Part 24 (1/2)
That the cuckoo is scarcely an amiable bird would appear from the following incident recorded by Dr. Stanley: ”A young thrush, just able to feed itself, was placed in a cage. A short time after, a young cuckoo, which could not feed itself, was placed in the same cage, and fed by the owner. At length it was observed that the thrush fed it; the cuckoo opening its mouth, and sitting on the upper perch, and making the thrush hop down to fetch its food. One day, while thus expecting its supply, a worm was put into the cage, and the thrush could not resist the temptation of eating it, upon which the cuckoo descended, attacked the thrush with fury, and literally tore out one of its eyes, and then hopped back. Although so lacerated, the poor thrush meekly took up some food, and continued to do so till the cuckoo was full grown.”
The Trogons.
The Trogons are among the most gorgeous of living birds; the brilliance of their plumage defying verbal description. Their main colour is ”a metallic golden green, boldly contrasted with scarlet, black, and brown.” ”The Resplendent Trogon,” says Mr. Wood, ”is the most gorgeous of all this gorgeous family. Its long and gracefully curved tail is nearly three feet long, and the whole of the upper surface, and the throat, are a glowing green; the breast and under parts are bright crimson; the middle feathers of the tail black, and the outer feathers white.” These birds are natives of Mexico.
The Kingfisher.
The Kingfishers are a wide-spread family, being found all over the world. There are numerous varieties, of which the Common Kingfisher and the Laughing Kingfisher are all that we can notice. The Common Kingfisher is indigenous in England where it usually lives on the banks of rivers and streams, feeding upon fish and insects. It makes burrows or holes in the banks, where it lays its eggs and rears its young; fis.h.i.+ng from the low branches of trees which overspread the water. When the fish is caught it is beaten to death against some hard substance and then swallowed whole, head foremost. The Common Kingfisher is somewhat larger than the lark, and has a beautiful metallic coat which s.h.i.+mmers with a very pleasing effect as it darts among the greenery of the river bank or flies along the surface of the water. The Laughing Kingfisher belongs to Australia and is so named from its peculiar cry. It is one of the largest species of its kind. Other species belong to the Moluccas and New Guinea, and a few to America.
The Hornbill.
The Hornbill is famous for the size and shape of its bill, which is very large. There are several varieties, African and Indian. They live mostly on fruit, though some are said to eat reptiles. They have some very curious habits. Mr. Wallace describes the habit of the male Hornbill of shutting up the female during the period of incubation and feeding her through a small hole left open for the purpose.
The Goat-Suckers.
The goat-sucker is so called from the belief long entertained that it was in the habit of sucking the teat of the goat. There are several varieties and they are remarkable for the strangeness of their cries.
The Goat-sucker has sometimes been called the Night-jar from its discordant note, it is also known as the Fern Owl. Mr. Wood says:--”It may be seen at the approach of evening silently wheeling round the trees, capturing the nocturnal moths and beetles; then occasionally settling and uttering its jarring cry. When flying the bird sometimes makes its wings meet over its back, and brings them together with a smart snap. It arrives in England in the beginning of May and leaves in December. The Whip-poor-will and the Chuck-will's-widow both belong to this family.”
The Whip-poor-Will.
The Whip-poor-will, which is peculiar to America, is celebrated for its singular melody, which is heard in spring to issue at night from the woods and glens of all parts of the country. It is a rapid warbling repet.i.tion of the name given to the bird, and is so distinctly p.r.o.nounced, as to seem like the voice of a human being. It is a solitary bird, remaining silent and sequestered during the day, but at night it often approaches a dwelling, and pours forth its song upon the door-step, or a neighbouring tree.
Chuck-Will's-Widow.
This bird, also peculiar to America, is about a foot in length, resembling in colour, form, and habits, the whip-poor-will. It is a solitary bird, frequenting glens and hollows, and seldom making its appearance during the day. Its song, which is uttered, like that of the whip-poor-will, at night, is a constant repet.i.tion of the sound, chuck-will's-widow, very distinctly articulated. It is common in Georgia, and is regarded by the Creek Indians with superst.i.tious awe. It is very seldom seen in the Middle or Eastern States; ”but I recollect once,” says an American writer, ”to have known a whole village in New England in terror and amazement at hearing one of them singing its strange song on the edge of a swamp. The superst.i.tious part of the inhabitants considered it a prediction of some evil that was to befall a widow of the parish; but there was a diversity of opinion as to who the hapless Chuck-will's-widow might be.”
The Swift.
The Swift, so called from the remarkable speed of his flight, is also known as ”Jack screamer” from the shrillness of his voice. He winters in Africa and arrives in England about May, remaining until about the middle of August. He builds his nest under the eaves of houses and frequents steeples and other lofty edifices, forming his nest of gra.s.ses and feathers. The esculent swift, so called from the fact that its nests are edible, builds at the sides of almost inaccessible cliffs, a habit which renders the collection of these singular dainties very dangerous.
The nests are formed of mucilaginous sea-weeds and have the appearance of isingla.s.s. They are considered great delicacies in China, where they are found. They abound in Java. The swifts resemble the swallows in several particulars and have often been cla.s.sed with them, there are, however, important differences which separate them.
The Humming Bird.
There are hundreds of kinds of Humming Birds, nearly all of them natives of America, where they frequent the gardens, and sip the honey from the honeysuckle and other plants, like the hive and humble bee. The humming bird is several times larger than the latter, but flies so swiftly as almost to elude the sight. Its wings, when it is balancing over the flower, produce a humming sound, from which it takes its name. It is the smallest of the feathered race, and is one of the most beautiful in the elegance of its form, and the glossy brilliancy of its delicate plumage.
Small as it is, however, it is exceedingly courageous, and has violent pa.s.sions. The length of this bird is three inches; it lives partly on honey obtained from flowers, but devours also great quant.i.ties of very small insects. The general colour is a rich golden green on the upper parts; the breast and neck are of a dusky white. Its nest is very small, and is elegantly lined with the down of the mullein. It is covered on the outside with moss, to imitate the colour of the limb on which it is built.
ORDER III.
The Parrots.
The parrots never fail to interest, on account of their beauty of form and colour, and their apt.i.tude for imitating common sounds. There are some hundreds of species, belonging to different parts of the world, the c.o.c.katoos to Australia, the Macaws to America, and many varieties to Africa. The Macaws and some other kinds are among the most gorgeous of living birds and whether seen in their native wilds or in the aviaries of civilisation never fail to excite admiration. The c.o.c.katoo is distinguished from the true parrot by its crest; other species are differentiated by habit, size, colour, and form. The better known of these are, the Sulphur-crested c.o.c.katoo, the Ground parrot, the Macaw, the Grey parrot, the Green parrot, the Parrakeets and the Love-birds.
The Parrot's Intelligence.
Many stories are told of the remarkable powers of individual parrots and the singular appropriateness of their remarks on particular occasions.