The Peacock

The Peacock

On his head the Peacock carries a crest of twenty-four

beautiful feathers, and behind him a train more

gorgeous than that of any princess. When he is

pleased he lifts up his train and spreads it out like a

fan a fan of such beautiful colors and so delightful

a pattern that it could not be made for a king's

ransom. In the molting season these feathers drop

off, and then the Peacock is so much ashamed of

himself that he hides away until they grow again.

His wife is not so richly dressed; indeed, the poor

thing is quite a dowdy person.

The Rook

The Rook

The Rook is a busy, chattering, cheerful soul, who

loves plenty of noise and bustle, and is never content

with his own company. In order to have his friends

and relations around him, he builds his nest in a kind

of bird-village, or rookery as it is called, high up in

a clump of tall trees. The rookery is governed by

strict laws, and one of the strictest is that strangers

are not admitted on any account. If any rash

new-comer ventures to begin nest-building, the old

inhabitants set upon him with beak and claw, drive

him out of the rookery, and tear his house to pieces.

The Goose

The Goose

The ordinary farmyard Goose has only one business

in life, and that is to grow fat. The farmer does

not teach her any other accomplishment, so it is

scarcely surprising that she is rather stupid. That

the Goose can be clever if she has the chance we see

from the behavior of her untamed sisters, who are

among the wariest and most intelligent of birds.

They live in huge flocks, and when they settle down

to feed there is always a sentry Goose on guard to

warn them of the approach of danger.

The Magpie

The Magpie

The Magpie is not, as a rule, on good terms with

his neighbors. He is very noisy, very mischievous,

and very quarrelsome, and is not above stealing eggs

from the nests of other birds. No doubt he clears

the fields of a great number of grubs and slugs, but

he does so much damage in the poultry-yard that he

always goes the other way when he sees the farmer

coming. His nest is built very cunningly of sticks

and clay, and he surrounds it with sharp thorny twigs

to keep out robbers like himself.

The Pigeon

The Pigeon

The Pigeon is one of the gentlest and most trustful

of pets. Few birds can compare with him in swiftness

of flight, but although he may sometimes lose

himself, it never occurs to the tame Pigeon to fly away

from his dove-cote, and seek his fortune in the wide

world. Like the house cat, he thinks there is no

place like home. The Carrier, one of the swiftest

of the Pigeon family, will find his way home over

hundreds of miles, traveling faster than many an

express train. In fact, the Carrier Pigeon is often

used to carry messages from one distant place to

another.