File:Birds and nature (1905) (14569192497).jpg

Identifier: birdsnature21905chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
at he is only too glad to beata hasty retreat. During their quarrelsthese birds keep up an incessant, sharpchirping and a harsh, rasping, buzzingwith their wings, which sounds verydifferent from the low, soft hummingthey make with these while feeding. Ev-ery action and motion at such times in-dicates that they are as mad as can be.At such times other birds must get outof their way. The males often noisilyquarrel among themselves, and whilethe females are much more quiet, they,too, quarrel when two or more meetwhile feeding on the same bush. Themisunderstanding ends only when allbut one have departed. During thenesting and breeding season the malefrequently shoots straight up into theair and nearly out of siqht, only to turnsuddenly and rush headlong down untilwithin a few feet of the ground. Thewings, during the downward rushes,cut the air and cause a sharp, whistlingscreech, as they descend with frightfulvelocity. Mr. Allen believed that ifthev should strike anv obstacle in their 194
Text Appearing After Image:
FROM COL. F. M. WOODRUFF 113 ALLENS HUMMINGBIRD. (Selasphorus alleni).Life-size. COPYRIGHT 1900, BY A. W. MUMFORD, CHICAGO downward course they would be in-stantly killed. The nests of these Hummingbirds arebeautiful and compact structures builton either trees or bushes. The walls ofthe nests are constructed with treemosses and frasfments of lichens which are thoroughly fastened together by theuse of spiders webs. The nests are linedwith soft vegetable down. As is thecase with all the Hummingbirds whosenesting habits are known, the AllensHummingbird lays but two white eggs. WINTER FEASTS. Down from the roofs in gusts are hurledThe eddying drifts to the waste below ;And still is the banner of storm unfurled,Till all the drowned and desolate worldLies dumb and white in a trance of snow. —Mrs. Elizabeth Akers Allen. The winter season of 1904 was coldand sharp and in this locality manytimes the thermometer went below zeroeven to fifteen and twenty. The snowwas deep also, for storm follo

Note About Images