. Cassell's natural history . e river shores, being now ripe,and in great abundance, they present a new and more extensive field for these maraudingmultitudes. The reeds, also, being often in almost inapproachable morasses, supply themwith convenient roosting-places, and thither they repair every evening. In some places,where the reeds become dry, advantage is taken of this circumstance to destroy thesebirds, by a party secretly approaching the place under cover of a dark night, and settingfire to the reeds in several places at once, which, being soon enveloj)ed in a general flame,the uproar a
. Cassell's natural history . e river shores, being now ripe,and in great abundance, they present a new and more extensive field for these maraudingmultitudes. The reeds, also, being often in almost inapproachable morasses, supply themwith convenient roosting-places, and thither they repair every evening. In some places,where the reeds become dry, advantage is taken of this circumstance to destroy thesebirds, by a party secretly approaching the place under cover of a dark night, and settingfire to the reeds in several places at once, which, being soon enveloj)ed in a general flame,the uproar among these birds becomes universal; and by the light of the conflagrationthey are shot down in vast niunbcrs, while hovering and screaming about the straw is used for the same jjurposo, which is pieviously strewed near the reedsand alder bushes where they are known to roost, which being sot on fire, the havocamong the birds from Ihcir foes is cnonnous ; the party returns at day to pick \ip theslaughtered THE COMMON STAKUXG. The length of this bird is eight inches and a half, two and a half of which belong tothe tail, and one to the beak, which is awl-shaped, angular, fiattish, and rather blunt,yellow, brown towards the end, and the tip blue. The iris is nut-brown ; the claws aninch long, and deep flesh-coloured. All the plumage is of a blackish hue, changing topurple towards the front of the body, and to green towards the hind part, and on thewing coverts; the quill feathers and tail are black, edged with light rust-red ; the tipsof the head feathers, and under the neck, are reddish-white, those of the back lightrust-red, and those of the under part of the body whitish, which gives the bird aspeckled appearance. The old males are darker, having no white tips to the feathers ofthe head, cheeks, throat or belly. The beak of the female is rather brown than yeUow ;the light spots on the head, neck, and breast, are larger, and the edge of the feathers iswider,
Size: 1500px × 1667px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1854
