is larger than the house. So busy and tasty a bird as
the Garden Bird ought to be a good example for idle children.
The people of New Guinea think so ‘much of him that they
never molest his little dwelling. .
You may like to know how this little bird gardener is dressed.
In modest colors, you may be sure. The top of his head, his back,
his wings and tail are olive-brown, and beneath he is greenish red.
He is about as large as a thrush or blackbird.
W. H. W. CAMPBELL.
The Umbretla Bird.
O YOU think he carries an umbrella, this bird from Australia,
|) because he is called so? Oh, no! But he does carry over
his head a sort of helmet of feathers, which answers for one.
It is more than two inches in length when it is spread.
These pretty, hairy plumes, curved gracefully at the end, cover
THE UMBRELLA BIRD. | 243
the head of this pretty bird all over, even going beyond the beak.
Each one-stands out just as you have often seen the downy seeds
of the dandelion.
This curious bird is as black as a raven in body. The edges
°
of the wings are tipped with glossy blue. He is only the size of.
the jay, but his wonderful crest makes him unlike any other bird,
big or little,
244. THE WEAVER BIRD..
Shouldn’t you think any bird might be proud of such a royal
covering? And yet the Umbrella Bird has another gift, in a sort of
fan on his breast. A large, hanging tassel of feathers grows from
a sort of quill of flesh. When this is spread, it is just like a fan,
and covers the whole front of his body. — stad
Did you ever hear of a bird before that carries a fan and um-
brella all ready for use?
These birds are seldom seen, because they live on the highest
branches of the fruit trees where they get their living. But their
cry is often heard. It has so deep a sound that the Indians call
them ‘‘ trumpet Birds.†:
~The Weaver Bird.
OST children have seen the pretty cup-like nests our little
M birds make in the hedges, but I do not suppose you
would éver guess that the curious things hanging to the
end of the branch in the picture are nests also, yet such they are.
They are the homes of the African Weaver Bird, the smartest archi-
tect of the feathered world.
The nest is placed in the hollow at the bottom of the bulb-like
part attached to the tree. The long tube going down so near the
water is not made until the nest is finished. When the bird gets
into its house it has to alight on the outside and then creep down
the tube till it gets to the opening at the bottom, then it creeps
up inside. Perhaps you wonder why this little bird puts such a ©
troublesome sort of entrance to its house. ‘But God has taught
these little birds to build just in the way that is best for them, and
FLYING-FISH. | bye
THE WEAVER BIRD.
to put it in the safest place, for in Africa there are many monkeys
and snakes which would take the eggs or young birds and eat them,
but in these nests they are safe.
/ Ping Tish.
ANY of the boys and girls who read this book have, no
doubt, either read or heard stories about the wonderful
Flying Fish. |
We cannot call these queer creatures birds, even though they
have wings, because they are more at home in water than in the
air, and could not live long out of the water. |
It is funny, though, to notice how they will fly up out of the
water and skim along for yards just above the surface of the water,
darting in and out as ‘they catch a bug, insect, or even small birds,
246 THE FLY CATCHER.
of which they are very fond. Frequently when on board a ship ©
and especially down in the southern seas, hundreds of these cunning |
FLYING FISH.
little winged fish can be.seen skipping along as if playing hide and
seek, a game which even ‘boys and girls delight in.
The Fly Catcher.
HIS is by no means a common bird, and as it destroys many
noxious insects, it is looked upon with a friendly eye, though
it is uncouth.and unmusical. Art
It has a harsh, frog-like scream, form and manners to suit, and
THE FLY CATCHER | 247
THE FLY CATCHER.
is clad in a suit of butternut brown. It seeks a cast-off. snakeskin
to weave into its nest, and not finding one, will take an onion skin,
a piece of oiled paper, or large fish scales.
A pair built a nest in a large, hollow limb in an old apple’
tree where I was once visiting.
I looked into the cavity one day while the mother bird was
on the nest, but before she had laid any eggs. A sudden explosive
248 | THE FLV CATCHER.
sound came up out of the dark depths of the limb, much like that
made by an alarmed cat. It made me jerk my head back, when
out came the bird and hurried off.
For several days I saw no more of the pair, and feared they
had deserted the spot. But they had not; they were only more sly
than usual. I soon discovered an egg in the nest, and then another
and another. . ; .
These in time were hatched, and, like the parents, fed upon
flies and other insects. .
: WASHINGTON’'S BIRD. — 2S
Washington’s Bird
F all our birds of passage the
Pewee is the pioneer. He is
usually present by the twenty-
second of February, and so he has re-
ceived the name of Washington’s bird.
It seems to me there is something
in Pewee’s character which merits the
name bestowed upon him. He certainly
possesses courage and hardihood, for he
is willing to breast the boisterous winds
250 _ WASHINGTON’S BIRD.
of March, and to sing upon leafless boughs. Most birds do not
return until the leaves are about one-third grown.
If the weather be- sunshiny and pleasant, Pewee helps honor —
Washington's birthday with the cheerful carol, ‘‘Pee wee, pee wee!â€
If it proves to be bleak and drear, he sounds oe plaintive lay,
SONG a eee Lc mec To Nee ee
Washington’s bird is a plain, brown little creature with a yellow- -
ish tinge. It does not build its nest in trees, but.prefers old bridges,
mills, or eaves. A pair of birds always consult in reference to the
selection of the best place for a nest. Madame never gives in to
Mr. Pewee, and if. there is a difference of opinion, a new site is :
selected which is agreeable to both. | .
‘‘Birds in their little nests agree, †but it is after the “tiff†j
over. The nest is made of grass, mud and moss, and has a soft
lining of hair and silky grasses. The eggs are pure white, spotted
with red, so that at least two of the national colors appear, as is
proper on the part of so patriotic a bird. 7
There. is a peculiarity about the Pewee, noticed by the poet
Lowell. He is the first bird to pipe in the early morning, but
always preludes his song with a slender whistle, unheard at any
other time. It is said, too, that his song grows more melancholy
toward autumn. Let us fancy that it is ‘because he is soon to leave
‘the human friends to whom he has become attached by building ~
his nest for many years in or near the same spot.
This affection for people may also account for his early return,
in which case it is clear that so intelligent and devoted a bird
deserves this name of honor—Washington’s bird.
QUEER STORIES ABOUT THE >
FEATHERED KINGDO}
252 A GOOD EXAMPLE.
A GOOD EXAMPLE.
lise ey & “¢ SPANGLE-NECK, Spangle-neck, where
a will you lay
yoo Your pretty white ege this lovely
day?â€
“Off in the bushes, where: Il may, —
Off in the grasses, —there [ll lay.†»
“ FWeather-leg, feather-leg, where do you go
To lay. your smooth egg, as white as snow?â€
“Dear little master, where I go,
Only my mistress, sir, must know.â€
“ Rosy-comb, Rosy-comb, tell me, I pray,
Why do you cackle when you lay?â€
“Tt’s been our rule, this many a day,
Always to cackle when we lay.â€
“Silver-bill, Silver-bill, how do yow tell
To sit and hatch so true and so well?â€
“ Ask Mother Hen, Miss Belle,
How we learned it all so well.â€
“Mother Hen, Mother Hen, before you go
To your roost this evening, I'd like to know.â€
“They saw me do it; and that, you know,
Is a good deal better than talking so.â€
_R W. LOWRIE.
DICKY’S. TRUE STORY. 283
oe
Dichy’s Trae Story.
E were just nicely settled for our twilight talk when little
Dick ‘said: .
“Mamma, I will tell you a story to-night, and it
shall be a true one.†-
“That will be a nice change,†said I; and so with my arms
tight round my dear Dicky, he told me his story.
The Story..
“Once there was a nice housé—a big, white one, just like our
house, mamma. |
‘ ‘In the yard of this house was a great, big bed of strawberries-
%
Ae
254 - DICKY’S TRUE STORY.
“Just back of the yard was an apple orchard.
‘In one of the trees was a bird's nest, where a nice, beautiful
catbird lived, with all her children. :
“One day the best little bird was sick, and the mother-bird
laid her head down close to the child-bird’s feathers and said:.
‘Dear birdie, I am going to get you a bright red strawberry
to cool your mouth, and cure your fever.’
.
“Then birdie tucked his poor aching head under his wing, and
waited patiently. .
‘‘After a long, long time, mamma-bird.came back, but there
was no bright red strawberry in her mouth.
““The poor sick bird was so disappointed he could scarcely
chirp.
“His mother told him how she had been scared away by. the
DICKY’S TRUE STORY. ; 255
house cat, who wanted to eat her, and by the watch-dog, who
would have shaken her to pieces if he could have caught her.
Then, when they were gone, she watched until the folks got through
picking berries, and they went away, all but one ugly old thing
that did not really look like a man, but had a coat Burl amlave vemeet mca
waved its arms so that she did not dare to go near. .
“The poor child-bird was so grieved he cried out:
«JT did not think folks was so awful mean that they would not
~ let us have one berry!’
“‘Mother-bird sat on the edge of the nest and cried, too.â€
You said it was a true story, Dick,†said I, as Dicky nestled
his head closer on my shoulder.â€
“So it is, mamma; I ‘saw the poor bird come and watch a
long time, and I saw her go back, and I know that was the
trouble.â€
“What nen, Dist il asked.
“T thought if you knew, mamma, you would take away that
horrid scarecrow. My mamma is not so stingy she would not let
the poor birds have a few berries.†:
“No, darling,’ I answered; ‘‘we will take him away to-mor-
row.
So tender-hearted Dicky boy was happy.
256 FOXES ANu OTHER THIEVES. ©
Poxes and Other Thieves. |
A Trae Story.
VERY farm has its henroost and its barnyard which are of
much interest to young and old. At night chickens are
shut up in the different boxes made on purpose to keep
them safe from foxes and other animals that like to feed on young,
tender chickens.. Even pet dogs have been known to feast on them.
Sometimes, though, shutting them up in boxes does not prevent
their disappearance. There are often other thieves besides foxes,
I remember well what happened over in Michigan once. -A good,
sturdy farmer had a henroost filled with fat chickens, and during |
the night a noise was heard among the chickens, It did not last :
FOXES AND OTHER THIEVES. 287
long, so but little attention was paid to it. The next morning,
though, six of the nicest pullets and two fine roosters were missing.
ie The farmer set a watch the following night, and after waiting until
everybody was in bed, there was a slow, stealthy step heard, and
then in the darkness a man was seen coming nearer and nearer the
henroost. Not thinking that a trap had been set for him, the thief
approached and was just in the act of catching a fowl, wh enhe
was startled by a hand which was laid upon his shoulder. He
broke and ran, but never visited Farmer Hubbell’s henroost again.
@
MR. ROOSTER,
aS
BOBBIE’S DINNER PARTY. — 259
BOBBIE'S DINNER PARTY.
BY EDITH E, CUTHELL,
a prby. Sou. : HE birds never Shew now much they
1 D aS =i : owed to Bobbie's bad cold all through
I SSS , : the pI OUE terribly’ hard winter:
HE NAS Poor Bobbie! it 4ad been such a
Ss very†bad cold! Mother and nurse had
poulticed him; they had set him night after
_ night with his feet in hot water, and piled
|} the clothes on him in bed. ‘They had got
{), up at intervals all ‘through. the night to keep
Mi the fire up, while as for the cough mixtures, ©
‘and cough lozenges, and drops he had been
J ao } ff made to swallow, why, Bobbie declared he
LL : Geese = might have set up a chemist’s shop wih them,
SSS and made a fortune.
Of course it is all -very well to laugh over the inconveniences
which you have had to put up with when’ you are up and dressed
again, and allowed about in any room where there’s a fire, provided
you put a shawl over your head as you go across the cold passages;
and Bobbie was nearly well now—so. well that mother began to hint
at lessons (only Bobbie declared reading made him: One 2 well
that he really thought he might be allowed out. j
But not everybody agreed about. that; no going out for Bobbie
while the frost was still about, the skies eke and’ tHe bitter east:
os wind blowing in every exposed place.
260 BOBBIE’S DINNER PARTY.
Bobbie, who, it must be confessed, had grown somewhat spoiled
and fretful during his illness, declared it was worse than to be in bed,
being kept indoors. He was tired of everything—tired of all his new oc
Christmas books and toys, tired of making scrap-books (though pasting
zs such delightful messy work), tired of this and that and the other,
till mother and nurse were at their wits’ end to amuse him.
I don’t know exactly who first started the idea, but it was a grand,
and most successful one. Bobbie sent out cards of invitation to say he
% was going to have a dinner party, and would
be delighted to see visitors; and didn’t the
' previously engaged, or absent, or unavoid- , :
ably prevented. ‘
But first, what were the cards?
The cards, like some of the sugar orna-
ments you find on Christmas trees, or put
in your stockings by Santa Claus, were
good to eat.
“SITTING, ON THE
BRANCH They were bits of bread, ne and
crusts left at breakfast; remains of cold
potatoes, and scraps of meat from the plates at dinner, and they were
laid on the gravel walk in front of the nursery window. a
This was also the guests’ dining-room, and by ‘this time you
have probably guessed who Bobbie's guests were.
The sparrows were the first to arrive, for they lived nearest, and
they are such greedy birds. But they managed to pick up a nice meal
before they were startled and frightened away by the appearance Olea
great mottled thrush and a blackbird, who had been foraging’ unsuccess-
fully for worms on the hard frozen lawn. And to spite them one of
visitors just flock in response! No,one was _~
- BOBBIE’S DINNER PARTY. 56:
the sparrows went and told a pair of yellow-hammers who cowered
half-starved under the garden hedge, and they did not need to be
told twice. The thrush and the blackbird were condescending enough
to let them into the feast, and Bobbie was so pleased by the pretty
yellow birds that he clapped his hands behind the nursery window,
and got nurse to
throw out some
more pieces.
When
‘the mo-
mentary
excite-
ment
caused
o by this
i had sub-
sided it was
_ found that the party
had been increased by a robin, whose
red waistcoat gave a pretty touch of
color to the group, like the
presence of a soldier in a crowd.
ee ~ Nobody minded the robin coming— —
il ‘HUNTING AnOUT FOR Flaws†they xe such little gentlemen’; and
Bobbie laughed again, for he knew that the robin would |
sing grace when the banquet was over.
Everybody was busily engaged in eating, and Bobbie, behind the
window, was hardly daring to breathe, for fear he should disturb
them, when a plucky little titmouse flew up, and pounced on a piece
262 BOBBIE’S DINNER PARTY.
of meat that had fallen on the very window sill, just under Bobbie’s nose.
The other birds stared, and some hearts went pit-a-pat, while the
thrush remarked— oe
“What impudence to be sure! Just like those tits; they’re not
afraid of anything!â€
But Bobbie said, “Oh! there’s a dear tiny blue-cap come. I’m
so glad! We've all the colors now—yellow, and red, and blue.â€
**A4 COSY_NEST BUILT IN THE STEM OF AN
OLD TREE,â€
The reason why the tit arrived
rather late on the scene was this. :
The keeper, all this hard weather, had-been feeding the pheasants in
. their pens with maize. Mr. Tit had watched the proceeding, and no
sooner was the keeper’s back turned than he made up his mind to share
their plenty. He tried and he tried—and, yes—he could just squeeze
through the holes in the wire netting. No wonder the other and
larger birds felt jealous as they watched him inside boldly seizing a
grain of maize from among the pheasants, and flying with it on to one
of their perches, hold it with one claw, while he dug into it with
his sharp beak, and got at the soft inside.
BOBBIE’S DINNER PARTY. | 263
But then you see the tit came of a clever family, who had been -
brought up to use their wits.
He had been hatched in such a cosy nest, built in the stem of an
old tree. For his mother, bold as she was, liked a quiet place away
from houses for her nest. She made it oval, and entirely closed,
except at-one side, where she left a doorway just large enough for her.
to get in and out at. She lined it with soft feathers, and then she
laid twelve little tiny eggs in it. .
_ And. then, when the twelve little brothers and sisters ‘were hatched,
she foraged for them bravely, sometimes hanging head downward,
chasing an unlucky beetle along the bark, sometimes twisting off a
~ tender green bud to secure a caterpillar which she saw lurking within,
and sometimes pecking away at a piece of loose bark and extracting
an unwary spider, who had incautiously left one of NE. hind_ legs
peeping out of his: hiding-place.
One day, while she was thus engaged, and. ‘the father tit was
away pulling straws out of the thatch of a neighboring cottage to
get at the flies concealed among them, there was a terrible commotion -
in the nest. Two boys, bent on birds’ -nesting, had their suspicions
that there was something in the stem of the old tree.
“Come on, am give usa leg up! I do believe it’s a ‘ Billy- piers
nest !â€
The twelve little tits shuddered, for such, their mother had told
them, was their nickname among their mortal enemies, boys. :
But our little friend, braver than the rest, hopped out on to.
a bough unseen, and called to his mother. In an instant she returned,
and none too soon. . i
Presently a horny red hand appeared, investigating the entrance
to the nest. But Mrs. Tit was equal to the occasion. |
264 _ BOBBIE’S DINNER PARTY.
Emitting a low, angry hiss, like that of a snake, she followed it
up by a sharp peck with her brave little beak.
The hand, with its owner, dropped promptly to the ground.
“Hulloa! Sam, I dursn’t try there agin! There’s a snake in that
hole; I heerd it hiss!â€
“Some of the family had another narrow escape when they were
a little older. Our friend was sitting on the branch of a pine tree,
while one of his brothers was eines by his claws on a twig below.
_ Suddenly, down the branch
crept one of their relations, but
a relation of whom they stood
in great awe, who was like the
uncle of the babes in the wood.
It was one of the “great.
tit - mouse†family. He was
hunting about for: flies on a
pine cone, digging his beak
into the bark. Ah! it was a
cruel, sharp jaeil It was in
“OUR LITTLE FRIEND . . . HOPPED OUT on TO ‘A BoucH.†vain the gardener gave him a
good character with regard to his fruit trees, and did not waste his
powder on him, only on “ them nasty thieving little bluecaps,†there
was not a bird-mother in all the country round who did not chirrup
with dread when she saw his little black head near her callow brood.
But our little friend warned his swinging brother in time, and
_ they both flew off into safety. a
Nevertheless, not all the little ones were reared, The gardener
shot some so effectually that only a little tuft of blue feathers on the
garden walk was left to tell the tale. One was cruelly captured in.
BOBBIE’S DINNER PARTY. eee0
_a little cage with a spring fastened to the bait, .g while a
little prisoner bluecap sat in another cage under yy neath, an
unwilling, helpless decoy. D
As for our friend, I believe he would have yy been starved to
death in the frost but for his discovering ~ the. pheasants’
maize, and then there came Bobbie’s © dinner party.
Ofcourse he let all his relations b/ know, and the tits
““THE OLD BIRDS FEEDING ‘111k
SIX YOUNG ONEs,â€
came in numbers, But picking up food off the ground was not exactly
in their line. They preferred it served any other way. It was all very
266 BOBBIE’S DINNER PARTY.
So Bobbie’s mother very cleverly devised a pleasant surprise for.
them the next time they came to dine with Bobbie. Hung from the.
branch of a tree in front of the nursery window they found swings.
These were bits of string, and at the ends were fastened little pieces.
of meat. : estas,
The tits were quite happy now. No other birds could come near
them in their gymnastic performances. — ae
The chaffinch, with a ‘twink, twink !†of envy, flew down and
stood on the ground See waiting humbly: for the. ‘crumbs the
tits let fall. . 2
Once a great big rook flew ‘down from the elm trees, with an
alarming “caw!†and carried off meat and string and all. We hope the
string agreed with him.
But the acrobatic tits clung with their flexible claws to the string, .
and swung to and fro in the frosty air, pecking the while at the
‘dainty morsel. ts vs
Bobbie was almost sorry when the mild weather came, and with it
the end of the delight of watching the tits on their swings.
But our little friend. was not sorry. When the spring came he
took a dainty little wife, and built an eleuent and elaborate little nest _
in the hedge in ‘the paddock. —
Bobbie found it one day, and, all. unaware that it ‘belonged to Me
winter visitor, stole under a bush, and watched the old birds feeding
the six young ones, while in his mind he promised these latter that
they should have swings next winter too.
ae
THE NEST IN THE MAIL-BOX. 267
THE NEST IN THE MAIL-BOX.
We had to fasten-a-box for our mail on the gate-post, because the
* postman is afraid of our dog,
and will not come into the
yard. Last summer two little
bluebirds made a cunning nest
- right in that box.
The mamma bird laid five
tiny eggs; and sat on them,
letting the postman drop the
letters on her. Every morning
and evening the rene put in
the paper. —
Papa bird broushe! her worms, and
mamma, sister, and I used to watch him..
He would never go in the box while we
looked on, and when we
walked away he would drop
down quick as a flash.
_By and by there were five
little birds in the nest.. We jf
thought the letters and papers
would surely kill them. But
they did not; the birds grew
finely. Their mouths: were
always wide open. One day
I put some fine crumbs in
the nest thinking they would
like to eat. I wish you could
have seen mamma bird. She
flew. round and round, actingâ€
268 THE NEST IN THE MAIL-BOX.
as if crazy. Finally she began taking out fae tiny crumbs one by
one, until the last one was thrown
away. I had seen pictures of chil-
dren feeding crumbs to birds,
thought it the right thing to
surely it was not the food
needed. For several weeks
we watched them, and saw.
them grow.
We wanted to see the
mamma teach them to fly.
But they all left suddenly.
nest was empty one day, and we.
could never tell our birds from the
others in the yard. I brought the
nest into the house and kept it all
winter. We wondered if we should
‘see the little birds again the next
year. .
At the opening of spring we
watched closely, and sure enough
the bluebirds did come again, and built a mea in the same box,
This time they made a better founda-
tion, raised the nest higher up, lined it
with horse-hair, and put it in one corner
of the box. Then the mamma bird laid
five little eggs, and we and ee were
happy- .
One day we mared an egg. The
next day another was gone, and then —
another, until only one was left. We
found that some bad boys had dis-
\ covered the nest and were stealing all
A\ the egos. Finally the boys took the
_last one; then we felt so sorry, and
monet we should see the birds 1 no
HOW PAUL AND MOLLIE FED THE BIRDS. — 269
more, But they did not give up. They at once tore to pieces the
old nest, and built a new one in another corner. Four more little
eggs were laid in it. The bad boys took two of those out. Then
papa and I locked the:box. I- thought the mamma bird might be ,
so frightened she would not want to stay on the nest. But she did
stay; and now we have two little baby birds which open their
- mouths wide and “squirm whenever we raise the cover of the box. 7;
al wonder if Any. other little: boy. has such cunning pets.
. BERTIE CASTLE,.
How Paat and Mollie Fed the Birds.
\ HE’ snow whirled through the air one winter morning, and
massed in huge drifts upon the pavements.
| “Oh, dear!†exclaimed little Paul Cay. sit ‘SnOWS sO
fast we cam not go out-doors. What shall we do, Mollie?†-
“We ll feed the birds,†said Mollie, ‘‘Papa said we ought. to
give them crumbs every day.†ee
‘‘Where'll we get crumbs?â€
“Jane will give us some bread. We mustn't ‘distin mamma,
to a
Paul. Papa said we must be very amet.
“Let's get some bread now,†said Paul. ~So down to the
‘kitchen the children ran. | . - ae .
“Bread?†said Jane. : “It's nee for making bread for birds I
: hired. "
“Papa said to a them,
‘Go to the chist, thin, an’ git some,†said Jane, rather crossly.
Back to the playroom hurried the children, and opened | a window
and brushed away the fast- ‘falling snow.
â€
elas Mollie.†a
270 HOW PAUL AND MOLLIE FED THE BIRDS.
‘Crumb your bread fine,†directed Mollie. ‘Birds have very.
small mouths, you know.â€
‘“Where'll I put it?†;
“Out here. This way,†-scattering the crumbs upon the wide
window-sill. ‘Now stand back, Paul, and we'll wait for the birds.â€
QUAILS.
‘Oh! oh!†presently, ‘‘There’s one! he’s coming! Oh, look,
Paul! two more! three! four!â€
Trembling with cold and excitement, the children stood on tip-
toe in the back part of the room, and watched the birds as they
circled through the air and lit upon the window-ledge, chirped, and
called their friends to come and share the feast.
‘‘We must get more bread,†said Mollie, presently. So, all
’
MRS, PHOSPHERS STRANGE PETS. : 271
the cold stormy morning they ran from playroom to pantry, from
pantry to playroom, bringing bread and feeding the birds, until at
2 noon Jane summoned them to dinner. as
‘Well, children,†asked papa, ‘‘what have you been doing?â€
“Feeding the birds,†said Mollie.
“Lots, and lots, and lots of bread, we gave ’em,†added Paul. —
‘“Dade an’ they did, sir!†said Jane. ‘Twas four foine loaves
I had in me chist the morn, an’ niver a crumb of it left! An’ no
bread for dinner the day!â€
“The birds ate it,†said Paul. :
‘Dear me!†said Mollie; sl didn’t ‘think ene I'm sorry,
papa.†mee | be ta
~ “Never mind, — said papa, kindly. ‘I am glad my children
remembered the cold. and hungry birds. They needed the Bee
to-day more than we, for we are not exposed _ to this cold storm.’
‘‘T-fed. birds,†said’ Paul.: “1 fed ‘most a hundred birds!â€
'. «TJ will not take all of Jane’s bread next time,†said Mollie.
NESE Phosphers†Strange | Pets.
RS. PHOSPHER was our old cat. She was a great yel-_
: i low creature whom sila poebe ue a beauty, and very
| smart.
We had had some ducklings hatched by a hen. Even that
“was funny, for the mother always went about with a puzzled look.
- She never could understand the strange ways of. her downy brood.
But the strangest thing happened when ‘‘Mrs. Phospherâ€
adopted them. A cat often -kills young ducks; but to take a
272 "MRS. PHOSPHERS STRANGE PETS.
“feathered brood and bring them up as she would kittens was: alto-
gether a new thing.
Perhaps the feathers felt soft and
downy, and she mistook them for fur.
She would lick them all over, and they
nestled close to her as kittens would do.
Tae gy Ny
Tesh ayy, Am,
sty FA
AR,
YS
It was a very queer family. You would have thought so if you
could have seen them, I know.
SMS. 2G; HALT
&
J
€ LITTLE lass-with
; Golden har,
bo 4 littlelass wilh brown, ~
a itHe lass with vaven locks,
Went ripping inf, 2
yee town.. a
"| like the Golden pair=the
ra best 1" 5 Me
| And] prefer the brown!â€
Gre I the black!â€
hree sparrows said 4,
of Sparroi7s & :
Of the Town. i
mi :
“uw it' Cu whoo! an old ow! erjed,
de TOM the belfry in the Lown ;
an G lad-hearted Lassies need nol.mind.
age Tf locks be a ld. black, byoven.
Cebit! Genhoo ! So fost So fast
Be GheSanas of life run down,
n@ $oon,So Séon, Three whilé-haired dames
Will Totter thro*the fown-
Gone fhen fora e the raven locks,
Ghe golden hair, the brown:
d nd She will Fairest be Whose face
as never Worna frown!â€
274. GEORGIE AND THE GEESE. : pe ae
GEORGIE AND THE GEESE,
“ Grorcim, do you want : go to the nad wiih me ae I
hang up the clothes?â€
“Oh yes, yes, Barbie,†said Georgie, clapping his hands. He was
_ always glad to go.
to the orchard with |
some one; but he>
was afraid to go
alone, he was such
alittle fellow. He
felt. sure Barbie ~
would take just as
good care of him
as mamma always.
did; but when the
clothes were hung |
up, Barbie went to
the house without
saying a word to —
- Georgie. 4
The little boy
very soon found
that he was alone,
and set up a loud
ery. This drew
the attention of a
flock of geese, who
were nibbling
grass near by, and
they all came
around me No doubt they wondered what small thing it was that
stood so still and made such a noise. It could n't be a goose, though
Georgie was not much bigger than a goose,‘and, you may ‘think, —
acted much like one. Was it something good to eat?
dheyquacked to each other these. questions, and then they began
: -- THE MEETING ON TUE BRIDGE. ; 275
2760 = GEORGIE AND THE GEESE.
to nibble his fingers. Georgie’s cries grew louder and his tears fell °
faster, and.oh, how far away the house seemed, and there were no
windows looking out upon the orchard! He would run, but he was
afraid the geese would knock him down with their wings. If he
stood still he was afraid they would eat him up, and mamma would
never know where her little boy had gone to.
Oh, he must get home to mamma; and giving one SEE big,
frightened yell, he started ae ran, exper
ing the next moment to feel the strong
white wings beating him to the ground;
but to his great’ surprise the geese made no objections to his going,
and he was soon showing his bleeding fingers to mamma and telling
the story of his wonderful escape. Mamma listened, and kissed the
little finger-tips and bound them up carefully. She rocked her little
boy in her arms and sang to him. The geese in the orchard wenton
‘quietly nibbling the grass. They had forgotten all about him.
MARY A. ALLEN. ~
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277
o
B7ee BABIES AND BIRDIES.
Babies and Birdies.
IT was bedtime. Mamma was softly singing to Baby-boy, while
| Curlyhead and Goldilocks contentedly ate their supper of
bread and milk. In the old apple tree near the window four
baby robins were going to bed.
‘‘My dears,†said Mamma Robin, ‘I have a story tov tell you.†;
“A story! Oh, jolly!†exclaimed. Flipsy, Snipsy, and little
BABIES AND BIRDIES. on 279
Peepsy. Robsy, the biggest, Valeaced himself on the edge of the :
—.! nest, inquiring pertly, ‘‘Has it amoral, ma?â€
“Get back into the nest at once, my son,†said Mamma Robin;
‘‘and don’t ask impertinent questions.†Robsy, somewhat abashed,
obeyed, and Mamma Robin began: , . ?
‘‘This morning I was breakfasting in the cherry tree yonder,
when suddenly in the. garden below, arose such a screaming and
scuffling that I nearly fell from my perch with fright. The two
young mortals from the house close by were struggling with each.
other for the possession of a little garden spade.
“<«Give it to me!’ screamed Goldilocks, her pretty face disfig-
-ured by passion. ‘I will have it! ‘You shan’t!’ shouted Curlyhead,
scowling fearfully, ‘I want it myself.’ Just then their mamma came
out to see what the matter was, and as she led them away I heard
her sorrowfully repeating: oe |
_ “Birds in their little nests agree, and ’tis a shocking sight
When children of one family fall out, and scratch and fight.’
“T flew home quite proud to think that my children in their —
little nests were examples for mortals a hundred times as big.â€
-Here Mamma Robin paused impressively, and glanced round
the nest. Robsy pretended to yawn behind his wing, while the
three others dropped their little heads upon their breasts, and
sighed ; |
‘Imagine my distress and tnortification,†she went on, ‘‘when
I found a quarrel, almost as fierce as a human one, raging in my.
peaceful home.†:
Little Peepsy nestled close to Mamma Robin, crying softy,
while the others said meekly:
“We're Bory, in ma!â€
“
280 BABIES AND BIRDIES.
“Well, well,â€- ‘said Mamma Robin, “I'll not scold you, but
don’t you think, if we birds are held up as examples for behavior
to mortal children, we should take great care how we behave?â€
“Yes, ma, we will be good, truly!†they answered, Robsy
loudest of all.
‘‘Good-night, then, and pleasant. dreams,†said Mamma Robin,
spreading her wings and tucking them all gently in. Ms
And in the children’s pleasant nursery, at that very minute, —
Curlyhead was whispering with his arm about mamma’s neck, ‘‘?’m
sorry I was naughty to-day, and sister shall have the spade all to-
morrow;†while Goldilocks nestled her pretty head into the pillow.
and murmuring, ‘‘Be good to-morrow,†fell fast asleep.
A. M. KEITH. | ‘
IN THE MAPLE TREE. : 28t
_IN THE MAPLE TREE.
“How brown Baby’s— |
-eyes are!†said Mrs. Bird
to Mr. Bird. They had
come back from the South
to the door-yard maple, and
Baby had spied them
| clapped her fat little hands
jj at them for joy. Now Mr.
| Bird had just swallowed a
ae
frozen bug, and it lay like }
a stone in his little stomach,
and he felt cross.
“Brown!†he cried, {f
“brown!†They are blue!
Are you. color-blind!â€
“Perhaps,†said Mrs. Bird,
.'perhaps.-l am . Let: us
see. Perhaps grass is not
green. Mr. Bird glanced
down at the ground.
“No,†said. he, “it is not,
‘through the window, and. .
282
.
IN THE MAPLE TREE.
Grass is brown. He
knew very well in his cross,
little heart that it was last -
years grass hesaw. “Per-
haps cherries are not red,â€
said Mrs. Bird. ‘They are
not; they are white (those I
am thinking of,†he added
to himself so that he should
you are not the kind, hand--
some bird that I always have
thought you,’ said Mrs.
Bird. As she said this she |
turned her back upon him. |
At that, Mr. Bird flew to
another limb. Mrs. Bird
flew away to another, also.
There they sat apart in
not actually tell a io for Le 5
*had'in.mind the one tree of
white may-dukes in the gar-
‘den; (all the others were
ss mo NV it Lam “SOs
color-blind, then probably
red).
eee | IN THE MAPLE TREE. -
silence, until, suddenly, Mr. Bird heard a long, soft
sigh from the dear little creature on the bough above
him. His own breast filled up with sighs at once. He
flew to her side. ‘My dear,†said he, “my love, her.
eyes are blue, grass is green, cherries are red, and I—
well, I may not -be handsome, but I will be kind.â€
_ Then Mrs. Bird raised her bright eyes to his, he perked
_ his happy little head, and seeing the brown-eyed Baby
at the window, they burst into a sweet song, and Baby’s
mamma said, “ Happy, loving little creatures! â€
—BABYLAND,
284 GOOD BYE: NO MORE.
GOOD BYE: NO MORE!
No, children, not another one 2 : .
— T’ve told you all the rhymes I know. |
Go off to play, and be content, .
And do not tease good nature so.
My breath is gone, my eyes are dim, |
Too many stories have I told.
But if I’ve made you happy, dears,
Within your hearts my memory hold.
Good Bye!
HAVE YOU READ
MENAGERIE OF
ANIMALS
CRE
Natural History Made Easy?
Oia as weil 2s young, great as
well as small, girls as well as
boys, dwellers in the city, in the
country, on the prairie, among ~
the mountains, n° rth, south,
east and West—aii, in tact will
hail with delight this book.
In story ic tells of the habits,
ies homes, and utility of both wild
296 Pages, 300 illustrations, and gomestic Se aire
na i : means of oifense and defense.
winches Wide. 10 Inches Long. 1; ‘tells how the wild ones are
caught and tamed, and how the domestic ones, through time,
have become wild. It tells of animal life on land and sea, from
Ocean to ocean and from pole to pole. This is the only Vook of
its kind ever published for children. The stories are told in the
“sumplest marner, and all who can read any two-syllable book
can read this oae, and those who cannot read will surely enjoy
the picture gullery c? the animal kingdom. Of these thera are:
nearly 800, of which 70 are full-page engravings, drawn by the
greatest artists in bots hemispheres, It contains, besides, aâ€
Series Of Four Fali-aze Ulustratigus, in Colors, drawn by
the gr2atest living delimeator of aniralsi: action, The mechan-
ical exccution of the v-lume is of ine highest order—rich litho-
graphic cover beautifully designed, cloth back, stitched with
wire, So as to make it substantial, cleares? and most readable
type, cnd contains 296 pages. The author has had years of ex-
perience in the school-room, an. aaving introduced Kindergar=
ten
&. US. Gwe your vrderto wr ineni op send direct to us. :
Prices, postnaia, enly 81.00. Not Soid in Ba9k Stores.
MONARCH BOCK Cc.,
Chicago, t1:. Philadelshia, Pa. . Stockton, Cal.
: Address the ojjice nearest you. :
AY!
i
i
|