i::l aPaT^fMMLlPMW cofflCLL'yMWCEinn The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924090298302 THE OWL AND ITS PREY. Stories about Birds Land and Water. M. AND E. KlRBY, AUTHORS OF CHAPTERS ON TREES, ETC. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. AMERICAN PUBLISHING GO., HARTFORD. PREFACE. There is not among the many beautiful creatures God has made one more to be admired than the bird. Its graceful movements, its soft and elegant plumage, its gift of song — or if not of song, of a certain lively gaiety — its tender care for its young, its skill in preparing so pretty a home for their reception, its plaintive mourning when deprived of mate or young, its faith as, in search of a more genial clime, it flies across the mighty waters — all endear it to us as to a beautiful gift we ought to appreciate, and with whose happy and joyous life we should never wilfully interfere. It is to you, dear children, we offer this little volume ; read it, — and when you have done so, we think you will love the birds even better than before ; and that when you want a few of their pretty eggs, you will not greedily take them all, or tear down the cosy nest when the little pair are so happy ; that you will remember God is looking on — God, who cares for them as well as for you — who watches to see whether you obey His command, and spare the birds v/hen. you take their eggs, or whether you will hurt and destroy them. Ah ! How sad it would be if there were no birds ! Tip ! tap ! Listen — what's that .'' A robin on the window-sill. Open quickly and give him some crumbs ! M. AND E. K. Melton Mowbray, CONTENTS. The Golden Eagle The Sea Eagle The Tufted Eagle The Peregrine Falcon The Goshawk The Secretary Bird . The Vulture . The Condor . The Kite The Buzzard . The Snake Buzzard The Snowy Owl . The Short-eared Owl The Stone Owl . The Great Horned Owl The Swallow The Martin . The Kingfisher • The Hoopoe . The Humming-bird The Sun-bird The Common Tree-creeper The Nightingale . ' The Robin The Redstart PAGE II i6 20 21 24 26 29 32 35 38 40 42 47 48 5° 53 58 61 64 67 71 72 75 76 80 PAGB The White-throat 82 The Long-tailed Tit . . . . 84 The Wagtail .... 85 The Wren 89 The Golden-crested Wren 91 The Golden Oriole . 94 The Mocking-bird 94 The Song Thrush 98 The Blackbird .... 100 The Water Ousel 102 The Laughing Thrush 105 The Shrike loa The Starling .... . 109 The Superb Glossy Starling 112 The Chough iia The Raven "S. The Carrion Crow iig The Rook 121 The Jackdaw .... 123 The Magpie I2S The Nutcracker .... 128, The Bird of Paradise . . 13a The Goldfinch .... 132 The Chaffinch .... I3S1 The House Sparrow . 137 CONTENTS. The Brown Linnet The Lark The Canary . The Cuckoo . The Parrot . The Parrakeet The Cockatoo The Brush Turkey The Capercailzie The Black-cock The Lyre-bird The Pheasant The Ostrich . The Emu The Bustard . The Prairie Hen The Ptarmigan PAGE 141 144 ISO 15s 161 164 170 171 17s 177 180 185 191 193 197 201 PAGE The Quail 204 The Curlew 206 The Plover 209 The Lapwing . ' . . . • 212 The Woodcock 215 The Heron 21S The Stork 225 The Spoon-bill ... .232 The Flamingo 233 The Peacock 236 The Pelican 240 The Cormorant 243 The Swan ... . . 24.5 The Duck ' 250 The Goose 253 The Stormy Petrel .... 256 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The Owl and its Prey The Golden Eagle . The Royal Eagle The Imperial Eagle . The Sea Eagle . The Tufted Eagle . Peregrine Falcons The Goshawk . The Sparrow-hawk . The Secretary Bird . The Vulture The Tawny Goose Vulture The Condor The Common Kite . The Common JBuzzard The Snake Buzzard . The Snowy Owl The Short-eared Owl The Stone Owl . The Great Homed Owl Swallows . The Martin The Kingfisher . The Hoopoe The Giant Humming-bird The Sickle-billed Humming-bird The Topaz-throated Humming-bird Sun-birds . The Common Tree-creeper Tl^e Nightingale Robin Red-breast The Redstart . White-throats . Long-tailed Tits Frontispiece 'ece Wagtails . 86 12 The White Wagtail . . . . . 87 13 The Wren ■ 89 IS Golden-crested Wrens • 92 17 The Golden Oriole . • 93 19 The Mocking-bird • .95 21 The Song Thrush . . . . , ■ 99 24 The Blackbird . lOI 25 The Water Ousel . 103 27 The Laughing Thrush . los 29 The Magpie Shrike . . 107 31 The Rose Starling . no 33 The Superb Glossy Starling . Ill 37 The Chough .... • "3 39 The Raven .... - "7 41 The Carrion Crow • "9 43 The Rook . 121 47 The Jackdaw .... 123 49 The Magpie .... . 127 51 The Nutcracker . 129 55 The Red Bird of Paradise . 131 59 Goldfinches .... • 133 63 Chaffinches .... 136 65 The House Sparrow . • 137 67 Tree Sparrow and House SpaiTOw • 139 69 The Brown Linnet . 142 70 The Sky-lark .... ■ 143 73 The Morn-lark .... • 144 74 The Desert-lark. • 145 77 The Wild Canary . 148 79 The Tame Canary . • 149 80 The Cuckoo .... . 150 82 The Jay Cuckoo . 151 84 The Golden Cuckoo . • • 153 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE PACK The Grey Parrot 156 The Quail 205 The Amazon PaiTOt . 157 The Curlew . 207 The Waved Parrot . 158 The Golden Plover . . 210 The Collared Parrot . 159 The Lapwing . 213 The Ground Parrakeet 161 The Spur-winged Lapwing . 214 The Garuba Parrakeet 162 The Woodcock . . 217 The Dappled Lorikeet 163 The Giant Heron . 219 The Raven Cockatoo i6S The Peacock Heron . . 220 The Nestor Cockatoo 166 Group of Herons . 221 The Helmet Cockatoo 167 The Great White Heron ■ 223 The Casmalos Cockatoo 169 The Stork . . 227 The Brush Turkey . 170 The Marabou Stork . . 229 The Capercailzie 173 The Boat-bill . • 230 The Black-cock . 176 The Spoon-bill . • 233 The Lyre-bird . 179 Flamingoes • 23s The Silver Pheasant . 181 The Peacock ■ 237 The Black Pheasant . ' 182 Peacock Pheasant of Assan 1 • 239 The Common Pheasant 183 The Pelican . 241 Chinese Pheasants 184 The Cormorant . • 24s The Ostrich 187 The Whistling Swan . ■ 247 Ostrich Hunt . 189 The Black Swan . 248 The American Ostrich 190 The Black-necked Swan • 249 The Emu . 192 The Wild Duck ■ 251 Bustards . 194 The Eider Duck • 252 The Little Bustard . 195 The Grey Goose • 253 The Prairie Hen 199 The Spur-winged Goose • 254 The Willow Ptarmigan 202 Stormy Petrels . • 255 The Ptarmigan in Winter I 'luma ge 203 bfe^^^lj^lj^^^ 1 ^^ ^^ ^H ^^Si?^' ^*"&i3K i ^^ -« / ' ( b^H m^S^^^^Aj^w^i^^^^a 1 ^-^ ^ "''■^^^^4. S^X^ ^[Tv^ ^s Stories About Birds. THE GOLDEN EAGLE. > The eagle .stands at the head of a tribe of great fierce birds — the birds of prey. They may be called the tyrants of their race, for they are constantly seizing and devouring the smaller and weaker birds ; and they also attack animals. Nature has given them great strength of muscle and of talon, and a certain fierce courage that has a kind of grandeur about it. But they lack the intelligence of the smaller birds ; they have not the skill of weaving or building those exquisite nests about which we shall speak presently ; nor have they the gift of song. Their voices are harsh and screaming ; they do not gladden the summer landscape, and their abode is in wild and solitary places. You see the eagle, as he sits on the crag of some mountain top. He is called the King of the Birds, and well deserves his title. He is monarch of all he surveys. Around him are the mighty peaks of the rocks, the deep dark pine forest, and the chasms, the dells, and the pits, that men behold with wonder and with dread. The eagle's wing has borne him over them with ease. Perhaps he has his nest in yonder ledge of the precipice. There the mother 12 STOJilES ABOUT BIRDS. eagle tends her young, and he has come forth to procure them food. He stands erect, the sun gHstening on the yellow' tints of his plumage until it THE GOLDEN EAGLE. shines like gold. He can see far and wide, and deep down below into the valley his glance penetrates. THE EAGLE. 13 He is armed for the very purpose of plunder. His beak is hooked and strong, and the edges cut hke a knife. His feet have four powerful toes, THE ROYAL EAGLE, A VARIETY OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE. armed with sharp talons, long and pointed, and formed for clutching. He has no gizzard, for he requires none. He never feeds on anything but flesh, 14 STOHIES ABOUT BIRDS. and the coats of his stomach are firm enough to digest it. He never warbles to his mate, or utters any of those sweet and tender notes that are so pleasant to the ear ; his voice is like his nature, harsh and forbidding ; it resembles the bark of a dog more than any other sound. The nest of the eagle is very large indeed, and made of sticks and dead twigs and heath, and it has a hollow place in the middle lined with a little wool and feathers. The young birds are covered with white down, amid which the feathers are beginning to appear. You can see that the parent eagles have taken care to provide them with abundance of food. The bones of all kinds of small animals lie scattered about the nest, and the half-eaten bodies of grouse and game, the very morsels that are considered to be such delicacies by man. The golden eagle is the only one of his tribe that lives in Britain, and in the cultivated parts of the island is very rarely seen ; he loves wild and solitary places, and the remote parts of .the Highlands of Scotland suit him best. The Isle of Orkney is one of his favourite resorts. On one side of the island the sea rushes in with a fury that is scarcely to be equalled in any part of the world ; and it has made great rents in the coast, so that there is a line of precipices and caverns that are grand beyond description. This is just^the place for the eagles to dwell. Here they make their nests year after year — or rather fit them up again. The old birds drive off the young ones as soon as they can fly, and keep the nest for themselves. They are not very pleasant neighbours, as you may suppose, from their habits of plunder. One day an old minister was walking in his garden, when he heard a loud squeaking noise, that, after being very violent, began to grow fainter. He went to see what was the matter, and arrived at the spot just in time to catch a parting glimpse of his nice fat pig as it was being carried through the air by an eagle. Another day the eagle, having finished the pig, came again to see what he could find. But this time he made rather a mistake. By way of varying his diet, he swooped on a sheep. But his claws got entangled in the wool, and the sheep was rather too heavy to be carried through the air as the pig had been. The minister had time to get to the spot, and knock the eagle down with a stick. Of course, the eagles are not at all liked, and the people do all they can DESTRUCTION OF THE EAGLES NEST. IS ^v, ..0 THE IMPERIAL EAGLE. to destroy them. But it is no easy matter to climb up to the place where the nests are built, and very few persons are bold enough to do it. Sometimes a "man is let down over the face of the rock by a rope, till he gets to the ledge, and then he sets the nests on fire. i6 STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. Sometimes the young eagles are taken out of the nests, and carried away to be tamed. One of these tame eagles was kept by the squire — or "laird," as he is called — of the district. He used to be chained in the kitchen, where he had rather a happy time of it. The servants made a great fuss with him, especially the cook, who fed him with every dainty. The eagle was very fond of her ; but one day he could not refrain from stealing her shoes. She had left them just within his reach, and he pounced upon them, and thrust his own feet into them. None of the other servants could make him give them up ; but when the cook came back, he quietly allowed her to take them off. THE SEA EAGLE. It is a grand sight to behold the sea eagle float in the blue sky far above the mountain tops. He is at home in this higher region — this cloud-land, if we might call it so. Slowly, and with great majesty, he sweeps round in a wide circle, rising and rising until he is no longer to be seen. His food consists of dead animals, in which respect he is like the vulture. He searches the lonely beach for dead fish, or young sea-birds, and he scours the moors and pastures for what other prey he can find. He does not, like many of his tribe, rise high above his prey. He flies only a few hundred yards above it, and sweeps the hill-sides with outspread wings. Far out at sea the sailors watch him, and he has been seen to clutch at a fish that happened to come to the surface. But this way of catching fish is now and then fatal to him. The fish, if it is a large one, contrives to pull the eagle down under water, and then he is drowned. Should he escape such a fate, he keeps fast hold of the fish, and, half opening his wings, brings it to the shore. Then he takes care to get his claws at liberty, and to dry his feathers, so that he can fly at a moment's notice ; after which he quietly begins his repast. THE SEA EAGLE. 17 The eagle does not despise the bank of a river or a lake, for here he ccn now and then feed delicately on salmon and ti'out. THE SEA EAGLE. He often sees the otter catching a fish, and he waits until the creature is 'Satisfied, and takes what is left. For his courage is not quite equal to his B STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. size and his strength, and he rarely attacks an animal larger than a hare. Indeed, he has a touch of the vulture about him, and will eat dead creatures with more relish than living prey. In order to escape from his greatest enemy — man — the eagle has re- treated to the wildest and most desolate part of the coast, and makes his nest where scarce any living creature can reach it. His nest is of immense size, and is made of sticks and heath and twigs and dead sea-weeds. The mother bird lays two eggs, of a pure white, with some pale red dots at the larger end. The young birds are clothed with a greyish-coloured down, and are plentifully supplied with food. But as soon as they are old enough, the parent eagles drive them away. The shepherds and farmers in the neighbourhood have a great dislike to the eagle, and try to kill the young ones. They contrive to creep along some mountain track till they get to the nest, and then, as in the case of the other eagle, set it on fire. During this process the 'parent birds wheel round and round, and utter screams of distress. They might easily attack their persecutors and drive them away, but they rarely attempt to do so. Yet now and then a person crossing the lonely moors has been scratched and buffeted by an eagle. There is another fierce bird of prey, called the osprey, or the fish-hawk, that is a distant relation of the eagle. He, too, feeds on fish, and hovers over the water in a hawk-like fashion. Then, when a fish comes near enough to the surface, he pounces on it, and is seen rising with it in his talons. He thinks he is secure of his prey, but now and then he meets with a disappoint- ment. The sea eagle has been watching close by on some crag on the lonely beach. Now he bends his head, makes a great swoop on the hawk, and frightens him so that he drops his prize. Then the eagle,, by a very adroit swoop, catches it before it reaches the water, and carries it off". There is a story about the sea eagle that some people can hardly believe, though others declare it is true. He is said to wet his plumage in the sea, and then roll about on the sand until a great deal of it adheres to him. It is in Norway where this happens, and at a place not far from some mountain pasture, in which cattle are feeding. He does not attack the poor ox in an open manner, because, as I told you, he was rather a coward. He hovers over the ox, and by-and-by begins to shake the sand from his wings. ATTACK OF A SEA EAGLE UPON AN OX. 19 THE TUFTED EAGLE. SO that a great deal of it falls into the eyes of his intended victim. The ox is blinded, and also begins to get frightened by the noise of wings over his head. He runs about in a kind of panic, and as the noise goes on, and the sand keeps falling, he loses all sight and sense. There is generally a B 3 STOHIES ABOUT BIRDS. steep place like a precipice at the edge of the field, and the ox is almost sure, sooner or later, to run over it and be killed. Then the eagle can easily slip down and devour him. THE TUFTED EAGLE. There is a small eagle with a tuft on his head that lives in Africa, and has such a very dreamy appearance as he sits on the branch of a tree, that you think he is asleep, or else is a very stupid bird. He lives in those fertile parts of the country through which the river Nile flows and gladdens the scene. - There are fields, and villages, and beautiful groves of the mimosa-tree. He often sits perched on a branch for hours together ; but he is not asleep, as you might suppose. Only watch a few minutes and see what will happen. Yonder is a little squirrel playing blithely among the branches. It is as happy as can be, ai^d runs merrily about, as if it feared no evil. But by-and-by, in its gambols, it ventures near to where the eagle is sitting. The eagle has seen it all along, only he pretended not to do so. He did not want to frighten the squirrel away, but to get it into his clutches. Now the right moment has come. He rises, raises his wings, and gives a terrible pounce. You would not have thought he had been so strong or so fierce. But it is all over with the poor squirrel. Sometimes the eagle plays the same gariie with a mouse or a rat, or any little bird that, in its happy freedom and joy of heart, ventures heedlessly near the fatal spot. His eyes have a fiery expression, and are a bright yeljow colour ; and his plumage is brown. His nest is 'in some tree, and is lined with feathers. Though he is small, he is as savage as any of his tribe ; but if he is kept in confinement, he becomes rather cowardly, and loses his ancient spirit. HA WRING. PEREGRINE FALCON. In olden times, in " merrie England," as it used to be called, many ancient sports were carried on that have long since passed away. VI PEREGRINE FALCONS. One of these was hawking by means of a race of birds called falcons. The falcon used to be blindfolded, and fastened by a chain to the wrist of its STOHIES ABOUT BIRDS. owner. He was then carried out into the fields, and when a wild fowl, or heron, or any suitable prey, was seen, the bird was unhooded, and let fly. The amusement, which was rather a cruel one, consisted in seeing the falcon, strike down its prey. The art of falconry, or hawking, was such a fashionable amusement, that people of rank hardly ever stirred out without their hawks perched on their wrists ; and a man, called a falconer, was employed to take care of them and feed them. The peregrine falcon is of a family that once stood very high in the public , esteem. His ancestors Were used in hawking, and were fed and caressed by kings and nobles. No one was allowed to injure them, or to meddle with their nests. But times have changed since then. The descendants of those highly favoured hawks are now in little esteem. It is true they possess the same qualities. They are as bold, and as brave, and their sight is as keen as ev6r; their plumage is as handsome, and they could be taught just as readily. But fashions are altered, and no one wants them. They are now despised and persecuted, and may be shot with impunity, or their nests rifled without the least danger. In the old days of hawking, the bird that was chosen for the purpose must possess certain qualities, all of which were united in the peregrine falcon. He was full of spirit and daring, and would attack any bird without hesi- tation ; and he had great strength of muscle, and was able to contend with the larger kind of game; and, joined with these qualities, he was very obedient to his master, came at the word of command, and could be petted and caressed by those who had the care of him. In fact, the falcon was called " noble,"' because he was the noblest of all the birds of prey. His- shape is very compact, with a full, well-rounded breast, short neck, and large head ; his bill is short and thick ; and his eyes are large and keen, and of a deep hazel colour ; his claws are, as you see, very strong and well curved, and able to grasp and seize almost anything ; his plumage is dense and strong, more so than that of the rest of his family. Its general colour is deep bluish grey, and the wings are barred with black ; the throat and neck are white. The mother bird is the larger of the two, and her plumage is redder on the lower part and less blue on the upper. In the old days she was always called the " falcon," and her mate the " tercel," and he was flown at the smaller game, such as partridges and magpies. The peregrine falcon is often seen in' the wild moors of Scotland, for here he finds plenty of grouse and partridges and ANECDOTE OF A FALCON. 23 rabbits ; and occasionally he falls upon a young gull — that is, during his visits to the coast. He flies swiftly, and does not often balance himself in the air as the eagle does, for his wings are shorter. When he sees his prey he pounces upon it in a slanting direction. He is a silent bird, except when he has a family to care for, and that makes him anxious and excited, and he utters now and then a clear shrill cry. He is extremely daring when he is hungry, as you may think from a little anecdote I can tell you. One day a sportsman on the moors saw a falcon hovering over a grouse, and following it about. By-and-by he dropped down upon it, and when the sportsman came up with his dogs, the falcon was devouring his prey. His partner was close by, feeding on another grouse. Of course, the birds were ■obliged to rise, but they did so very unwillingly, and barely kept out of the Avay of the dogs. Meanwhile, the dogs started several grouse, and the falcons must have thought it was done for their special benefit. They pounced on them every one, and struck them down under the eyes of the sportsman, and as if in defiance of him. ' The nest of the falcon is on the face of a cliff, and, as a rule, beyond the reach of man. It is very large, and is made of sticks mixed with the stems of grasses. There are three or four eggs in the nest, of a dull red colour, with dark spots. The young falcons are supplied with abundance of food. The parent birds can bring them pheasants and pigeons and plovers, and all the delicacies of the season. In the islands of Shetland the peregrine falcon chooses the most rocky and desolate spots. He and his partner make their nest on the face of very high cliffs. No other falcon seems inclined to live in the sa,me cliff, for the birds are not social. But the different kinds of gulls and sea-birds crowd the cliff, and build their nests in every ledge. The falcon does not regret this arrangement in the least. He con- siders a young gull to be a dainty morsel, and he is sure of getting a great many. He waits till the old birds are out of the way, and then drops suddenly down on the nest, and carries off the little gull he has been longing for. STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. THE GOSHAW,K. The hawks may be said to be cousins to the falcons. They are moderately- sized birds, and occupy a position between the falcons and the buzzards. THE GOSHAWK. Their bodies are rather slender, their wings short and round, while the tail is long. They fly low when they are searching for prey, and have a gliding and THE GOSHAWK. 25 stealthy manner. They nestle in trees or on rocks, and their nest is a little like that of the crow. There are but two species in England. One is the goshawk, the bird in the picture, that is so rare it is hardly ever met with ; and the other is the - bold, hardy, and rather insolent sparrow-hawk, which is as common as his relation the goshawk is rare. The goshawk may be known from his cousins the falcons by the curve of the upper part of his bill, which is peculiar to the hawk family. He is not 1' *»--J: »