The Illustrated Alphabet of Birds

Excerpt

THE
ILLUSTRATED
ALPHABET OF BIRDS

BOSTON
WM. CROSBY & H.P. NICHOLS.
1851.

 A     a

THE AUK

A is an Auk,
   Of the Artic sea,
He lives on the ice,
   Where the winds blow free.

   B     b

THE BLUE BIRD.

B is a Blue Bird.
  In early spring,
How sweet his songs
  Through the forest ring.

 C    c

THE CONDOR.

C is a Condor,
  On the Andes' height,
He plumes his wings
  For a lofty flight.

   D     d

THE DUCK.

D is a Duck.
  Of the canvas back sort,
To shoot at a flock
  Is considered fine sport.

 E    e

THE BALD EAGLE.

E's a Bald Eagle,
  So bold and so free;
On the flag of our country
  He spans land and sea.

   F    f

THE FISH HAWK.

F is a Fish Hawk,
  Who lives on the shore:
He catches his prey
  Mid the ocean's roar.

 G    g

THE GOOSE.

G is a Goose;
  His feathers we take
And put them in sacking
  Our beds to make.

   H    h

THE HUMMING BIRD.

H is a Humming Bird,
  Sporting mid flowers
And brightly enjoying
  The sunny hours.

 I    i

THE IBIS.

I is an Ibis,
  Who wanders in bogs,
And lives upon lizards,
  And fishes and frogs.

   J    j

THE JAY.

J is a Jay,
  With his blue and white coat,
With a crest on his head,
  And a ring round his throat.

 K    k

THE KING BIRD.

K is a King Bird,
  Pugnacious and bold:
A hero in fight,
  And a terrible scold.

   L     l

THE LARK.

L is a Lark,
  A sociable bird;
His song in the meadow
  Is frequently heard.

 M    m

THE MAGPIE.

M is a Magpie,
  He lives at the west,
Steals and scolds and eats carrion;
  He's none of the best.

   N    n

THE NIGHT HERON.

N is a Night Heron,
  Of fishes quite fond;
He looks for them now,
  As he stands by the pond.

 O    o

THE OWL.

O is an Owl,
  Who hides through the day;
And comes out at night,
  To seek for his prey.

   P     p

THE PIGEON.

P is a Pigeon
  So rapid in flight,
That before you can shoot him
  He's gone out of sight.

 Q    q

THE QUAIL.

Q is a Quail,
  Who hides in a tree,
And whistles "Bob-White"
  With lively glee.

   R    r

THE ROBIN.

R is the Robin,
  So kind and so good,
Who covered with leaves,
  The poor babes in the wood.

 S    s

THE SWALLOW.

S is the Swallow,
  She darts through the air
To catch little insects,
  Her favorite fare.

   T     t

THE TURKEY.

T is a Turkey,
  A fine dashing beau,
By his fuming and strutting,
  His pride you may know.

 U    u

THE UPUPA.

U's the Upupa,
  Or Hoopoe. His crest
He can raise or lower,
  As suits him best.

   V     v

THE VULTURE.

V is a Vulture,
  Who feeds on the dead,
When the dark battle-field,
  With corpses is spread.

 W    w

THE WOODPECKER.

W's a Woodpecker,
  Who with his long bill,
Bores holes in a tree
  And of worms eats his fill.