Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-05-02
FEATHERED FREAKS.
BIRDS WITHOUT WINGS AND BIRDS
WITHOUT SONG.
The Penguin Is n Bird That Walks
and Syvims, but Does Not Fly-A
Bird That Can Run Faster Than the
Swiftest Horse-The Tailor Bird.

Bird That Can Run Faster Than the
Swiftest Horse-The Tailor Bird.
Birds without wings are found iii
New Zealand and Australia. Kiwi is
the name of one species. Beautiful
mats are made of the feathers of the
and more to collect enough feathers to
make even a small mat which would
sell for about $3.50.
Birds without song belong to Ha-
wall. In Honolulu one sees a bird
about the size of the robin, an indie
pendent sort of fellow, that walks
about like a chicken, instead of hop
ping like a well trained bird of the
United States, and it has no ong
A bird that walks and swims, but
does not fly, is the penguin. No nests
are made by penguins, but the one egg
laid at a time by the mother 10 carried
about under her absurd little wing or
under her leg.
The largest of fight birds is the Cali
fornia vulture or condor, measuring
fromtipto tip 91a to 10 feet and exceed
AhS SOhSldClhpiS III olAC ~ lluC SoiiOOl
of South America. The bird lays but
n egg each season-large, oval, ashy
green in color and deeply pitted, sc
distinctive in appearance that it can
not be confounded with any other.
The California condor is rapidly APP
preaching extinction and museums all
over the world are eager to secur
living specimens. 1t is believed that
there is only one in captivity.
Another large bird is the rhinoceros
bird, which is about the size of a tur-
key. One recently shot on the island
of Java had in its crop a rim from a
small telescope and three brass but
tons. evidently belonging to a British
soldiers uniform.
A bird which is, swifter than q horse
is the road runner of the southwest.
Its aliases are the ground cuckoo, the
lizard bird and the snake killer, snakes
being a favorite diet. In northern
Mexico, western Texas and southern
Colorado and California it is found.
The bird measures about two feet
from tip to tip and is a dull brown In
color. Its two legs are only about ten
inches long, but neither horses with
their four legs nor hounds nor electric
pacing machines are in it for swiftness
when it comes to running.
Most curious are the sewing or tailor
birds of India-little yellow things not
much larger than ones thum. To
escape falling a prey to snakes and
monkeys the tailor bird picks up a
5oo1 Loaf o~I aioo ,,D ;D@o n h;~b %roo
and with a fiber for a thread and its
bill for a needle sews the leaf on to a
green one hanging from the tree. The
sides are sewed up, an opening being
left at the top. That a nest is swing
ing in the tree no snake or monkey or
even man would suspect.
Many a regiment cannot compare IN
perfection of movement with the flight
of the curlews Of Florida winging their
way to their feeding grounds miles
away, all in uniform lines in unbroken
perfection. The curlews are dainty
and charming birds to see, some pink,
some white.
Birds in flight often lose their bear
ings, being blown aside from their
course by the wind. In this case they
are as badly off as a mariner without
q compass in a strange sea on a star
less night.
All very young birds, by a wise pro
vision of nature, are entirely without
fear until they are able to fly. The
reason of the delayed development OF
fear is that. being unable to fly, the
birds would struggle and fall from
their nests at every noise and be killed
Suddenly, almost in q day, the bird:
develop the sense Of fear, when theil
feathers are enough grown so tina
: they can fly.
1t Is always a source Of wonder t.
/ arctic explorers to find such quantitie'
Of singing birds within the arctic cir
y Gle. They are abundant beyond belief
g crowberries and cloudberries tina
e ripen in the northern swamps account
e for the presence of the birds.
g A stick of wood seven inches Ion;
and a quarter Of an inch in diamete
+ was once taken from a wren's nest. |
is very singular that SO small and del
cate a bird should use such rough mi
terial with which to construct it's nest
-
o If an eagle should use material Pre-
d portioned to it's size. Its nest would b
@ made up of fence rails and small say
logs.
a The extraordinary situations /
v which nests are found occasionally a
4 most give one the impression that bird
must be endowed with a sense of hi
NOR. For instance. a wren built il
.. nest upon a scarecrow, a dead sparrow
o hawk, which a farmer had hung up I
70 brighten away winged ravagers of b
q crop. In the pocket of an old JACKIE
,r hanging in a barn a bird, also a wre1
n made its nest. which when discovere
% contained five eggs. 1t was a robi
n that raised a young family in a churc
"a pew and a robin that built it's nest
m the organ pipes of a church. Places
!, worship have always been favori
building places for birds.
CO Consideration.