File:Stories about birds of land and water (1874) (14564147360).jpg

Identifier: storiesaboutbird00kirb (find matches)
Title: Stories about birds of land and water
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Kirby, Mary, 1817-1893 Kirby, Elizabeth, 1823-1873
Subjects: Birds -- Juvenile literature
Publisher: Hartford (Conn.) : American Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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t ; and after a time, the little heads of the brood are thrust out to receivethe food that they bring. And you may see the mother bird hanging to theoutside of the nest by her claws. As soon as one brood has flown, she beginsto lay more eggs, and to rear another ; and even quite late in the autumn sheis still busy with family cares. Indeed, she sometimes has not finished herduties in time, and then she must fly away to a warmer country, and the poorlittle birds are left behind. This has been known to happen many times.One spring a pair of house martins came back to their old nest, and wereseen to draw out the dead bodies of three little nestlings, that had not beenready to fly. - THE MARTIN. 59 Another pair of birds came to a nest close by, and tried to do the same.But the little ones were too large and heavy, and they could not, with all theirefforts, get them out. So they gave up the idea of using the nest for a home,and made it instead into a tomb, by sealing up the hole with clay.
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THE MARTIX. The martins are a very numerous family, and are found almost every-where. Their flight is not quite so swift as that of the swallow, but the twobirds fly about together, and their habits are just alike. For some days after the young martins have left the nest, they fly aboutand are fed by their parents. And sometimes they do not seem inclined to 6o STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. leave the nest, and the old birds entice them, or even push them out. And ayoung bird may be seen cHnging to the upper part of a window by its feetand tail, and the parents feed it in this position. It is amusing to watch the martin building her nest. She plants her tailagainst the wall, and then deposits the mud she has brought in her bill,like a skilful workman, allowing it to drop into the crevices of yesterdayswork. Sometimes she stops to retouch the whole, and make it looksmoother. Every time she alights on the nest, she makes a twittering sound ;and if the weather is hot, she will now and then take a s

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