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Title
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Transcribed Diary Notes, 1899, Part 2_026
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Alternative Title
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Transcribed Diary Notes, 1899, Part 2
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Date
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1899
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Creator
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Elizabeth Van Sant
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Description
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Elizabeth Van Sant transcribed letters
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Identifier
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321301
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Transcription
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56 When another bird gets too close to suit him he "snaps" his bill, making a definitely audible sound; he sometimes treats one of us the same way if startled. We have tried to see how he produces the sound; it does not seem to be by bringing the mandibles together, but in some manner as he opens his bill; however, its accomplishment is too swift for us to ascertain the means. Although not at all aggressive, he stands his ground with the other birds. When they get too familiar, and snapping his bill does not drive them away, he has a very funny trick of opening his mouth wide, holding his head low and extending his neck. His mouth is bright yellow inside, and this starling bluff seems thus far quite enough to gain him the room he desires. Knowing how wild he is, I was surprised to find, the first time he was released from the cage, that he would come willingly to take a mealworm from my fingers. It is true that he approached by many short advances, finally grabbing the worm and getting away as fast as he could go. He held it for a moment in his beak, then hammered it with a gulp. He has, indeed, a spasmodic way of eating and drinking. He goes to a dish and grabs a bite, which he swallows forthwith. He does the same with water, biting it rather than sipping it as the orioles do. On Thanksgiving Day he ventured the first definite song we had heard, and kept it up for an hour. His song is sweet and low, consisting
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Rights
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To inquire about usage, please contact Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. These images are for educational use only. Not all images are available for publication.
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Is Version Of
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E:\great nebraska\downloads\downloads\scraped_images\elizabeth_van_sant\elizabeth_van_sant_321301-1899057.jpg
