THE
ILLUSTRATED
ALPHABET OF BIRDS

THE AUK

A is an Auk,
   Of the Artic sea,
He lives on the ice,
   Where the winds blow free.

THE BLUE BIRD.

B is a Blue Bird.
  In early spring,
How sweet his songs
  Through the forest ring.

THE CONDOR.

C is a Condor,
  On the Andes' height,
He plumes his wings
  For a lofty flight.

THE DUCK.

D is a Duck.
  Of the canvas back sort,
To shoot at a flock
  Is considered fine sport.

THE BALD EAGLE.

E's a Bald Eagle,
  So bold and so free;
On the flag of our country
  He spans land and sea.

THE FISH HAWK.

F is a Fish Hawk,
  Who lives on the shore:
He catches his prey
  Mid the ocean's roar.

THE GOOSE.

G is a Goose;
  His feathers we take
And put them in sacking
  Our beds to make.

THE HUMMING BIRD.

H is a Humming Bird,
  Sporting mid flowers
And brightly enjoying
  The sunny hours.

THE IBIS.

I is an Ibis,
  Who wanders in bogs,
And lives upon lizards,
  And fishes and frogs.

THE JAY.

J is a Jay,
  With his blue and white coat,
With a crest on his head,
  And a ring round his throat.

THE KING BIRD.

K is a King Bird,
  Pugnacious and bold:
A hero in fight,
  And a terrible scold.

THE LARK.

L is a Lark,
  A sociable bird;
His song in the meadow
  Is frequently heard.

THE MAGPIE.

M is a Magpie,
  He lives at the west,
Steals and scolds and eats carrion;
  He's none of the best.

THE NIGHT HERON.

N is a Night Heron,
  Of fishes quite fond;
He looks for them now,
  As he stands by the pond.

THE OWL.

O is an Owl,
  Who hides through the day;
And comes out at night,
  To seek for his prey.

THE PIGEON.

P is a Pigeon
  So rapid in flight,
That before you can shoot him
  He's gone out of sight.

THE QUAIL.

Q is a Quail,
  Who hides in a tree,
And whistles "Bob-White"
  With lively glee.

THE ROBIN.

R is the Robin,
  So kind and so good,
Who covered with leaves,
  The poor babes in the wood.

THE SWALLOW.

S is the Swallow,
  She darts through the air
To catch little insects,
  Her favorite fare.

THE TURKEY.

T is a Turkey,
  A fine dashing beau,
By his fuming and strutting,
  His pride you may know.

THE UPUPA.

U's the Upupa,
  Or Hoopoe. His crest
He can raise or lower,
  As suits him best.

THE VULTURE.

V is a Vulture,
  Who feeds on the dead,
When the dark battle-field,
  With corpses is spread.

THE WOODPECKER.

W's a Woodpecker,
  Who with his long bill,
Bores holes in a tree
  And of worms eats his fill.

THE XANTHORONUS.

X is Xanthoronus,
  Or Baltimore Bird.
Oft in our orchards,
  His music is heard.

THE YELLOW BIRD.

Y is a Yellow Bird,
  With feathers so bright,
Who sings all the day,
  And sleeps all the night.

THE LETTER Z,
      OR ROOST.

Z stands for none
  of the feathered race.
It must serve as a roost,
  Or lose the last place.