Birds of village and field- a bird book for beginners (1898) (14752168211)

Identifier: birdsofvillagefi00bail (find matches)

Title: Birds of village and field: a bird book for beginners

Year: 1898 (1890s)

Authors: Bailey, Florence Merriam, b. 1863

Subjects: Birds

Publisher: Boston, New York, Houghton, Mifflin and company

Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library

Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

Text Appearing Before Image:

fence and stood in silent delioht listeningto the jubilant chorus. The joyous birds seemedto fly back and forth for the very purpose of freersong, the rapid, jumbled, tumbling medley need-ing the motion of the wings for its fullest out-pouring. One day I saw a curious sight: asinging Bobolink when in mid air raised his wingsover his back and held them there like set sails,and then threw up his head and throat as if tolet the song bubble out. The flying birds oftenput down their wings and hold them stiff as theysail down to the ground. When watching a field of Bobolinks, one isimpressed by their originality of dress. Whilemost other birds are lighter underneath thanabove, the Bobolink is just the opposite. Butinstead of being an exception to the law of pro-tective coloration, this may be to protect himfrom the weasels and other nocturnal enemiesthat come on him when he sleej)s on the ground.Then, too, the Bobolinks diurnal enemies see himfrom above; he lives without cover, in an open,

Text Appearing After Image:

Plate VII. ~ BOBOLINK Adult male in spring, head, under parts, wings, and tail black;back of neck with buify patch ; back largely grayish white ;tail feathers pointed. Female, young, and adult male in fall,upper parts brownish, streaked with black; under parts buffy.Length, about 7j inches. BOBOLINK 105 exposed meadow. If he were black above, hewould be a target for all passing Hawks and othergunners. At all events he is light above : his topcolors approximate to the meadow tints, but hisbreast, invisible when he is on the groimd by hisnest, is a glossy, handsome black which may wellplease the eye of his lady. When he rises fromthe friendly cover of the meadow to wing his wayto the south, he shows another wonderful exampleof natures work in eliminating dangerous charac-ters and fostering the beneficial ones. He moults,and the whole Lincoln family proceed on theirtravels, like so many demurely dressed Sparrows.When the Bobolinks go south they stop on theway, first in the marshes, where

birds of village and field dolichonyx oryzivorus illustrations book illustrations ornithology birds zoological illustration natural history american museum of natural history images from internet archive

1898

American Museum of Natural History Library

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public domain