St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-08-18

From this pretty house two little ones
can be seen pushing out their little
bills, taking their food from their
mothers mouth.
II is generally believed that hum
ming birds can only utter a faint chirp.
but John q. Bell, the naturalist. and
companion Of Audubon on many OF his
travels, tells me that at least one Of
the hummers has a regular song. dis
covery no made In Central America
Becoming fatigued during hunt. Mr..
Bell threw himself down beneath q
richly -howercd bush, and soon was at
tracted by the beautiful hummers that
few from flower to flower. Finally,
thinking he heard little song. he kept
perfectly quiet until a tiny bird-the
little gray hcrmit-came quite near
him. Then the song was plainly heard.
He afterward paid particular attention
to this species, and often heard the
delicate intOnatiOn. which he describes
as like the song Of the canary. only
lower and much swester.
Somewhat resembling the woodcock
are the baby snipes which. soon after
they leave the nest, run upon the shore.
I have seen them running among the
rocks at Fishers Island, and so much
like the pebbles and the beach are they
in color that considerable experience il
required to distinguish them from
their surroundings. The cunning Of
the mother snipe is remarkable. Oh
one occasion, in walking along the
beach we turned around q large rock.
and up from our feet sprang snipe
piping with all her might. Over our
heads she flew. and alighted on a rock
over which we had recently passed
and 80 near that we could almost have
caught her. At our approach she few
a little farther off. Then suddenly il
occurred to us that she was purpOscly
leading us away. Such was the case,
as on returning she followed us with
loud protest, and near the rock from
which she first few, we found her
family of baby snipes, just large
enough to start away and give us a
chase. We caught one, beautiful
little creature, with gentle, dOve-like
eyes. that seemed quite content to
cuddle in our hands. and utter gen.
tie peep not louder than the voice OF
mouse; but the poor mothers anxiety
was SO evident that we gave her baby
its liberty, and its little legs soon
carried it to a place Of safety.
This trick of attracting people away
from the nest is often repeated by the
old snipes, and some have been seen to
hop along on one leg, with wings
dropping, until the innocent sports
man was well away from the young,
when OF she would dart to rejoin them
when the field was entirely clear. The
spotted sand-piper protects its babies
by the same device.
The baby herons are laughable little
creatures, for when they are first
hatched, they differ little in appear
ance from an ordinary puff-ball; whom
a little older, they are fuzzy objects.
seemingly covered with long hairs.
Those who have visited Cape May can
not have failed to notice their nests in
the cedars near there, where the blue
heron, little egret and green bittern all
live in a colony.
Some curious black babies are seen
in young rails, which. in the spring.
are found in the marshes along creeks
and rivers of the Middle States. The
nest is built of grass. and the moment
the eggs are Matched. on run the little
ones. looking like mice running in and
out among the grass.
The young OF the clspper rail are
very similar. only they are larger, and
covered with black down. with one OF
two spots and streaks Of white, one
spot being near the nose. The clap
pers make their nests near the sea,
where they are often washed away by
heavy gales. After such n storm the
males have been seen walking about.
as If disconsolate, near where their
nests have been, while hundreds OF the
dead mothers have been strewn around,
that they died with their eggs
and their little ones.
The young Of the Virginia rail fire.
quently share the same fate, and so
great is the mothers grief that she
seems forgctful Of all fear. and can not
be driven from the spot where her
nest stood.-C. +. Holder, in YoMth's