i8o 



LIVING CREATURES. 



42. BIRDS OF THE LAND. 



THEY are brought to mind by the crowing of the 

 cock in the yard ; by the cackling of the hen in the 

 hay-loft; by the gabbling of the strutting turkey 

 gobbler; by the brassy clicking of the shy guinea- 

 fowl ; by the shrill, doleful cry of the gorgeous pea- 

 cock, and by the cheerful whistling of Bob White sit- 

 ting on the fence. These birds of the land may fly 



Group of Quail. 



or perch, but the ground is their home. Here they 

 find their food, make their nests, and rear their young. 

 What tools have they for life on the ground ? They 

 must dig for worms, grubs and insects. They must 

 be able to peck through a chestnut-shuck or hazel-nut. 

 They have a host of enemies to contend with. Foxes, 

 rats, weasels, and opossums on the ground ; and 

 hawks, owls, and eagles in the air, are watching for 

 their flesh, and they are an almost constant terror by 



