Book Description

Excerpt from North American Birds Eggs: Illustrating the Eggs of Nearly Every Species of North American Birds The greatest interest in the study of birds centers in their home life. Soon after their arrival from their winter quarters, all birds take upon themselves the duties of reproduction, the first step of which is the securing of a satisfactory location; some species, such as Auklets, Petrels, Burrowing Owls, Kingfishers, Bank Swallows, etc., nest at the end of burrows or holes in the ground; a great many nest upon the ground, some laying their eggs upon the bare sand, leaves, or rock, while others build nests, either bulky or slight as suits their respective tastes; hundreds construct their homes among the branches of trees or bushes, some close to the ground, others among the highest branches, and still others swaying from the ends of the outermost limbs; other species lay their eggs at the bottom of holes in trees, either in natural cavities or in holes dug by their own efforts, the most noticeable in the latter class being the Woodpeckers, which often chisel their way into limbs of living trees. The study of nests alone is most interesting; the rude and slight platforms of the Herons, Cuckoos, Grosbeaks, etc.; the rough but substantial structures of the Robin; and the exquisite, architectural creations of the Hummingbirds, Flycatchers, Orioles, Bush-tits, etc. Surely the work of some of these little feathered creatures, these "homes without hands," show as great a degree of skill and artistic temperament as is seen in the human race. The eggs of the different species vary through all the tints from white to blue, green and brown, some unmarked, others handsomely specked, spotted, blotched or wreathed with different shades of brown, lilac and lavender, and their sizes vary from that of the diminutive Hummingbird to the Albatross, Swan and California Vulture as the largest North American eggs, and the Ostrich of Africa whose egg will contain several quarts. The nesting season ranges from January with some of the Owls to August in the case of the American Goldfinch, but by far the majority of species lay their eggs during May or June. It is at this period during their lives, that birds are at their best; their plumage is the brightest, their voices are the sweetest, and their actions the most brilliant. The purpose of this volume is to furnish a reference and guide to all bird students who may desire to study the home life of our feathered creatures, by a description of how, when and where they build their nests, and the appearance of their eggs. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.