Cassell's book of birds; vol. 3Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Science
Cassell's book of birds; vol. 3
Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Birds
In summer the food of these birds consists of insects, berries, and
grain, and in the autumn they revel in the fields of buckwheat and Indian
corn. When winter comes, and their supplies have disappeared, those in
the northern districts commence their southward course, and many perish
during these journeys. Early in October the shores of the large rivers
are covered with flocks of them, which rove along the margin of the river
and cross towards evening, the weaker ones often falling and perishing in
the water. After the principal streams have been thus crossed, the flocks
distribute themselves about the country, and resume their usual mode
of life. During the severity of winter they often suffer from scarcity
of food, and will then approach the dwellings of men, and become half
domesticated, visiting the barns and mixing with the poultry, to share
their food. The eggs of this species have frequently been hatched by the
Domestic Hen; two of these birds that had been brought up in this manner,
according to Wilson, associated with the cows, followed them to the
fields, returned with them in the evening, stood by them while milked, and
again returned with them to pasture. These remained during winter, lodging
in the stable, but as soon as spring came they disappeared.
Dr. Bachmann attempted to domesticate the American Partridge, and gives
us the following account of his proceedings:--"The eggs had been obtained
from the fields, and were hatched under a Bantam hen. By confining the
young with their foster mother for a few days they soon learned to follow
her like young chickens. They were fed for a couple of weeks on curds,
but soon began to eat cracked Indian corn and several kinds of millet.
They were permitted to stray at large in my garden; but fearing that they
might be induced to fly over the enclosure and stray away, I amputated a
joint of the wing. There was no difficulty in preserving them during the
summer and winter, and they became so very gentle that they were in the
habit of following me through the house, and often seated themselves for
hours on the table at which I was writing, occasionally playfully pecking
at my hand and running off with my pen. At night they nestled in a coop,
placed for that purpose in the garden. The cats in the neighbourhood,
unfortunately for my experiment, took a fancy to my birds and carried
off several, so that at the breeding season my stock was reduced to two
females, with a greater number of males; the latter now commenced their
not unmusical notes of 'Bob White,' at first low, but increasing in energy
and loudness till they were heard throughout the whole neighbourhood.
These notes were precisely similar to those of the wild birds, affording
a proof that they were natural, and not acquired by an association with
others of their own species, as these birds had no opportunity of hearing
any other notes than those of the poultry on the premises. As the spring
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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