. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 452 THE TOOTH-BILLED PIGEON. spreading the other over their bodies so as to form a very shallow tent, each quill-feather being separated from its neighbor, and radiating around the body. Sometimes the bird varies this attitude by stretching the otlier wing to its fidl length, and holding it from the ground, at an angle of twenty degrees or so, as if to take advantage of every sunbeam and every waft of air. While lying in this unique attitude, it might easily pass at a little distance for
. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 452 THE TOOTH-BILLED PIGEON. spreading the other over their bodies so as to form a very shallow tent, each quill-feather being separated from its neighbor, and radiating around the body. Sometimes the bird varies this attitude by stretching the otlier wing to its fidl length, and holding it from the ground, at an angle of twenty degrees or so, as if to take advantage of every sunbeam and every waft of air. While lying in this unique attitude, it might easily pass at a little distance for a moss- covered stone, a heap of withered leaves, or a rugged tree-stump, with one broken branch pro- jecting to the side. No one would think of taking it for a Ijird. Unfortunately, it is a diffi- cult matter to take a sketch of the bird while thus reposing, for there are so few salient points that a very careful outline is needed, and its companions are sure to come and peck it up before the sketch can be concluded. The cry of this bird is loud and sonorous, and not very easy of description. Some authors compare it to the gobbling of a turkey-cock, but I car. ^lerceive no resemblance to that sound. It is more of a loiid, hollow boom, than anything else, a kind of mixture between a trombone and a drum, and every time that the bird utters this note, it bows its head so low that the crest sweeps the ground. The nest of the Crowned Pigeon is said to be made in trees, the eggs being two in number, as is generally the case with this group of birds. Its flesh is spoken highly of by those who have eaten it. The general color of this bird is a dee]i and nearly uniform slate-blue ; the quill-feathers of the wing and tail being very blackish ash, and a patch of pure wliite and warm maroon being found on the TOOTH-BILLED PIGBON.—2>j(/«ft<;«iKS etHgiivslris. Ik the Samonn ishinds of the Pacific^ is found a bird of extreme rarity of form, which is, as far as is known, uui
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
