File:Baby birds at home (1912) (14749127214).jpg

Identifier: babybirdsathomebb00kear (find matches)
Title: Baby birds at home
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Kearton, Richard, 1862-1928
Subjects: Birds -- Behavior Birds -- Juvenile literature
Publisher: London, New York (etc.) Cassell and company, ltd.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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d Owl. It feeds upon voles, mice, small birds andbeetles, for which it frequently hunts in thebroad light of day, and does not appear tobe inconvenienced even by sunlight. Duringthe last plague of voles in the Lowlands ofScotland, Short-eared Owls arrived uponthe scene in great numbers and helped thefarmers to reduce the vast army of theirfour-footed enemies. The nest is made on the ground amongstheather, rushes, gorse or sedge, on moors, andin fens and marshes. It is a mere hollow,sometimes lined with a few bits of dead grassor moss, and at others entirely bare. The eggs generally number from three tofive, although as many as seven or eight maybe found where the natural food of the speciesis very plentiful. They are white and ovalin shape. As in the case of other owls, the youngones in a clutch vary considerably in size.They leave the nest before they are able tofly, especially if disturbed, and, creepingthrough the heather or rushes, hide andwait until their food is brought to them.
Text Appearing After Image:
The Widgeon ALTHOUGH this beautiful duck is veryL abundant on our coast and inlandlakes during the autumn and spring, fewpairs stay to breed with us, and those gener-ally in the extreme north of Scotland and theOrkney and Shetland Islands. Its real homeis in the Arctic regions, where it nests com-monly from Iceland to Eastern Siberia. Once you have heard the Widgeons shrilldouble call-note, you are never likely to for-get it. It consists of a long musical un-duck-like whistle, followed by a short low one, andsounds like mee-yu. If you should hear itfor the first time whilst you are alone in thedark, near some solitary sheet of water, youwill no doubt think it a very wild and weirdcry. Unlike many other members of the duckfamily, this bird feeds by day instead ofby night. Its principal food is grass, andapparently in recognition of this fact the 5 n6 Baby Birds at Home Laplanders call it by a name signifying the Grass Duck. By the end of June or the beginning ofJuly the male Widgeon ha

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