. Boys and birds; or, Miss Truat's mission . ance. The drawing I show you was paintedfrom a colony found near the Cape of Good Hope,and is true to nature. ** There are several other varieties of the weaver-bird in Africa, but the only other one which weshall particularize is most remarkable for the sur-prising length of its tail. It is generally known asthe Widow Bird, but quite erroneously, the truename being the Paradise Whidah Bird. (Fig. 59.) This bird is about the size of the common spar-row, but has, as you will notice from my drawing,the bill of the sparrow and a tail that no other bird
. Boys and birds; or, Miss Truat's mission . ance. The drawing I show you was paintedfrom a colony found near the Cape of Good Hope,and is true to nature. ** There are several other varieties of the weaver-bird in Africa, but the only other one which weshall particularize is most remarkable for the sur-prising length of its tail. It is generally known asthe Widow Bird, but quite erroneously, the truename being the Paradise Whidah Bird. (Fig. 59.) This bird is about the size of the common spar-row, but has, as you will notice from my drawing,the bill of the sparrow and a tail that no other birdis adorned with. The prevailing color is glossy-black; a rich reddish-brown collar passes around theneck and extends down by the shoulders, while theabdomen is pale buff. But the grand adornmentof this bird is its magnificent tail. There are twoimmensely long and broad central feathers, curvingto the point, and two shorter ones above, whichswell out like a fan when extended, and then sudden-ly contract to mere stems. The plumes are set ver-. I SVhidlli Binl. BOYS AND BIRDS. 275 tieally, and have a rich, glossy, velvety lustre. Thisjustly admired bird has been largely imported intoEngland and France to adorn the aviaries of thecurious and wealthy, and with some show of success,as young broods have been raised in , like most birds, it loses much of its vivacitywhen in captivity. Indeed, it is said that when itloses its beautiful tail feathers during the moultingBeason, or as a consequence of its unnatural condi-tion, the bird seems to feel the deepest of indulging in its usual active pastimes,skipping about and spreading its gaudy plumes, itseeks the lowest perch or backs itself into the far-thest corner, and there sits, dumpy and cheerless, asthough ashamed of its altered and humbled con-dition. But now wre must say good-bye to the prettyfinches, and to one another, as our pleasant hourhas expired. CHAPTER XVII. SWALLOWS, MARTINS, WRENS, HUMMING-BI
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1874
