Birds and nature (1903) (14775215413)

Identifier: birdsnature141903chic (find matches)

Title: Birds and nature

Year: 1900 (1900s)

Authors:

Subjects: Birds Natural history

Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher

Contributing Library: Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

Text Appearing Before Image:

leasure of meeting not only themale, but his better half. Contrary tothe laws of Nature in general regardingother families of the feathered congre-gation, the Phalaropes possess peculiarcharacteristics decidedly their own. Thefemale is superior in size and more bril-liantly colored than her mate. She alsoshirks the domestic tasks so far as hersex permits, and the household responsi-bilities are assumed by the male. Mrs.Phalarope does the courting, displayingher plumage to the best advantage beforethe shy and indifferent male, who fliesfrom pond to pond. She follows per-sistently and endeavors by a series ,-ofbows and gesticulations to win his favor.The male hollows out a small place ina mossy bog or damp meadow, sufficientto hold four eggs, which are ashy yellowin color and densely marked and streakedwith rich brown and black. The eggsaverage one and twenty-eight-hun-dredths inches in length by ninetv-four-hundredths of an inch in width, and areusually very pointed. Some nests are 216

Text Appearing After Image:

scantily lined with grass blades or stems,but, judging from their usual appearanceand the exposed situation in which theeggs are often found, I doubt if the maleexerts himself when constructing theirdomicile. Nevertheless he sits patientlyupon the eggs until three weeks haveelapsed, when the young leave the shellto follow their father about in searchof food. The little fellows are chestnut-brown,streaked with a darker shade. In the meantime the females have con-gregated in small groups and may beseen running about the water margin or swimming buoyantly upon the tranquilsurface of pond or lagoon. These birdsexcel other waders in swimming, becausetheir toes are scalloped, or semipalmated,and well adapted for such purposes. Twenty years ago Illinois was a favor-ite summer home for the Wilsons Pha-larope, but they are becoming scarce, andfrom what I can learn, the bird is nowregarded as a rare breeder east of theMississippi River, except perhaps in Wis-consin, where they still gather duri

bird nests historical images birds and nature 1903 phalaropus tricolor scolopacidae eggs scolopacidae nests book illustrations ornithology birds zoological illustration natural history ultra high resolution high resolution images from internet archive public domain bird images

1903

American Museum of Natural History Library

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public domain