On the Wing #28: Bird-World

There are those books that some of us have in our bookshelves that are from times gone by. For myself, one such book is a volume called "Bird-World" by J.H. Stickney with contributions by Ralph Hoffman written in 1898 (did I mention I love old books?) as a children's book for learning the very basics of bird identification and ornithology.

The first story illustrates the core of 19th century romantic nature stories. The animals have humanistic characteristics and feelings that are conveyed through mannerisms, voice, color, size, or just about any other feature that the bird may possess. While I concede that being a children's book, some of the work is dumbed down in order to promote interest and understanding, but it would be equally valid to provide a platform that is educational, fun, and scientifically accurate towards the subject at hand. But that's just my opinion. Overall it's a cute summary of the life cycle of the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis).

Random sprinklings of color pictures show up as shown with the Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) and Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) (or Summer Yellow Bird as it's called in the book) on the right. Species descriptions are exceedingly brief, but considering the scope and length of the book, it matters little within the context and theme.

A diagram of birds feet and the differences they can exhibit. Shown are an Ostrich (Struthio camelus), Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), grouse, and Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). The passage describes the uses each style of foot has for its owner and possibly how it moves around and uses them as well.

By far one of my favorite entries concerns the Bobolink or Bob-Lincoln (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), a bunting-shaped icterid whose adult male breeding plumage is characterized by a "backwards tuxedo" appearance with a black face, throat, and belly, yellow nape, and white wing patches. The description goes onto explain the birds migration route to the South and beyond where they were shot for being farm pests and for food where they would be sold under the market name of "Rice-Bird" or "Ortolan". The passage then laments at such killing and praises the northern states for respecting and protecting such a unique bird from guns that would make it and its comrades fall from the sky in droves.

The last two pages is dedicated to recognizing local birds using color and size as the main identifying features of many local birds. It mentions the same system used by Peterson later in the 1930s and 40s to determine the size of a bird in the field by comparing it to one of four basic types: sparrow, robin, crow, and goose. This way a bird could be quantified in terms of size as well as predominant coloration to make a solid identification. In Section A suggests that if the upper parts are black, streaked, or spotted with white and the bird is larger than an English Sparrow (Passer domesticus), along with a stout bill, white back, and white spots on black wings, the bird will be a Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens). If the bird is smaller with a slender bill, striped plumage and a deft size, it will be a Black-And-White Creeper (or Warbler) (Mniotilla varia).

The appendix also mentions birds of use to the farmer and gardener as well as those deemed to be harmful to the former. The middle section entitled "Birds Undoubtedly Injurous" mentions both the Sharp-shinned (Accipiter striatus) and Cooper's Hawk (A. cooperii) as being injurous presumably to livestock and game populations alike. The above section also lists several other species that might be harmful to crops or gardens. Some of the included species seem baffling to me in the modern era. What damage could lil old Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) do? Likewise for the Butcher Bird (most likely to be the Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor)) which feeds largely on insects and larger critters like lizards and frogs if it can catch them! The inclusion of "Large Hawks" also keeps with the theme of anything carnivorous and wild being bad. The book itself is hypocritical only in the inclusion of a passage on hawks that describes the good that they do with pest control and not being quick to judge their actions as individuals. However, the inclusion of them on the above list suggests that the mentality of every hawk being a "chicken hawk" was still pretty well ingrained in the culture of nature observation and interpretation at the time. Whatever the matter, it's nice to know that for the most part today that we love our raptors and the majority wouldn't even think of harming one.

Overall, this volume is a lovely look at a 19th century view of the birds. Cute, charming, and characterful, it is a wonderful reminder that for every little old book we see on shelf somewhere, it might be the key to a new world of knowledge and information we never knew someone could know, perceive, or experience. It's such a wondrous thing to behold. 

Next week I begin a new project to revamp an old project of mine. Finished in 2010, but woefully incomplete, I'll be taking a leaf from the March Madness folks and be trying to determine the "Babe Ruth" of Ornithology. The one man, idea, or bird that inspired a generation of birders to seek out the sport and bring it to new heights. That's next week and until then, happy birding ^_^!