The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-06-30

CRATE because they mud a few at the bot
tom of ponds, which have been drowned
in Swimming them 70 catch nies.
The cuckoo begins to sing, and swallows
appear in different parts Of Great Britain
between the 10th of April and the 10Th
Of May.
Five species Of birds of passage enter
Spain annually from Africa, and are seen
to pass and repass in hocks at certain
changes Of the season.
| have found by experience, that mi
grating birds go in direct line from north
to south, and never take their course from
east to west, or west to east.-Hasselqaist.
The maybe, the wren, and the long
tailed titmouse, among British birds, build
domed nests.
The voluntary aet of emptying the stom-
ach is possessed by some birds, as the pig
con, who has an organ for secreting milk
in its stomach, as Mr.. Hunter observed;
and it softens the food for its young by
previously swallowing it, and afterwards
putting its bill into theirs, returns it into
their mouths, The pelicans use a throat
bag for the purpose of bringing the fish
which they catch in the sea to the shore,
and then eject them and eat them at their
leisure. am well informed OLA bitch,
who, having puppies in stable at a dis
lance from the house, swallowed the flesh
meat which was given her, in large pieces,
and going Immediately to her whelps,
brought it up out of her stomach, aud laid
it down before them.-Dartcia.
When seamen are thrown upon any of
the unknown coasts of America, they new
er venture upon the fruit of any tree, how
tempting soever it may appear, unless they
observe that il is marked with the pecking
of birds, but fall on without any fear
where they have been before them.
Small birds battle hawks by flying round
and above them in great numbers.
Quilts are for the most part plucked with
great cruelty from living geese, aud all
persons from convenience, economy, and
feeling, ought to prefer metallic pens.
Chickens are hatched by the heat of
ovens by the natives Of Bernie, village
in Egypt. They hire themselves over
Egypt for the purpose, and undertake to
deliver sds as many chickens as eggs.
The ovens contain from 40 to 80, 900 eggs,
and there are 400 of them in different
parts. Each brood occupies 81 days, and
they work their ovens for months, pro-
ducing altogether 100 millions of chickens
in 6 months.
Wild ducks are estimated to fly so miles
an hour, swallows fly rather faster, and
the swift is said to fly above two hundred
miles in an hour.
Birds which nestle in holes, as wood
peckers, wry-necks, robins, swallows, &C.,
have eggs Of shining white. Pale green
or pale blue characterizes the eggs of the
starting, Ay-eatchers, hedge sparrows, &c.
A green color in those who lay loosely
among the grass The nuthatch, titmouse
and ehimney-swallows are partly colored
with white ground Others not white,
are larks and singing birds.
Modern classification does not rank CO.
tacious animals as fishes, though they live
in the sea. They suckle their young, and
therefore, are classed with man, &c. among
mammalia. Their hands are large, and
they have little or no neck. Their eyes
are very small and backward. The tail is
horizontal, and they have swimming paws,
similar to the fore feet of seals. A single
stroke with the tail of whale will cut
boat in two; and they move in the sea
above a mile minute. The stomach
consists of four or FIVE successive cavities.
They live chiefly on other species of fish.
The aorta Of whales is thirteen inches in
diameter. The blow-holes are nostrils at
the top of the head to inspire air; and the
hlow-holes are so coutrived as to enable it
at pleasure, to eject the water that enters
the mouth. A large whale eau form a let
forty feet high. Their structure is as
anatomically curious and perfect as that
of other mammalia, and they merit the
respect and sympathy of man. In general
they are black. Those of Spitzbergcn are
white. The balena, or common whales,
are often 60 feet long and 80 round. In
stead Of teeth they have whalebone plates,
with hairy borders hanging from the upper
jaw. The females are most atfectionate to
their young, and when assailed and woun-
ded by the avaricious monsters who fire.
quent these seas, their care of their young
ones often draws tears from every eye-wit-
ness VINO is not capable of midnight muir
der. This class includes-The common
and Iceland whale, 90 feet; fnned whales,
90 feet; nor-whales, 81 feet; spermaceti
whale; 60 feet; dolphins, % feet; porpoises
8 feet; grampusses, 20 feet; beaked whale,
"a feet.
The great whale is very harmless ami
NAL, and has neither the habits nor the
conformation Of fishes. They have no
teeth and very narrow outlets. Their hor-
izontal tail and the sucking Of their young,
bring them within the class Of land ami
mails. The barbarous practice of killing
them for gain is akin to the traffic in the
human species, which till within these few
years, disgraeed commerce.
The dugongs is a grazing sea animal
which, at the bottom Of the sea, feeds on
marine plants. 1t is as large as COW
and is often seen in shallow water between
the tropic.
Sharks are often so large as to weigh 3
or 1000 lbs; living partly on vegetables,
but yoracious Of every thing, and the ter
ror of tropical seas.
The delphinus or dolphin genus of fishes,
consists Of the dolphin, porpoise grampus,
and leucas, or white fish.
The cod, according to Leuenhoeck, an
nnally spawns nine millions of eggs; the
founder million; the mackerei half a
million; the herring ten thousand; the crab
a quarter Of amillion; the perch more; and
the sturgeon six or seven millions. OF
the viyiparous, the blenny brings forth two
or three hundred. The spawn Of one
genus is mostly devoured by others, and
not one egg il hundred is supposed to
be Matched.
There are nineteen species of that half.
human inhabitant Of the sea called seals.
They are even more like men than mon
keys are, and live in social communities.
and display great sagaeity and mutual af-
lection. The females are specially inter