Boys and birds; or, Miss Truat's mission (1874) (14563087349)

Identifier: boysbirdsormisst00dyer (find matches)
Title: Boys and birds; or, Miss Truat's mission
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Dyer, Sidney, 1814-1898. (from old catalog)
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Philadelphia, The Bible and publication society
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress



Text Appearing Before Image:
VII. SWALLOWS, MARTINS, WRENS, HUMMING-BIRDS. rpHIS afternoon/ said Miss Truat, when resum--*- ing her special lessons, we shall devote ourtime to some birds with which most of you are very-familiar; and, first, the swallows and martins willclaim our notice, and well they may, for they havetaken possession of our schoolhouse chimney andhung their nests under its gables. They are alsothickly colonized in the sand-banks bordering thepond we visited the other day, and are constantlyflitting through the air and skimming the surfaceof the water. Wherever we meet them they aredelightful visitors, pleasing with their chatter andgraceful vivacity. A summer landscape would bedeprived of much of its beauty were it wanting inits group of swallows. (Fig. 60.) These beautiful and useful birds were favoritesin olden times, making the abodes of men theirchosen resorts, and venturing even to visit the tem-ple where Jehovah made his dwelling-place, andresting upon his altar without offending him by276
Text Appearing After Image:
Boys and Birds. illows. ra..- ITS. BOYS AND BIRDS. 277 their touch. The sparrow hath found a home,and the swallow a nest for herself, where she maylay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts.Every mild climate has its group of swallows dur-ing some part of the year, and every favored landmost cordially unites in the song: 1 Give welcome to the swallows/and feels a regret as the season comes When the swallows homeward fly/ We have our full share of these beautiful birds,most of which are so common that they need noelaborate description. The well-known Chimney Swallow differs essen-tially from the other varieties; indeed, it is placedby some writers in quite a different class. It isregarded as a swift, and stands near the tanagers,mentioned in a former lesson. The tail is not elon-gated, as with the true swallow, nor is the plumageso gl( These swallows spend but a small portion of theyear with us. Sometimes in the early part of Maythey suddenly appear in great numbers, and disap-p