Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 1 [January 1901]

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Various. Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 1 [January 1901]

THE OLD YEAR

THE WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL (Loxia leucoptera.)

THE LEGEND OF THE CROSSBILL

THE STUDY OF BACTERIA

THE YELLOW-BREASTED FLYCATCHER

THE TOWNSEND’S WARBLER (Dendroica townsendi.)

THE STORY OF SOME BLACK BUGS

THE SOLITARY SANDPIPER

THE KNOT OR ROBIN SNIPE (Tringa canutus.)

VIOLA BLANDA (Sweet White Violet.)

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A BIRD

THE AMERICAN HAWK OWL (Surnia ulula caparoch.)

A BIRD CALENDAR BY THE POETS

THE OYSTER AND ITS RELATIVES

THE PASSING OF SUMMER

THE COLLARED LIZARD (Crotaphytus collaris.)

A NIGHT IN THE FLOWER GARDEN. A FAIRY STORY

RABBIT’S CREAM

THE APPLE

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF SEED-BEARING PLANTS

VANILLA (Vanilla planifolia, Andrews.)

Отрывок из книги

The Crossbills, together with the finches, the sparrows, the grosbeaks, the redpolls, the goldfinches, the towhees, the cardinals, the longspurs, and the buntings, belong to that large family of perching birds called the Fringillidae, from the Latin word Fringilla, meaning a finch.

Mr. Chapman tells us, in his “Birds of Eastern North America,” that “this, the largest family of birds, contains some five hundred and fifty species, which are represented in all parts of the world, except the Australian region. Its members present a wide diversity of form and habit, but generally agree in possessing stout, conical bills, which are admirably adapted to crush seeds. They are thus chief among seed-eaters, and for this reason are not so migratory as insect-eating species.” Many of the birds most highly prized for the cage and as songsters are representatives of this family and many of the species are greatly admired for their beautiful coloring. The White-Winged Crossbill is a native of the northern part of North America, migrating southward into the United States during the winter months. Its technical name, Loxia leucoptera, is most appropriate and descriptive. The generic name Loxia is derived from the Greek loxos, meaning crosswise or slanting, and the specific name leucoptera is from two Greek works, meaning white and wing, and has reference to the white tips of the feathers of the wings. The common name, Crossbill, or, as the bird is sometimes called, Crossbeak, describes the peculiar structure of the bill which marks them as perhaps the most peculiar of our song birds. The bill is quite deeply cut at the base and compressed near the tips of the two parts, which are quite abruptly bent, one upward and the other downward, so that the points cross at an angle of about forty-five degrees. This characteristic gives this bird a parrot-like appearance. The similarity is heightened by the fact that these hook-like bills are used by the birds to assist in climbing from branch to branch.

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I knew that Auntie never spoke without reason, so John and I kept a close watch on those bugs. For two days nothing happened. The old things just crawled over the mud or ate flies and mosquitoes, as usual.

But the third day one big fellow decided to try something new. It was nothing less than to creep up the stem of one of the rushes. I suppose it was hard work, for he took a long time to get to the surface of the water. Here he stopped a while and then seemed to make up his mind to go further. Soon he was quite out of the water and could breathe all the air and sunshine he wished. I believe he did not like it very well. He seemed so restless and uneasy. I was expecting to see him go back, when I heard John cry out:

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