File:Birds and nature (1905) (14753246544).jpg

Identifier: birdsnature21905chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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tiful, but when thesesubstances are not obtainable in largequantities the nests are very scantilysupplied. These Gulls may be considered amongthe scavengers which help to keep theshores of bodies of water free from put-rifying organic matter. Their appetitesseem almost insatiable and it is said thatthey will take any food, be it fresh orputrid, which is not too hard or toolarge for them to swallow. They arealso very fond of fish which they arevery expert at catching. They will fol-low schools of fish in rivers which theykeenly watch, until a fish leaps from thewater, in its efforts to catch an insect,when they quickly dart down and seizeit. Inland these Gulls also feed uponinsects which they catch either upon thewing or upjDn the ground. It is saidthat, in some localities, they destroylarge numbers of grasshoppers. Dur-ing the first few days of the life of theyoung, they are fed with partially di-gested food raised from the parents*crop. After that tliev arc fed with theilcsh of fish.
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AMONG THE TREES. THE BEECH. It was a fine day in March and thewhole earth seemed to be rejoicing thatthe icy bonds of winter were broken.Little by little the great God of Day hadregained his strength, forcing the IceKing to yield step by step, until thesnow had all disappeared from the hill-side. The brook was swollen to twiceits natural size and was hurrying to theriver, which presented an unusual andever-changing picture as the ice camehurrying by, sometimes bringing with itparts of fences, and even trees, whichhad been undermined and carried alongby the resistless current. Mabel stood on the bridge watching thewild, foaming rush of escaped waters intheir headlong race to the sea; this wassomething of which she never tired inher childhood days, and now she feltthe same fascination. Presently sheheard the notes of bluebirds androbins, those feathered harbingers ofspring, borne on the breeze to her fromthe hillside and she fancied they werecalling her. It is indeed a long time since I

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