Ornithological biography, Vol. 4 (of 5) : $b An account of the habits of the birds of the United States of AmericaAudubon, John James
Science
Ornithological biography, Vol. 4 (of 5) : $b An account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America
Audubon, John James
Birds -- North America
The Anhinga is altogether a diurnal bird, and, like the Cormorant, is
fond of returning to the same roosting place every evening about dusk,
unless prevented by molestation. At times I have seen from three to
seven alight on the dead top branches of a tall tree, for the purpose
of there spending the night; and this they repeated for several weeks,
until on my having killed some of them and wounded others, the rest
abandoned the spot, and after several furious contests with a party
that roosted about two miles off, succeeding in establishing themselves
among them. At such times they seldom sit very near each other, as
Cormorants do, but keep at a distance of a few feet or yards, according
to the nature of the branches. Whilst asleep, they stand with the body
almost erect, but never bend the tarsus so as to apply it in its whole
length, as the Cormorant does; they keep their head snugly covered
among their scapulars, and at times emit a wheezing sound, which I
supposed to be produced by their breathing. In rainy weather they often
remain roosted the greater part of the day, and on such occasions they
stand erect, with their neck and head stretched upwards, remaining
perfectly motionless, as if to allow the water to glide off their
plumage. Now and then, however, they suddenly ruffle their feathers,
violently shake themselves, and again compressing their form, resume
their singular position.
Their disposition to return to the same roosting places is so decided
that, when chased from their places of resort, they seldom fail to
betake themselves to them during the day; and in this manner they may
easily be procured with some care. Whilst at Mr BULOW’s, I was almost
daily in the habit of visiting a long, tortuous, bayou, many miles
in extent, which at that season (winter) was abundantly supplied with
Anhingas. There the Otter, the Alligator, and many species of birds,
found an ample supply of food; and as I was constantly watching them,
I soon discovered a roosting place of the Snake-Birds, which was a
large dead tree. I found it impossible to get near them either by
cautiously advancing in the boat, or by creeping among the briars,
canes, and tangled palmettoes which profusely covered the banks. I
therefore paddled directly to the place, accompanied by my faithful and
sagacious Newfoundland dog. At my approach the birds flew off towards
the upper parts of the stream, and as I knew that they might remain
for hours, I had a boat sent after them with orders to the Negroes to
start all that they could see. Dragging up my little bark, I then hid
myself among the tangled plants, and, with my eyes bent on the dead
tree, and my gun in readiness, I remained until I saw the beautiful
bird alight and gaze around to see if all was right. Alas! it was not
aware of its danger, but, after a few moments, during which I noted its
curious motions, it fell dead into the water, while the reverberations
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