File:The history of birds - their varieties and oddities, comprising graphic descriptions of nearly all known species of birds, with fishes and insects, the world over, and illustrating their varied (14750141942).jpg

Identifier: historyofbirdsth00bing (find matches)
Title: The history of birds : their varieties and oddities, comprising graphic descriptions of nearly all known species of birds, with fishes and insects, the world over, and illustrating their varied habits, modes of life, and distinguishing peculiarities by means of delightful anecdotes and spirited engravings
Year: 1880 (1880s)
Authors: Bingley, William, 1774-1823
Subjects: Birds Zoology
Publisher: Philadelphia : Edgewood Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ome of them with his gun, missenl his sliot severaltimes; this the bystanders observed with great satisfaction, telling himtriumphantly that he might shoot at them as long as he pleased, butthat he would never be able to kill any of them. There seems no doubt that this is the species mentioned by ^fr.Smeathman, as having been seen by him in Africa. The birds that hedescribes were at least seven feet high. These birds are found in companies ; and, when seen at a distance,near the mouths of rivers, coming towards an observer (which they dowith their wings extended), they may be mistaken for canoes on thesurface of a smooth sea ; and when stalking about on the sandbanks,they appear like men and women picking up shell-fish on the beach, A young bird of this kind, about five feet in height, was broughtu)) tame, and presented to the Chief of the Bananas, where Mr.Smeathman lived; and in whose house it soon became perfectly fa-miliar. It regularly attended the hall at dinuer-time; aud placed
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THE BITTERN. 317 itself behind its masters chair, frequently before any of the guestsentered. The servants were obliged to watch it carefully, and todefend the provisions by beating it off with sticks; yet, notwith-standing every precaution, it would frequently snatch oft somethingfrom the table. It one day purloined a w^iole boiled fowl, which itswallowed in an instant. This bird used to fly about the island, androost very high among the silk-cotton trees; from this station, at thedistance of two or three miles, it could see when the dinner was car-ried across the court. As soon as this appeared it would dart down,and arrive early enough to enter with some of those who carried inthe dishes. When sitting, it was observed always to rest itself on the wholelength of the hind part of the leg. It sometimes stopped in the roomfor half an hour after dinner; turning its head alternately, as iflistening to the conversation. The courage of this bird was notequal to its voracity: for a child ei

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