The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-28
FACTS CONCERNING BIRDS.
Some That Cannot Fly and Others
without the Gift of Song.

| tfroin the New York sum-
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 n small
mat, which would sell for about $3.50.
Birds without song belong to Hawaii.
| In Honolulu one sees a bird about the
size of the robin, an independent sort of
| fellow. that walks about like a chicken.
| instead of hopping like well trained bird
! of the United States, and 1t has no song.
a bird that walks and swlms, but does
not lily. 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 fight birds is the Cali
fornia vulture or condor. measuring from
tip to tip nine and a half to ten feet, and
exceeding considerably in size the true
condor of South America. The birds lay
but one egg each season-large, oval ashy
green in color and deeply pitted. so dis
| tinctive 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 it's crop a rim from a small tele-
belonging to a British soldiers uniform.
A bird which is swifter than a 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 west
ern Texas, and southern Colorado, and
California it is found. The bird measures
about two feet from tip to tip, and is
dull brown in color. Its two legs are only
about ten inches loT e, 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 tailor
birds of India-little yellow things not
much larger than ones thumb. To es-
cape falling a prey to snakes and mon
keys. the tailor bird picks up a dead leaf
and flies up into high tree, and with
fibre for thread and it's bill for needle
sews the leaf onto n 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 mon
key or even man would suspect
Many a regiment cannot compare in
perfection of movement with the flight of
the curews of Florida. winging their way
to their feeding grounds miles away, all
in uniform lines, in lInbroken perfection
The curlews are dainty and charming
birds to see some pink, some white.
Birds in flight often lose their bearings,
being blown aside from their course by
the wind. In this case they are as badly
off as a mariner without a compass in
strange sea on a stariess night.
All very young birds, by wise pro-
vision of nature, are entirely without
fear, until they are able to fly. The rea-
son 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 a day, the birds develop the
sense of fear, when their feathers are
enough grown so that they can fly.
1t is always a source of wonder to Arc
tic explorers to find such quantities of
singing birds within the Arctic circle
They are abundant beyond belief But
the immense crop of cranDerries, crow
berries and cloudberries that ripen in
the other swamps account for the pres
ence of the birds.
A stick of wood seven inches long and
quarter of an inch in diameter, was once
taken from wren's nest. 1t is very sin
should use such rough material with
which to construct its nest. II an eagle
should use material proportional to its
size its nest would be made up of fence
rails and small saw logs.
The extraordinary situations in which
nests are found occasionally almost give
one the impression that birds must be
endowed with sense of humor. For in
stance, wren built its nest upon scare
crow, a dead spa row hawk. which a
farmer had hung up to brighten away
winged ravagers OF his crop. In the
pocket of an old jacket hanging in barn
when discovered. contained five eggs. 1t
was a robin that raised young family
in a church pew, and a robin also that
built its nest in the organ pipes of
church Places Of worship have always
been faVorite building places for birds.