. Pearls and pebbles, or, Notes of an old naturalist [microform]. Traill, Catherine Parr Strickland, 1802-1899; Traill, Catherine Parr Strickland, 1802-1899; Natural history; Sciences naturelles. ANOTHER MAY MORNING. 73 have had to work with, well may we be filled with admiration and astonishment. Take the nest of the goldfinch, and then see what the little creature has at her command. Only a tiny awl- like bill, which must answer for knife or scissors to cut and clip her building material; the claws on two tiny feet, for though we do not know how she uses them, a great deal of the work must f
. Pearls and pebbles, or, Notes of an old naturalist [microform]. Traill, Catherine Parr Strickland, 1802-1899; Traill, Catherine Parr Strickland, 1802-1899; Natural history; Sciences naturelles. ANOTHER MAY MORNING. 73 have had to work with, well may we be filled with admiration and astonishment. Take the nest of the goldfinch, and then see what the little creature has at her command. Only a tiny awl- like bill, which must answer for knife or scissors to cut and clip her building material; the claws on two tiny feet, for though we do not know how she uses them, a great deal of the work must fall to their share; a soft rounded breast with which to mould and shape and smooth the cup-like structure till it acquires the exact circumference and size needed for the accommodation of five little eggs, and later on five little birds that are to be fed and cared for until such time as the parents judge they may be safely left to shift for themselves. This nest is as perfect as if the most skilful hands and the most delicate fingers had put the finishing touches to it and the most critical artistic eyes had overlooked the buildingâif, indeed, any human skill could construct it, even with all the appliances of modern knowledge. In most instances it is the female bird who takes upon herself the labor of building the nest. This is a labor of love, and the bird puts forth all the energies of her nature and all the skill with which she is inspired, to accomplish her work well. Having the stereotyped pattern readj^ she seeks a suitable place and lays the foundation as any builder would do. She g vhcrs material bit by bit, the strongest tli â I. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Traill, Catherine Parr Strickland, 1802-1899; FitzGibbon, Mary Agnes, 1851-1915. Toronto : W. Briggs; Montreal : C. W. C
Size: 1490px × 1676px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdec, booksubjectnaturalhistory, bookyear1895
