The book of birds; common birds of town and country and American game birds (1921) (14729539766)

Identifier: bookofbirdscommo00hens (find matches)

Title: The book of birds; common birds of town and country and American game birds

Year: 1921 (1920s)

Authors: Henshaw, Henry W. (Henry Wetherbee), 1850-1930 National Geographic Society (U.S.) Fuertes, Louis Agassiz, 1874-1927 Kennard, Frederic Hedge, 1865- Cooke, Wells Woodbridge, 1858-1916 Shiras, George, 1859-1942

Subjects: Birds -- United States

Publisher: Washington, D.C., National geographic society

Text Appearing Before Image:

Ilnitnfiirapli !)>• l-;itiin I. Tllli SLACKKR OF BlUDDOM KXlOSl^U This is a picture of the nest of Mr. and Mrs. ^ell()w-breastc(l Chat, and the majority ofthe eggs belong to the lady of the house; but she has been impose<l upon in her absence andmade the victim of the indolence of her neighbor, Mrs. Cowbird. who has laid an egg in theChat nest for Mrs. Chat to incubate with her own. Mrs. Cowbird, relieved of the respon-sibility of bringing up her offsi)ring, is probably off indulging in some frivolity. This para-sitic habit is a characteristic of the cowbird. )he darker egg is the alien emi)ryo. 61

Text Appearing After Image:

62 DOWNY WOODPECKER (Dryobates pubescens) Length, 6 inches. Our smallest woodpecker;spotted with black and white. Dark bars onthe outer tail feathers distinguish it from thesimilarly colored but larger hairy woodpecker. Range: Resident in the United States andthe forested parts of Canada and Alaska. Habits and economic status; This wood-pecker is commonly distributed, living in wood-land tracts, orchards, and gardens. The birdhas several characteristic notes, and, like thehairy woodpecker, is fond of beating on a dryresonant tree branch a tattoo which to appreci-ative ears has the quality of woodland music.In a hole excavated in a dead branch thedowny woodpecker lays four to si.x eggs. Thisand the hairy woodpecker are among our mostvaluable allies, their food consisting of someof the worst foes of orchard and woodland,which the woodpeckers are especially equippedto dig out of dead and living wood. In theexamination of 723 stomachs of this bird, ani-mal food, mostly insects, was found

coccyzus americanus illustrations dryobates pubescens illustrations the book of birds 1921 book illustrations ornithology birds zoological illustration alaska high resolution images from internet archive

1921

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