Identifier: birdsofamericafr06audu (find matches)
Title: The birds of America : from drawings made in the United States and their territories
Year: 1840 (1840s)
Authors: Audubon, John James, 1785-1851 Bowen, John T., ca. 1801-1856?, lithographer
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: New York : Published by J.J. Audubon Philadelphia : J.B. Chevalier
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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les below the city, and I keptthem alive several days, feeding them on small fish and thin stripes of pork.They were expert at seizing flies, and swallowed caterpillars, and other in-sects. My wife admired them much on account of their gentle deportment,for although on being tormented, they would spread their wings, ruffle theirfeathers, and draw back their head as if to strike, yet they suffered them-selves to be touched by any one without pecking at his hand. It was amus-ing to see them continually attempting to escape through the windows,climbing with ease from the floor to the top of the curtain by means of theirfeet and claws. This feat they wrould repeat whenever they were takendown. The experiment of the books was tried with them, and succeeded asat Cincinnati. At the approach of night they became much more lively,walked about the room in a graceful manner, with- much agility, and gene-rally kept close together. I had ample opportunities of stud)Ting their natu- ^ 5 • - -:- ^
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THE LEAST BITTERN. 101 ral positions, and drew both of them in the attitudes exhibited in the plate.I would gladly have kept them longer; but as I was bound for the south, Ihad them killed for the purpose of preserving their skins. This bird ranges over most part of the United States, but is nowhere tobe found in tolerable abundance excepting about the mouths of the Mississippiand the southern portions of the Floridas, especially the Everglades. Ihave met with them to the eastward as far as New Brunswick, on our largelakes, and in the intermediate portions of the country, although I have sel-dom found more than one or two at a time. In the Floridas and Carolinasthey have been known to breed in small communities of four or five pairs.One instance of this was observed by my friend Dr. Holbrook of Charles-ton, and Dr. Leitner, another friend of mine, found them quite abundant incertain portions of the Florida marshes. Although the Least Bittern is not unfrequently started in salt marshes

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