File:Nature neighbors, embracing birds, plants, animals, minerals, in natural colors by color photography, containing articles by Gerald Alan Abbott, Dr. Albert Schneider, William Kerr Higley...and other (14770405573).jpg

Identifier: natureneighborse03bant (find matches)
Title: www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/tags/book...
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Banta, Nathaniel Moore, 1867- Schneider, Albert, 1863- Higley, William Kerr, 1860-1908 Abbott, Gerard Alan
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, American Audobon association
Contributing Library: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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ity of cases found themales wearing the same dress as the females. In a fewinstances the male was in fully adult plumage — velvetyblack and crimson red. From the above it is clear that themales begin to breed before they attain fully adult plumage,and that they retain the dress of the female until, at least,the beginning of the second year. While on this trip I had many proofs that, in spite ofits rich plumage and being a bird of the tropics, it is wellworthy to hold a place of honor among the song-birds. Andif the bird chooses an early hour and a secluded spot forexpressing its happiness, the melody is none the less dehght-ful. THE SWALLOW-TAILED INDIAN ROLLER* Swallow-Tailed Indian Rollers are natives of northeast-em Africa and Senegambia, and also the interior of theNiger district. The bird is so called from its way of occa-sionally rolling or turning over in its flight, somewhat afterthe fashion of a tumbler pigeon. A traveler, in describingthe habits of the Roller family, says:
Text Appearing After Image:
12 SWALLOW-TAILED INDIAN ROLLER.■ 5 Life-size MEXICAN .\1( 1 r Ml 1 1 (Momotus swainsoni). % Life-size. FAMOUS FOREIGN BIRDS 515 On the 12th of April I reached Jericho alone, andremained there in solitude for several days, during whichtime I had many opportunities of observing the grotesquehabits of the roller. For several successive evenings greatflocks of rollers mustered shortly before sunset on somedona trees near the fountain, with all the noise but withoutthe decorum of rooks. After a volley of discordant screams,from the sound of which it derives its Arabic name ofschurkrak, a few birds would start from their perchesand commence overhead a series of somersaults. In amoment or two they would be followed by the whole flock,and these gambols would be repeated for a dozen times ormore. Everywhere it takes its perch on some conspicuousbranch or on the top of a rock, where it can see and beseen. The bare tops of the fig trees, before they put forththeir leaves, are in the cultivate

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