West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1880-03-20
Birds in the south.

! Ii WAS our first winter in the South
and while we enjoyed Its bright sunny
days and moonlight nights, nature wa
! preparing a surprise for us. Unexpec
tedly cloud passed over the flrma
ment; the stars hid themselves and 8
white mantle was spread over the earth
As we stood at the window next morn
Ing and watched the snow birds pick.
ing the crumbs scattered for them, q
feeling OF home sickness passed over
our hearts as we thought OF the friends
we had left far away i'm Northern
homes. Just then a beautiful vision
greeted our sight. A flock of red birds
flew over the house and mingled with
the tiny grey folks and picked crumbs
with them. BY and by the sun came
out and the snow birds vanished, az did
the red birds. We saw no more of them
only as stray one darted here aud
there among the trees. They had with
drawn to the denser timber. How we
watched and waited for the mocking
birds to come, but their day was not
yet. We must content ourselves with
our canaries. One morning as our
cage hung at the window a strange grey
bird dashed itself against the pane IA
IL IL wanted TO come ia. An empty
cage was hung out to tempt 1t, for we
thought 10 was pet mocker that had
escaped from its cage. But no, the
stranger would not enter and abide
with us; neither did we desire his COM
pany when we learned his true charac-
ter. He was sparrow hawk; a kind
dreaded by all classes of birds, as he
would Kill and feed upon their young
even tearing canaries from their cages.
He Is gray, with three white stripes on
the head. Our home was right among
the birds, dense forest of oaks sur
rounded us, and here the birds Eve
not only the Knockers, but the red birds,
thrush, blue birds, robin, Spanish ca
naries and tiny grey birds that
have strange mission OF which
wewill speak further. But the
hooking bird is king. lie excels
in strength, courage, grace and
song, He is dark grey; the wings, tail
and back being very dark while the
breast is much lighter. The bill is soft,
and the eye large with a black pupil
and yellow iris. They build their nests
among the low leafy trees instead of i'm
the high ones as one would Judge who
observes them when they sing, for
then they seek the highest point. They
arc very mild when unmolested. 1t Is n
usual thing to see from ten to a dozen
hunting worms in the newly plowed
garden. They are very hard TO raise
by hand. If nest is found with Young
ones IN 1t, placed in cage and hung
on the gallery or on a tree. the mother
olrd VIII feed them until ones hopes
are high, when unexpectedly you find
your little prisoners dead. Then the
mother comes no more. She has pois-
oned them. The Spanish canaries are
tiny birds, not as large apparently, as
our tame canaries. They are almost OF
AS many colors as the rainbow. 1t is
said they sing sweetly, but although
they were lying among the trees day
after day, we never heard them. They
are very much sought after because of
their brilliant plumage and diminutive
size. Large flocks of blackbirds follow
the cattle and catch the flies about
them-hence their name COW black
birds. They do not raise their own
young, but lay their eggs Ia the nests
of the small gray birds of which we
nave spoken. These hatch and support
the little strangers.