Chapter I

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The Baldwin Library University of Florida

ILLUSTRATED ALPHABET OF BIRDS

1851.

A-B-C-D

A a

THE AUK.

A is an Auk,
Of the Artic sea,
He lives on the ice,
Where the winds blow free.

B b

THE BLUE BIRD.

B is a Blue Bird.
In early spring,
How sweet his songs
Through the forest ring.

C c

THE CONDOR.

C is a Condor,
On the Andes' height,
He plumes his wings
For a lofty flight.

D d

THE DUCK.

D is a Duck
Of the canvas back sort;
To shoot at a flock
Is considered fine sport.

E e

THE BALD EAGLE.

E's a Bald Eagle,
So bold and so free;
On the flag of our country
He spans land and sea.

F f

THE FISH HAWK.

F is a Fish Hawk,
Who lives on the shore:
He catches his prey
Mid the ocean's roar.

G g

THE GOOSE.

G is a Goose;
His feathers we take
And put them in sacking
Our beds to make.

H h

THE HUMMING BIRD.

H is a Humming Bird,
Sporting mid flowers
And brightly enjoying
The sunny hours.

I i

THE IBIS.

I is an Ibis,
Who wanders in bogs,
And lives upon lizards,
And fishes and frogs.

J j

THE JAY.

J is a Jay,
With his blue and white coat,
With a crest on his head,
And a ring round his throat.

K k

THE KING BIRD.

K is a King Bird,
Pugnacious and bold:
A hero in fight,
And a terrible scold.

L l

THE LARK.

L is a Lark,
A sociable bird;
His song in the meadow
Is frequently heard.

M m

THE MAGPIE.

M is a Magpie,
He lives at the west,
Steals and scolds and eats carrion;
He's none of the best.

N n

THE NIGHT HERON.

N is a Night Heron,
Of fishes quite fond;
He looks for them now,
As he stands by the pond.

O o

THE OWL.

O is an Owl,
Who hides through the day;
And comes out at night,
To seek for his prey.

P p

THE PIGEON.

P is a Pigeon
So rapid in flight,
That before you can shoot him
He's gone out of sight.

Q q

THE QUAIL.

Q is a Quail,
Who hides in a tree,
And whistles "Bob-White"
With lively glee.

R r

THE ROBIN.

R is the Robin,
So kind and so good,
Who covered with leaves,
The poor Babes in the Wood.

S s

THE SWALLOW.

S is the Swallow,
She darts through the air
To catch little insects,
Her favorite fare.

T t

THE TURKEY.

T is a Turkey,
A fine dashing beau,
By his fuming and strutting,
His pride you may know.

U u

THE UPUPA.

U's the Upupa,
Or Hoopoe. His crest
He can raise up or lower,
As suits him best.

V v

THE VULTURE.

V is a Vulture,
Who feeds on the dead,
When the dark battle-field,
With corpses is spread.

W w

THE WOODPECKER.

W's a Woodpecker,
Who with his long bill,
Bores holes in a tree,
And of worms eats his fill.

X x

THE XANTHORONUS.

X is Xanthornus,
Or Baltimore Bird.
Oft in our orchards,
His music is heard.

Y y

THE YELLOW BIRD.

Y is a Yellow Bird,
With feathers so bright,
Who sings all the day,
And sleeps all the night.

Z z

THE LETTER Z, OR ROOST.

Z stands for none
Of the feathered race.
It must serve as a roost,
Or lose the last place.