Cassell's book of birds; vol. 3Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Science
Cassell's book of birds; vol. 3
Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Birds
The KUKULI (_Melopeleia meloda_) is a species inhabiting South America.
This bird has reddish brown plumage, shaded with yellow. The crown of the
head is deep brown; the under breast and belly are of greyish hue; the
wings dark brown, bordered with greyish white; the tail-feathers blackish
grey tipped with white. Under the ear is an oval black spot, and the sides
of the neck are decorated with patches of metallic brilliancy. The eye
is blackish blue; the eye-ring, or, rather, broad, bare cheek-stripe, is
deep blue; the beak black, and the foot red. This species is twelve inches
long. The wing measures six inches and three-quarters.
We are without any detailed account of the life of this Pigeon, but
are indebted to Tschudi for a short communication respecting it in his
"Travels in Peru." "The Kukuli," he writes, "one of the largest species of
Pigeon, is a great favourite in this country, and much kept in cages. Its
song, which is monotonous, but very melodious, is continued up from the
earliest hours of the morning till mid-day, and is re-commenced at sunset.
The song consists merely of a threefold repetition of the syllables
'cu-cu-li.' Some of these birds repeat 'cu-cu-li' more than thrice, and
their price increases according to the number of their uninterrupted
repetitions, which seldom exceed five or six. In Coackacra, however, I
heard one of these birds that repeated its 'cu-cu-li' fourteen times, and
the owner would not sell his favourite for a less price than fourteen
ounces of gold."
* * * * *
The SPARROW PIGEONS (_Pyrgitænas_), the smallest members of the entire
order, are strongly-built birds, with a short neck and small head. Their
wings, in which the second quill is the longest, are of medium length; the
tail, composed of twelve feathers, is comparatively short, and rounded at
its tip; the short beak is straight and delicate, the foot small, and the
tarsus bare.
THE SPARROW PIGEON, OR GROUND DOVE.
The SPARROW PIGEON, or GROUND DOVE, as it is called in North America
(_Pyrgitænas passerina_, or _Columba passerina_), is principally of a
greyish brown, with dark grey crown of head and nape. The rump is dull
brownish grey, and the breast whitish; the feathers on the breast and
fore part of the throat are edged with deep brown; the quills are dark
brown, with brownish red inner web; the tail-feathers black, those at
the exterior bordered with white on the outer web; the feathers on the
wing-covers are enlivened by round spots of metallic lustre. The eye is
bright orange, the beak pale red, deepest in shade at its tip; the foot
is reddish brown. The Ground Dove is six inches and a half long, and ten
inches and a quarter broad. The wing measures three inches and a quarter,
the tail two inches and a third.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account