File:Baby birds at home (1912) (14728445576).jpg

Identifier: babybirdsathomebb00kear (find matches)
Title: Baby birds at home
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Kearton, Richard, 1862-1928
Subjects: Birds -- Behavior Birds -- Juvenile literature
Publisher: London, New York (etc.) Cassell and company, ltd.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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her bulky structure. In Scot-land, where small islands abound in some ofthe great sea lochs, the Common Gull is oftenrobbed by rats, so large and fierce, that theyoccasionally kill and eat the sitting bird onher nest. From two to four eggs are laid, althoughthe number found is generally three. Theseare buffish brown or dark olive brown incolour, marked with dark brown blotchesand spots. Young Common Gulls soon leave the nestand squat about in the heather or grass, notfar from where they have been hatched.They are fed upon scraps of fish, worms andgrubs, and the writer has seen their parentsvisit a heronry near the sea, in order to pickup any unconsidered trifle dropped by theirneighbours. One gull actually had the bold-ness to alight on the edge of a nest contain-ing three young herons, and seize a pieceof fish, with which it flew off. When they are old enough to fly for ashort distance their mother takes greatpains to prevent them from wandering nearany place she considers dangerous.
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STONECHATS. The Stonechat THE Stonechat inhabits furze-clad com-mons, and rough, uncultivated tractsof land where juniper, bracken, and bramblegrow in profusion. Unless care is taken thefemale of this species may easily be mistakenfor its relative the whinchat. The male is about five inches in length;its head, nape, throat, back, wings, and tailare black, with rusty edgings to many of thefeathers. On the sides of the neck, wings,and at the root of the tail, are patches ofwhite. The breast and under parts are darkrust colour. The female is sandy brown onher head and back, streaked with black; thewhite patches on her neck and wings are notso large and conspicuous as in her mate, andthe base of her tail is rusty red. You candistinguish her from the whinchat, if youtake care to remember that the latter birdhas a white spot at the base of its tail andno black on the throat. 68 Baby Birds at Home The Stonechat is fond of perching on thetops of furze and other bushes, but never stayslong in

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