. The birds of Ohio; a complete scientific and popular description of the 320 species of birds found in the state . theKingbird exhibits great strength and swiftness as well as grace in flight. Oncewhen passing in a canoe through a quiet weed-bound channel near the Mus-kingum river, I was quite deceived for a time by the sight of distant, white-breasted birds, dashing down to take insects near the surface of the water,and even occasionally dipping under it. They had all the ease and grace ofWhite-bellied Swallows, but proved to be Kingbirds practicing in a new role. This fondness for the water
. The birds of Ohio; a complete scientific and popular description of the 320 species of birds found in the state . theKingbird exhibits great strength and swiftness as well as grace in flight. Oncewhen passing in a canoe through a quiet weed-bound channel near the Mus-kingum river, I was quite deceived for a time by the sight of distant, white-breasted birds, dashing down to take insects near the surface of the water,and even occasionally dipping under it. They had all the ease and grace ofWhite-bellied Swallows, but proved to be Kingbirds practicing in a new role. This fondness for the water is often exhibited in the birds choice of anesting site. Ordinarily orchard or shade trees, or the more prominent mem-bers of neglected hedge-rows are preferred, but on several occasions I havefound nests on low-swinging horizontal branches overhanging the water, andthrice, at least, in tiny willow clumps entirely surrounded by it. The nestof the Kingbird sometimes presents that studied disarray, which is consideredby some the height of art. Now and then a nest has such a dishevelled appear- THE KINGBIRD. 311. ance as toquite dis-courage in-V e s t i g a -tion, unlessthe ownerspresencegives the se-cret of its oc-c u p a n c yaway. It isplaced usu-ally in an up-right or hor-izontal forkof a tree at aheight offrom threeto forty ,weed - stalksand trash ofany kind en-ter into thebasal con-st r u c charac-teristic fea-ture of thenest, how-ever, is themould, ormat, of vege-table plaster,groundwood, and the like, or else compacted wool and cow-hair, which is forced into the inter-stices of the outer structure and left smooth and rounded inside, giving shapeto the nest. This in turn is lined with fine grasses, horse-hair, or nests are found composed almost entirely of wool. In othersstring is the principal ingredient. Eggs are laid at the rate of one each day. Incubation begins when the Taken on the Licking Rcscrzoiv. Photo by the Author NEST
Size: 1336px × 1871px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1903
