Some Under Water Activities Of Certain Waterfowl

Author : Edward Howe Forbush
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781332240715
Total Pages : 54 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (47 download)

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Download or read book Some Under-Water Activities of Certain Waterfowl (Classic Reprint) written by Edward Howe Forbush and published by . This book was released on 2015-08-05 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Some Under-Water Activities of Certain Waterfowl In preparing a work on Massachusetts birds it became necessary to settle some questions regarding the habits of birds in respect to which the statements of ornithologists do not agree. For example, ornithologists have gone on record with statements to the effect that the Coot, Brant, Gadwall or other waterfowl never dive; that grebes and certain other birds never use the wings for propulsion under water; that Wood Ducks and other arboreal nesting ducks do not carry the young from the nest to the water, etc. Such statements have been made by men whom ornithologists respect, but they should not have been made, as there is no possibility of proving them, and they are very likely to be misleading, to say the least. He who says that a bird never does what it is possible for that bird to do is assuming too much knowledge for mortal man. We may well record what we have seen birds do, or report what any trustworthy observer has seen, but if we attempt to deny that a bird does this or that, or to base any theory on such an assumption, the burden of proof is on our heads, and sooner or later we may find ourselves in error. Birds' habits vary according to circumstances and localities. Individual temperaments and behavior differ greatly. No description of the habits of a bird will do for all conditions and for all parts of its range. Some statements were made in my "History of the Game Birds, Wild-Fowl and Shore Birds" which have been adversely criticised. In nearly every case prior investigation or observation had convinced me that they were correct. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.