The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-06-30
Ghe Spaturalist,
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
Compiled for the Democratic 4drocate
BY u S. @.

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are eighteen species, and they are remark
ably intelligent, ingenious, and industrious.
Nests often fight ike men, and kill vast
numbers of each other.
An ants nest consists Of males and fe-
males, who have wings; and also of neu-
tiers. The females enjoy the same pre-
eminenee as among bees; but the manners
Of ants are more varied, and system, OBJ
ject, and end, mark all their varied rea.
sOnings and labOrs. They have long and
tenacious memories, know each other, and
distinguish any stranger. They carry on
systematic wars, and practise all the arts
Of attack and defence. Man himself is
not more savage in war; but they are citi-
zen soldiers, and not hired and trained for
butchery and murder. They also practise
slavery, making slaves Of those they over
come. They keep aphides, as men keep
cows, for the juices which they yield.
Their nests are formed at pleasure, and
their cells Of various forms. In Brazil
they are almost masters Of the country,
and in Africa not less formidable. The
termites white ants, or cutters, not only
destroy furniture, clothes, &c. but raise
conical buildings nine or ten feet high like
villages, which it is inconvenient to ap-
proach.
There are 6 or Z generations of gnats in
summer, and each lays 250 eggs.
Bees, beetles, dragon flies, gnats, spi-
ders, &c. have been observed to have min
ute aears or mites on their bodies.
The gall fly forms the gall nuts on trees
and plants by its eggs and young, and the
CAD ty does the same in the skins of cat
tie.
There are 80 species Of wood -peckers.
The largest native Of England is the green,
IL inches long, an enemy of the ant-hills
The black ostrich stands Z feet high.
Their speed is that of the horse, and they
can carry a man. The cassowary is as
large but has shorter neck. Both of
them are African, and they feed on vege-
tables.
In Norway, eagles destroy oxen in the
following eontrivance; they dive into the
sea and then roll themselves in the sand
and afterwards, by tapping their wings
and shaking their feathers into the eyes
Of the OK, they blind it and overcome il.
The American pelicans carry food to
any other who is i'll or disabled. And the
pelican carlo or cormorant is used on the
chinese coast for fishing, and formerly was
SO used in England. Gannets abound in
the western islands, and &c, 900 are taken
annually at ST Kilda.
There are 30 species of the falco genus
Including most birds of prey, as eagles,
kites, hawks, falcons, &c. They arc very
active; keen-sighted, strong and long-liyed.
They live on young animals, fish, seals and
other birds. 1t is libel on human nature
10 state that these savage birds used form
eriy to be tanned and used for the genteel
pastime of falconry.
There are 4 species of swallows, or hy-
rundo genus; the chimney swallow, the
house martin, the sand martin, and the
witt, and they arrive in spring in this
order.
The bird OF Paradise is a native Of North
Guinea, near the Equator. They migrate
70 Aroo in flights, but will not live in the
cruelty of confinement.
There are 80 species of owls, a bird of
night, and very solemn in its appearance,
having ruff which resembles the full
wings now worn only by judges.
The birds which pass but part of the
year in Britain, are the cuckoo, grouse,
wryneck, stare, hoopoe, thrushes, ring
dove, chatterer, turtle-doye, grosbeaks,
buntings, finches, larks, fy-eatehers. wag
tails, warblers, nightingales, black-eaps,
wiilow-wrens, white-ean, white-throats,
goat-suckers, herons, curlews, snipes, rails,
wild-dncks, and other water fowl.
Carrier pigeons are larger species than
the common pigeon. They have a waffle
extending over half the bin, and hanging
down on both sides as piece of white
flesh, aud this is supposed to be connected
with the properties as carrier. The
eyes are also surrounded by similar sub
stance and importance is attached TO its
width. Noah seems to have employed one.
and they were used by the aneients during
sieges. The Turks andal eastern nations
employ them, and in Turkey there are
stations from which they pass and fresh
birds are forwarded. The Turks train
them to different distances progressively.
and their fight is only certain while they
have youngor unhedged young, They rise
very high before they start, and travel
from 25 TO 40 miles an hour Besides
this singular return Of pigeons, the swal-
low and the crow, and cats and dogs have
the same occult faculty.
Sparrows generally have three broods in
years
The song Of birds is movement in sue
cession, equal to bar Of 4 adagio crotch
cts, performed in 4 seconds.
Of singing birds, the nightingale unites
the highest perfection Of qualities, the lin
net next, then the tit-lnrk, the sky-Iark
and the wood-lark, the gold6nch and the
robin excel in lively notes.
Birds have two larynxes at each ex-
tremity Of the wind-pipe. That next the
lungs is the organ Of singing. In some
there are windings in the windpipe. Frogs
have IN their larynx membraneous bags.
In July most singing birds become ST.
lent Those which sing through the win
ter arc chiefly young birds.
IN the arrivals Of migrating birds, the
males arrive several days before the fe-
males
Birds Of passage which pass to very dis
tant climes and regions, return to the same
localities, and often occupy the same nests,
though absent for many months. The
swirl depart before the ist Of September.
chimney and house swallows early IN Oc-
tober and the sand -martiu about the mid
de The cuekoo in spring preeedes the ar.
rival Of The sand-martin. The erake. the
quail, and the goat-sucker pass the sum.
nef 10 our latitude, but the red.wing. the
ieia-iaFe, the wood. cock, the snow-bunt-
ing, tbe silk-tail, the hoopoe, pass the
winter with Us It i believed that the
swallow &c. which visit Europe ii The
GUNNER pass the winter in Africa. and he
birds which pass The winter in this eli
esates Qzss the summer ia Lapland. Nor
way. and Iceland Their mieration cau.
80. 49,. [. ~ -.