File:Boys and birds; or, Miss Truat's mission (1874) (14563038670).jpg

Identifier: boysbirdsormisst00dyer (find matches)
Title: Boys and birds; or, Miss Truat's mission
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Dyer, Sidney, 1814-1898. (from old catalog)
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Philadelphia, The Bible and publication society
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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d speckled. (Plate III., Fig. 3.) The blackbird is quite susceptible of being do-mesticated, and often becomes fondly attached to itsnew friends, remaining when perfect liberty is al-lowed. A friend of mine once had one of thesebirds that wandered at will in and out of doors, andwas a general favorite with the whole household, in-cluding the cat and dog, often perching itself on thebacks of these animals without being molested forthe familiarity. It was a wonder to see Tabby, thecat, that so enjoyed a bird dinner when she couldcatch a wild one, eat out of the same dish with theblackbird on perfect terms of friendship, often allow-ing the bird to take bits of food even from hermouth, and when supper was finished walk awayfrom bet strange companion as though she neverthought of devouring one of its species. (Fig. 35.) It ia said of the common Cow-Blackbirds thatthey, like the English cuckoos, shirk the duties ofrearing a family by depositing their ^^r^ in the n sta 214 BOYS AND BIRDS. \
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Fig. 35.—TJte Two Friends. of other small birds; which is no doubt true as ageneral characteristic, but my personal observationhas convinced me that the habit is not universal. BOYS AND BIRDS. 215 For two or three years a pair of these birds re-turned and nested near the place of my former resi-dence. Knowing their reputation for this delin-quency, I watched them the more closely, and couldhardly be mistaken in. my observation; and I feelbound to make this statement as a redeeming traitin their social life. The beautiful Orioles are near relations of thebobolinks and blackbirds, and are among the pecu-liar feathered treasures of the Xew World. TheBaltimore variety stands at the head of the class forbeauty and sprightliness. (Frontispiece, Fig. 1.)Black, white, orange, red, and yellow are finely blendedin its plumage, while in the Orchard Oriole the orangeand yellow are replaced by brown or chestnut red.Both of these birds are quite common in our woods andorchards, and easily become

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