Identifier: cu31924000070809 (find matches)
Title: Bird studies for home and school; sixty common birds, their habits and haunts
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: De Groat, Herman C
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Buffalo, N. Y., Herman C. De Groat
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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into the North inApril and spreads far and wide, journeying even to HudsonBay. In October, old and young return in families to thesouthland. It is a true wader, being always found along theseacoast and the shores of creeks, rivers and lakes. When on the ground, it has a peculiar motion of the tailand body much like teetering. It seems tg be constantly losingits balance and as constantly recovering it again. The motion,though odd, is graceful and adds to the birds attractivenessas it runs along the shore. Tip-Up and Teeter-Tail seemappropriate names for it. Upon being flushed, it rises with a few quick strokes ofits long pointed wings and sails several rods along the beach.If followed, it repeats its short flight several times, and thensweeping a broad curve over the water, it returns to the placeof starting. Every time it rises, it utters a shrill, rapid cry ofpeet, weet, weet, weet. This is its nearest approach to a song. The nest made on the ground in a pasture or a grain field 102
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is never far from some stream or other body of water. Thisnearness to water is necessary that the parent birds may easilyobtain food for themselves and their young. It consists ofworms and insects found at the waters edge. If frightenedfrom her eggs, the mother flies away without making a sound;but if her young are about her, she tries the trick common tosome other birds of fluttering away as though injured. Thisgives her family time to hide, and so like the ground is thecolor of their gray coats that the little ones are seldom found. BIRD NOTES 103 CHIMNEY SWIFT, OR CHIMNEY SWALLOW Male and female a sooty-gray; wings an inch and a halflonger than the tail; the quills of the tail extend beyond theweb, forming spikes. Length, five and one-half inches. Nest, bracket-shape, made of twigs fastened together withbird-glue and attached to the walls of a chimney or hollow tree.Eggs, white, four to six, .80 x .50 inches. The natural homes of these birds were hollow trees andcaves, but they are

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