. The popular natural history . Zoology. ^lO THE TERN.—[Sidrna kirunuu.) this countty about May and departs in September. An adult bird in summer plumage has the tip of the head and nape of the neck jet-black, the upper part of the body ashen grey, the under surface white, and the legs, feet, and bill coral-red, the bill deepening into black at the tip. Tie length of the Tern rather exceeds fourteen inches; much of it is due to the long forked feathers of the tail. We now arrive at the last family of birds, the Pelicans, a group which includes many species, all remarkable for some p
. The popular natural history . Zoology. ^lO THE TERN.—[Sidrna kirunuu.) this countty about May and departs in September. An adult bird in summer plumage has the tip of the head and nape of the neck jet-black, the upper part of the body ashen grey, the under surface white, and the legs, feet, and bill coral-red, the bill deepening into black at the tip. Tie length of the Tern rather exceeds fourteen inches; much of it is due to the long forked feathers of the tail. We now arrive at the last family of birds, the Pelicans, a group which includes many species, all remarkable for some peculiarity, and many of them really fine and handsome birds. As its name implies, the Tro- pic Bird is seldom to be seen outside the tropics unless driven by storms. It is wonderfully powerful on the wing, being able to soar for a considerable period, and passing whole days in the air without needing to settle. As a general fact they do not fly to very great distances from land, three hundred miles being about the usual limit; but Dr. Bennett observed them on one occasion when the nearest land was about one thousand miles distant. The long tail-shafts of the Tropic Bird are much valued in many lands, the natives wearing them as ornaments, or weaving them into various implements. The Tropic Bird breeds in the Mauritius. The total length of this bird is about two feet six inches, of which the tail feathers oc- cupy about fifteen inches. The , Solan Goose, or Spectacled Goose, is a well-known resident on our coasts, its chief home being the Bass Rock in the Frith of Forth, on which it congregates in vast numbers. The Gannet is a large bird, nearly three feet long ; and being powerful on the wing, and possessed of a large appetite, it makes great havoc among the fish which it devours. Herrings, pilchards, sprats, and similar fish are the favourite food of the Gannet, and as soon as the shoals of herrings approach the coast the Gannets assemble in flocks and indicate to the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
