78 ] Birds of Farm and Zoo 



and spreads his gorgeous fan. This fan is not made of his true tail 

 feathers, which are stiff and blackish and entirely concealed. The 

 true tail feathers support the fan when the long brilliant feathers 

 are held erect. 



This unforgettable performance will bring home to your child 

 just what we mean when we say that somebody "struts like a 

 peacock." Incidentally, the other members of the pheasant family, 

 to which the peacock belongs, are also given to the display habit. 

 All the males are noted for their colorful plumage and dazzling 

 displays. A curious final detail: the voice of the peacock is not in 

 keeping with its appearance, being shrill and unpleasant. 



PENGUINS BIRDS THAT SWIM Bur CAN'T FLY 



The penguin is a prime favorite with children because of 

 its comical and ingratiating appearance. Penguins are paradoxical 

 creatures: though they cannot fly, they are accomplished swimmers 1 

 Aside from diving into the water to catch fish for food, they love 

 to swim for the fun of it. 



Laying Eggs on Ice: The largest kind of penguin, the "emperor," 

 has an average weight of seventy pounds. Unlike some other species, 

 it is a true antarctic bird. The female lays her egg on ice; then, to 

 prevent its freezing, she tucks it in a fold of skin between her legs 

 and crouches low over it. The male has a similar fold of skin, and 

 the parents take turns shielding the egg so that it never comes in 

 contact with the ice long enough to freeze. 



Where Penguins Live: Most of us have the impression that all 

 penguins are native to the ice barriers along the coast of Antarctica. 

 There are sixteen or more species of penguins, and it is true that 

 most of them live in the frozen wastes of the far South. However, 

 some penguins live near the tropical belts, with one species actually 

 at the equator, on the Galapagos Islands. 



STORKS AND MORE STORKS 



You may see at the zoo a grotesque-looking bird which, accord- 

 ing to a sign, is a stork; but it appears quite different from the 

 storks that have been described in stories and fables you have read. 



