INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BIRDS. 



ENSES of sight, smell, and 

 hearing are remarkably 

 acute in birds. This is 

 especially true of sight. 

 Some have three eye 

 lids, the upper and lower and a mem- 

 brane which can be drawn over the 

 entire eye-ball, called the nictitating 

 membrane, enabling them to look 

 directly at the sun. Eagles, Hawks, 

 and Owls are thus provided. The 

 eyes of the Eagles and Hawks are 

 provided also with a ring of bony 

 plates, by means of which the eye 

 adjusts itself like a telescope, taking 

 in both near and far objects. 



Birds, except nocturnal species, have 

 no external ear, but hear well. 



The young of nest building birds 

 when born are blind, naked, and unable 

 to walk. In the Hen, the Partridge, and 

 the Ducks, the young are able to walk, 

 swim, or pick up food, as soon as they 

 break the shell. When moulting, at 

 the close of the breeding season, Quails 

 usually shed in pairs. The male 

 generally assumes a duller hued coat 

 than the female. 



With most birds of prey the female 

 is the larger. 



Bird's songs are composed of love- 

 notes and pleasure-notes. We speak of 

 the scream of birds, their chirp, expres- 

 sions of joy orfear,as in thehuman voice. 

 Their songs can be set to music. See 



S. P. Cheney's " Wood Notes Wild," 

 in which the songs of many of our 

 common birds are thus reproduced. 

 The odd and peculiar actions of birds, 

 their dances, struts, and posturings 

 are all expressions of their emotions. 



The nesting habits of birds are 

 varied. Gulls drop eggs on bare 

 ground or rocks ; the Baltimore Oriole 

 and Tailor bird construct hanging- 

 nests of elaborate workmanship ; the 

 Woodpecker hews out a deep nest in 

 a rotten limb ; the Kingfisher digs one 

 out of a sandy bank, while the Cuckoo 

 takes possession of the nest of some 

 other bird. Most birds select nesting 

 places away from other species, but 

 Swallows, English Sparrows, Crackles, 

 and Crows live in communities. 



There are between seven and eight 

 thousand species of living birds. 

 A few species have become ex- 

 tinct, specimens of which it is the 

 intention of Birds to present in future 

 numbers. 



There are three centers of distribu- 

 tion in the United States: (i) the At- 

 lantic states and Mississippi valley ; 

 (2) the Rocky Mountain plateau ; (3) 

 the Pacific coast. 



Most of the birds breeding in the 

 northern portions of the United States 

 migrate south during the winter 

 months. Those remaining are known 

 as residents. 



