. Stories about birds, with pictures to match . ERHAPS I owe an apology to my read-ers, for introducing the bat amongbirds. It is very true that, in mostV respects, it much more nearly resembles/ a quadruped than it does a bird. It hasthe power of flying, after a fashion; but thatis almost the only bird-like feature about bat, you know, has four legs. That cir-cumstance alone is enough to give the family atitle among quadrupeds, to say nothing aboutits want of feathers. The truth is the bat hasnot a very good right to a place among birds,and although there was formerly some differ-ence
. Stories about birds, with pictures to match . ERHAPS I owe an apology to my read-ers, for introducing the bat amongbirds. It is very true that, in mostV respects, it much more nearly resembles/ a quadruped than it does a bird. It hasthe power of flying, after a fashion; but thatis almost the only bird-like feature about bat, you know, has four legs. That cir-cumstance alone is enough to give the family atitle among quadrupeds, to say nothing aboutits want of feathers. The truth is the bat hasnot a very good right to a place among birds,and although there was formerly some differ-ence of opinion in this matter, most naturalists,at the present day, rank this singular race ofanimals among quadrupeds. Still the greatmass of people regard them as properly be-longing to the rank of birds, and so, with the. f^ i STOKIES ABOUT BIRDS. 297 readers permission, I will classify them intelling my stories. If I have no other authority for puttingthem among my friends the birds, I have atleast that of the cat in the fable, though I mustconfess that Puss judgment, in this case, oughtto be received with a good degree of you acquainted with that fable, by theway ? I will translate it for you. It is oneof Perrins, and is written in French. This isthe English of it: A cat, having been takenin a trap, promised a rat, who had liberatedhim, that .he would never eat any more ratsor mice. It happened one day, however, thatthe cat caught a bat in a barn. The old roguedid not know what to do, at first. But he soonmade up his mind. I dare not eat thee asa mouse, said he, on account of my I will eat thee as a bird. With this nicedistinction his conscience was satisfied. In some parts of Africa, on the coast, batsare found in such flocks, that when they fly,they obscure the light of the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1851
