 Section 4 of birds. Volume 1, Number 1. January 1897. This is a LeaverVox recording. All LeaverVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LeaverVox.org. Recording by Max Holloway. The Respondent Progon. A letter to little boys and girls of the United States. Is it cold where you live, little boys and girls? It is not where I live. Don't you think my feathers grew in the bright sunshine? My home is way down where the big oceans almost meet. The sun is almost straight overhead every noon. I live in the woods, way back where the trees are tall and thick. I don't fly around much, but sit on a limb of a tree, way up high. Don't you think my red breast looks pretty among the green leaves? When I see a fly or a berry, I dart down after it. My long tail streams out behind like four ribbons. I wish you could see me. My tail never gets in the way. Wouldn't you like to have me sit on your shoulder, little boy? You see my tail would reach almost to the ground. If you went out in the street with me on your shoulder, I would call the way I do in the woods. All the little boys and girls playing near would look around and say, What is that noise? Then they would see you and me and run up fast and say, Where did you get that bird? The little girls would want to pull out my tail feathers to put around their hats. Would you not let them? Would you? I have a mate. I think she is very nice. Her tail is not so long as mine. Would you like to see her too? She lays eggs every year and sits on them till little birds hatch out. They are just like us, but they have to grow and get dressed in the pretty feathers like ours. They look like little dumplings when they come out of eggs, but they are all right. They get very hungry and we carry them lots of things to eat so they can grow fast. Your friend, R.T. The Resplendent Trogon Resplendent Trogons are natives of Central America. There are 50 kinds and this is the largest. A systematic account of the superb tribe has been given by Mr. Gould. The only naturalist who has made himself fully acquainted with them. Of all the birds, there are few which excite so much admiration as the Resplendent Trogon. The skin is so singly thin that it has not been an athlete compared to wet blotting paper. And the plumage has so lay a hold upon the skin that when the bird is shot, the feathers are plentifully struck from their sockets by its fall and the blues which it receives from the branches as it comes to the ground. Its eggs of a pale bluish green were first procured by Mr. Robert Owen. Its chief home is in the mountains near Koban in Verapaz. But it also inhabits forests in other parts of Guatemala at an elevation from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. From Mr. Salvin's account of his shooting in Verapaz, we extracted the following hunting story. My companions were ahead and Felipe comes back to say that they have heard a chisel. Resplendent Trogon. Of course, being anxious to watch as well as to shoot one of these birds myself, I immediately hurry to the spot. I have not to wait long, a distant clattering noise indicates that the bird is on the wing. He settles a splendid male on the bow of a tree, not 70 yards from where we are hidden. It sits almost motionless on its perch. The body remaining in the same position, the head only moving side to side. The tail does not hang quite perpendicularly. The angle between the true tail and the vertical beam perhaps as much as 15 to 20 degrees. The tail is occasionally jerked open and closed again. And now and then slightly raised, causing the long tail covert to vibrate gracefully. I have not seen all. A ripe fruit catches the gazelle's eye and he darts from his perch, plex the berry and returns to his former position. This is done with a degree of elegance that defies description. The little whistle from Capriano calls the bird near. A moment afterwards it is in my hand, the first gazelle I have seen and shot. The above antidote is very beautiful and graphic, but we read the last sentence with pain. I wish to go on record with this our first number as being unreconciled to the ruthless killing of birds. He who said, not a sparrow shall fall on the ground without your father did not intend such birds to be killed, but to beautify the earth. The cries of the gazelle are various. They consist principally of a low note which the bird repeats whistling it softly at first, then gradually swelling it into a loud and not unmalodious cry. This is often succeeded by a long note which begins low and after swelling dies away as it began. Other cries are harsh and discordant. The flight of the trogon is rapid and straight. The long tail feathers which never seem to be in the way stream after him. The bird is never found except in forests of the loftiest trees. The lower branches of which, being high above the ground, seem to be its favorite resort. Its food consists principally of fruit, but occasionally a caterpillar is found in its stomach. Section 4. Recording by Max Holloway Section 2 of Birds Volume 1, Number 1, January 1897. Read for LibriVox.org by Alan Mapstone. The non-parail. I am called the non-parail because there is no other bird to equal me. I have many names. Some call me the painted finch or painted bunting. Others call me the pope because I wear a purple hood. I live in a cage, eat seeds and I am very fond of flies and spiders. Sometimes they let me out of the cage and I fly about the room and catch flies. I like to catch them while they are flying. When I am tired I stop and sing. There is a vase of flowers in front of the mirror. I fly to this vase where I can see myself in the glass. Then I sing as loud as I can. They like to hear me sing. I take a bath every day and how I do make the water fly. I used to live in the woods where there were many birds like me. We built our nests in bushes, hedges and low trees. How happy we were. My cage is pretty but I wish I could go back to my home in the woods. End of Section 2. This recording is in the public domain. Section 3 of Birds. Volume 1. Number 1. January 1897. Read for LibriVox.org by Alan Mapstone. Sweet Warblers of the sunny hours. Sweet Warblers of the sunny hours, forever on the wing. I love thee as I love the flowers, the sunlight and the spring. They come like pleasant memories in summer's joyous time and sing their guscious melodies as I would sing a rhyme. In the green and quiet places where the golden sunlight falls we sit with smiling faces to list their silver calls. And when their holy anthems come peeling through the air our hearts leap forth to meet them with a blessing and a prayer. Amid the morning's fragrant dew, amid the mists of even they warble on as if they drew their music down from heaven. How sweetly sounds each mellow note beneath the moon's pale ray when dying zephyrs rise and float like lovers' sighs away. End of Section 3. This recording is in the public domain. Section 4 of Birds. Volume 1. Number 1. January 1897. This is a Levervox recording. All Levervox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Levervox.org. Recording by Max Holloway. The Respondent, Progon. A letter to little boys and girls of the United States. Is it cold where you live, little boys and girls? It is not where I live. Don't you think my feathers grew in the bright sunshine? My home is way down where the big oceans almost meet. The sun is almost straight overhead every noon. I live in the woods way back where the trees are tall and thick. I don't fly around much, but sit on a limb of a tree way up high. Don't you think my red breast looks pretty among the green leaves? When I see a fly or a berry, I dart down after it. My long tail streams out behind like four ribbons. I wish you could see me. My tail never gets in the way. Wouldn't you like to have me sit on your shoulder, little boy? You see, my tail would reach almost to the ground. If you went out in the street with me on your shoulder, I would call, whew, whew! The way I do in the woods, all the little boys and girls playing near would look around and say, What is that noise? Then they would see you and me and run up fast and say, Where did you get that bird? The little girls would want to pull out my tail feathers to put around their hats. Would you not let them? Would you? I have a mate. I think she is very nice. Her tail is not so long as mine. Would you like to see her, too? She lays eggs every year and sits on them till little birds hatch out. They're just like us, but they have to grow and get dressed in the pretty feathers like ours. They look like little dumplings when they come out of eggs, but they are all right. They get very hungry and we carry them lots of things to eat so they can grow fast. Your friend, R.T. The Resplendent Trogon Resplendent Trogons are natives of Central America. There are 50 kinds and this is the largest. A systematic account of the superb tribe has been given by Mr. Gould. The only naturalist who has made himself fully acquainted with them. Of all the birds, there are few which excite so much admiration as the Resplendent Trogon. The skin is so singularly thin that it has been not inaptly compared to wet blotting paper. And the plumage has so late a hold upon the skin that when the bird is shot, the feathers are plentifully struck from their sockets by its fall and the blows which it receives from the branches as it comes to the ground. Its eggs of a pale bluish green were first procured by Mr. Robert Owen. Its chief home is in the mountains near Koban in Verapaz. But it also inhabits forests and other parts of Guatemala at an elevation from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. From Mr. Salvin's account of his shooting in Verapaz, we extracted the following hunting story. My companions were ahead and Felipe comes back to say that they have heard a chazelle. Resplendent Trogon. Of course being anxious to watch the well as to shoot one of these birds myself, I immediately hurry to the spot. I have not to wait long, a distant clattering noise indicates that the bird is on the wing. He settles a splendid male on the bow of a tree, not 70 yards from where we are hidden. It sits almost motionless on its perch. The body remaining in the same position, the head only moving side to side. The tail does not hang quite perpendicularly. The angle between the true tail and the vertical beam, perhaps as much as 15 to 20 degrees. The tail is occasionally jerked open and closed again. And now and then slightly raised, causing the long tail coverts to vibrate gracefully. I have not seen all. A ripe fruit catches the chazelle's eye and he darts from his perch, plex the berry and returns to his former position. This is done with a degree of elegance that defies description. A little whistle from Capriano calls the bird near. A moment afterwards it is in my hand, the first chazelle I have seen and shot. The above antidote is very beautiful and graphic, but we read the last sentence with pain. We wish to go on record with this, our first number as being unreconciled to the ruthless killing of birds. He who said, Not a sparrow shall fall on the ground without your father did not intend such birds to be killed, but to beautify the earth. The cries of the chazelle are various. They consist principally of a low note, whew, whew, which the bird repeats whistling it softly at first then gradually swelling it into a loud and not unmalodious cry. This is often succeeded by a long note, which begins low, and after swelling dies away as it began. Other cries are harsh and discordant. The flight of the trogon is rapid and straight. The long tail feathers, which never seem to be in the way, stream after him. The bird is never found except in forests of the loftiest trees, the lower branches of which, being high above the ground, seem to be its favorite resort. Its food consists principally of fruit, but occasionally a caterpillar is found in its stomach. of section four recording by Max Holloway section five of birds volume one number one January 1897 read for LibriVox.org by Alan Mapstone The Mandarin Duck a letter from China whack, whack I got in just in time I came as fast as I could as I was afraid of being whipped you see I live in a boat with a great many other ducks my master and his family live in the boat too isn't that a funny place to live in we stay in all night waking up early in the morning we cry quack quack until we wake the master he gets up and opens the gate for us and out we tumble into the water we are in such a hurry that we fall over each other we swim about a while and then we go to shore for breakfast there are wet places near the shore where we find worms, grubs and roots when evening comes the master blows a whistle then we know it is time to come home we start as soon as we hear it and hurry because the last ducking gets a whipping it does not hurt much but we do not like it so we all try to get home first I have webbed feet but I perch like other birds on the branches of the trees near the river my feathers are beautiful in the sunlight my wife always sits near me her dress is not like mine it is brown and grey from May to August I lose my bright feathers and then I put on a dress like my wife's my master's family are Chinese and they are very queer they would not sell me for anything as they would not like to have me leave China sometimes a pair of us are put in a gay cage and carried to a wedding after the wedding we are given to the bride and groom I hear the master's whistle again he wants me to come in and go to bed quack quack goodbye End of section 5 this recording is in the public domain section 6 of birds volume 1, number 1, January 1897 recorded for LibriVox.org by Avae the Mandarin duck a more magnificently clothed bird says wood than the male Chinese Mandarin duck can hardly be found when in health and full nuptial plumage they are natives of China and Japan and are held in such high esteem by the Chinese that they can hardly be obtained at any price the natives having a singular dislike to seeing the birds pass into the possession of Europeans though webfooted the birds have the power of perching and it is a curious sight to watch them on the branches of trees overhanging the pond in which they live the male and female being always close together the one gorgeous in purple, green, white and chestnut and the other soberly apparelled in brown and grey this handsome plumage the male loses during four months of the year from May to August when he throws off his fine crest his wing fans and all his brilliant colors assuming the sober tinted dress of his mate the summer duck of America bears a close resemblance to the Mandarin duck both in plumage and manners and at certain times of the year is hardly to be distinguished from that bird the foreign duck has been successfully reared in zoological gardens some being hatched under the parent bird and others under a domestic hen the latter hatching the eggs three days in advance of the former the Chinese, says Dr. Bennett highly esteem the Mandarin duck which exhibits as they think a most striking example of conjugal attachment and fidelity a pair of them are frequently placed in a gaily decorated cage and carried in their marriage processions to be presented to the bride and groom as worthy objects of emulation I could more easily wrote a friend of Dr. Bennett's in China to whom he had expressed his desire for a pair of these birds send you two live mandarins then a pair of Mandarin ducks concerning their attachment and fidelity to one another Dr. Bennett recites the following Mr. Beale's aviary at Masseo one day was broken open and the male bird stolen from the side of its mate she refused to be comforted and retiring to the farthest part of the aviary sat disconsolate, rarely partaking of food and giving no attention to her soiled and rumpled plumage invading another handsome drake endeavour to console her for her loss after some time the stolen bird was found in the quarters of a miserable China man and at once restored to its mate as soon as he recognized his abode he began to flap his wings and quack vehemently she heard his voice and almost quacked to screaming with ecstasy both expressing their joy by crossing necks and quacking in concert the next morning he fell upon the unfortunate drake who had made consolatory advances to his mate pecked out his eyes and so injured him that the poor fellow died in the course of a few days according to Shrank this species appears in the countries watered by the Amur about May and departs again at the end of August at this season it is always met with in small or large flocks which are so extremely shy that they rarely come within gunshot whilst on the wing these parties crowd closely together in front the birds in the rear occupying a comparatively free space end of section 6 this recording is in the public domain section 7 of birds volume 1 number 1 January 1897 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Jen Broda the golden pheasant they call me the golden pheasant because I have a golden crest it's like a king's crown don't you think my dress is beautiful enough for a king see the large rough around my neck I can raise and lower it as I please I am a very large bird I am 14 inches tall and 28 inches long I can step right over your little robins and meadowlarks and blue jays and not touch them sometimes people get some of our eggs and put them under an old hen by and by the little pheasants hatch out and the hen is very good to them she watches over them and feeds them but they do not wish to stay with her they like their wild life if they are not well fed they will fly away I have a wife her feathers are beginning to grow like mine in a few years she will look as I do we like to have our nests by a fallen tree the well-known Chinese pheasant which we have named the golden pheasant as well as its more sober-colored cousin the silver pheasant has its home in eastern Asia China is preeminently the land of pheasants four besides those just mentioned several other species of the same family are found there Japan comes next to China as a pheasant country and there are some in India in China the golden pheasant is a great favorite not only for its splendid plumage and elegant form but for the excellence of its flesh which is set to surpass even that of the common pheasant it has been introduced into Europe but is fitted only for the aviary for the purposes of the table it is not likely to come into general use as there are great difficulties in the way of breeding it in sufficient numbers and one feels a natural repugnance to the killing of so beautiful a bird for the sake of eating it the magnificent colors belong only to the male the female being reddish brown spotted and marked with the darker hue the tale of the female is short the statement is made however that some hens kept for six years by lady Essex gradually assumed in attire like that of the males fly fishers highly esteem the crest and feathers on the back of the neck of the male as many of the artificial baits owe their chief beauty to the golden pheasant according to Latham it is called by the Chinese kuikai or kuiki a word which means gold flower foul a merry welcome to thee glittering bird lover of summer flowers and sunny things a night hath passed since my young buds have heard the music of thy rainbow colored wings wings that flash spangles out where air they quiver like sunlight rushing or a river end of section seven section eight of first volume one number one January 1897 this is a Libor Vox recording all Libor Vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LiborVox.org the non-proud so full of fights is this little bird that bird trappers take advantage of his disposition to make him president they place a difficult bird on a cage trap in the attitude of the vans and one is discovered by the bird and attack at once follows and the fighter soon finds himself caught they are a great favor for the cage being preferred by many to the canary whatever he may look as a soldier he more than makes up by his wonderful beauty these birds are very easily tamed the female even in the wild state being so gentle that she allows herself to be lived from the nest they are also called the paint bench or the paint fountain they are fine in our southern states and Mexico they are very numerous in the state of Louisiana and especially about the city of northern where they are greatly admired by the French inhabitants who chew to their native instincts admire anything with gay colors as the first name indicates he has no equal perhaps among the soldiers for beauty of dress on account of this purple hood he is caught by the French lipid meaning the pope the bird mix is appearing in the southern states the last of April and during the breeding season which losses until July two birds erased the nest is made of fine grasses and rests in the grudges of treks of the low bushes and hedges the eggs have a dull or pearly white ground and are marked with barches and docks of purpleish and reddish brown it's very pleasing to watch the numerous strangers which the feathers undergo before the male birds attains his full beauty of color the young birds of both sexes during the first season are of a fine olive green color on the upper parts and a pale yellow below the female undergoes no material change in color except becoming darker as she goes older the male in the contrary is three seasons in obtaining his full variety of colors in the second season the blue begins to show on his head and the right also makes its appearance in spots on the breast the third year he attains his full beauty their favorite resort are smaller kits of low trees and bushes and when seen they slide the highest branches of bush they are passionately fine of flies and insects and also its seeds and rice thousands of these birds are trapped for the cage and sold annually to our northern people and also in Europe they are comparatively cheap even in our northern bird markets most of them are exchanged for our canaries and imported birds that cannot be sent directly to the self on account of climatic conditions many are not native while visiting the orange groves of Florida because enchanted with the non-proud in his wild state and so should and well new girl hearing her expressions of delight easily procures one and disposes of it to her at an extravagant price end of section 8 this recording is in the public domain section 9 of birds volume 1, number 1 January 1897 recorded for LibriVox by Julian Pratley the Australian grass parakeet I am a parakeet I belong to the parrot family a man bought me and brought me here it is not warm here as it was where I came from I almost froze coming over here I am not kept in a cage I stay in the house and go about as I please there is a pussycat in the house sometimes I ride on her back I like that I used to live in the grasslands it was very warm there I ran among the thick grass blades and sat on stems and ate seeds I had a wife then her feathers were almost like mine we never made nests I used to sing to my wife while she sat on the nest I can mock other birds sometimes I warble and chirp at the same time then it sounds like two birds singing my tongue is short and thick and this helps me to talk but I have been talking too much my tongue is getting tired I think I'll have a ride on pussy's back goodbye parakeets have a great fondness for the grasslands where they may be seen in great numbers running amid the thick grass blades with their stems or feeding on their seeds grass seed is their constant food in their native country in captivity they take well to canary seed and what is remarkable never pick food with their feet as do other species of parrots but always use their beaks they do not build a nest but must be given a piece of wood with a rough hole in the middle which they will feel to their liking rejecting all soft lining of wool or cotton that you may furnish them only the male sings wobbling nearly all day long pushing his beak at times into his mate's ear so to give her the full benefit of his song the lady however does not seem to appreciate his efforts but generally pecks him sharply in return a gentleman who brought a parakeet from Australia to England says it suffered greatly from the cold and change of climate and was kept alive by a kind hearted weather beaten sailor who kept it warm and comfortable in his bosom it was not kept in the cage but roamed at will about the room enjoying greatly at times a ride on the cat's back at meals he perched upon his master's shoulder picking the bits he liked from a plate set before him if the weather was cold or chilly he would pull himself up by his master's whiskers and warm his feet by standing on his bald head he always announced his master's coming by a shrill call and no matter what the hour of night never failed to utter a note of welcome although apparently asleep with his head tucked under his wing end of section 9 this recording is in the public domain section 10 of birds and nature volume 1 number 1 January 1897 recorded for LibriVox.org by Phil Shampf The Cock of the Rock The Cock of the Rock lives in Guyana its nest is found among the rocks T. K. Salmon says I once went to see the breeding place of the Cock of the Rock and a darker or wilder place I have never been in following up a mountain stream the gorge gradually became more enclosed and more rocky till I arrived at the mouth of a cave with high rock on each side and overshadowed by high trees into which the sun never penetrated all was wet and dark and the only sound heard was the rushing of the water over the rocks we had hardly become accustomed to the gloom when a nest was found a dark bird stealing away from what seemed to be a lump of mud upon the face of the rock this was a nest of the Cock of the Rock containing two eggs it was built up on a projecting piece the body being made of mud or clay then a few sticks and on top lined with green moss it was about five feet from the water I did not see the male bird and indeed I have rarely ever seen the male and female birds together though I have seen both sexes in separate flocks the eggs are described as pale buff with various size spots of shades from red brown to pale lilac it is a solitary and wary bird feeding before sunrise and after sunset and hiding through the day in somber ravines Robert Schomburg describes its dance as follows while traversing the mountains of western Guiana we fell in with a pack of these splendid birds they gave me the opportunity of being an eyewitness of their dancing an accomplishment which I had hitherto regarded as a fable we cautiously approached their ballet ground and place of meeting which lay some little distance from the road the stage, if we may so call it measured from four to five feet in diameter every blade of grass had been removed and the ground was as smooth as if leveled by human hands on this space we saw one of the birds dance and jump about while the others evidently played the part of admiring spectators at one moment it expanded its wings through its head in the air or spread out its tail like a peacock scratching the ground with its foot all this took place with a sort of hopping gate until tired, went on emitting a peculiar note its place was immediately filled by another performer in this manner the different birds went through their terpsichorean exercises each retiring to its place among the spectators who had settled on the low bushes near the theater of operations we counted ten males and two females in the flock the noise of a breaking stick unfortunately raised an alarm when the whole company of dancers immediately flew off the Indians who placed great value on their skins eagerly seek out their playing grounds and armed with blow tubes and poisoned arrows lie in wait for the dancers the hunter does not attempt to use his weapon until the company is quite engrossed in the performance when the birds become so preoccupied with their amusement that four or five are often killed before the survivors detect the danger and decamp end of section ten this recording is in the public domain the red bird of paradise my home is on an island where it is very warm I fly among the tall trees and eat fruit and insects see my beautiful feathers the ladies like to wear them in their hats the feathers of my wife are brown but she has no long tail feathers my wife thinks my plumes are very beautiful when we have a party we go with our wives to a tall tree we spread our beautiful plumes while our wives sit and watch us sometimes a man finds our tree and builds a hut among the lower branches he hides in the hut and while we are spreading how feathers shoot at us the arrows are not sharp, they do not draw blood when they dry the skins they take off the feet and wings this is why people used to think we had neither feet nor wings we lived on the dews of heaven and the honey of flowers this is why we are called the birds of paradise upon its waving feathers poised in air feathers or rather clouds of golden down with streamers thrown luxuriously out in all the wantonness of winged wealth birds of paradise are found only in New Guinea and on the neighbouring islands the species presented here is found only on a few islands in former days very singular ideas prevailed concerning these birds and the most extravagant tales were told of the life they led in their native lands the natives of New Guinea in preparing their skins for exportation had removed all traces of legs so that it was popularly supposed they possessed none and on account of their want of feet and their great beauty were called the birds of paradise retaining it was thought the forms they had borne in the Garden of Eden living upon dew or ether through which it was imagined they perpetually floated by the aid of their long cloud-like plumage of one in confinement Dr. Bennet says I observed the bird before eating a grasshopper placed the insect upon the perch keep it firmly fixed by the claws and divesting it off the legs, wings, etc devour it with the head always first it rarely elites upon the ground and so proud is the creature of its elegant dress that it never permits the soil to remain upon it frequently spreading out its wings and feathers regarding its splendid self in every direction the sounds uttered by this bird are very peculiar resembling somewhat the coring of the raven but change gradually to a varied scale in musical gradations like he, hi, ho, how he frequently raises his voice sending forth notes of such power as to be heard at a long distance these notes are whack, whack uttered in a barking tone the last being a low note in conclusion while creeping amongst the branches in search of insects he utters a soft clocking note during the entire day he flies incessantly from one tree to another perching but a few moments and concealing himself among the foliage at the least suspicion of danger in Bennett's Wanderings is an entertaining description of Mr Beale's bird at Massio this elegant bird, he says has a light playful and graceful manner with an arch and impudent look dances about when a visitor approaches the cage and seems delighted at being made an object of admiration it bathes twice daily its ablutions throws its delicate feathers up nearly over its head the quills of which have a peculiar structure enabling the bird to affect this object to watch this bird make its toilet is one of the most interesting sights of nature the vanity which inspires its every movement the rapturous delight with which it views its enchanting self its arched look when demanding the spectator's admiration are all pardonable in a delicate creature so richly embellished, so neat and cleanly so fastidious in its tastes senselessly exact in its observances and so winning in all of its ways says a traveller in New Guinea as we were drawing near a small grove of teak trees our eyes were dazzled with a sight more beautiful than any I had yet beheld it was that of a bird of paradise moving through the bright light of the morning sun I now saw that the birds must be seen alive in their native forests in order to fully comprehend the poetic beauty of the words bird of paradise they seem the inhabitants of a farer world than ours things that have wandered in some way from their home and found the earth to show us something of the beauty of worlds beyond end of section 11 this recording is in the public domain section 12 of birds volume 1, number 1 January 1897 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Betty B the yellow-throated toucan I am a toucan and I live in a very warm country see my handsome black coat and my yellow vest my toes are like a parrot two in front and two behind they help me to hold to the limbs look at my large beak it looks heavy but it is not as it is filled with air cells these make it very light do you like my blue eyes? my nest is very hard to find if I tell you where it is you will not take the eggs will you? it is in a hollow limb of a very high tree I am very fond of fruit and for this reason the people on the plantations do not like me very well I can fly very fast but I cannot get along so well on the ground I keep my feet far apart and hop I like to sit in the top of the tallest trees then I am not afraid nothing can reach me there but a rifle ball I do not like the owl he is so ugly when we find an owl we get in a circle around him and snap our great beaks and jerk our tails up and down and scream he is very much afraid of us the people where I live like our yellow breasts they wear them on their heads and also put them on the ends of their bows we sometimes sit together in a tree and snap our beaks and shout this is why we have been called preacher birds we can scream so loud that we may be heard a mile away our song is Tucano, Tucano I think it is a pretty song but the people do not like it very much the yellow throated toucan the toucans are a numerous race of South American birds at once recognizable by the prodigious size of their beaks and by the richness of their plumage these birds are very common in all parts of the extensive forests of the Brazils and are killed for the table in large numbers during the cool seasons their eggs are deposited in the hollow limbs and holes of the colossal trees so common in the tropical forests but their nests are very difficult to find the egg is said to be white they are very fond of fruit oranges, guavas and plantains and when these fruits are ripe makes sad havoc among the neighboring plantations in return for these depredations the planter eats their flesh which is very delicate the flight of these birds is easy and graceful sweeping with facility over the loftiest trees of their native forests their strangely developed bills being no encumbrance to them replete as they are with the tissue of air filled cells rendering them very light and even buoyant along with a rather awkward hopping movement their legs being kept widely apart in ascending a tree they do not climb but mount from one branch to another with a series of jumps ascending to the tops of the very loftiest trees safe from every missile except a rifle ball they have a habit of sitting on the branches and flocks lifting their bills clattering them together and shouting hoarsely from which custom the natives call them preacher birds sometimes the whole party including the sentinel set up a simultaneous yell so deafeningly loud that it can be heard a mile they are very loquacious birds and are often discovered through their perpetual chattering their cry resembles the word tucano which is given origin to the peculiar name when settling itself to sleep it then packs itself up in a very systematic manner supporting its huge beat by resting it on its back and tucking it completely among the feathers while it doubles its tail across its back just as if it moved on hinges so completely is the large bill hidden among the feathers that hardly a trace of it is visible in spite of its great size and bright color so that the bird when sleeping will not fall of loose feathers Sir R. Owen concludes that the large beak is of service in masticating food compensating for the absence of any grinding structures in the intestinal tract says a naturalist we turned into a gloomy forest and for some time saw nothing but a huge brown moth which looked almost like a bat on the wing suddenly we heard high upon the trees a short shrieking and a sort of noise ending in a hiss and our guide became excited and said too can the birds were very wary and made off they are much in quest and often shot at at last we caught sight of a pair that they were at the top of such a high tree that they were out of range presently when I had about lost hope I heard loud calls and three birds came and settled in a low bush I shot one and it proved to be a very large too can the bird was not quite dead when I picked it up and it bit me severely with its huge bill end of section 12 section 13 of birds volume 1, number 1 January 1897 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Stephen Winterburn the red-rumped tenager I have just been singing my morning song and I wish you could have heard it I think you would have liked it I always sing very early in the morning I sing because I am happy and the people like to hear me my home is near a small stream where there are low woods and underbrush along its banks there is an old dead tree there and just before the sun is up I fly to this tree I sit on one of the branches and sing for about half an hour then I fly away to get my breakfast I am very fond of fruit bananas grow where I live and I like them best of all I eat insects and sometimes I fly to the rice fields and swing on the stalks and eat rice the people say I do much harm to the rice but I do not see why it is wrong for me to eat it for I think there is enough for all I must go now and get my breakfast if you ever come to see me I will sing to you I will show you my wife too she looks just like me be sure to get up very early if you do not you will be too late for my song birds birds ye are beautiful things with your earth treading feet and your cloud cleaving wings where shall man wander and where shall he dwell beautiful birds that ye come not as well ye have nests on the mountain all rugged and stark ye have nests in the forest ye build and ye brood neath the cottagers' eaves and ye sleep on the sod mid the bonny green leaves ye hide in the heather ye lurk in the break ye dine in the sweet flags that shadow the lake ye skim where the stream parts the orchard decked land ye dance where the foam sweeps the desolate strand the red-rumped tannager an American family the tannagers are mostly birds of very brilliant plumage there are 300 species a few being tropical birds they are found in the British and French Guyana living in the latter country in open spots of dwellings and feeding on bananas and other fruits they are also said to do much harm in the rice fields in the ock of July 1893 Mr. George K. Cherry of the Field Museum says of the red-rumped tannager during my stay at the Baruka and Palmar the last of February the breeding season was at its height and I observed many of the Costa Rica red-rumps nesting in almost every instance where possible I collected both parents of the nests and in the majority of cases males wearing the same dress as the females in a few instances the male was in modelled plumage evidently just assuming the adult phase and in a lesser number of examples the male was in fully adult plumage velvety black and crimson red from the above it is clear that the males begin to breed before they attain fully adult plumage and that they retain the dress of the female until at least the beginning of the second year while on this trip I had many proofs that in spite of its rich plumage and being a bird of the tropics it is well worthy to hold a place of honour among the songbirds and if the bird chooses an early hour and a secluded spot for expressing its happiness the melody is none the less delightful at the little village of Buenos Aires on the Rio Grande of Tarrabba I heard the song more frequently than at any other point close by the ranch house at which we were staying there is a small stream bordered by low woods and underbrush that formed a favourite resort for the birds just below the ranch is a convenient spot where we took our morning bath I was always there just as the day was breaking on the opposite bank was a small open space in the brush by the limbs of a dead tree on one of these branches and always the same one was the spot chosen by a red-rump to pour forth his morning song some mornings I found him busy with his music when I arrived and again he would be a few minutes behind me sometimes he would come from one direction sometimes from another but he always alighted at the same spot and then lost no time in commencing his song while singing the body was swayed to and fro much after the manner of a canary while singing the song would last for perhaps half an hour and then away the singer would go I have not enough musical ability to describe the song but will say that often I remained standing quietly for a long time only that I might listen to the music End of Section 13 Recording by Stephen Winterburn Section 14 of Birds, Volume 1, Number 1 January 1897 This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Golden Oreo We find the Golden Oreo in America only According to Mr. Nuttle it is migratory appearing in considerable numbers in West Florida about the middle of March It is a good songster and in a state of captivity imitates various tunes This beautiful bird feeds on fruit and insects and its nest is constructed of blades of grass, wool, hair fine strings and various vegetable fibers which are so curiously interwoven as to confine and sustain each other The nest is usually suspended from a fork and slender branch in shape like a deep basin and generally lined with fine feathers On arrival at their breeding locality they appear full of life and activity darting incessantly through the lofty branches of the tallest trees appearing and vanishing restlessly flashing at intervals into sight from amidst the tender waving foliage and seeming like living gems intended to decorate the verdant garments of the fresh clad forest It is said that these birds are so attached to their young that the female has been taken and conveyed on her eggs upon which with resolute and fatal instinct she remained faithfully sitting until she expired An Indiana gentleman relates the following story When I was a boy living in the hilly country of southern Indiana I remember very vividly the nesting of a pair of fine orioles put in the barnyard a large and tall sugar tree with limbs within six or eight feet of the ground At about thirty feet above the ground I discovered evidence of the southern orioles' nest A few days later I noticed they had done considerably more work and that they were using horsehair, wool and fine strings This second visit seemed to create consternation in the minds of the birds who made a great deal of noise apparently trying to frighten me away I went to the barn and got a bunch of horsehair and some wool and hung it on limbs near the nest Then climbing up higher I concealed myself where I could watch the work In less than five minutes they were using the materials and chatted with evident pleasure over the abundant supply at hand They appeared to have some knowledge of spinning as they would take a horsehair and seemingly wrap it with wool before placing it in position on the nest I visited these birds almost daily and shortly after the nest was completed I noticed five little speckled eggs in it The female was so attached to the nest that I often rubbed her on the back and even lifted her to look at the eggs End of section 14 End of birds, volume 1, number 1 January 1897