Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-06-08
FEATHERED FREAKS.
BIRDS WITHOUT WINGS AND BIRDS
WITHOUT SONG.

The Penguin Is Bird That walks
and S,vins, but Does Not FIy-A
Bird That Can Run Faster Than the
Swiftest Horse-The Tailor Bird.
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
sell for about $50.
Birds without song belong to lla-
wall. In Honolulu one sees Il bird
about the size of the robin. an indie
pendent sort of fellow, that walks
about like n chicken, instead of hop
ping like a well trained bird of the
United States and it has no song.
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 n time by the mother is carried
about under her absurd little wing or
under her leg.
The largest of flight birds is the Cali
fornia vulture or condor, measuring
from tipto tip 9ia to 10 feet and exceed
ing 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 pittcd, so
distinctive in appearance that it can
not be COMPOUNDED with any other.
The California condor is rapidly APP
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 rhnoceros
bird, which is about the size of a tur-
key. One recently shot on the island
of Java had in its crop rim from IL
small telescope and three brass but
tons, evidently 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, western 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 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
dead leaf and flies up into high tree,
and with a fiber for a thread and its
bill for 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 i'll
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 mariner without
q compass in a strange sea on star
less night.
All very young birds, by 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 a day, the birds
develop the sense of fear, when their
feathers are enough grown so that
they can fly.
1t Is always n 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 cranbcrrieS,
crowberries and cloudberries that
ripen in the northern swamps accounts
for the presence of the birds.
SUCK Oh WOOu seven Inches lOIlS
and a quarter of an inch in diameter
was once taken from wrens nest. 1t
is very singular that so small and deli
cate a bird should use such rough ma
terial with which to construct its nest.
If an eagle should use material pro-
portioned to It's size, its nest would be
made up of fence rails and small saw
logs.
The extraordinary situations in
which nests are found occasionally al
most give one the impression that birds
must be endowed with sense of hui
NOR. For instance, wren built its
nest upon scarecrow, n dead sparrow
hawk, which a farmer had hung up to
frighten away winged ravagers of his
crop. In the pocket of an old jacket
hanging in ii barn bird. also wren,
made its nest, which when discovered
contained five eggs. 1t was robin
that raised young family in a church
pew and a robin that built its nest in
the organ pipes of a church. Places of
worship have always been favorite
building places for birds.
Consideration.
"AIy wife is very cOnSideratc," said