A history of British birds, Volume 5; Volume 56

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Page 88 - ... as it groweth greater, it openeth the shell by degrees, till at length it is all come forth, and hangeth only by the bill ; in short space after it cometh to full maturitie, and falleth into the sea, where it gathereth feathers, and groweth to a fowl bigger than a mallard, and lesser than a goose...
Page 88 - Lancashire call by no other name than a tree goose, which place aforesaid, and all those parts adjoining, do so much abound therewith, that one of the best is bought for threepence. For the truth hereof, if any doubt, may it please them to repair unto me, and I shall satisfie them by the testimonie of good witnesses*.
Page 88 - When it is perfectly formed, the shell gapeth open, and the first thing that appeareth is the foresaid lace or string ; next come the legs of the bird hanging out, and as it groweth greater, it openeth the shell by degrees, till at length it is all come forth, and hangeth only by the bill. In short space after it cometh to full maturity, and falleth into the sea...
Page 88 - ... bodies with the branches of old and rotten trees, cast up there likewise; whereon is found a certain spume or froth that in time breedeth...
Page 208 - They that go down to the sea in ships : and occupy their business in great waters; These men see the works of the Lord : and his wonders in the deep.
Page 128 - She was sitting on four or five eggs, and was observed to be very busy in collecting weeds, grasses, &c., to raise her nest; a farming man was ordered to take down half a load of haulm, with which she most industriously raised her nest and the eggs two feet and a half; that very night there came down a tremendous fall of rain, which flooded all the malt-shops and did great damage. Man made no preparation...
Page 88 - What our eyes have seen and hands have touched we shall declare. There is a small island in Lancashire, called the Pile of Foulders, wherein are found the broken pieces of old and bruised ships, some whereof have been cast thither by...
Page 106 - It always sat by the dog ; but never presumed to go into the kennel, except in rainy weather. Whenever the dog barked, the goose would cackle and run at the person she supposed the dog barked at, and try to bite him by the heels.
Page 31 - At a gentleman's house in Staffordshire, the pheasants are fed out of one of those boxes described in page 287, the lid of which rises with the pressure of the pheasant standing on the rail in front of the box. A water-hen observing this, went and stood upon the rail as soon as the pheasant had quitted it ; but the weight of the bird being insufficient to raise the lid of the box, so as to enable it to get at the corn, the water-hen kept jumping on the rail to give additional impetus to its weight...
Page 36 - ... itself to climate, as it has human domesticity of temper, with curious fineness of sagacity and sympathies in taste. A family of them, petted by a clergyman's wife, were constantly adding materials to their nest, and " made real havoc in the flower-garden, — for though straw and leaves are their chief ingredients, they seem to have an eye for beauty, and the old hen has been seen surrounded with a. brilliant wreath of scarlet anemones.

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