Читать книгу Neighbors with Wings and Fins and Some Others, for Young People - James Johonnot - Страница 10
ОглавлениеFEATHERED MARSH-DWELLERS.
1. High, very high up in the air we have sometimes seen passing over us a large flock of white or brown birds, with long necks stretching out before them, and longer legs dragging behind. At so great a distance they appear small, but their loud trumpet-voices tell us they must be quite large. They may be herons, but from the noise we conclude they are cranes.
2. There are fifty or perhaps a hundred of them, and they move in the form of a wedge or a triangle. In this way they fly that they may more easily cleave the air. The foremost bird in the procession has the hardest work to do; so, as they move forward at great speed, each member of the flock takes its turn at being leader.
3. In general form like herons, the cranes are usually the larger of the two. Their feathers are more compact, and their necks are not quite so smooth and graceful. Some of the white or whooping cranes are of immense size, and stand as high as a man's breast. At the far West one has sometimes been mistaken for an antelope or a buffalo. And such coarse, piping voices! no wonder that they can be heard for miles, for the whooping-crane plays upon a windpipe nearly five feet long, about half of it coiled up in his breast like a French horn.
4. Strange birds and very shy are these cranes. They love the vast marshes and the tall cane-brake; the long sand-bars of the great river, where they can not be surprised; or the deep gorges of the mountains, where human feet rarely tread. When feeding or resting, they place one of their number as sentinel to watch for approaching danger.
The American Crane.
5. And when danger comes, the sentinel gives a whoop, and up they all rise upon their great white wings. The male is kind and attentive while his mate hatches her two eggs and broods her young. Though they seem so wild and shy, they have sometimes been tamed, running with other fowls, or herding with the cattle.
6. Nor are cranes so sober and gloomy as the dreary scenes of their life would seem to make them. Indeed, they are jolly fellows among themselves. From them the Greeks derived one of their favorite dances. In a solemn and stately manner they will advance toward one another in long rows or processions, make some kind of a salutation, and then suddenly break into a ludicrous dance, swinging their legs about, bowing their heads, flapping their wings, and almost turning somersaults.
The Marsh Hen.
7. A very small swamp-dweller, not larger than a quail, is the coot. It has a large, strong bill and exceedingly long toes, which enable it with ease to run over floating branches and leaves. It seems to be about half hen and half duck.
8. The claws of the coot are not webbed like those of the duck, but they have a membrane on the sides of the toes which acts as a paddle. Then its bluish-gray feathers are close and tight, like the coat of the duck. Nimble on foot and wing, like the scratcher, the coot takes to the water like the duck. It hates the light and sunshine, and steals out in the dusk to gather its food. The rail is a little swamp-dweller, much like its cousin the coot, and in appearance quite like a quail.
9. The marsh-hen of the sea-coast has the air and appearance of a true hen. Of a pretty olive-brown and white color, she is bright and active; can run swifter than a man, and can dive as well as a duck. Although a constantly wet hen, she never loses her temper. If the flood sweeps away her nest, she builds another, and in the warm days of the spring she furnishes delicious eggs for lucky hunters. This little wild hen has sometimes been tamed, and in England it is often found with tame poultry.
10. The woodcock is a very pretty bird to look at, and furnishes a pleasant attraction to the table when it has made the proper acquaintance with the fire. It has much the appearance of the snipe, but is larger and fairer in form and feather. Around the edges of the low ground or the swamp, where there are trees for shade, is its chosen place for play and work.
11. The woodcock has a bright, large eye, but can not see well in broad day. On this account, when it is flushed by the dog, it makes an irregular flight, and is a difficult mark for the sportsman. During the day the woodcock is at rest, and at nightfall it begins work. The straight, sharp bill, two and a half inches long, and very sensitive, knows where to find the worm, and is thrust into the soft ground and drawn out so quickly that you can scarcely count the strokes.
American Woodcock.
12. Woodcocks have an affection for the places they have once chosen to dwell in, and love to return to them. A gamekeeper in France once snared a woodcock, to which he gave its liberty after he had tied to its leg a copper ring. The next year he found his old friend again, with the same leg and the same copper ornament. Tender and affectionate, too, are the woodcocks to the four or five young they yearly hatch. To rescue them from danger, they often pick up the little ones with their bills or claws, and fly away with them to a place of safety.
