Identifier: birdsnatureinnat02chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature in natural colors : being a scientific and popular treatise on four hundred birds of the United States and Canada
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds -- North America
Publisher: Chicago : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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e type of vain glory. Its flesh, like that of pheasants and grousegenerally, is excellent for table use. Its voice, like that of the guineafowl, isexceedingly harsh, as though nature begrudged a sweet voice and brilliant plum-age to the same bird. The peacock is a gorgeous bird. It prefers wooded mountains and jungles,roosting in trees and making the nest on the ground. Often considered thehandsomest and proudest of all birds, the Greeks and Romans called it theBird of Juno. When the male is in full plumage and spreads his magnificent,fan-shaped tail it is a most dazzling spectacle. Both sexes are alike at first butthe male, in three years, gradually acquires the splendid plumage for which it isnoted. While it has been domesticated in many countries for centuries, it stillcontinues rather wary. In spite of its beauty and delicious flesh, it is not afavorite domestic fowl for the reason that it is destructive to gardens, has aloud, harsh cry, and has a proud unpleasant disposition. 296
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How the Woodpecker Knows By William J. Long How does he know where to dig his hole, The woodpecker there on the elm tree bole? How does he know what kind of a limb To use for a drum, and to burrow in? How does he find where the young grubs grow— Id like to know? The woodpecker fiew to a maple limb.And drummed a tattoo that was fun for him,No breakfast here! Its too hard for that,He said, as down on his tail he sat,Just listen to this: rrrr rat-tat-tat. Away to the pear tree, out of sight,With a cheery call and a jumping flight,He hopped around till he found a stub,Ah, heres the place to look for grub.Tis moist and dead—rrrr rub-dub-dub. To a branch of the apple, Downy hied.And hung by his toes to the under side,Twill be sunny here in this hollow trunk;Its dry and soft, with a heart of punk,Just the place for a nest—rrrr runk-tunk-tunk. I see, said the boy. Just a tap or two,Then listen as any bright boy might do,You can tell ripe melons, and garden stuffIn the very same way—it

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