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| The Peacock excels all other birds in the beauty of its plumage,the colors of which are usually both gorgeous and varied. Theabove bird is pure white, and very rarely seen in the United States. | ||
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| The Peacock excels all other birds in the beauty of its plumage,the colors of which are usually both gorgeous and varied. Theabove bird is pure white, and very rarely seen in the United States. |
The ostrich is a strong runner and a swift racer. It has been known to equal the speed of a train going at the rate of sixty miles an hour. Though frequently used for driving, it is not easily managed.
The Peacock excels all other birds in the beauty of its plumage, the colors of which are usually both gorgeous and varied. The above bird is pure white, and very rarely seen in the United States.
This unsociable bird is as swift and wild as it is shy and cunning. It can be easily recognized at a distance by its long tail and short wings. When hunting for prey it flies, as a rule, along the edges of woods and thickets, and is active almost the whole of the day. Flying, resting, swimming, or running, it seizes its prey with equal dexterity. Its great swiftness and adroitness render the goshawk a formidable opponent. It appears suddenly among the unsuspecting birds, and, before they can escape, one lies bleeding under the claws of the bold robber. It follows its prey into inhabited houses, and sometimes flies through the windows.
The goshawk carries off poultry, and also steals game. It also destroys a great number of our most useful insect-devouring birds.
Sparrow Hawk (Nisus communis) resembles the goshawk both in form and habits, and is a true copy of its bigger cousin.