Identifier: auntmaysbirdtalk00poyn (find matches)
Title: Aunt May's bird talks
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Poyntz, F. M., Mrs. (from old catalog)
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Boston, New York (etc.) Educational publishing company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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students of Nature claim that theSwrallow goes to sleep or hibernates instead ofmigrating, but this is not true. The Swallowmigrates, as do all the feathered tribe, but she AUNT MAYS BIRD TALKS. 95 is faithful to her old home, and in the Springgoes back to her nest under the eaves of someold farm house or maybe to a city home. Thepeople of Germany are very fond of theSwallow and think it a crime to kill one ; theybelieve she brings them good luck, and if shedoes not return to her old nest in the Springthey fear their crops will fail. Some peopleclaim that a home where Swallows build willnever be struck by lightning. One reason why these birds find favor withman is because they do not disturb his gardenand fruits, as do so many birds. Nature has given them the power to travelrapidly because they must earn their living bycatching insects in the air, and so must beswift of wing and keen of sight in order tocatch the little insects which are so quickin their movements. A Swallow has been
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AUNT MAYS BIRD TALKS. 97 known to catch a thousand flies in one day.I think him a very greedy bird, dont you ?And then it is rather hard on the flies, too. This bird is of a dark, grayish blue color,with a white throat and a very wide beak.The Perching birds are divided into fourclasses or tribes, according to the shape oftheir beaks. The name of the tribe to whichthe Swallow belongs means wide beak! TheThrush family and many of the singing birdsbelong to the second tribe, called Notched orToothed Beak; all birds of this tribe have alittle notch on the beak. The third tribe hasa Cone-shaped Beak; your Canary belongs tothis tribe, and that you may more easily dis-tinguish them I will tell you that all birds andfowls with cone-shaped beaks eat seed or grain.You know how much bird seed your petCanary eats. 98 AUNT MAYS BIRD TALKS The last tribe of the Perching birds is thatwith the slender, long beak. To this familybelongs the most delicate and fairy-like ofbirds, the Humming-bird. Now t

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