Animals in action; studies and stories of beasts, birds and reptiles; their habits, their homes and their peculiarities (1901) (14568732509)

Identifier: animalsinactions00broo (find matches)

Title: Animals in action; studies and stories of beasts, birds and reptiles; their habits, their homes and their peculiarities

Year: 1901 (1900s)

Authors: Brooks, Elbridge S. (Elbridge Streeter), 1846-1902

Subjects:

Publisher: Boston, Lothrop pub. co

Contributing Library: The Library of Congress

Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

Text Appearing Before Image:

remains near by and guards the eggs care-fully. When the young are ready to creep out she breaks theshell, because the offspring are not able to do it for themselves.How the mother knows the right moment for this operation wasa profound mystery in former times, but a natural scientist hasobserved recently that the young crocodiles, Avhen they areready to leave the egg, utter a quacking sound, and therebysummon the watchful mother to her duty. The crocodile is ofno commercial value to civilized man, but the natives esteem itsflesh, fat, and eggs as delicacies, and the musk-glands are highlyprized by the native women, who use their contents as an oint-ment for the hair and body. The natives kill the crocodile witha javelin tipped with an iron barb, but the more effective weaponagamst him is the bullet, which readily pierces his armored hide.The assertion that the animal cannot be killed with firearms,because the projectile rebounds harmlessly from his thick skin,is therefore erroneous.

Text Appearing After Image:

A Duel between Crocodiles. THE APTERYX AND THE DINGO. 53 The Apteryx and the Dingo. WHEN the evening shadows fall on New Zealand andVan Diemens Land, a grotesque Hfe begins to stir inthe forests of those distant regions. Strange formsleave the burrows in the earth in which they have dreamed awayhalf the day. They are the snipe-ostriches, or apteryces. Thelong, snipeUke bill of the apteryx and his broad foot with threetoes in front and one behind growing a little higher than therest indicate that the creature is a bird, although in other waysit bears but little resemblance to a bird ; for the plump body, aslarge as that of a hen, seems at first sight to be covered with abristly fur, and there is no trace of wings or tail upon it. Butif we succeed in getting hold of one of these animals, we shalldiscover on closer observation that the covering of its skin ismade up of closely growing feathers, among which, quite con-cealed, are two small, flaplike wings. If we wish to observethe apteryx

animals in action studies and stories of beasts birds and reptiles their habits their homes and their peculiarities 1901 crocodiles in art book illustrations high resolution images from internet archive library of congress

1901

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