Citizen Bird Scenes from Bird-Life in Plain English for Beginners   By: Mabel Osgood Wright (1859-1934)

Scenes from Bird Life in Plain English for Beginners

BY

MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AND ELLIOTT COUES

With One Hundred and Eleven Illustrations by Louis Agassiz Fuertes

1897

[Illustration: Long eared owl.]

TO ALL BOYS AND GIRLS WHO LOVE BIRDS AND WISH TO PROTECT THEM

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED BY THE AUTHORS

SCENE : THE ORCHARD FARM.

TIME : FROM SPRING TO AUTUMN.

CHARACTERS : DR. ROY HUNTER, a naturalist. OLIVE, the Doctor's daughter. NAT and DODO, the Doctor's nephew and niece. RAP, a country boy. MAMMY BUN, an old colored nurse. OLAF, a fisherman.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I OVERTURE BY THE BIRDS

CHAPTER II THE DOCTOR'S WONDER ROOM

CHAPTER III A SPARROW SETTLES THE QUESTION

CHAPTER IV THE BUILDING OF A BIRD

CHAPTER V CITIZEN BIRD

CHAPTER VI THE BIRD AS A TRAVELLER

CHAPTER VII THE BIRD'S NEST

CHAPTER VIII BEGINNING OF THE BIRD STORIES

CHAPTER IX A SILVER TONGUED FAMILY Bluebird Robin Wood Thrush Wilson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Olive backed Thrush.

CHAPTER X PEEPERS AND CREEPERS Golden crowned Kinglet White breasted Nuthatch Chickadee Brown Creeper.

CHAPTER XI MOCKERS AND SCOLDERS Sage Thrasher Mockingbird Catbird Brown Thrasher Rock Wren House Wren Long billed Marsh Wren.

CHAPTER XII WOODLAND WARBLERS Black and white Warbler Yellow Warbler Yellow rumped Warbler Ovenbird Maryland Yellow throat Yellow breasted Chat American Redstart.

CHAPTER XIII AROUND THE OLD BARN Red eyed Vireo Great Northern Shrike Cedar Waxwing.

CHAPTER XIV THE SWALLOWS Purple Martin Barn Swallow Tree Swallow Bank Swallow.

CHAPTER XV A BRILLIANT PAIR Scarlet Tanager Louisiana Tanager.

CHAPTER XVI A TRIBE OF WEED WARRIORS Pine Grosbeak American Crossbill American Goldfinch Snowflake Vesper Sparrow White throated Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Slate colored Junco Song Sparrow Towhee Cardinal Rose breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bird.

CHAPTER XVII A MIDSUMMER EXCURSION Bobolink Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Cowbird Red winged Blackbird Purple Grackle Meadowlark.

CHAPTER XVIII CROWS AND THEIR COUSINS American Crow Blue Jay.

CHAPTER XIX A FEATHERED FISHERMAN The Osprey.

CHAPTER XX SOME SKY SWEEPERS Kingbird Phoebe Wood Pewee.

CHAPTER XXI HUMMERS AND CHIMNEY SWEEPS Ruby throated Hummingbird Chimney Swift.

CHAPTER XXII TWO WINGED MYSTERIES Nighthawk Whip poor will.

CHAPTER XXIII A LAUGHING FAMILY Downy Woodpecker Red headed Woodpecker Flicker Yellow bellied Sapsucker.

CHAPTER XXIV TWO ODD FELLOWS Kingfisher Yellow billed Cuckoo.

CHAPTER XXV CANNIBALS IN COURT Bald Eagle Golden Eagle Screech Owl Long eared Owl Snowy Owl Great Horned Owl Marsh Hawk Sharp shinned Hawk Red shouldered Hawk Sparrow Hawk.

CHAPTER XXVI A COOING PAIR Passenger Pigeon Mourning Dove.

CHAPTER XXVII THREE FAMOUS GAME BIRDS Bob White Ruffled Grouse Woodcock.

CHAPTER XXVIII ON THE SHORE A Long necked Family: Black crowned Night Heron American Bittern A Bonnet Martyr and a Blue Giant Snowy Egret Great Blue Heron.

CHAPTER XXIX UP THE RIVER Turnstone Golden Plover Wilson's Snipe Spotted Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Virginia Rail.

CHAPTER XXX DUCKS AND DRAKES Wood Duck Black Duck Mallard Pintail Green winged Teal Blue winged Teal Redhead Old Squaw Hooded Merganser.

CHAPTER XXXI GULLS AND TERNS AT HOME Canada Goose American Herring Gull Common Tern Loon Pied billed Grebe.

CHAPTER XXXII CHORUS BY THE BIRDS

CHAPTER XXXIII PROCESSION OF BIRD FAMILIES

INDEX

CHAPTER I

OVERTURE BY THE BIRDS

"We would have you to wit, that on eggs though we sit, And are spiked on the spit, and are baked in a pan; Birds are older by far than your ancestors are, And made love and made war, ere the making of man!"