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THE ALBATROSS.
Spread out thy broad and powerful wings. Quack
!

THE DUCK.
quack
!

quack

the mother

Duck

And
What

hasten o'er the sea

Albatross, in speed
to equal thee
?

Is

waddling to her pond,

chides her ducklings,
frolic

bird,

And
In

whom

she sees

Can hope

play beyond.

THE BITTERN.
In reedy

THE EAGLE.
Upon
the lonely mountain peak.
nest,

swamp and
is

lonely marsh,

Where aU
The Bittern

shade and gloom,

The Eagle builds her

stalks,

and you may hear

And

there,

when weary

of the chase.

His voice in sullen boom.

In silence takes her

rest.

THE COCK.
Hark, hark, the
His
shrill

THE FLAMINGO.
His neck, how long
!

lively Chanticleer

how
is

long his legs

!

loud clarion rings.

Near

five feet

high
!

he

And

struts about in

aU

his pride,

And what
His

bill

And

then
!

how

fine

And

flaps his shining wino-s,

scarlet coat

must be

THE GREBE.
Only in
far-off

THE KINGFISHER.
Upon
the streamlet's reedy bank
see
;

marsh and mere

The Grebe

will build her nest

ruff,

The quick Kingfisher

Observe her tawny drooping

Soon, soon within his long sharp

bill

Her

large

and dusky

crest

A quiv'ring fish will be.

HUMMING

BIRDS.

THE LYRE BIRD.

In far Australian wilds this bird

Like winged jewels they dart and shine.

Their feathers
all

aglow

Will traveller admire

And

as they flash through air, their wings

With upraised
Of graceful

tail

that takes the shape

Like sparks of colour show.

classic lyre.

THE JAY.
Methinks the Jay's a noisy
bird,

THE MAGPIE.
From bush
With wings
to bush,

from bough to bough.

flies
;

Yet now with crimson

Silent

breast,

The chattering Magpie

of black

and

fond, she watches o'er of her nest.

and white, curved

bill,

The treasures

And

restless shining eyes.

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in

2012 with funding from

California State Library Califa/LSTA Grant

http://archive.org/details/picturealphabetoOOthom

ightmgale.

MllQlf

THE NIGHTINGALE.
Of
all

THE QUAIL.
When come
But ever
the leaves and buds of spring
swift- winged Quail

the songsters of the grove.

dale.

The minstrels of the

Then comes the

rich

None has a

strain so sweet

and

quits our western lands

As the famed

Nightingale.

Before the winter pale.

THE OSTRICH.
O'er desert sands the Ostrich skims.

THE ROBIN.
The Robin
is

our winter guest,

Beneath a burning sky

Swift as the swiftest horse he runs,

And

trips across the

snow

To peck the frequent crumbs our hands Are well-pleased

to bestow.

But has no wings

to

fly.

THE PELICAN.
On
river banks,

THE SWALLOW.
lakes,

on shores of

Or marge
The Pelican,

of sounding sea.
in quest of fish.
free.

Now hovering on rapid wing. Now down to earth, now high,

And
circling

round

in airy ring
fly.

Roams

uncontrolled and

To chase the painted

THE THRUSH.
How gaily
As
if

THE XEMA.
In
far-off lands, 'neath

sounds the Thmsh's voice

northern

skies,

In liquid notes

and

fast.

And

on the

sui-fy shore.

to bid the vales rejoice

is

Lives the lone

Xema, and
roar.

delights

That winter stem

past

In ocean's thunder

THE VULTURE.
On rugged
To scent
rock the Vulture waits
its

THE YELLOWHAMMER.
W ho does not know this faVrite bird
With spotted yeUow breast ?
Of moss and
roots

carrion prey.

When down

into the plains below

and

hair,

with

skill

It takes its rapid

way.

He

weaves his curious

nest.

THE WREN.
A
tiny bird the modest

THE OUZEL.
The Ouzel
is

Wren,
;

a songster sweet
to hear.
far

Yet pleasant
His
little

is

his song

As you could wish

nest he loves to build

And

in the

woodland echoes

The hawthorn bowers among.

His note both rich and

clear.