The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-07-31
ABOUT BIRDS.
Peculiar Habits of Some of She Feathered
Tribes at Home and Abroad.

Some of the most attractive birds
belong among the "perchers. " Here
are placed the sparrows, thrushes, rob-
ms, wrens, humming-blrds and other
fayorites of our fields and gardens.
Birds of this class live in pairs, and
mostly build their nests in trees dis
playing great skill in their construc-
ton. Their slender, flexible toes, with
long claws, are well suited to these
delicate labors, and their legs are so
weak that these dainty, graceful birds
have a habit of hopping instead of
walking.
The pretty little song-sparrows are
among the commonest of our summer
visitors. There CHEEKY, melodious
note Is repeated over and over through
the long spring days from early in the
morning until nearly dark. Their
snug little nests are generally hidden
away in a grassy bank, or placed on
some low vine or bush, the male carry
ing the materials for building it, while
the female weaves the nest. He is at
tentive to his mate, and when their
home is completed, and she sits con-
tentedly upon her eggs, he brings her
food, and fingers near by to cheer her
with his song.
The snow-bird is also one of the spar
rows. Coming with the first cold
weather, and staying with us through
the winter, when most other birds have
Left us, it is a general favorite. Snow
birds mostly 90 to Canada and other
Northern countries in summer to raise
their young ones. Their nests are
made on the ground, near the root of q
Sheltering tree.
Our pretty yellow-birds, or gold
finches, also stay with US through the
cold weather, but their appearance at
this season is so altered by their plain
winter garb that they are scarcely rec
ognized as the same bird, and we
might easily fancy that the yellow
birds had all left us. With the early
spring flowers they again assume then
gay coats of yellow and black, cheering
the landscape with their bright color
and delighting us with their sweet
songs. These birds are fond of thistle
seeds, and they quickly tear to pieces
the downy turlts to obtain them. The
peculiar, crooked beak of the cross-bilI
was formerly looked upon as deform.
itv, but an acquaintance with the hab,
its of the bird shows that its bill is well
suited to tear to pieces pine cones in
| orI,r r.. rOooh Aba sooJs which form, liz
food. Clinging to a twig of the pine
tree with one foot, it grasps cone
with the other, then inserting its bill
underneath the scales, it prizes then
apart by a sideways motion of the
mandibles, and scoops out the seeds
! with its tongue. Cross-bills are bright
happy birds, They fly in small focks
often visiting our gardens and fitting
among the evergreens, but their move
ments are very quick, and they viii
dart off as Unexpectedly as they came
The nest-building habits of the two
horned hornbilI are exceeding odd
Having selected a hollow tree, the fe
male takes her place within the hole
and makes nest of her own feathers
while the male from the outside plas
ters up the hole with mud. leaving
small opening for the beall of the i'm
urisoned female. Through this hol
she is fed by per mate until her youn,
family is fully tledgcd, and she require
so much food that it is no slight task t
keep her supplied.
Brds-of-paradise live only in Ney
Guinea and neighboring islands, an
there twenty different species AT
found. The ordinary birds-of-P aradis
most familiar to us are largely dc
stroyed for the pumes of downy golde
feathers beneath their wings. TIL
natives who capture them usually Gu
off their legs; hence the mistaken nc
, ton was formerly held that these bird
had no legs, that they suspended then
selves by their long feathers. and tbs
they never touched the earth Will
alive
Another interesting bird of th
I eastern hemisphere is the bower-bir
in Australia. Its chief popularity col
? sists in the curious bowers which
1 builds of branches and twigs close
? interviewer. The bowers are entirel
separate from their nests, and are use
/ only as Fairgrounds, where the'
| birds meet apparently to display the
I charms to the birds whose affection
they wish to win. The entrance
D brushed perfectly clean, and decorate
: with bright pebbles, shells, feather
little bleached skeletons, and 9th
ornamental articles, which must oft,
a have been carried for a long distanc
D Our Baltimore oriole is a gay Dir
4 with rich orange and black colors T.
: female bird has the same markings
= the male. in duIler 6ntS, and pair