File:An illustrated manual of British birds (1889) (14725576896).jpg

Identifier: illustratedmanua01saun (find matches)
Title: An illustrated manual of British birds
Year: 1889 (1880s)
Authors: Saunders, Howard, 1835-1907
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: London, Gurney and Jackson
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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all mammals ; but as an instance of its omnivoroushabits, Mr. Hurdis, of Bermuda, mentions that the stomach of onecontained an eel six inches long, a mouse, a dragon-fly, a grass-hopper, and a portion of a small golden carp. The note of themale in the early part of the breeding-season is a deep chokingcroak, resembling the sy\\ah\e?, _po?>ip-ai/-gor; or like the noise madeby driving a stake in boggy soil, whence its common name of Stake- or Post-driver. Dr. Coues says that it has anotherabrupt, explosive cry, something like quark or hauk, utteredwhen the bird is surprised while feeding, or when its haunts areinvaded ; ordinarily, however, it is silent. This species resembles our Old World bird in general plumage,but is smaller in size; its bill, legs and feet are more slender;the feathers of the upper parts are more finely vermiculated ;and the primaries are uuiforni leadenhrown. Length about 27in.; wing 11 5 in. The young have a ruddier tinge and coarsermottlings. ciconiida:. .375
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1)1/ it THE WHITE STORK. CicoNiA ALRA, Bechsteiii. It does not appear that the White Stork has ever been more thanan irregular wanderer to the British Islands; and even in 1544 Dr.William Turner, writing at Cologne, expresses his surprise that abird so common in Germany should be unknown in England.Later, by Merrett, Willughby and Ray i: was considered a very rarevisitor, but Sir Thomas Browne remarked its not unfrequent occur-rence in the fens and marshes of Norfolk, where, from its proximityto Holland—in which the species has long been protected—moreexamples have since been obtained than in all the rest of GreatBritain. An adult female, shot about May 17th 1861 at Woodbast-wick, contained an egg ready for exclusion, which was cracked bythe fall of the bird ; and fully thirty specimens must have been re-corded from East Anglia, chiefly in the spring. Several have beennoticed in our more southern counties, and on April 23rd 1S84 aflock of six passed over the town of Newbury in Ber

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