Cassell's book of birds; vol. 3Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Science
Cassell's book of birds; vol. 3
Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Birds
"The flight of the far-famed Ivory-billed Woodpecker is graceful in the
extreme, although seldom prolonged to more than a few hundred yards at a
time, unless when it has to cross a large river, which it does in deep
undulations, opening its wings at first to their full extent, and nearly
closing them to renew the propelling impulse. The transit from one tree
to another, even should the distance be as much as a hundred yards, is
performed by a single sweep; the bird appears as if merely swinging
itself from the top of the one tree to that of the other, forming an
elegantly-curved line. At this moment all the beauty of the plumage is
exhibited, and strikes the beholder with pleasure. It never utters any
sound whilst on the wing, except during the love season; but at all other
times no sooner has this bird alighted than its remarkable voice is heard
at almost every leap that it makes whilst ascending against the upper
parts of the trunk of a tree or its highest branches. Its notes are clear,
loud, and rather plaintive; they are heard at a considerable distance,
perhaps half a mile, and resemble the false, high note of a clarionet.
They are repeated three times in succession, and may be represented by the
syllables 'Pait, pait, pait.' These are heard so frequently that the bird
spends few minutes of the day without uttering them; and this leads to its
destruction, not because, as some suppose, this species is a destroyer of
trees, but because it is a beautiful bird, and the rich scales attached to
its upper mandible form an ornament for the war-dress of the Indians, or
for the shot-pouch of the hunter or squatter.
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