A Bird's- Eye View 



articles of diet is the cray-fish, which often 

 burrows from three to four feet into the mud, 

 the material thrown out lying around the bur- 

 row in the form of a mound. The device of 

 the ibis to get hold of the animal is as simple 

 as it is clever. It merely breaks up the mound 

 of mud into little pieces, and throws them into 

 the hole, and then moves back a step to await 

 the consequences. The cray-fish at once sets 

 to work to clear out the hole, and as soon as 

 he reaches the surface with the obstruction, the 

 watchful ibis snaps him up. 



The wood ibis, properly a stork, which feeds 

 on fish, frogs, young alligators and water 

 snakes, is equally clever in procuring a variety 

 of diet in the easiest possible manner; for, 

 going into shallow water where fish abound, it 

 treads around until the water has become 

 muddy, which brings the fish to the top. The 

 stork, striking them sharply with its bill, kills 

 them and leaves them floating at the surface 

 for bait. In ten or fifteen minutes the various 

 reptiles in the neighborhood are allured to the 

 spot, whereupon the stork helps himself to 

 whatever he likes. This is also chiefly a South- 

 ern bird, only rarely coming as far North as 

 New England. Like the night heron, it lives 



: Si 



