Birds that hunt and are hunted; (1905) (14563763227)

Identifier: birdsthathuntar00blan (find matches)
Title: Birds that hunt and are hunted;
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors: Blanchan, Neltje, 1865-1918
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York, Doubleday, Page & company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress



Text Appearing Before Image:
GRAY SNIPE (winter); DOWITCHEE;BROWN BACK; ROBIN SNIPE; DEUTSCHER or GER-MAN SNIPE. Length—9.50 to 10.50 inches. Male and Female: In summer—Upper parts black, the feathersedged or barred with rusty red, white, and buff; tail andrump white barred with dusky; lower part of back white,conspicuous in flight; under parts rusty red, paler or whitebelow, more or less spotted and barred with dusky. Bill,which is two inches long, is blackish brown. Legs and feetgreenish brown. In winter—General plumage brownish orashy gray; lower back white; rump and tail barred withdusky and white; lower parts white, shading into grayon breast. Range—Eastern North America, nesting within the Arctic Circleand wintering from Florida to the West Indies and Brazil. Season—Spring and autumn migrant; April, May; August andSeptember. Compact flocks of gray snipe, as they are called after thesummer moult has transformed them, migrating southwardalong the sea coast in August and September, may be easily 206
Text Appearing After Image:
Ph . m » O J CQ » Snipe, Sandpipers, etc. called down by anyone, sufficiently familiar with their loud,quivering, querulous whistle to imitate it. Sportsmen also usedecoys; but these are gentle, sociable birds, among the last tosuspect evil or to take alarm, and need little encouragement toalight beyond the supposed entreaties of a sister flock. Theyappear to be never in a hurry; the long journey to and from theirnesting grounds has frequent halting places; the mellow days ofearly autumn find them free from care and ready to accept everyinvitation to enjoy life to the full. Wheeling about as the imitation of their call reaches them, ifthey are not perchance flying too high to hear it, down swingsthe flock, hovering over the mud flats and tracts of low beachexposed at ebb tide. After circling about and seeing none oftheir kin, they may nevertheless decide to stop and rest awhileand feed in so promising a field. Now they scatter, but neverso far that a chattering talk may not be kept