File:Stories about birds of land and water (1874) (14564379227).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

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:
ers should be thinned. It is true the snake, as arule, has a dread of man, and will bustle away among the dead leaves on theground when he hears footsteps approaching. But many fatal accidents arealways occurring, for the snake may be trodden on without being seen as heis coiled up asleep, or he may creep into the house. A lady once felt some-thing move under her pillow in the night. She took no notice, but the nextmorning, when the pillow was moved, there was a venomous snake coiledround, and it had lain there all night. Some of the birds of prey seem to have an especial desire to kill snakes.Besides the brave secretary bird, the buzzard of which we are speaking doeshis part to keep them down. His family live in many parts of the world—inEurope, Asia, and Africa. He has great eyes, that shine like those of the cat THE SNAKE BUZZARD. 41 or the tiger in the dark. But he is not very fierce, though he quarrels veryoften with his companion buzzards. He has a way of hopping about a httle
Text Appearing After Image:
THE SNAKE BUZZARD. like a raven, and he Hkes to sit on a sohtary branch, as you see he is doingin the picture, and to take a survey of all around him. 42 STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. It is a good thing that his feathers are so thick and close. They are likea suit of armour, and defend him from the bite of the snake. He does notmind what kind of snake it is, or how poisonous. He darts down and attacksit at once. His way of attack is by seizing the snake with his claws just on the napeof the neck. The snake is struck down, as it were, and cannot use its fangs-It often twists the rest of its body about, and wraps it quite round its enemy.But it cannot move its head, so there is no harm done ; and the buzzard givesit a great bite, and ends by killing it. He eats the snake bit by bit until noneof it is left. You must not suppose that he lives entirely on snakes, though he kills asmany as he can, and will eat three great ones in the course of a morning. Hedoes not object to rats and mice and other

Note About Images