A Natural History of the Globe: Of Man, of Beasts, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, Insects, and Plants, Volume 4Gray & Bowen, 1831 |
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Page 14
... usually indicates the vicinity of land . It is widely dispersed over the various shores of the ocean . I observed them on the coast of Florida and Georgia , where they were very numerous and noisy . They fre- quently settle on the ...
... usually indicates the vicinity of land . It is widely dispersed over the various shores of the ocean . I observed them on the coast of Florida and Georgia , where they were very numerous and noisy . They fre- quently settle on the ...
Page 42
... usually weigh more than twelve ounces ; and it measures about sixteen inches from the point of the bill to the tip of the tail , and from the extremity of each wing , when ex- tended , nearly two feet . The bill is of a dark brown col ...
... usually weigh more than twelve ounces ; and it measures about sixteen inches from the point of the bill to the tip of the tail , and from the extremity of each wing , when ex- tended , nearly two feet . The bill is of a dark brown col ...
Page 43
... in flocks in the winter , and flying in pairs in summer ; bringing up their young by the water side , and leading them to their food as soon as out of the shell . Their nests are usually built among heath or rushes , THE DUCK GENUS . 43.
... in flocks in the winter , and flying in pairs in summer ; bringing up their young by the water side , and leading them to their food as soon as out of the shell . Their nests are usually built among heath or rushes , THE DUCK GENUS . 43.
Page 44
... usually built among heath or rushes , not far from the water ; and they lay twelve , fourteen , or more eggs before they sit : yet this is not always their meth- od ; the dangers they continually encounter from their situation sometimes ...
... usually built among heath or rushes , not far from the water ; and they lay twelve , fourteen , or more eggs before they sit : yet this is not always their meth- od ; the dangers they continually encounter from their situation sometimes ...
Page 54
... usually flying in long lines , though sometimes in a triangle , like geese , with their long bills resting on their breasts . Charles Bonaparte has confounded this bird with the brown species , from which however it appears to be ...
... usually flying in long lines , though sometimes in a triangle , like geese , with their long bills resting on their breasts . Charles Bonaparte has confounded this bird with the brown species , from which however it appears to be ...
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Common terms and phrases
Alligator anal fins animal appears ash colour back fin bait belly bill bird boat body bones bottom brown Cachalot called claws coasts common covered CRAB creature Crocodile danger deep devour dorsal fin DUCK dusky Eels eggs EIDER DUCK England eyes feathers feed feet long female fish fishermen five flesh Frog furnished genus gills goose Greenland grows GULL head hole hundred inches in length inches long inhabitants kind known lakes lateral line legs lizard mackerel manner motion mouth MULTIVALVE neck pectoral fins placed plumage pounds pounds weight prey quadrupeds rays resembles rivers round scales season seen seize seldom Serpent Shark shell shoals shore side skin snail Snake sometimes spawn species spermaceti spines spots surface swimming tail taken teeth thick Toad Tortoise tribe upper venomous ventral ventral fins Viper viviparous weighs whale whole wings wound yellow young
Popular passages
Page 127 - These yellowish and livid eels, resembling large aquatic serpents, swim on the surface of the water, and crowd under the bellies of the horses and mules. A contest between animals of so different an organization, furnishes a very striking spectacle.
Page 206 - May to begin their expedition ; and then sally out by thousands from the stumps of hollow trees, from the clefts of rocks, and from the holes which they dig for themselves under the surface of the earth. At that time the whole ground is covered with this band of adventurers; there is no setting down one's foot without treading upon them.
Page 128 - Indians, provided with harpoons and long slender reeds, surround the pool closely ; and some climb upon the trees, the branches of which extend horizontally over the surface of the water. By their wild cries, and the length of their reeds, they prevent the horses from running away and reaching the bank of the pool. The eels, stunned by the noise, defend themselves by the repeated discharge of their electric batteries.
Page 128 - Indians into the middle of the water; but a small number succeed in eluding the active vigilance of the fishermen. These regain the shore, stumbling at every step, and stretch themselves on the sand, exhausted with fatigue, and their limbs benumbed by the electric shocks of the gymnoti.
Page 174 - ... ocean. It is divided into distinct columns of five or six miles in length and three or four in breadth, and they drive the water before them with a kind of rippling...
Page 54 - THE cormorant is about the size of a large Muscovy duck, and may be distinguished from all other birds of this kind, by its four toes being united by membranes together ; and by the middle toe being toothed, or notched, like a saw, to assist it in holding its fishy prey. The head and neck of this bird are of a sooty blackness ; and the body thick and heavy, more inclining in figure to that of the goose than the gull.
Page 292 - These erect and put themselves in motion at the word of command. When their keeper sings a slow tune, they seem by their heads to keep time ; when he sings a quicker measure, they appear to move more brisk and...
Page 56 - They hunt about, they plunge, they rise a hundred times to the surface, until they have at last found their prey. They then seize it with their beak by the middle, and carry it without fail to their master. When the fish is too large, they then give each other mutual assistance : one seizes it by the head, the other by the tail, and in this manner carry it to the boat together.
Page 291 - He then saw the manner in which the eggs of these animals lie in the womb. In this creature there were six eggs, each of the size of a goose egg, but longer, more pointed, and covered with a membranous skin, by which also they were united to each other. Each of these eggs contained from thirteen to fifteen young ones, about six inches long, and as thick as a goose-quill. Though the female from...
Page 285 - But as we descend into more enlightened antiquity, we find these animals less formidable, as being attacked in a more successful manner. We are told^ that while Regulus led his army along the banks of the river Bagrada in Africa, an enormous serpent disputed his passage over. We are assured by Pliny, -who says that he himself saw the skin, that it was a hundred and twenty feet long, and that it bad destroyed many of the army.