. The history of birds : their varieties and oddities, comprising graphic descriptions of nearly all known species of birds, with fishes and insects, the world over, and illustrating their varied habits, modes of life, and distinguishing peculiarities by means of delightful anecdotes and spirited engravings . M, du Pratz had, how-ever, this pleasure. He had observedone of these birds enter the bell of aconvolvulas; and, as it had quite buried itself to get at the bottom,he ran immediately to the place, closed the flower, cut it from theBtalk, and carried off the bird a prisoner. He could not,
. The history of birds : their varieties and oddities, comprising graphic descriptions of nearly all known species of birds, with fishes and insects, the world over, and illustrating their varied habits, modes of life, and distinguishing peculiarities by means of delightful anecdotes and spirited engravings . M, du Pratz had, how-ever, this pleasure. He had observedone of these birds enter the bell of aconvolvulas; and, as it had quite buried itself to get at the bottom,he ran immediately to the place, closed the flower, cut it from theBtalk, and carried off the bird a prisoner. He could not, however,prevail with it to eat; and it died in the course of three or four informs us, that, in Canada, he bad possession of one of these birds fjrabout twenty-four hours. Itsuffered itself tobe handled ; andeven counter-feited death thatit might escapeA slight frost inthe night des-troyed it. My friendCaptain Davisinforms me,says Dr. Latham,in his Synopsisof Birds, thathe kept thesebirds alive forfour months bythe followingmethod :—Hemade an exactrepresentation ofsome of thetubular flowers,with paper fastened round atobacco-pipe, andpainted them of a proper color: these were placed in the order of nature, in the cagem which the little creatures were confined: the bottoms of the tubes. HUMMINQ-BIRT) AT REST. THE WHITE-FOOTED ROCKET-TAIL. 141 were filled with a mixture of brown sugar and water as often asLlnptiod ; and he had the pleasure of seeing them perform every action ;t(>r they soon grew familiar, and, though close luider the eye, took theirnourishment in the same manner as when ranging at large in the openail The tonoue of the Hummino;-Bird is formed much like that of thfiWoodpecker, being cuiled round the head, under the skin, antl thuscapable of being darted to a considerable distance. Ihere is a fable of a Wren and an Eagle. The two birds entereilinto a contest respecting the height to which they could severallyattain. A day was fixed, and the bird
Size: 1328px × 1881px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectzoology
