ORDER IV.—GALLINÆ, OR GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
157. The TURKEY (Meleagris gallo-pavo) is found wild in the woods of America, and is distinguished by its forehead and chin having a red and naked shin, and the breast of the male being tufted.
Wild turkeys are hunted with dogs by the inhabitants of those parts of America where they are found. As soon as their haunts are discovered, the hunters send into the flock a dog that has been trained to this pursuit. The turkeys do not attempt to escape by flight, but run before him until they become fatigued, when they seek for safety in the trees. The dog gives notice to his followers of the places where they are concealed, and they are then easily knocked off the branches with poles, and secured.
Such is the size of these birds that they frequently weigh more than forty pounds each. The Indians not only esteem them as food, but make an elegant clothing of the feathers. The webs of these they twist, into a double string, with hemp or the inner bark of the mulberry-tree, and work or weave them somewhat, like matting. The article thus produced is said to have a rich and glossy appearance, and to be as fine in texture as silk shag. The inhabitants of Louisiana make fans of the tails; and the French, in the American colonies, used formerly to construct parasols by joining four of these tails together.
It does not appear that turkeys were known in England anterior to the reign of Henry the Eighth; and it is supposed that the first of these birds which appeared in Europe were brought from Mexico, after the conquest of that country, in 1521.
These birds, in a domestic state, subsist on grain and insects, and breed early in the spring; the females, whenever they have opportunity, wander to a considerable distance from the poultry yards to construct their nests, and lay and hatch their eggs. These are from fourteen to seventeen in number, of large size, and white colour, marked with reddish or yellow freckles. Young turkeys are so tender as to require much attention in rearing them. The housewives of Sweden frequently plunge them into cold water the day they are hatched; and, after having forced each of them to swallow a pepper-corn, restore them to the care of the parent.
Few birds are more in request for the table than these. The principal countries in which they are fed are Norfolk and Suffolk; and, about Christmas, the demand for them in London is so great that the coaches are sometimes laden with them, even to the exclusion of living passengers. Occasionally turkeys are driven along the roads in flocks of several hundreds together, the drivers having no other implement for keeping them in order, than a long stick with a piece of scarlet rag tied at the end, to which colour they have a very extraordinary antipathy.
158. The PEACOCK (Pavo cristatus) is a well-known bird, a native of the woods of the East Indies and other parts of Asia, as well as of several parts of Africa.
It is peculiarly distinguished by having on its head a crest of twenty-four feathers, and, a single hard spur at the back of each leg. The male has, over its tail, several feathers, sometimes four or five feet in length, and each marked, at the extremity, with an eye-like spot: the real tail consists of a range of short, brown, and stiff feathers, which are beneath these.
In some parts of the East Indies the shooting of wild peacocks is not an uncommon diversion, and the size and heavy flight of the birds are such that it does not require a good marksman to bring them down.
Peacocks are mentioned, in the Sacred Writings, as constituting part of the cargoes of the fleet which conveyed the various treasures of the East to the court of King Solomon. They were so much esteemed for the table, by the Romans, that one person, who had devised a mode of fattening them, obtained thereby alone an annual income equal to about 500l. of our money. In England these birds were formerly introduced at sumptuous dinners, and sometimes the skin and all the feathers, particularly those of the tail, were kept to serve them up in. The flesh of the old birds is coarse and unfit for food; but young pea-fowls are at this day much esteemed by epicures.
The train feathers of the peacock are used among the Chinese for ornamental work of different kinds, and particularly for decorating the caps of the mandarins; and they are an article of traffic from the East Indies to that country. Peacocks' crests, in ancient times, were among the ornaments of the kings of England; and it appears from records that, in fines to the crown, these crests were sometimes among the articles to be paid.
Pea-fowls are fed in the same manner as turkeys (157); and the females, when allowed to range at liberty, always deposit their eggs in some sequestered place. These birds are very injurious in gardens, from their scratching up the ground in search of food. They love to perch on the highest trees; and their voice is a harsh scream in two notes, one of which is an octave of the other.
159. The COMMON PHEASANT (Phasianus colchicus, Fig. 34) is distinguished by the general reddish chesnut colour of its plumage, its head and neck being blue, and each eye being surrounded with a red, naked, and warty skin.
There is a small and moveable tuft of feathers on each side of the head. The plumage of the female is much less brilliant and beautiful than that of the male.
These birds, though now found wild in our woods, are supposed to have been originally brought into Europe from the banks of the Phasis, a river of Colchis, in Asia, situated to the East of the Black Sea. Pheasants are also found in other parts of Asia, and in Africa.
These birds constitute a rich and wholesome nutriment. They breed in woods and fields, forming their nests, upon the ground, in places where the herbage is thick and close; and laying from twelve to fifteen eggs. These are sometimes taken away and committed to the care of poultry hens, which will hatch them, and rear the young ones as their own. Pheasants feed on corn, wild berries, beech-mast, acorns, and other similar food. They roost on the branches of trees, and, in the short days of winter, generally fly into them for this purpose about sun-set; the male birds making a noise, which they repeat three or four times successively, called "cocketing," and the hens uttering one shrill whistle. Poachers, well acquainted with these sounds, easily discover the place, and either shoot them on their perch, bring them down by burning sulphur underneath, or catch them by a snare made of brass-wire, and fixed to the end of a long pole. They are also caught by snares placed in tracks through which they are known to run, towards the adjacent fields, to feed.
If noblemen and gentlemen of extensive landed property did not preserve the breed of pheasants by forbidding them, except under certain regulations, to be destroyed, the race would soon be extinct in this country.
160. The ARGUS PHEASANT (Phasianus argus) is a splendid bird, of pale yellow colour, spotted with black, the feathers of the wings grey, with eye-like spots; and the two middle feathers of the tail very long, with similar spots.
It is a native of Chinese Tartary, the inland of Sumatra, and other parts of the East, and is about the size of a turkey.
The beauty of the plumage of the argus pheasants, but particularly of their wing feathers, and the two long feathers of the tail, has rendered them objects of considerable attention. These feathers were, some years ago, in considerable request in England as an ornament in female head-dress; but from their natural stiffness both of texture and appearance, they are at present but little regarded.
In their native country these birds are killed as food, their flesh being as much esteemed as that of the common pheasant is with us.
161. DOMESTIC POULTRY (Phasianus gallus, Fig. 35) are birds of the pheasant tribe, and found in a wild state in some of the forests of India, and the Indian islands.
There are few birds so important to mankind as these. Whilst living, they supply us with eggs; and when dead, their bodies afford us food, and their feathers are useful for making beds.
It is said that hens will sometime lay as many as two hundred eggs in twelve months. The chickens are naturally produced by the warmth of the parents sitting upon them, and generally in about three weeks after the operation has commenced. In Egypt, however, it is customary to hatch chickens in ovens by artificial heat. These ovens are sometimes so large as to contain from 40,000 to 80,000 eggs; and it has been calculated that more than 100,000,000 of chickens are annually brought to life in this manner. A similar mode of hatching them was, some years ago, introduced into France by M. de Reaumur; but the practice does not appear to have been much followed.
Some villages in Sussex are famous for poultry, which are fattened to a size and perfection not known elsewhere. They are fed on ground oats made into gruel, by a mixture with hog's grease, sugar, pot-liquor, and milk; or on ground oats, treacle, suet, &c. They are kept warm, and crammed for about a fortnight before they are sold to the higlers. The cramming is performed by rolling their food into pieces of sufficient size to be passed down their throats. When full grown these fowls weigh six or seven pounds, and are sold at four shillings and sixpence or five shillings each. What are called Darking fowls are a very large breed which are also reared in Sussex.
To ascertain whether eggs are fresh, some persons hold them up against a strong light, to see that the white has not lost its transparency; others put their tongue to the large end, and if this feel warm they are considered to be good. If, on shaking them, they are heard to rattle, they are bad. It is said that eggs may be preserved, for many months, by being covered with a thin coat of mutton suet, or other fat substance; but perhaps a better mode than this would be to cover them with a cheap varnish, by which, as well as by the fat, the air would be prevented from penetrating the shells, and thereby rendering the eggs putrid.
Eggs are an agreeable and nourishing food, and are used in various ways in cookery. The whites are of use in medicine. They have been employed with advantage in burns, and have been recommended as a specific for the cure of jaundice. They are likewise used by gilders and artisans. The yolks are employed in medicine in several different ways, but most frequently in emulsions. The shells of eggs serve for various purposes, but chiefly as a white colour, in painting, which is considered preferable to that called flake white.
The feathers of poultry are used, to considerable extent, for making beds, pillows, and bolsters; but they are by no means so excellent as those of geese.
162. The GUINEA-FOWL, GALLINA, or PINTADO (Numidia meleagris), is an African bird, which is now domesticated in most parts of Europe, and is known by the red or bluish wattles, under the throat, a naked protuberance on the head, their slender neck, and beautifully spotted plumage.
The flesh of Guinea fowls is tender and sweet, and, by some persons, is thought to resemble that of the pheasant. In Guinea and the adjacent parts of Africa, their native country, where they are not unfrequently seen in flocks of two or three hundred together, they are hunted and caught by dogs. These birds chiefly delight in marshy and morassy places, and subsist on insects, worms, and different kinds of seeds. Their eggs are a very delicate food.
Guinea fowls were originally introduced into England somewhat earlier than the year 1260, and they are now common in our poultry yards, the females always endeavour to lay their eggs in some concealed situation; and the chicks, when hatched, require warmth and quiet, and should, for some time, be fed on rice swelled with milk, or with bread soaked in milk.
These are restless and clamorous birds, and have a harsh and, to some persons, an unpleasant cry, which consists of two notes, sounding like "camac, camac, camac," frequently repeated.
163. The RED GROUS, or RED GAME (Tetrao scoticus, Fig. 36), is a species of feathered game from fifteen to nineteen ounces in weight, which has its plumage beautifully mottled with deep red and black, and the six outer tail feathers blackish.
Over each eye is an arched and naked scarlet spot, and the feet are feathered to the claws.
This bird inhabits the mountainous heaths of Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Wales, and Scotland.
It is generally supposed that red grous are peculiar to the British Islands. They are found in "packs," consisting sometimes of forty to fifty birds; and are an object of eager pursuit by sportsmen. They principally frequent high and heathy grounds, where they feed on mountain berries and the tops of heath; and they seldom descend into the valleys. The birds are eaten roasted, like most other game, but they are sometimes potted, and are in general much admired for the table.
Red grous have been bred, and successfully reared, in confinement, by supplying them almost every day with fresh pots of heath.
164. BLACK GROUS, or BLACK GAME (Tetrao tetrix, Fig. 37), is a species of feathered game of violet black colour, with the tail forked, and the secondary quill feathers white towards the base.
Its weight is from two to four pounds. These birds are found in mountainous and woody parts of the north of England, and in the New Forest, Hampshire; in Scotland, and several countries of the Continent.
The pursuit of this and other species of grous is a much more important occupation in the northern parts of the Continent than it is in this country. In some parts of Russia they are caught in traps of wickerwork baited with corn. Huts full of loop-holes are sometimes formed in woods that are frequented by them, and upon the adjacent trees artificial decoy-birds are placed. The persons in the huts fire upon the grous as they alight, being careful to kill those first which are upon the lower branches; and, in this case, so long as the men are concealed, the report of the guns does not alarm the birds.
These birds feed on mountain fruits, and in winter on the tops of heath; and, although they always roost on trees, they form their nests on the ground. Each female lays six or eight eggs, of dull yellowish white colour, marked with numerous small rust-coloured specks, and towards the smaller end with some blotches of the same colour. The young male birds quit their parents in the beginning of winter, and usually associate in small packs until the spring. Black grous will live and thrive, but they have not been known to breed, in aviaries.
165. The PTARMIGAN, or WHITE GAME (Tetrao lagopus, Fig. 38), is a species of grous which, in summer, is of pale brown colour, elegantly mottled with small bars and dusky spots; and has the bill and the tail feathers black. In winter it is almost wholly while.
These birds, which, are somewhat larger than a pigeon, are inhabitants of the extreme northern countries of the continents both of Europe and America. They are also found among the mountains of Scotland, and are sometimes seen in the alpine parts of Westmoreland and Cumberland.
By the inhabitants of Greenland not only the flesh but even the intestines of these birds are much esteemed as food. The skins, with the feathers on, are made into clothing; and the black tail feathers were formerly much in request among this people for female headdresses.
So numerous are these birds in the northern parts of America, as, at the commencement of winter, to assemble in flocks of 150 or 200 in number; and more than 10,000 have, in some years, been caught near Hudson's Bay, betwixt the months of November and May. They are killed in various ways; by snares, with nets, and with guns; and indeed so fearless are they of the approach of mankind that they may be knocked down with sticks or clubs, instances have occurred of their having been driven, almost like poultry, into nets or snares that have been laid for them.
In our own country these birds associate in small packs, and live among rocks, perching on the stones, and, when alarmed, taking shelter beneath them. They feed on mountain berries, the buds of trees, and the young shoots of the heath. The females form their nests on the ground, and lay in them from six to ten eggs, which are of a dusky colour with reddish brown spots.
It is a very extraordinary ordination of Providence, that these birds at the commencement of winter should assume a white plumage, by which, being incapable of defence, they are able, amidst the winter's snows, to elude the pursuit of their enemies. And not only this, but, as an additional protection against the cold, all the feathers except those of the wings and tail are now doubled.
As food, these birds are said very much to resemble the red grous in flavour.
166. The WOOD GROUS, or CAPERCAILE (Tetrao urogallus), is a bird nearly as large as a turkey, its plumage varied, but bay above, marked with blackish lines; the tail rounded, and the under parts at the base of the wings white.
This bird is found in the northern parts of Europe and Asia; and (though very rarely) in the Highlands of Scotland north of Inverness.
There can be no doubt but, in ancient times, these birds were common in the mountainous parts of South Britain. In countries where pine forests are numerous, they feed on the buds of fir-trees, and on the young cones, so as sometimes to render the taste of their flesh extremely unpalatable. They are also partial to the berries of the juniper.
The females form their nests on the ground, and lay from eight to sixteen eggs, which are of a white colour spotted with yellow.
167. PARTRIDGES (Tetrao perdix) are particularly distinguished, by having, under the eyes, a naked scarlet spot; the tail rust-coloured, the breast brown, and the legs of light colour.
These birds are found in nearly all the countries of Europe, and in many of the temperate parts of Asia.
In the autumn and winter, partridges are generally found in coveys, as they are called, of ten or fifteen birds, consisting of the parents and their brood. They are killed, by sportsmen, in immense numbers, for the table; and in all the ways in which they are cooked they are an highly esteemed food.
Partridges are remarkable for never perching nor alighting on trees. They live in cultivated lands, constructing their nests upon the ground, and having usually from fifteen to eighteen eggs. These are hatched towards the beginning of June, and the young ones are able to run as soon as they come into the world. If the eggs happen to be destroyed, the female will, in many cases, form another nest, and produce a second offspring. The birds of this brood are not perfectly fledged till the beginning of October; and are always a puny race. If the eggs of partridges be placed under a common hen, she will hatch them, and rear the young ones without difficulty. But these, after they are grown, almost always escape into the fields and become wild. It is said that the inhabitants of Scio, one of the islands of the Grecian Archipelago, rear large flocks of partridges, which, during the day, are permitted to visit the fields, and in the evening always return home to roost. At the commencement of the breeding season they abscond for some time; but, after having hatched their coveys, they return with their families to the farm-yard.
The attachment of partridges to their offspring, and the stratagems which they adopt to draw off the attention of their enemies whilst these seek their safety by flight or concealment, are well known to almost all persons who are resident in the country.
It is usually considered that the dark-coloured feathers on the breast of the partridge are peculiar to the male; but it has been ascertained beyond a doubt that these are also common to the female. The males can be distinguished from the females only by a superior brightness of the plumage about the head.
168. The QUAIL (Tetrao corturnix) is a bird considerably smaller than, but much resembling, the partridge: its form, however, is more slender, the body is spotted with grey, the eyebrows are white; and the tail-feathers have a rust-coloured edge and crescent.
These birds are found in some parts of England; but in other countries of Europe, as well as in several districts of Asia and Africa, they are extremely numerous.
Quails are migratory birds, generally arriving in this country betwixt the middle of August and the middle of September, and departing in April. They are greatly esteemed for the table; and are usually eaten roasted (without being drawn), and served on toast, in the same manner as woodcocks. So numerous are they, in many countries of the Continent, that they may be purchased, even by dozens, at a very low price. In some parts of Italy thousands of quails are caught in a day, at the periods of their migration. The Russians also take them in immense numbers, and, packing them in casks, send them for sale to Petersburgh and Moscow. We formerly imported great numbers of these birds alive from France. They were conveyed, by the stage coaches, in large square boxes, divided into five or six compartments one above another, and just high enough for the birds to stand upright, each box containing about a hundred quails. These boxes had wire in front, and each partition was furnished with a small trough for food. The object of this importation was solely for the table.
So irritable is the disposition of the quail, that, whenever the males are kept together, they always fight. This propensity rendered them esteemed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, for the same purposes as game cocks are by many of the moderns. The fighting of quails is, at this day, a fashionable diversion with the Chinese, and in some parts of Italy. The ancients did not eat these birds, under a supposition that they were an unwholesome food.
Quails are not so prolific as partridges. They seldom have more than six or seven eggs, which are of whitish colour marked with ragged rust-coloured spots.
169. The BUSTARD (Otis tarda, Fig. 39), the largest land bird which is produced in England, is distinguished by its plumage being waved and spotted, with black and dusky, and whitish beneath; and the bill being convex and strong, with a tuft of feathers on each side of the lower mandible.
These birds are about four feet in length, and are found in small flocks on open plains of different countries of Europe, Asia, or Africa. They were formerly seen on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, and other parts of England; but, in consequence of the enclosures which have of late years been made, the breed is supposed to be nearly extinct in this country.
When these birds were more numerous than they now are, they were hunted by grey-hounds for amusement, and, as they run with great rapidity (seldom being known to rise on wing), the chase was sometimes very long.
Their flesh has been compared to that of the turkey, and epicures on the Continent are stated to prefer the thigh of the bustard to most other kinds of game.
Such is the timidity of these birds that they seldom allow any person to approach within gun-shot of them. They fly slowly, and have some difficulty to rise from the ground, but, when in flight, they are able to continue their course for many miles without resting. Bustards feed on green corn and vegetables; and on worms, frogs, mice, and other animals. They form no nest, but the female lays her eggs, two in number, on the ground. The eggs are as large as those of a goose, and of pale olive-brown colour, marked with brown spots.
170. The OSTRICH (Struthio camelus, Fig. 40) is a bird of immense height, measuring from seven to nine feet from its head to the ground; and is distinguished by its extremely long neck, somewhat, conical bill, the wings not being formed for flight, and the feet having each only two toes.
It inhabits extensive plains and deserts in the torrid regions of Asia and Africa.
Ostriches are pursued by the Arabs principally on account of their feathers, which are a considerable article of traffic. This people use the fat of these birds in cookery; and they occasionally subsist upon the flesh.
The eggs of the ostrich are of large size, and, in the South of Africa, are considered a great delicacy. They are prepared for eating in various ways; but the best way is simply to bury them in hot ashes, and, through a hole made in the larger end, to stir the contents till they acquire the consistence of an omelet. Ostriches' eggs are capable of being preserved for a great length of time even at sea; and without any trouble of constantly turning them, as is requisite with hen's eggs. This is owing to the great thickness of the shells. At the Cape of Good Hope they are usually sold at the rate of about sixpence sterling each. The Egyptians suspend the shells of these eggs as ornaments, under the vaulted roofs of their houses; and they are frequently hung between lamps in the mosques of the Mahometans, and also in the Greek and Coptic churches. The shells are cut by the Hottentots into necklaces, bracelets, and ornaments for the waist. In the eggs of the ostrich are frequently found a kind of small oval-shaped stones about the size of a marrowfat pea, which are sometimes set and used for buttons. The skins of ostriches are employed by the Arabians as a substitute for leather.
But no parts of the ostrich are so valuable as the feathers of the wings and tail. These are divided into loose and silky filaments, and are most admired when plucked from the birds whilst alive. They are packed in bundles by the Arabs, who put them, large and small, good and bad, together for sale. In Europe they are used for female head-dresses; and for this purpose the shortest and lightest are most esteemed. The ostrich feathers that are imported into this country from the Cape of Good Hope are not considered so good as those which we receive from Barbary; they are of better colour, but not so perfect in the flue or feather, and are thin and irregular. There is a permanent tax of 1l. 15s. and a war tax of 11s. 8d. per pound on all ostrich feathers which are imported into England.
Two, three, or sometimes four ostriches deposit their eggs, thirty or forty in number, in the same hollow place in the sand; and they do not, as is generally supposed, leave them entirely to the heat of the sun to be hatched. These birds are sometimes reared in a domestic state.
ORDER V.—WADERS, OR GRALLÆ.
171. The COMMON or WHITE STORK (Ardea ciconia) is a bird distinguished by its strong and sharp red bill, its white plumage, and the orbits of the eyes and the quill feathers being black. The feathers of the breast are long and pendulous.
This bird is upwards of three feet in length. It is found in every quarter of the world, except America; and, though rarely seen in England, is extremely common in Holland and some other parts of Europe. It is a bird of passage, and leaves Europe in the autumn for Egypt, Barbary, and some of the countries of Asia.
The Mahometans have the highest veneration for the stork; and any person would be held in abhorrence who attempted to kill or even to molest these birds. They frequent the streets of the most populous towns, where they devour offal and filth of almost every kind; and, in fenny countries, they are of great service by feeding upon noxious reptiles and insects. In ancient Thessaly it was a crime expiable only by death to kill one of them.
Storks are easily tamed and rendered domestic, and may be trained to reside in gardens, which they soon clear of frogs, toads, and other reptiles. In a wild state they make their nests of sticks and dried plants, on lofty trees or the summits of rocks. The inhabitants of Holland frequently place boxes on their houses for them to build in.
The quills of the stork are large, and make excellent pens for writing with.
172. The COMMON HERON (Ardea major, Fig. 41) is a bird of the stork tribe, distinguished by the cinereous colour of its plumage, by the male having a long and pendent crest on the hind part of the head, the feathers of the neck long; and by having a double row of black spots on the neck.
This bird, which is somewhat more than three feet in length, is common in most of the fenny parts of Great Britain.
A few centuries ago heronies were nearly as common in the neighbourhood of noblemen's houses as rookeries. These birds, like rooks, delight in building their nests in society, and on the highest trees. As many as eighty herons' nests are mentioned by Mr. Pennant, to have been counted on a single tree at Cressi Hall, near Gosberton in Lincolnshire.
When heron hawking, or the pursuing of these birds with falcons, was a favourite diversion in this country, great attention was paid to the preservation of the breed, they were ranked among royal game, and were so far protected by the laws, that any person destroying or shooting at one of them was liable to a penalty of twenty shillings. A penalty of ten shillings was exacted for taking young herons from the nest, and any one taking or destroying the eggs, betwixt the twenty-first of March and the thirteenth of June, was punishable by twelve months' imprisonment, and a forfeiture of eightpence for every egg so taken. These birds were formerly as much esteemed for the table as pheasants are now, and no fewer than four hundred herons are stated to have been served up at Archbishop Neville's inthronization feast, in the reign of Edward the Fourth.
Plumes formed of feathers of the heron and egret are used as ornaments for the caps of knights of the garter.
Herons subsist chiefly upon fish, and are very destructive in fish-ponds. It has been calculated that a single heron will destroy nearly 3000 carp in a year. These birds take their prey by wading into the water, and seizing the fish as they pass by: they also sometimes catch them in shallow water by darting from the air, and securing them against the bottom.
173. The BITTERN (Ardea stellaris, Fig. 42) is a bird of the stork tribe, distinguishable by its brownish yellow plumage, variously marked with black; by the feathers of the neck and breast being peculiarly long; and the bill being strong, of brown colour above, and greenish beneath.
This bird is not quite so large as the heron. It is found in marshes of several parts of England, as well as on the continents of Europe, Asia, and America.
The flesh of the bittern was formerly much esteemed at the table. Amongst other provisions at Archbishop Neville's inthronization feast, there appear to have been 204 bitterns. These birds are now sometimes to be seen in the poulterers' shops in London, where they are generally sold for about half-a-guinea each. The hind claws were once in esteem as tooth-picks, from an opinion that the use of them tended to preserve the teeth from decaying.
Few birds of their size are more strong, or, when attacked, are more ferocious than these. They subsist chiefly on fish, frogs, mice, and other animals. During the months of February and March the males, in the mornings and evenings, make a kind of deep, lowing noise, which is supposed to be their call to the females. These birds form their nests among rushes, and generally lay four or five greenish brown eggs.
174. The CURLEW (Scolopax arquata, Fig. 44) is a bird known by having a long arched black bill, bluish legs, and blackish wings, with snowy spots and marks.
Its general weight is betwixt twenty and thirty ounces.
In winter large flocks of these birds are seen on our sea-coasts, and in summer they often retire into mountainous parts of the interior of the country. They are found in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Curlews are frequently shot for food, and sometimes are very palatable, particularly if killed at a distance from the sea: but such as are killed near the sea-coasts have often a fishy and bad taste.
They feed on marine and other worms and insects, and build their nests upon the ground in unfrequented places distant from the coast, laying four eggs, which are of a pale green or olive colour, marked with irregular brown spots.
175. The WOODCOCK (Scolopax rusticola, Fig. 45) is a bird with varied plumage, a long straight bill reddish at the base, legs ash-coloured, the thighs clad with feathers, and the head with a black band on each side.
The weight of the woodcock is generally about twelve ounces.
These birds are migratory, and usually begin to arrive, in England about the first week in October, and depart about the middle of March.
The woodcocks which arrive in the southern parts of England, probably come from Normandy; and those in the northern parts from Sweden. The latter appears evident by the time of their departure from Sweden exactly coinciding with that of their arrival in Britain, and their retreat from this country coinciding with their re-appearance there. In their migrations they chiefly fly during the night, and arrive in greatest numbers with north-easterly winds and during foggy weather.
Few birds are so much in esteem for the table as these and they are fattest, and consequently in best condition, during the months of December and January. Before they were protected by the game laws, it was customary, in some of the northern parts of England, to catch woodcocks by traps. Long parallel rows of stones or sticks, four or five inches high, were made in moonlight nights on the commons frequented by them. In these rows several intervals or gateways were left in which the traps were placed. When the birds, running about in search of food came to one of these rows, they did not usually cross it, but ran along the side till they arrived at the gateways, which they entered, and in which they were caught. Notwithstanding the high opinion entertained by British epicures respecting the woodcock for the table, we are assured that the inhabitants of Sweden, Norway, and other northern countries, wholly reject them, under a notion that they are unwholesome. They, however, eat and are particularly partial to the eggs of the woodcock. These are carried for sale, in great numbers, to the markets of Stockholm and Gottenburg.
In commencing its flight this bird rises heavily from the ground, and makes a flapping noise with its wings. It does not long continue in flight, and stops so suddenly as to fall apparently like a dead weight. A few moments after being on the ground it runs swiftly, but soon pauses, raises its head, and casts a glance around before it ventures to lurk in concealment under the herbage or bushes.
Woodcocks are seldom known to breed in this country. Those very few, however, that happen to remain, after the great flights have departed, construct their nests on the ground, generally at the root of some tree, and lay four or five eggs of rusty colour marked with brown spots. They feed on worms and insects.
176. The COMMON SNIPE (Scolopax gallinago, Fig. 43) is a small bird, with long straight bill, brown legs, the plumage varied with blackish and tawny colour above, and white beneath, and the front marked with four brown lines.
These birds, which usually weigh about four ounces, are found in marshy places in most parts of the world. They are migratory, a considerable portion of them leaving Great Britain in the spring of the year and returning in the autumn. Many, however, continue with us through the whole year.
Snipes, on account of their delicate flavour, are in great request for the table. But as, like woodcocks (175), they are eaten with their entrails, which contain many stimulant insects, &c. it has been supposed that a frequent indulgence in such food is apt to induce the gout, or at least to accelerate its paroxysms. It is remarkable respecting these birds that, though generally fat and rich eating, they seldom cloy even the weakest stomachs.
In winter they usually continue near marshy grounds, concealed among rushes and thick herbage; but, during severe frosts, they resort to sheltered springs, unfrozen boggy places, or any open streams of water. In summer they disperse throughout the country, and are occasionally found even among the highest mountains. When roused by the sportsman they utter a feeble whistle, and generally fly off, against the wind, in a zigzag direction. Snipes are fattest and in best season in November and December.
These birds feed on small worms, slugs, and insects. They form their nests of dried grass and feathers, in concealed and inaccessible parts of marshes, and have each four eggs of a dirty olive colour marked with dusky spots.
177. The RUFF and REEVE (Tringa pugnax, Fig. 46) are the male and female of a species of sandpiper, which have very varied plumage, the face coloured with yellow pimples, the three lateral tail feathers without spots, and the covert feathers of the wings brown, inclining to ash-colour.
The males, or ruffs, have, round their heads, after they are twelve months old, a very singular arrangement of long feathers, which drop off every year at the season of moulting. The female, or reeve, has no feathers of this description. The weight of the ruff is generally more than seven ounces, and that of the reeve about four.
These birds are found in the fens of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Yorkshire.
In the early part of spring they begin to appear in the fens, and they disappear about Michaelmas. These birds are caught in nets, and a skilful fowler has been known to catch six dozen in one morning. In general the males only are taken, the females being allowed to escape on account of their smaller size, and that they may be left to breed. When caught they are generally put up, for some days, to be fattened; and for this purpose are fed with boiled wheat, and bread and milk mixed with hempseed, to which sugar is sometimes added. By this treatment, in the course of a fortnight, they become excessively fat. The usual mode of killing them is by cutting off their head with a pair of scissars. They are cooked, like woodcocks, with their intestines, and, when in perfection, are esteemed by epicures a most delicious food.
It is a very singular habit of the males, which are much more numerous than the females, to take possession each of a small piece of ground, upon which they run in a circle until all the grass is worn away. These hills, as they are called by the fowlers, are near each other; and as soon as a female alights, all the ruffs of the neighbourhood immediately begin to fight for her. It is during this contest that the fowlers seize the opportunity of entangling them in their nets.
The reeves form their nests of a few straws and dried grass loosely put together upon the ground; and lay each four white eggs marked with large rust-coloured spots.
178. The LAPWING, or PEE-WIT (Tringa vanellus), is a well-known marsh bird, which has a crest at the back of the head, the upper part of its plumage green, the breast black, and the legs red.
Its general weight is seven or eight ounces. This bird frequents moist heaths and marshy grounds in nearly all the temperate parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The name of Lapwing has been given to these birds, on account of the flapping noise which they make with their large wings during flight; and that of pee-wit has been obtained from their cry. They associate in flocks during the winter-time, and are caught, by nets, in the same manner as ruffs (177), but are killed as soon as they are caught. Lapwings are in considerable demand by the London poulterers, particularly about the month of October, when they are fat and excellent eating. Their eggs, which are olive-coloured spotted with black, are esteemed a peculiar delicacy during the whole season in which they can be obtained.
Lapwings feed chiefly on worms, and the females lay each two eggs on the ground, in some hollow place, on the dry parts of marshes.
179. The DOTTEREL (Charadrius morinellus) is a species of plover distinguished by its roundish and obtuse bill and black legs, its breast being rust-coloured, and by having a white line over each eye, and another upon the breast.
These birds seldom weigh more than three or four ounces. About the latter end of April, during the month of May, and part of June, they are found, in flocks of eight or ten together, on the heaths and moors of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire, and among the mountains of Westmorland and Cumberland. They are also seen on the Wiltshire and Berkshire downs in the months of April and September.
Such is the singularity of manners of these birds that it is possible to catch them, even with the hand, by a very simple artifice. It was formerly customary for the fowler to proceed, in the night, with a candle and lantern, to the places where he knew the birds were in the habit of roosting. Roused, but unalarmed, by the light, if he approached with caution they would continue immoveable until he was able to discover them. He would now stretch out one of his arms, which induced the imitative birds to stretch their wing; then a foot, which the birds likewise mimicked. This he did alternately until he was sufficiently near to extend and entangle them in his net. There were other contrivances besides this: but the greater facility of killing these birds by the gun has of late years rendered them all useless.
When dotterels are best in season they are very fat and delicate eating.
There are several birds which are sold by the London poulterers under the appellation of plovers. These are chiefly the Golden Plover (Charadrius pluvialis), the Grey Sand-Piper (Tringa squatorola), and the Green Sand-Piper (Tringa ochropus), all of which are much esteemed for the table.