File:Little folks in feathers and fur, and others in neither (1875) (14784155465).jpg

Identifier: littlefolksinfea00mill (find matches)
Title: Little folks in feathers and fur, and others in neither
Year: 1875 (1870s)
Authors: (Miller, Harriet (Mann) Mrs.), 1831- (from old catalog)
Subjects: Zoology
Publisher: Hartford, Conn., Dustin, Gilman & co. Cincinnati, Ohio, Queen city publishing co. (etc., etc.)
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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up with someof the same grass the nest is made of, to hide her precious eggsfrom thieves. The thief she dreads the most is the crow, whos extremelyfond of eggs, and sure to be prowling around after his breakfast. Then I have heard of boys who would steal the poor littleblack mothers eggs, and even her house, too, sometimes. Unless she is frightened off, and leaves in a hurry, MammaWater-Hen is sure to cover up the nest, and then it looks so muchlike a pile of weeds and hay, that it is pretty safe. When the chicks are once out of the shell, their black enemy,Mr. Crow, lets them alone, but as soon as they go into the water,another prowling thief awaits them. Thats a fish—Mr. Pike—whocomes quietly up under one as it swims about, opens his big caveof a mouth, and snaps it up in a minute. That seems cruel. But after all, it isnt any worse than theWater-Hen herself does. If her babies are eaten by birds andfishes, she herself eats worms and insects, and even small fish. 96 LITTLE FOLKS
Text Appearing After Image:
WA TER-HENS. IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 97 One of the family—the purple water-hen—wears a dark bluedress, and its funny to see her eat. She isnt so vulgar as toswallow her food whole; by no means ! She takes it in one footand eats it daintily, as, perhaps, you have seen a parrot do, standingsteadily on the other foot meanwhile. This industrious little mother isnt satisfied to raise one brood,as our hens are. The chicks need her care but a short time, andshe often raises three families in a year. This is a very shy family, and youd have to watch a longtime before you would see them all out, for they are apt to hidebehind the broad leaves of the water-lily, or among the weeds onthe edge of the stream, in the daytime, and only come out morningand evening to frolic in the water. When pursued by hunters, they dive and come up a long wayoff, out of the way of the enemy. They are about as large as our hens, and the big books thattell all about these curious little creatures, say that they are

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