File:Stories about birds of land and water (1874) (14750899755).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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ither sideand a lighted torch at the top. The peacock is frightened, and flies to whathe supposes to be one of his own kind, and is caught in a noose that hangsfor the purpose. The peacocks are distinguished, as a class, by the crest on the top of thehead, and the great length of the tail feathers, that can be raised and expanded,and present the most beautiful picture in nature. THE PELICAN. There are some birds, as well as animals, about whom a great man\ fableshave been told. The pelican is one of these. He has a great pouch under the lower part of his bill, that can hold agreat many fishes. When he goes out on a fishing excursion he eats as muchas he likes, and puts the rest into his pouch for the family at home. His breast is snowy white, and the tip of the bill is red like blood ; sothat people have said the pelican feeds the young with his own blood THE PELICAN. 241 You will see that the pelican does nothing of the kind. He feeds theyoung ones with v.-hat he eats himself—fish.
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THE PELICAN. The pelican is a swimming bird, as you may know by looking at hisfeet. I lis four toes are webbed together like the toes of the duck or the goose.He is about the shape and colour of a swan, but much larger. The wings arep 242 STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. very large, and the bones in them very light, so that they can receive a greatquantity of air, and the bird can soar very high in the air and keep a longtime on the wing. The colour of the plumage is a yellowish white, and thepouch is of a straw colour. On the greater part of the head and neck theplumage is like a short close down, gradually passing into feathers ; and thereis a tuft on the back of the head that falls downwards over the neck. But the pouch is the most curious part of the pelican. In the first place,the bill itself is, as you see, of an enormous length, and, if it were openedwide, a man could put his head into the birds mouth. It is very thick in themiddle, and tapers off towards the end with a little hook. From t

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