BIRDS. 465 



it away in a hurry ; and if he saw a buggy coming in that direction, he 

 raised his coarse, harsh voice in so threatening a way as not to be mistaken ; 

 and if it came too near, he flew at it, attacking either the buggy or the 

 horse, whichever happened to be nearest ; and if it went within, say fifteen 

 or twenty feet of the nest, the female would leave the eggs and join in the 

 attack, and the premises were soon cleared. ... In fact, he was almost 

 as constant in his watchfulness, and as pugnacious in his conduct, as a wild 

 (Canada) gander, whose goose was sitting across the ravine. It was the 

 habit of this cock, whenever the hen left the nest to seek for food, to take 

 her place ; but he cut an awkward figure, sitting on the nest, for his long 

 legs seemed to be much in the way, while the female had managed to 

 assume a rather graceful position while performing that maternal duty." 



The bustards of the Old World — some smaller than our domestic fowl, 

 others as large as a turkey — are hardly ' waders ' in the literal (or literal) 

 sense of the word ; for they are birds of the plains. They are strong 

 runners, and some prefer their legs to their wings to escape from danger. 

 This fact formerly led to their union with the ostriches in a group of 

 runners ; but, still, in every point of their anatomy they are wading birds. 

 A singular feature in their structure is the pouch — enormous in some 

 species, absent in others — below the neck, which during the mating 

 season is inflated with air from the throat, as a part of the ' showing off.' 

 One species, the houbara of India, is regarded as a game-bird, and is hunted 

 with camels, the hunter circling round and round in a spiral, each turn 

 bringing him nearer the game, until, at last it is within gunshot. But 

 as the spiral grows smaller, the birds suddenly disappear. They have 

 squatted flat upon the sand, and so perfectly do their colors harmonize 

 with the surroundings that they are absolutely invisible. " You will have a 

 bird rise suddenly, apparently out of the earth, within five yards of you, 

 from a spot where there is not a blade of cover, and on which your eyes 

 have perhaps been fixed for five seconds." The vertical sun, casting no 

 shadow, aids in the concealment. 



The herons, egrets, bitterns, and boat-bills form a group of birds, some 

 members of which are found in every country. Most voracious birds are 

 they. Other animals after gorging themselves require a period of rest ; 

 not so the herons. They suffer with no dyspepsia, but seem to digest their 

 food almost as soon as it is swallowed, and are then as hungry as before. 

 Mr. Endicott's experience with a tame specimen of the night-heron may 

 be cited as illustrative. The heron had been trying to catch the chickens, 

 and so Mr. Endicott " took to fishing for him, and then to my sorrow, I 

 found out what a heron's appetite is ; and thought, with pity, of the poor 

 parent birds in the swamp with six or eight such maws to fill. Five 



