File:Stories about birds of land and water (1874) (14750577972).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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^, and betake themselves to the opencountry. The male bird arrives before the female, and in France the bird-catcher takes advantacre of this. He jzoes out and imitates the note of the THE QUAIL. 205 lien bird, so as to decoy a great many quails into his net. Then he bringsthcni to the London market, and sells them for the table, their flesh beingthought a delicacy. . The mother bird scrapes a little hole in the ground, and fills it withgrass, or stalks, or clover, and lays her eggs upon it. They are of a dullorange colour, speckled with brown.
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THE QUAIL. The quail is much smaller than the partridge, and the feathers of its headare black, edged with rusty brown. The breast is a pale yellow red, spottedwith black, and the feathers on the back are marked with pale yellow lines. The young birds soon learn to follow their mother, and feed on seeds,grains, and insects. They are often killed by the sportsman in the stubblefields in the autumn. But in October most of them leave England, thoughsome remain and arc seen durincr the winter. 2c6 STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. THE CURLEW. The curlew belongs to the family of birds called waders, from their habit ofwading into tlie water in search of insects. They arc not formed by naturefor either swimming or diving, as their legs are too long to propel them in the•water, and they have no web foot. Yet, now and then, the curlew has beenknown not only to swim, but to dive, though it is not provided, as the diversare, with an air-bag in the throat. We can tell you a little story about a curlew. It

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