Animal life in the sea and on the land . Fig. 210.—BlRD-OF-PARADISE. mistaken notion of oldentimes that these birds haveno legs, that they suspend them-selves by their long feathers, andthat they never touch the earth whilealive. 14. The Bower-bird.—Another inter-esting bird of the Eastern Hemisphere is the bower-birdof Australia. Its chief peculiarity consists in the curiousbowers which it builds of closely interwoven branches andtwigs, drawn together so as to meet at the top. The en-trance is brushed perfectly clean, and decorated withbright pebbles, shells, feathers, little bleached skeleto
Animal life in the sea and on the land . Fig. 210.—BlRD-OF-PARADISE. mistaken notion of oldentimes that these birds haveno legs, that they suspend them-selves by their long feathers, andthat they never touch the earth whilealive. 14. The Bower-bird.—Another inter-esting bird of the Eastern Hemisphere is the bower-birdof Australia. Its chief peculiarity consists in the curiousbowers which it builds of closely interwoven branches andtwigs, drawn together so as to meet at the top. The en-trance is brushed perfectly clean, and decorated withbright pebbles, shells, feathers, little bleached skeletons, 310 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE SEA AND ON THE Fig. 211.—Play-house of Bower-bird. and other ornamental articles, some of which must evi-dently have been carried for a long distance. Thesebowers are entirely separate from their nests, and areused only as play-grounds, where a festive throng assem-bles, apparently to exhibit their charms to the birdswhose affections they hope to win. The males strut up PERCHING-BIRDS. 311 and down in a stately fashion, and do their best to displaytheir fine forms and graceful movements to the femalesthat are quietly looking on. 15. The Shrike.—The shrike, or butcher-bird, as it isoften called, has a singular habit of hanging small birds,mice, and insects upon the thorns .^L /dfe. and twigs of trees,as a means of pre-serving them forfuture use, havingcaptured moreprey than it canpossibly eat atone time. 16. Wrens. —Then there arethe wrens—busy,fussy little creat-ures, hoppingabout our bird-boxes with tailserect, and fight-ing and scoldingother birds thatare thought to betrespassing upontheir
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1887
