Chapter XV: Introduction (14)

This pretty bird is four inches and a half long, of which the tail measures two. The beak is three lines in length, and dusky, but whitish at the edges and tip; the iris is dark brown; the shanks are eight lines high, and lead blue; the front of the head and cheeks are white; a white line passing from the forehead above the eyes forms a border to the fine sky-blue of the top of the head; a black line crosses the eyes; the black of the throat becomes on the sides of the neck a dark blue band, which surrounds the head.

The female is rather smaller than the male, the streaks about the head not being so clearly defined, while the blue has the appearance of being tinged with ash grey. The line down the under part of the body is scarcely observable.

HABITATION.--These birds, in their wild state, frequent woods,
particularly those of beech and oak. During autumn and winter they
wander from one place to another, and are often seen in considerable
numbers in our orchards.

In the house they may be kept in a cage like the oxeye; but it is
preferable to let them hop and flutter about at pleasure, as their
plumage is then seen to the greatest advantage. They are as
mischievous and quarrelsome as the oxeye, and pursue the other birds
in the same manner, even killing them when they are strong enough.

FOOD.--When wild they feed on insects and their grubs, and in autumn
on berries[112].

In the house they should be given the same food as the oxeye,
accustoming them to it at first by mixing bruised hemp-seed with it.
They like to wash themselves.

BREEDING.--The nest, placed at the top of a tree in an old hollow
branch, is built of moss, hair, and feathers. This species lays from
eight to ten reddish white eggs, speckled and spotted with brown. The
plumage of the young birds differs from that of the older ones, only
in being less bright and glossy.

DISEASES.--Most of these birds that are caught in winter, are attacked
with vertigo, or giddiness, after being in the house a few days, fall
to the right and left, and being unable to find their food, soon die.

MODE OF TAKING.--They may be caught in the same way as the oxeye.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--The blue tit is easily tamed, and lives two or
three years. Its beauty and activity are more attractive than its
song, which is merely an indistinct warbling, composed of a few
strains, amongst which some higher notes are occasionally introduced.

THE MARSH TIT.

Parus palustris, LINNÆUS; La Mésange des marais, BUFFON; Der
Sumpfmeise, BECHSTEIN.

The length of this bird is four inches and a half, of which the tail measures nearly two; the beak is four lines in length, and black; the shanks are five lines high, and lead blue; the upper part of the head, as far as the nape, is black; the temples and cheeks are white; the upper part of the body is brownish grey; the throat is black.

The female has less black on the throat than the male.

HABITATION.--In their wild state, these birds, during the summer,
frequent groves and orchards; in winter, they assemble in flocks, and
when they move from place to place, always fly in a line one behind
the other[113].

In the house they should be allowed to flutter and hop about freely;
they are very delicate, and require a great deal of care at first.

FOOD.--When wild, they feed on insects, seeds, and elderberries,
according to the season.

In the house they eat the same things as other tits; but at first,
ants' eggs and elderberries must be added. The seeds of the sunflower
(_Helianthus major_) have succeeded best with me, and preserved them
in health longest. They will also eat hemp-seed and oats.

BREEDING.--They lay ten or twelve rusty white eggs, spotted with
reddish yellow, in a hole of a tree, on a bed of moss, hair, and
feathers.

MODE OF TAKING.--In winter they will easily enter a trap baited with
nut kernels or oats. A surer method is, to lay limed twigs on a
sunflower plant, the seeds of which are ripe. If these tits do not
enter the garden, a plant must be carried to a place much frequented
by them. When once these birds have tasted these seeds, they appear
quite contented in the house. It is only necessary to supply them
freely; they will seize them eagerly directly after being taken.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--Their pretty actions please, and their song is
sweet. They relieve it occasionally by a lively strain, "_diar, diar,
hitzi, ailtz, ailtz!_" which is their call in the pairing season.

I was never able to keep one in the house beyond two or three years.

THE CRESTED TIT.

Parus cristatus, LINNÆUS; La Mésange huppée, BUFFON; Die
Haubenmeise, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is four inches and a half in length, of which the tail measures one and one third. The beak is four lines, and black; the shanks are seven lines high, and lead blue; the head is adorned with a crest, composed of feathers nearly an inch long, black tipped with white, which the bird can erect at pleasure in a conical form.

HABITATION.--When wild these birds frequent all the pine and fir woods
in Thuringia, but are not so numerous as the other species[114]. They
fly about low bushes, and therefore delight in places where juniper
bushes abound.

In the house they require the same treatment as the blue tit, and
even greater attention; they can rarely be tamed when taken full
grown[115].

FOOD.--In a wild state it feeds in the same manner as the cole tit.

In the house it must be first fed on ants' eggs, flies, and
meal-worms. It will afterwards eat nuts and hemp-seed, like the other
tits, but it seems to require insects occasionally.

BREEDING.--The nest is formed like that of the cole tit, and placed in
the hole of a tree, amongst some stones, or in large forsaken nests.
The brood consists of from six to ten snow-white eggs, spotted with
bright red. The young must be reared on meal-worms cut small and
ants' eggs.

MODE OF TAKING.--This is the same which is adopted for catching the
cole tits. Its call is "_gærrky_."

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--Its song is not striking, but its form and
habits are very pleasing.

THE BEARDED TIT, OR REED BIRD.

Parus biarmicus, LINNÆUS; La Mésange barbue, BUFFON; Die
Bartmeise, BECHSTEIN.

This singular species is somewhat in shape like the oxeye. It is six inches and a half in length, and measures ten and a quarter across the expanded wings; the tail is two and three quarters. The beak is four lines long, a little bent at the point, and is orange during life, but becomes pale yellow after death; it is surrounded at the base with black hairs. The iris is yellow; the shanks are one inch high, and black; the head is pale ash grey; a tuft of black feathers, which are placed under the eyes and terminate in a point, is no very slight imitation of a moustache. The tail is wedge-shaped, inclining to orange; the outer feathers are dark at the base and whitish at the tip; the third is tipped with white.

The female is without the beard, or moustache[116]; the top of the head is rust red, spotted with black; the vent is of the same colour as the belly.

HABITATION.--In a wild state these birds are found where there are
lakes, large ponds, and extensive marshes full of reeds and aquatic
plants; they rarely show themselves in summer, keeping in pairs
amongst the tufted reeds; but they are seen in winter, when food
failing them in these retreats, they fly about in families, perching
on the trees and bushes[117].

In the house they must be kept in a large cage to allow them plenty
of exercise, unless permitted to range the room, which is still
better.

FOOD.--When wild this bird feeds principally on aquatic insects and
the seeds of the common reed (_Arundo phragmitis_).

In the house they are generally first fed on poppy-seed, ants' eggs,
and meal-worms, and afterwards on bruised hemp-seed and the food
common for the other tits. It is best to rear them from the nest, as
it is very difficult to preserve those taken when full grown.

BREEDING.--The knowledge on this head is very limited: the nest,
placed in the interwoven stems of the reeds, is in the shape of a
purse, and composed of dried grass and the down of several plants. In
this the female lays four or five speckled eggs, with a pale red
ground. The young birds should be taken from the nest when they are
ready to fly, and fed on ants' eggs and meal-worms cut small.

MODE OF TAKING.--There is much difficulty in this. Fishermen who know
the places frequented by this species place limed twigs on the reeds,
and try gently to drive them towards one side, and sometimes catch a
few[118].

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--In this bird are united beautiful plumage, a
graceful shape, and sprightliness. Its song resembles that of the
blue tit, but its call is very different. It is a pity it is so
difficult to obtain. Buffon says that all of this species that are
found in England sprang from a pair the Countess of Albemarle
suffered to escape; but most likely they had not been seen before
from want of attention.

DOVES.

CHARACTERISTICS.--The beak is slender, straight, rather bent at the point, swelled, and covered with a fleshy membrane at the base; the shanks are short; the toes are divided to their origin. Doves feed uniformly on grain, though some wild species also eat myrtle berries.

These birds are faithful to their mates, and produce only two young ones at each brood, which they feed on grain already softened in their own crops[119]. They are generally ranged amongst the passerine birds, or among poultry, but I think it best to make them a distinct order, since they have many distinguishing characteristics. The species I shall mention are indigenous, and easily tamed at any age.

THE RING DOVE, OR CUSHAT.

Columba Palumbus, LINNÆUS; Le Pigeon Ramier, BUFFON; Die
Ringeltaube, BECHSTEIN.

This is the largest of the European wild pigeons, being in length seventeen inches and a half. Some naturalists suppose this to be the parent stock of our large domestic pigeons; but it cannot be domesticated so easily as the stock dove, and never mixes with the common pigeons in the fields. It does not, moreover, retire into hollows, like these, but lives and builds in open and exposed places. The beak is reddish white; the iris is pale yellow; the shanks are reddish; the head and throat are dark ash grey; the front of the neck and the breast are purplish ash grey; the sides and back of the neck are fine iridescent purple; an almost crescent-shaped white streak adorns the sides of the neck towards the base, without quite surrounding it; the belly, the vent, and the thighs, are very pale grey; the sides are light ash grey; the upper part of the back, the scapulars, and the lesser wing-coverts, are light brownish ash grey; the coverts of the primary quill-feathers are black; the remaining greater coverts are pale ash grey; the tail is dark ash grey, deepening into black at the extremity.

In the female the streaks on the sides of the neck are not so wide as in the male; her breast is paler, and all the wing-coverts are an obscure grey.

HABITATION.--This species, found in Europe and Asia within the
temperate zone, is very common in the woods of Germany and Britain:
it quits us the beginning of October, in small flights, and does not
return till the middle of March, and sometimes later, always some
weeks after the stock dove. During harvest it frequents small groves
and detached thickets, to be nearer the corn fields.

FOOD.--It feeds on all kinds of corn and leguminous seeds, myrtle
berries, with the seeds of pines and firs. When a ring dove is caught
it must be first fed on wheat, and other species of corn should by
degrees be mixed with it, but not oats. It will only live a few years
in the house.

BREEDING.--This species builds in trees, and forms its nest of dried
branches, but so carelessly that a rather high wind will often blow
it down. The female has two broods in the year, and lays two large
white eggs each time. It succeeds very well to place these eggs under
a domestic pigeon, and if care is taken to prevent the young birds
from migrating in autumn they will afterwards remain in the pigeon
house, going out and returning like the other pigeons that inhabit
it; but I have never observed that they pair with them; I have
sometimes seen the ring dove tread the domestic pigeon, but as yet
nothing has resulted from it; future experiments may perhaps decide
this point.

MODE OF TAKING.--This is the same as with the stock dove. Ring doves
taken when old rarely eat, and die of hunger if they are not crammed,
like young pigeons.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--Besides being a fine bird, the male coos in a
very pleasing and sonorous manner, moving all the time around his
mate, now before, then behind, hopping close to her side, and turning
his head in every direction. It may be rendered very tame.

THE TURTLE DOVE.

Columba Turtur, LINNÆUS; La Tourterelle, BUFFON; Die
Turteltaube, BECHSTEIN.

This pretty species is ten or eleven inches in length. The beak is slender, and pale blue; the iris is reddish yellow; the naked circle round the eyes is blush red; the legs and feet are reddish purple; the forehead is whitish; the top of the head and upper part of the neck are pale blue; from this to the tail the blue is more dingy; on each side of the neck is a black spot striped with three of four crescent-shaped white lines, which has a pretty effect.

HABITATION.--In their wild state these birds are found throughout the
temperate parts of Europe and Asia, and also in many of the South Sea
Islands. They always prefer woods, but never go far into those on
great chains of mountains; they also frequent detached thickets, and
even orchards when near forests. Being more delicate than the two
preceding species, they do not arrive in our woods till the end of
April or beginning of May, and quit us in September. They are often
seen in great numbers in the forests of Thuringia when the pine seed
has ripened well. In 1788 a prodigious number were seen; they have
never since been so numerous there[120].

In the house we keep them within a grated partition near the stove,
where they can range freely. Young ones reared by a domestic pigeon
are easily accustomed to the dovecot, but as they are very sensible
to cold it is necessary to warm the place they are in during winter.
These birds multiply fast, either paired amongst themselves or with
the collared turtle dove.

FOOD.--The seeds of the pine seem to be their favourite food here, but
they do not confine themselves to it; they eat peas, vetches, millet,
hemp-seed, rye, and wheat. In the house they may be fed on bread and
any grain at hand: they are easily preserved.

BREEDING.--When wild, their nest, negligently formed of dried sticks,
is tolerably secure when placed in a pine, but is often blown down
when in a beech. The female lays two white eggs.

In the house the turtle dove is given a small straw basket, in which
it builds, for, whether reared from the nest, or taken when full
grown, it pairs without difficulty, and produces young ones. It will
also pair with the collared turtle.

The cooing of the male is peculiar; he utters a deep prolonged sound,
then bends his head and stops. The young birds are grey on the upper
part of the body, and spotted with bluish black on the wings. Those
sprung from a collared and a common turtle dove are more or less like
either; generally they are reddish grey on the head, neck, and
breast, the back and wing-coverts, with red appearing through the
grey; the belly, the secondary quill-feathers, and the end of the
tail, are white, and the primaries greyish brown. These birds are
fruitful, and produce others; what is curious is that they are larger
than the parent birds, and have a peculiar note. This is certainly
also the case with other mule birds, as I have often observed.

MODE OF TAKING.--This is the same as with the two preceding species;
snares placed where salt is strewed for deer are sufficient.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--The inhabitants of our forest villages are very
fond of having this turtle dove in their stove apartments, less on
account of its agreeable qualities than from the persuasion that it
cures their colds and rheumatisms. It is certainly true that this
bird is generally ill during the illness of its masters[121]. It
will, however, live six or eight years in the house.

THE COLLARED TURTLE.

Columba risoria, LINNÆUS; La Tourterelle à collier, BUFFON;
Die Lachtaube, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is twelve inches in length; the beak is reddish white at the base, and dusky on the remaining part; the iris is golden yellow; the shanks are red; the upper part of the body is reddish white, the under part is pure white; the back of the neck is adorned with a black crescent, the points of which turn forward, and the lower part is edged with white; the shafts of the quill and tail feathers are dusky.

The female is whiter than the male.

HABITATION.--This species is a native of India and China, from which
it has been brought to Europe. It is very common among our peasants,
who fancy it has the power of curing their colds and
rheumatisms[122]. They assign these poor birds some grated place near
the stove, sometimes under a bench; if they are allowed to range,
their wings must be clipped, to prevent their flying against the
windows, and breaking them. They will generally run under the stove,
as they are fond of warmth. They may be accustomed to the dovecot,
but their showy plumage often occasions them to fall a prey to
carnivorous birds. It is also necessary either to warm the dovecot,
or remove them to a heated room during the winter.

FOOD.--They prefer wheat, and this should be their common food; they
will also eat millet, linseed, poppy, and rape-seed, and even bread.
The peasants give them the siftings of their corn.

BREEDING.--A piece of fur, or soft stuff, or still better, a little
basket, serves as the foundation for their nests. To this they merely
add a little straw, on which they lay two white eggs. They sit on
these a fortnight, but rarely hatch more than one, either from the
egg being unfruitful, or from the carelessness of the parent birds.
It is therefore rare to see them rear six young ones in the year.
These resemble the old ones, and the sex is known by the absence or
presence of the reddish colour.

DISEASES.--Besides decline, they are subject to all the diseases that
attack the persons shut up in the same room; small-pox, when the
children have it; swollen legs, when any one is attacked with this
complaint; and tumours in the feet, when these are prevalent. Thus we
see they partake of the diseases of their masters, but without curing
them, which is contrary to the ridiculous persuasion of the ignorant
peasant. Yet with all these evils they will live seven years.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--These birds are very neat and gentle. Their
cooing resembles laughter; but, besides this, the male has other
tones still more tender, to invite his mate to come to the nest, and
he passes the night close to her side. When he coos he does not turn
like the domestic pigeon, but hops forward a little, then stops,
bends his head to the ground, and swells his crop.

POULTRY.

CHARACTERISTICS.--These birds are characterised by the beak being raised, and the upper mandible being arched, so that the edges of it go beyond those of the under mandible. The nostrils are covered with a convex cartilaginous membrane; the tail is composed of more than twelve feathers; the toes are connected as far as the first joint. Most of the species feed on grain, which is softened in their crops. I only know of six species that can be tamed in the house.

THE COMMON PARTRIDGE.

Tetrao Perdrix, LINNÆUS; La Perdrix grise, BUFFON; Das gemeine
Rebhuhn, BECHSTEIN.

This well known bird, which is very fleshy, and has but few feathers, measures twelve inches and a half. Its beak is bluish, the feet brownish blush red; under each eye is a naked skin of a bright scarlet colour; the general colour of the plumage is brown and ash grey, mixed with black; the forehead, a streak above the eyes, and the throat, are fine chestnut brown; the fore part of the neck and the breast are ash grey, with very fine black lines; below the breast is a deep chestnut brown streak in the shape of a horse shoe, which is not found in the female, or at least not so large nor so clearly defined; the quill-feathers are dusky, with cross bands of rust red; the tail-feathers are rust brown.

HABITATION.--The common partridge is found throughout Europe, in
fields and adjoining woods: when in the open country, thickets and
bushes serve as a retreat during the night. In wide plains, where the
frosts are severe, and the snow so deep that the game is in danger of
perishing, it is customary, in winter, to catch in a net as many as
possible of these birds, and keep them in a warmed room with a high
ceiling. If such a room cannot be had, the top of the room and
windows should be hung with cloth, to prevent the frightened birds
from injuring themselves.

FOOD.--In the house, when permitted to range, partridges may be fed on
barley and wheat. They will also eat bread, the common universal
paste, cabbage, beet, and lettuce; for they like green vegetables,
and these are almost indispensable to their health. In a state of
liberty, they generally feed in winter on the tops of grass and young
springing seeds. In the summer, they eat clover and other green
plants, as well as all kinds of grain. They often roll in moist sand,
which they should be allowed to do in the house.

BREEDING.--The best way to domesticate the partridge, is to rear it
young, in which case it becomes extremely tame, and its habits are
very pleasing. These young birds must be fed at first on ants' eggs
and hens' eggs boiled hard and chopped up with salad; afterwards they
will eat barley and other dry food. The covey often consists of
twenty young ones, which follow the mother as soon as they are
hatched, and often fall in the way of mowers, shepherds, and
huntsmen. I am persuaded that it would not be difficult to render
these birds quite domestic, if the eggs were hatched by our barn-door
fowls, in an open, yet enclosed place, clipping the wings of the
young ones, allowing them to range, during the summer, in a garden
surrounded with walls, and giving them plenty of food. Supposing that
this plan did not quite succeed the first summer, one would have at
least half-tamed birds, which, by following the same plan, would
gradually become more and more accustomed to domestic food, the
society of man, and would certainly at last breed in the house, like
our common fowls.

THE COMMON QUAIL.

Tetrao coturnix, LINNÆUS; La Caille, BUFFON; Die Wachtel,
BECHSTEIN.

This species is the most common of wild poultry kept in the house. It is rather more than seven inches in length. The beak is short and horn-coloured, dusky in summer, and ash grey in winter, like the partridge's and common fowl's; the iris is olive brown; the feet pale bluish red; on the upper part of the body are dusky and rust-red spots, with some small white streaks; the throat is dusky, surrounded with two chestnut brown bands; the front of the neck and the breast are pale rust red, with some longitudinal dark streaks; the belly is dusky white; the thighs are reddish grey; the quill-feathers are dark grey, crossed by many rust red lines; the tail is short, dark brown, with pale rust red streaks across it.

The female differs sensibly; her throat is white, and her breast, paler than that of the male, is spotted with black like the thrush's.

HABITATION.--When wild the quail is found throughout the old world.
Unlike the other species of poultry, it is a bird of passage,
arriving in Europe in May, and departing the end of September. It
keeps continually in corn fields, preferring those of wheat.

In the house, if allowed to range, its gentleness, neatness, and
peculiar motions, are seen to advantage; but it is often kept in a
cage of the following make:--A small box two feet long, one foot deep,
and four high, of any shape which is preferred; in this are left two
or three openings, one for drinking at, the other to give light;
besides this all is dark; the bottom is a drawer, which should be
covered with sand, and have a seed drawer at one end; the top is of
green cloth, for as the quail often springs up it would hurt itself
were it of wood. This case should be suspended during the summer
outside the window, for the quail sings much more when confined in
this manner than if allowed to range the room, where there are many
things to call off its attention from its song[123].

When a male without the female is allowed to run about the room, it
is always necessary to shut it up in June (the pairing season), or
else its ardent feelings tempt it to attack all the other birds,
particularly those with a dark plumage, somewhat resembling its own.
Larks, for example, it will follow, and pluck out their feathers till
they are nearly bare.

FOOD.--In a wild state the quail feeds on wheat and other corn,
rape-seed, millet, hemp-seed, and the like. It also eats green
vegetables, as well as insects, and particularly ants' eggs.

In the house it is fed on the same food, adding bread, barley meal
mixed with milk, the universal paste, and occasionally salad or
cabbage chopped up small, and, that it may want nothing to keep it in
health, plenty of river sand for it to roll in and to peck up grains,
which assist its digestion; but this sand must be damp, for if dry it
will not touch it. It drinks a great deal, and the water, contrary to
the opinion of some persons, should be clear, never turbid. It moults
twice in the year, once in autumn, and again in spring; it then
requires river sand, and greater attention than at other times.

BREEDING.--The quail breeds very late, never before July. Its nest, if
it can be called so, is a hole scratched in the earth, in which it
lays from ten to fourteen bluish-white eggs, with large brown spots.
These are hatched after three weeks' incubation. The young ones, all
hairy, follow the mother the moment they leave the shell. Their
feathers grow quickly, for in the autumn they are able to depart with
her to the southern countries. The males are so ardent, that if one
is placed in a room with a female, he will pursue her immediately
with extraordinary eagerness, tearing off her feathers if she resists
in the least; he is less violent if he has been in the same room with
her during the year. The female, in this case, lays a great many
eggs, but rarely sits on them; yet if young ones are brought her from
the fields, she eagerly receives them under her wings, and becomes a
very affectionate mother to them. The young must be fed on eggs
boiled hard and cut small, but the best way is to take the mother
with the covey, which may be done with a net. She watches over them
attentively, and they are more easily reared. During the first year
one would think that all in the covey were females, the males
resemble them so much, particularly before the brown shows itself on
the throat.

MODE OF TAKING.--There are several different methods of taking quails,
but I shall only mention the commonest and easiest. The male birds
are generally caught in a net, called a quail-net, by means of a call
which imitates the cry of the female in the breeding season; it is
the way adopted by bird-catchers in the spring, when they wish to
take a male that sings in a superior manner, that is, which repeats a
dozen times following the syllables "_pieveroie_." If the male has
not yet met with a mate, and if he has not been rendered suspicious
by some unskilful bird-catcher, he will run eagerly into the snare.
The most important thing is to have a good call; they may be had
cheap of turners at Nuremberg, who make them of leather, with a pipe
turned from the bone of a cat or hare, or the leg of a stork; but
they may easily be made by any body. The first thing necessary is a
piece of calf-skin, one foot in length, and four inches in breadth,
the sides must be sewed together within two inches of the end, and
the bottom filled with a piece of wood an inch and a half in length,
and rings composed of thick leather, the diameter of the interior
opening not exceeding an inch and a half, are pushed into the sewed
cylinder, and kept about a quarter of an inch apart; the whole may
afterwards be pressed close together, making the rings touch each
other; then a tube made of the bone of a goose or hare, and filled at
the end like a common whistle, is fastened to the part of the
cylinder left unsewed; the interior is then stopped with wax near the
notch on the side of the leather, and a hole pierced through it with
a knitting-needle; the upper part of the tube must also be stopped
with wax, and lastly, the lower part, which is thus become a kind of
whistle, is very firmly tied to the unsewn part of the cylinder. When
the call is to be used, the lower end must be held firmly in one
hand, and the leather cylinder worked up and down with the other,
making the rings approach and separate, which produces the notes of
the female, "_peuk, peuk, pupu_."

As soon as the male quail is heard that you wish to procure, you must
advance softly to within fifty paces of his station, and place the
tray amongst the wheat in such a position as will suffer it to fall
level with the ground, to prevent the bird's passing under and
escaping. Then retire a few steps back, when the quail will soon
utter its song, to which reply with two or three notes, that when the
quail is silent he may only hear one or two, from the call exactly
resembling the cry of the female. If this is not done with care, the
bird will suspect treachery, and will either retire or remain silent,
and never after fall into such a snare; but if skilfully done, it is
surprising to see how the bird proceeds directly to the call: if by
chance he miss the trap, he will go so near as to be within reach of
the hand; in this case it is best to retire softly to the other side
of the trap and repeat the call, which will again attract it. There
are some quails that know how to avoid the net, particularly if
placed in too open and exposed a place. In this case it is safest to
turn it in a corner at both ends, and thus when it tries to turn it
becomes entangled.

It is proper to notice, that in damp weather, or when it rains, the
quail does not run, but flies immediately towards the call. It does
this also in dewy mornings and evenings; dry days should therefore be
chosen for this chase. In the pairing season, two, three, or even
four quails may be taken at the same place.

If no male is heard in the field, the call of the female must be well
imitated on a larger and more powerful bird-call, and, if any males
are within hearing, they will not fail to answer; the person must
then advance quickly, placing the net so as to stop their road, and
repeat the call.

When a female is to be caught, it is best to employ a common net,
such as is used to take quails in autumn; but this chase should be
deferred till towards the end of harvest, when most of the corn is
cut, and only a few pieces left standing, which serve to harbour
numbers of these birds. Several nets are used at once, as many as six
or eight; some of them are placed across the field of corn, and the
others parallel to them at the extremity of the same field: this
being done, the party go to the opposite side and begin to drive the
quails into the nets in the middle of the field by means of a
packthread stretched across the corn, having little bells suspended
to it by threads, so as almost to touch the ground, two persons
holding it, and as they advance shaking it from time to time. As soon
as the prisoners are secured, the march is continued towards the nets
at the end of the field; and in this manner great numbers of quails,
both male and female, are procured either for the house or for the
table.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--Besides beauty of form and plumage, the song of
this bird is no slight recommendation to the amateur. In the breeding
season, that of the male commences by repeating softly, tones
resembling "_verra, verra_," followed by the word "_pieveroie_,"
uttered in a bold tone, with the neck raised, the eyes shut, and the
head inclined on one side. Those that repeat the last syllables ten
or twelve times consecutively, are the most esteemed. That of the
female only consists of "_verra, verra_," "_pupu, pupu_," the two
last syllables being those by which the male and the female attract
each other's attention; when alarmed or angry their cry resembles
"_guillah!_" but at other times it is only a murmur, resembling the
purring of a cat.

The quail never sings when left to run about in a light room, except
during the night, but continually when in a darkened cage. Those
reared from the nest begin to sing the end of December, and continue
till September; whilst those taken full grown rarely commence till
the beginning of May, and cease in August.

WADING BIRDS.

The birds of this order are more or less bare above the knees; their legs are so long, that they have the appearance of standing on stilts. They may be tamed at any age, but this is best done when they are young. I shall only give here the following species.

THE WHITE STORK.

Ciconia alba, LINNÆUS; La Cicogne blanche, BUFFON; Der Weisse
Storch, BECHSTEIN.

The stork may be considered as half domestic, since it constantly builds on the tops of houses, on churches or towers in the midst of villages, and even towns[124]. Its beak is long and powerful, of a blood red colour, as are its legs and feet. It has a naked black ring round its eyes; the wings are black; the rest of the plumage white.

OBSERVATIONS.--It is a bird of passage, which quits Europe the end of
September, and returns in April. It feeds on fish, amphibious
animals, field-mice, moles, and even weasels, which it catches coming
out of their holes. It also eats insects, especially bees, which it
catches by the beakfull on flowers. Its nest is only a heap of dry
sticks woven together, and it occupies the same nest every year,
after repairing it a little. I have been assured, that some nests
have lasted a hundred years; and the circumference often becomes
covered with sparrows and swallows' nests. The male and female never
separate, and are a true model of conjugal fidelity. If the young
ones are taken from the nest, and fed on frogs and meat, they may be
rendered so tame that they will go a league from the house, and
return again regularly. At the time of their flight, in September,
the wings of those that are to be kept through the winter should be
clipped, and they should be kept in a temperate place, as their feet
are very sensible to cold. They become so familiar that they will
enter the room during meals, to be fed on meat from the table. A
clapping with their beak expresses either anger or affection. It is
very pleasing to see a tame stork circling round the house, and
descending insensibly in a long spiral line till it reaches the
ground.

THE BLACK STORK.

Ardea nigra, LINNÆUS; Der schwarze Storch, BECHSTEIN.

This species is nearly as large as the white stork, and is of the same form, but its limbs are weaker and more delicate. Its colour is a glossy brownish black, with the breast and belly white. It frequents woods in the neighbourhood of marshes, lakes, and large ponds, and makes its nest on the trees. Its habits and manner of feeding are similar to those of the white stork. In rearing the young ones, they may be accustomed to remain in the house, and will soon become familiar.

THE WOODCOCK.

Scolopax rusticola, LINNÆUS; La Bécasse, BUFFON; Die
Waldschnepfe, BECHSTEIN.

The woodcock is found in every part of Europe where there are forests. The beak is three or four inches in length, straight, and reddish at the base; the back of the head is crossed with dusky bands; the upper part of the body and wings are rust brown, streaked with grey and black; the breast and belly are dusky white, with dark brown lines.

OBSERVATIONS.--The woodcock builds its nest on the ground in
mountainous districts; lays three or four dusky pale yellow eggs, and
feeds on worms, snails, and the grubs of insects, which it seeks in
meadows, marshes, and fields. In October it quits the high lands for
more temperate parts; this migration is called its _passage_, and as
these birds constantly follow the same route, this is the time when
fowlers, scattered in its destined path, prepare for a chase, either
with guns or large nets made for the purpose, and await the moment
when these birds quit the meadows for the woods, or the woods for the
meadows. The flight of woodcocks is slow and awkward, but they are
very fine game, the flesh being wholesome and of an excellent
flavour; they are generally cooked without taking out the intestines.

In the house, by beginning with insects and ants' eggs, the woodcock
may be accustomed by degrees to the universal paste. Twenty years ago
I saw, in an aviary at Carlsruhe, a tame woodcock that would come
from his cage and show himself to strangers; it was a male, and
appeared very willing to pair, if it could have found a mate.

THE COMMON SNIPE.

Scolopax Gallinago, LINNÆUS; La Bécassine, BUFFON; Die
Heerschnepfe, BECHSTEIN.

This Snipe is nearly the size of the quail, and inhabits the northern countries of Europe, Asia, and America, migrating in autumn to more temperate parts. Its rough beak is black in the front; its feet are brown; the head is divided longitudinally by two reddish brown lines; the back is dark brown, with streaks across; the throat is white; the neck is brown, speckled with brick red; the belly is white; the vent is striped with black; the quill-feathers are dark brown, tipped with white; the tail-feathers are black from the base, tipped with orange, and having two dark brown streaks.

OBSERVATIONS.--The snipe darts through the air at a great height, and
descends like an arrow, continually uttering the cry "_maicherai_."
It is found in marshy places, abounding with bushes and brambles; in
a hole in the ground, washed by the water, it lays four or five dusky
olive-coloured eggs, streaked with brown. Its common food is worms,
and the grubs of insects, but it will eat corn, and the tender roots
of marsh plants. Every one knows that it is delicate eating; but many
are ignorant that it may be tamed, and that it is then a very
pleasing bird.

THE LAPWING.

Tringa Vanellus, LINNÆUS; Le Vanneu, BUFFON; Der gemeine
Kiebetz, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is well known throughout Europe wherever there are water meadows. It is greenish on the back and wings; black on the breast; and has red feet, and a handsome crest.

OBSERVATIONS.--It feeds on all sorts of insects, small snails, worms,
and even plants. The young ones are easily tamed. They are first fed
on ants' eggs, and then gradually accustomed to bread, and even bran
mixed with milk. The eggs may be placed under pigeons, but care is
necessary when they are hatched, as they run the moment they leave
the shell. The old birds may be kept in the garden if the wings are
clipped, where they destroy the insects and worms; but they must be
brought into the house in the winter, and fed at first on bullocks'
heart cut in the form of worms, then with less care, till by degrees
they become accustomed to other meat, and even to bread. As these
birds are much esteemed game, snares are laid for them in places they
frequent in large flocks. They are either taken in nets, throwing
worms as baits, or with nooses made of horse hair, and set in the
paths they trace in the rushes, or, which is cruel and destructive,
in the neighbourhood of their nests.

THE RUFF.

Tringa pugnax, LINNÆUS; Le Combattant, ou Paon de Mer, BUFFON;
Die Kampfhahn, BECHSTEIN.

The ruff is about the size of the lapwing, and is found in the north of Europe, near lakes, ponds, and extensive marshes. It is almost the only wild bird whose plumage varies like our domesticated ones, ash-grey, brown, black, and white, being combined in a thousand different ways, so that it is rare to meet with two birds alike. The following are the characteristics of the species:--1st, a kind of ruff or collar, formed of long feathers hanging around the neck, which are raised when the bird is angry, and stand out on all sides; 2nd, the face red, and covered with pimples; the beak and feet also red.

The colours of the females are more uniform:--pale brown, the back streaked with black, the breast and belly white, and the neck plain without the ruff.

It feeds on insects, worms, and roots, and makes its nest in a tuft of grass or rushes. The females are tolerably good for the table, but the male must be fattened before it is eatable. The irritable and quarrelsome disposition of these birds is astonishing. When two males meet they are often so enraged with each other that a net may be passed over them without their perceiving it. If several are placed in the same cage, they will kill one another. The young ones may easily be reared; but it is extraordinary, that in the house, their inclination to fight abandons them; whilst most other birds, pacific in a state of freedom, are continually quarrelling and pecking one another when confined. It is customary in the duchy of Bremen to put these birds into enclosed gardens to destroy worms and other insects, but they retire into the house for the winter; and here the old ones still quarrel both for food and the place they wish to lie down in. They are fed on bread soaked in milk, and meat.

THE PURR.

Tringa Cinclus, LINNÆUS; L'Alouette de Mer, BUFFON; Der
Meerlerche, BECHSTEIN.

This is a marsh bird, about the size of the redwing, and is very common on the banks of rivers, lakes, and large ponds. When it rises in the air it cries continually "_tzi, tzi, tzi, tzi_." Its beak is black, and its feet dark brownish green; the feathers on the upper part of the body are grey, glossy, and silky, with blackish bands notched on the sides, and bordered on the outer edge with rust red; a whitish streak passes above the eyes, whilst a narrow dark brown line crosses them; the under part of the body is pure white, but the breast is striped with dark brown; the quill-feathers are black, the anterior having a broad white streak on the inner web, the others having the same on the outer web; the greater coverts are tipped with white, which form two spots on the wings; the three middle feathers of the tail are grey brown with black bands; the others are white, with dark brown bands.

The female is rather larger, and her plumage is paler.

OBSERVATIONS.--It is easy to obtain this bird, which has many
attractions for the amateur. It runs quickly, continually shaking the
back part of its body, and repeating, particularly towards evening,
its loud and tender call, "_hidutzt_."

When wild it eats insects and worms, found near the water. In the
house it will soon eat the universal paste, if a few meal-worms and
ants' eggs are at first thrown amongst it. If there are other birds
in the same room, the water vessel should be removed from the food,
or another vessel devoted to it, for not being able to swallow what
is not soft, it carries all its food to the water to soak, and thus
renders it dirty. It catches insects very dexterously; it advances
slowly like a cat, its head bent down, and then darts forward swiftly
and slyly. I admire their habits so much that I have one generally in
my house. I have observed that all the species of snipes have the
habit of turning over any stones they meet with, to look for insects
under. It is very easy to take the purr as soon as the stakes,
sticks, and other places where they most commonly alight, are known;
it is only to put bird-lime on them and drive the birds gently
towards the part. This and the corn crake are the only two marsh
birds that should properly be reckoned among house-birds.

THE MOOR HEN.

Fulica enloropus, LINNÆUS; La Poule d'Eau, BUFFON; Die
grünfüssiges Meehuhn, BECHSTEIN.

The length of this species is ten or twelve inches. The beak is greenish at the tip, red towards the base; the naked spaces above the knees are of the same colour; the feet are olive green; the claws are very long; the head, the upper part of the neck, the body, and the wing-coverts are dark olive green; the anterior quill-feathers and the tail are dark brown; the breast and belly are ash-grey; the vent and edges of the wings are white.

In the female the beak is olive brown towards the base, instead of red.

OBSERVATIONS.--Though not web-footed, this species swims as well as
those birds that are, and has this advantage over them, that it can
rest on trees and bushes by the water side, like land birds, and can
also run when inclined. Its nest is placed among bushes that are in
the water, or on reeds, and is built of water plants, especially
reeds well interwoven; it is so firmly fastened, that if the water
rises it floats, but is not carried away; the eggs are often
surrounded with water. It feeds on insects, seeds, and aquatic
plants. It is easily tamed, particularly when taken young; it likes
white bread soaked in milk. I often have these birds in my
poultry-yard among my fowls; they go to a neighbouring pond, and
regularly return after a short time. I never took any trouble to tame
them; they always kept near the water, by the dunghill, seeking after
insects and grubs.

THE CORN CRAKE.

Rallus Crex, LINNÆUS; Le Rale de Cenet, ou Roi de Cailles,
BUFFON; Der Wachtelkönig, BECHSTEIN.

The corn crake being always found with quails in proportionate numbers, departing with them in autumn, and returning at the same time in spring, no doubt deserves the name Buffon has given it of King of the Quails. It is ten inches in length. The beak is flattish, greyish brown above, and bluish red beneath; the feet are lead grey; the feathers of the head, of the back of the neck, of the back, and even of the tail, are black, edged with reddish grey; which gives them the appearance of being streaked; a grey ash-coloured streak passes above the eyes, another below them; the wing-coverts and anterior quill-feathers are chestnut brown; the front of the neck and the breast are dusky ash-grey; the belly is white, but the sides and vent are dark brown, spotted with rusty brown and white.

The breast of the female is pale grey, and the streaks near her eyes greyish white.

OBSERVATIONS.--The male is often heard uttering his kind of croaking
notes, "_arrp, schnarrp_," in the meadows and fields, in the evening
and at night; but is rarely seen to fly. It feeds on insects and
grain, for which bread soaked in milk may be substituted, when it is
in the house. The female lays from eight to twelve greenish grey
eggs, streaked with pale brown, on the bare ground; the young ones,
when hatched, are covered with a kind of black down, the feathers of
varied colours do not appear for three weeks. The hen sits with so
much constancy, that she will often perish by the sithe rather than
quit her eggs. The young, like the young quails, run under the oat
sheaves, and may easily be caught there by the hand.

The agility of these birds, and their pleasing habits, render them
much admired in the house; they chirp very much like chickens. I
confess I like very much to hear the "_arrp, schnarrp_" of the male
in the evening near me.

WEB-FOOTED BIRDS.

The birds arranged in this order are also known, under the name of aquatic birds. They are distinguished by their feet, the toes being united by a broad membrane, which assists them in swimming. Several live uniformly on the water, others in companies on the water and on the land. There are many that may be tamed, but I shall only speak of those that are able to live without being on the water. The number is thus confined to six species, easily tamed at any age.

THE SWAN.

Anas Olor, LINNÆUS; Le gigne, BUFFON; Der Schwan, BECHSTEIN.

Instead of the common name of tame swan, I prefer that of mute swan, in order to distinguish this from the whistling, also called the wild swan, but improperly, for in Russia it is more common to have that tamed than the one under notice. This, however, is found wild throughout most parts of Europe, and in great numbers in Siberia. In Germany, when a person wishes to have one on a piece of water, and to keep it there constantly, he chooses some young ones, and breaks or cuts the first bone in the wing, to disable them from flying, and consequently prevent their departing in the autumn with their wild companions.

The swan is larger than a domestic goose, it is four feet and a half in length, on account of its long neck, which it bends in the form of an S when it is swimming; it measures seven feet and a quarter from tip to tip of the wings, and weighs from twenty-five to thirty pounds. The beak is dark red, having at the base a large black callous knob, and at the tip something resembling the head of a nail, black, and rather bent; a bare black triangular streak extends from the beak to the eyes; the feet are black the first year, lead grey the second, and reddish lead grey at last; the plumage is a snowy white.