Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-04-30
ODD FACTS ABOUT BIRDS.
SOME WITHOUT wINas-oTHERs WITH
OUT soNG-THE BIGGEST BIRDS.

Birds without wings are found in
New Zealand and Australia. Kiwi is the
name of one species. Beautiful mats
are made of the feathers of the white
variety, but it takes ten years and more
to collect enough feathers to make even
small mat, which would sell for about
$3.50.
Birds without song belong to Hawaii.
In Honolulu one sees bird about the
size of the robin, an independent sort OF
fellow, that walks about like chicken,
instead of hopping like well trained
bird of the United states, and it has no
song.
A bird that walks end 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 is carried about
under her absurd little wing or under
her leg
The largest of flight birds is the
California vulture or condor, measuring
from tip to tip nine and half to ten
feet, and exceeding considerably in size
the true condor of South America. The
bird lays but one egg each season-large,
oval, ashy green in color, and deeply
pitted, so distinctive in appearance that
it cannot be COMPOUNDED with any other.
The California condor is rapidly ap-
preaching extinction, and museums all
over the world are eager to secure 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 turkey.
One recently shot on the island of Java
had in its crop rim from a small tele-
scope and three brass buttons, evidently
belonging to British soldiers uniform.
A bird which is swifter than 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 thumb. To es-
cape falling prey to snakes and mon
KEYS, the tailor bird picks up a dead leaf
a d flies up into high tree, and with
fibre for thread and its bill for needle
sews the leaf on to green one hanging
from the tree, the sides are sewed up,
an opening being left at the top. That
nest is swinging in the tree no snake
or monkey or even man would suspect.
Many regiment Cannot compare in
perfection of movement with the flight
of tie cu-'leus of Florida, winging their
way to their feeding grOu Ids miles
away, all in uniform lines, in unbroken
perfection. TIE curlews are dainty and
CHI. ming birds to see, some pink, some
white.
Birds in flight often lose their bear
ines, being blown aside from their
course by the wind. In this case they
are as badly off as a mariner without
co npass in strange sea on a starless
night.
All very young birds, by wise pro-
vision of nature, are entirely without
fear, until they ere 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. Sud
denly, almost in day, the birds develop
the sense of fear, when Their feathers
ale enough grown so that they can fly.
1t is always source of wonder to
Arctic explorers to find such quantities
of singing birds within the Arctic cir
Gle. They are abundant beyond belief
But the immense crop of cranbe"rleS,
crowberries and cloudberries that ripen
il the other swamps account for the
presence of the birds.
A stick of wood seven inches long and
a quarter of an inch in diameter, was
once taken from wren's nest. 1t Is
very singular that so small and delicate
a bird should use such rough material
to construct it's nest. If an eagle should
use material proportional to its size its
nest would be mHde up of fence rails
and small saw logs
The extraordinary situations in which
ness are found occasionally almost give
one the impression that birds must be
endowed with sense of humor. For
instance, wren built it's nest upon a
scarecrow, dead sparrow hawk, which
farmer had hung up to brighten away
winged ravagers of his crop. In the
pocket of an old jacket hanging in a
barn bird, also wren, made its nest,
which when discovered, contained five
eggs. 1t was robin that raised a
young family in church pew, and
robin also that built it's nest in the organ
pipes of a church. Places of worship
have always been favorite building
places for birds.-New York Sun.