File:Birds and their nests and eggs - found in and near great towns (1907) (14568869358).jpg

Identifier: birdstheirnestse00vosg (find matches)
Title: Birds and their nests and eggs : found in and near great towns
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Vos, George Herklots
Subjects: Birds Birds Birds
Publisher: London : G. Routledge New York : E.P. Dutton.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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being largely increased by arrivalsfrom the continent. They devour seed cropsof all kinds, and do not spare turnip tops.They probably never eat insects or flesh.They love corn but especially peas and beans.When on the ground the gait is peculiar, thebird advancing with a nodding movement ofthe head. The flesh is delicious, but tough.It is wise to eat pigeons as young as possible,and whilst in what is known as the squeaker or squab age. The feathers and skin arevery shot resisting, and the birds remarkablytenacious of life. The flight is strong andrapid. The sportsman rarely comes on the birdsin the winter near enough to shoot them, asthey are peculiarly wary and difficult tostalk. They are generally waited for in theevening, the gunner being well concealed, asthey fly to their roosting places. Sometimesshelters are built in the tops of high trees, inwhich the sportsmen wait in ambush for them. MID-APRIL 67 We noticed a Chiff-chaff busy amongstthe bush tops, and hoped it would build in
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Plate XX : Turtledove. Male (J- size). this birds paradise. Near by a Yellow-hammer chirruped his drawn-out notes, 68 MID-APRIL which country people say sounds like, hito bread and no chee—ee—ee—se. A fewyards away on the ground was a fresh swansnest, ready for the eggs. It was built atthe top of a pathway made by the birdsbeneath the greenery, similar to the one onSwan Island that we found last year (seePart I, p. 15). Close to it lay an old un-broken egg that had been dropped there orejected from the nest ; we have beforenoticed that this is their manner sometimes.Ted found a Thrush sitting quietly on hereggs, though I had been photographing onlya few feet away. On reaching the boat, weagain flushed the full snipe on the beach,and then rowed away to Carrion Crow Island.As usual the birds made off as soon as weapproached. I saw them sitting watchingus disconsolately two hundred yards away,uttering from time to time their slow hoarsecaws. I got a photograph of one of the threene

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