Knowledge of natural history, revfrom Reason why: natural history, giving reasons for hundreds of interesting facts in connection with zoology; and throwing light upon the peculiar habits and instincts of the various orders of the animal kingdom . ressure. The parents, therefore, fabricate acarpet, which they spread upon the floor of the nest, over which theyplace a soft mattress, the materials of which consist of wool and Fairstaken from the backs of animals and the cottony parts of certain countless journeys and fatiguing labor necessary to accumulate hairby hair, and filament by
Knowledge of natural history, revfrom Reason why: natural history, giving reasons for hundreds of interesting facts in connection with zoology; and throwing light upon the peculiar habits and instincts of the various orders of the animal kingdom . ressure. The parents, therefore, fabricate acarpet, which they spread upon the floor of the nest, over which theyplace a soft mattress, the materials of which consist of wool and Fairstaken from the backs of animals and the cottony parts of certain countless journeys and fatiguing labor necessary to accumulate hairby hair, and filament by filament, may be easily conceived. Sometimesthe bird strips its own breast of natural down to form a bed for itsyoung. Thus the eider duck provides for the comfort of its offspring,by taking from its own body part of that down which is sought for andcollected at such a cost for the pillow of luxury. 964. Why do some birds frequently) vary the materialsof their nests? This is doubtlessly done for the purpose of assimilatingthe nest in appearance to surrounding objects, so as toaccommodate their habitation to existing circumstances, andto secure it from observation. 965. Why do some birds make their nests warmerthan the nests of other birds?. KNOWLEDGE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 299 Enjoy the spring of love and youth,To some good angel leave the rest;For time will teach thee soon the truth, There are no birds in last years nest.—Longfellow. Because the first-mentioned are those which are nec-essarily a longer time away from their nests, while the lat-ter birds are those which procure their food more readily. 966. Thus we see* the duck, and many aquatic birds, which havea voracious appetite, and have often to go over a considerable spaceof ground in search of food, and are consequently a long time absentfrom their nest, cover up their eggs with a quantity of down and feathers,in order to prevent them from being chilled. In like manner, the long-tailed titmouse, who, havingfrom twelve t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1916
