Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-04-15
SOMETHING ARorT BIRns
Those That Can Swim as Well as Fly-The Cr,.
Gus Snake Bird. H.
New York Herald.

New York Herald
Prof. Bickmore began his lecture M a..
Natural History museum with few wor5.
about feathers, which he explained ~
divided into contour or outline featbs.-
and down or the fluffy protective featber.
Without further introduction he plnn,aI
into description of the prominent bir5-
of the class selected for discussion socL
one of which was accurately Reproduced
in its natural colors by line steronticor
views thrown upon the wall.
One of the rarest birds of which n snAci
men is kept at the museum is the 5rest
aux, which is about the size OF goose i
found north of Cape Cod, and is noted far
its thin. grooved bill. These birds waro
so plentiful in Nova Scotia when the set.
tiers first landed that they were knocked
over with sticks and their breasts slit ofF
to extract oil, but it is most difficult now
to obtain one. OF the same general spec-
les is the putin, large communities Of
which are found in rocky places on the
east coast of Main. The putin has thin
razor-like bill, so thin that you hardly see
it at a front view, but which appears enor-
nous from the side.
Among the group of birds all of whose
toes are united with a web the pelican is
prominent. This genial creature goes
through the water scooping into his large
sack under his bill all the fish he can c,n-
veniently hold. 1t then rests until lunch
time, when it tips back its head and nj
lows such quantity of fish as it wishes to
drop down its throat. Then there is the
snake bird, which travels long distances
apparently under water, but which in re,
atty keeps the tip of one nostril Just
above the surface. The little tropic bird.
too, is curiosity. Until lately his home
was never known and he was supposed to
live and die a wayfarer. But in reality
the tropic bird has very comfortable
quarters, in the soft rock cliffs in Bermuda
where the female deposits each year one
egg. The tropic bird has two long tail
feathers which are so many times the
length of his body, and he is credited
with peculiar sharp and discordant cry.
Like the gulls and Mother Carey's chick
ems, the tropic birds are met with at sea
and follow vessels waiting for something
to pick up. These birds never appear to
rest as they are generally on the wing.
but they do, in reality rest. Another
bird of this sort is the albatross, whose
great extent of wing enables it to put
out sails. as it were, and fly without APP
parent effort,
The cormorant, greves and mergansers
are also sea-faring birds, living sn fish
and exhaling a very strong and unpleas-
ant odor. The greyes have their toes
lObed and separate, and the mergansers
have a popularity of bill, there being a
seriess of projections which fit into each
other and allow the bird to sift its food.
The professor next described the wild
ducks and geese, the pursuit of which is
the delight of sportsmen. The eye of
the canyasback duck is very near the
back of its head, while the crest of the
red-head makes its eye come in about the
middle of the head. The sheldrake is a
very gayly appareled duck, and the Lab
rador duck, twenty-five years ago so
plenty, is now rarer bird than the great
aux. The elder duck has that beautiful
down a iher breast which is so much
sought after fors quilts. When the first
quantity of this in the nest of the young
is stolen by natives. the female detaches
down from her breast to keep the young
warm. This. too is stolen, and then the
male detaches his, ana after this protec-
ton is afforded the ducks try law.
The geese and swans are of the same
general family. and are distinguished
from the ducks by the greater length of
neck and the much greater number of
vertebre. The geese, like the ducks, fly
in large coyeys, and enjoy the society of
their species.
The professor described some of the
most popular methods of shooting ducks
and geese, and he also showed some of
the ong-legged birds such as the tiamin-
goes and heron, explaining their necessity
for long legs to wade i'll deep water, and
the necessity of a correspondingly long
neck to reach down and fish for their
prey.