Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-07-25
Some Queer Birds.

Among the birds which interested me
most was an enormous pigeon, the largest
of the pigeon tribe This fellow, who is
about as big as a large turkey, is called
the crowned-pigeon, and comes from
Java and some of the neighboring
islands. He is splendid bird, with a
widespread crest on his head, which
gives him very distinguished and inn
posing air. If size and appearance
count for anything, this should be the
king of pigeons.
Some other birds which attracted my
attention, not on account Of their beauty
but because of their oddity, are called
laughing jackasses The name may
strike you as very strange one to give
to bird, but there is reason for it. In
Australia, where these birds come from,
the early settlers used to hear in the
woods strange noises which sounded as
if they were made by a jackass who had
heard good joke, and was laughing
heartily at it. The people could scarce
ly make up their minds that a jackass
could hear enough jokes to keep him
laughing such time, and so they
searched for the merry individuals and
|
would sit on a tree and at regular in
tervals burst into this braying kind of
laugh.
There are several peculiarities about
the laughingjackass. In the first place
he is really a king-fisher, though he sell
dom goes near the water. Therefore, of
course, he cannot carry on his regular
business,-or what ought to be his regu-
lar business, if his name is correct
and so he contents himself with catch
ing lizards and MICE and such small fry
as may be found on shore. Then, again,
he is peculiar because he acts more like
a cat than bird in hunting for small
game. He will sit and watch a mouse
hole just like a regular old tabby-cat,
and when the mouse ventures out, he
will pounce upon it as quickly as any
puss you every saw 1t may be that he
laughs so much because he continually
sees for himself what an utterly absurd
kind of bird he is.
On long perch, in very wide cage,
sat long row of dear little birds of diff
ferent colors and sizes, but all very
small. These were African finches, and
it was very amusing to see them sit
there perfectly quiet until some one
came to one end of the cage. Then
every one of these birds turned its head
to see who it was When the person
went to the other end, they all turned
their heads, at the same moment, in
that direction. They moved so quickly,
and in such perfect order, that you might
have thought they had been drilled by a
military officer
AS [ had not time to look at all the
birds. l passed around among the long
legged herons, bright-colored pheasants,
gorgeous chattering parrots, pretty little
paroquets, finches of all kinds,-black
white, red, green and purple, gross
beaks (which are finches with broad,
thick baaks, and some of them with
beautiful scarlet and black plumage y
mino-birds, which come from India and
talk as well as, or even better than, the
most conversational parrots; and the
weaver-bird, Of which you may have
heard nnder the name Of the sOciable
grossbeak, and which seems to be a
very good sort of bird, although nothing
like so much curiosity as its nest must
be.
1ICIt were dlSO SOllt lOllCdl1S, dDOul
as big as crows, with enormous bills as
large as the claws Of Holsters, and of
very much the same shape. Some of
these great bills, half as big as the bird,
were red, and others were dark-colored.
Some of the cockatoos were of beauti-
full rosy color, and one kind, from Aus
tralia, looked exactly as if it had been
rosy once, but had been washed and
had faded-Frona "A Village of Wild
Beasts" by Frank r. Stockton, st. Nicholas
for August.