it only by its eyes. The willow grouse, 

 as well as a few other birds, turn white 

 in winter. The change of plumage of 

 northern birds are wonderful examples 

 of protective coloring, the plumage cor- 

 responding to the arctic moss and shelv- 

 ing where the birds nest. Nature is so 

 fond of lavishing ornaments on birds 

 that even those of quite neutral tints have 

 their colors disposed in patterns, cres- 

 cents, bars or mottled effects." 



"Tell us about some of these please," 

 said Madge. 'T've covered this cage so 

 the canary won't bother you again soon." 



"Well, the eye decorations on the 

 Argus pheasants are so placed that in 

 high light they are seen to represent a 

 ball or sphere." 



"The Australian goose has its plain 

 gray plumage dotted with round black 

 spots. A characteristic of the plumage 

 of falcons is that when young the 

 feathers are marked in longitudinal 

 stripes and when old in transverse bars. 



"The Friar bird is bald headed, though 

 a tropical bird living where plumage is 

 abundant and brilliant. 



"You know, I presume, that the so- 

 called American bald eagle is not bald 

 but has white feathers on his head which 

 give him the appearance of baldness." 



"I saw a young one," interrupted John 

 enthusiastically, "when I was in the Ter- 

 ritory. I went to an Indian woman's 

 house on purpose to see it. I begged, 

 and begged her to sell it to me but she 

 shook her head and said, 'Ah-cha-fah- 

 tona want bird, she not want money.' " 

 "And I," said Madge, "had a speech 

 about him at school on Friday written by 

 Tennyson — 



"He clasps the crags with hooked hands 

 Close to the sun in lonely lands 

 Ring'd by the azure world, he stands. 

 The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls ; 

 He watches from his mountain walls ; 

 And like a thunder bolt he falls." 



"Good," said Aunt Jane, "I am pleased 

 you remember and recite so well. Now 

 I must tell you about the secretary bird 

 who gets his queer name from the pecul- 

 iarity of the feathers on the back of the 

 head and nape which resemble a pencil 

 behind the car. These black, elongated 

 feathers hang loosely, grow in pairs, and 

 are erected in excitement. The tail, also, 

 is ])eculiar, as the two middle feathers 



are more than twice as long as those 

 next to them. 



"But not unlike the secretary bird is 

 the seriema, which has tufts of elongated 

 feathers springing vertically from the 

 bases, and giving it an animated expres- 

 sion. It is a tall, Brazihan bird, and is 

 said to have the unusual habit among 

 birds of running in a stooping posture 

 as if to avoid discovery." 



"Have you ever seen a heron?" Alice 

 asked. "I have only seen the beautiful 

 feathers." 



"Yes, Don't you remember what Miss 

 Howitt says of it? — 



"Lo ! then the hermit of the waste, 



The ghost of ages dim, 

 The fisher of the solitudes 



Stands by the river brim ! 



Waving thy shadowy pinions 



In motion grave and slow, 

 Like a spirit of the solemn past, 



That museth on its woe ! 



But hail to thee, old heron ! • 



Flit on from dream to dream ; 



Be yet the watcher on the shore. 

 The spirit of the stream." 



"The commercial demand for excep- 

 tionally ornamental feathers has threat- 

 ened the extinction of some varieties of 

 birds such as the heron of the southern 

 states. 



"The bird of paradise is distinguished 

 for its enormous development of beauti- 

 ful plumage." 



"How did it get that name, Auntie?" 

 Madge -inquired. 



"Its name is thought to be due to the 

 fact that it was supposed to' inhabit the 

 region of the mosaic paradise. In India 

 these birds are called 'birds of God' 

 and miraculous powers are ascribed to 

 them. In nearly all the species there is 

 some special or unique arrangement of 

 the plumage. Sometimes the feathers are 

 modified into plumes, ribbons and 

 streamers. A caged bird of paradise 

 will wash its gorgeous plumage twice 

 a day, and sometimes the subtilar feathers 

 are cleansed by passing them gently 

 through the bill. The emerald bird of 

 l>aradise wears its great tufts of golden 

 orange plumes on each side, under the 

 slioulder. They are some two feet long 

 and the l)ird can raise them at pleasure 



78 



