CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 



I. BIRDS AND THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN I 



Definition of a bird ; Place of birds in the animal kingdom ; 

 Flight of birds ; Voices of birds ; Social relations of birds 

 Place of birds in domestication Uses of birds in domestica- 

 tion Place of wild birds in civilization Classes of domestic 

 birds 



II. CHARACTERS AND HABITS OF BIRDS RELATED TO USE 8 



Feathers Structure of feathers Arrangement of the feath- 

 ers Decorative feather forms Color in feathers Growth 

 and molting of feathers Flight Mechanism of the wing 

 Scratching Swimming Foods and mode of digestion 

 Peculiarities of birds' eggs Development of the egg Rate 

 and amount of egg production Incubation Development 

 of the embryo in a bird's egg 



III. SPECIES AND THEIR DIVISIONS IN DOMESTIC BlRDS 24 



Definition of species Origin of species Natural varieties 

 Varieties in domestication Classification of domestic va- 

 rieties of birds Systematic mixtures of breeds and varieties 



Pure-bred, thoroughbred, and standard-bred 



IV. FOWLS 31 



Description Origin of the fowl Appearance of the original 

 wild species Distribution of fowls in ancient times De- 

 velopment of principal races of fowls How fowls were kept 

 in old times Modern conditions and methods Native fowls 

 in America Old European races of fowls Italian fowls 

 English races of fowls German and Dutch races French 

 races - Spanish races Asiatic races of fowls Chinese races 



Japanese races The " hen-fever " period How the 

 American breeds arose The modern Barred Plymouth Rock 



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