Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 11, 2025
But the Reelfoot country has its uses. It is the best game and fish country, natural or artificial, that is left in the South today. In their appointed seasons the duck and the geese flock in, and even semi-tropical birds, like the brown pelican and the Florida snake-bird, have been known to come there to nest.
She was beautiful as a straight tree, as a meadow of flowers, as a tree covered with blossoms, as a clear sky lit up with stars. She wore a cloak made of the tender bark of the mulberry-tree, interlaced with the white feathers of the swan, and the gay plumage of the snake-bird, and the painted vulture. Strings of shells depended from her ancles, and flowers were braided into her hair.
The wild turkey, too, in all the glitter of his metallic plumage, crossed my path; and upon the bayou, whose bank I for some time followed, I had ample opportunity of discharging my piece at the blue heron or the egret, the summer duck or the snake-bird, the slender ibis or the stately crane.
"That's the snake-bird," quietly answered Guapo, who, it must be remembered, was a native of the Montaña, and knew a great deal both about the birds and beasts of these regions. "The snake-bird?" exclaimed Leon, evidently interested in the name. "Yes, young master!" replied Guapo; "look! yonder it goes!" The eyes of all were instantly turned in the direction pointed out by Guapo.
"That's the snake-bird," quietly answered Guapo, who, it must be remembered, was a native of the Montana, and knew a great deal both about the birds and beasts of these regions. "The snake-bird?" exclaimed Leon, evidently interested in the name. "Yes, young master!" replied Guapo; "look! yonder it goes!" The eyes of all were instantly turned in the direction pointed out by Guapo.
He did not know the bird; had never heard its name nor the other names of snake-bird and cuckoo's mate; and when I had minutely described its appearance, he said that no such bird was known in the village. I assured him that he was mistaken, that I had heard the cry of the bird many times, and had even heard it once at a distance since our conversation began.
Norman stated that it was known among the Indians of these parts as the "snake-bird," because it preys upon a species of small green snake that is common on the plains of the Saskatchewan, and of which it is fonder than of any other food.
Here you may see the red flamingo, the egret, the trumpeter-swan, the blue heron, the wild goose, the crane, the snake-bird, the pelican, and the ibis; you may likewise see the osprey, and the white-headed eagle robbing him of his prey.
I saw plenty of water-birds, including white egrets and a long-necked diver which is called the "snake-bird," owing to its long neck projecting lout of the water and thus greatly resembling a snake. I shot several of each kind of bird, plucking the fine plumes from the backs of the egrets. We ate some of the divers that evening and found them first-class food, tasting much like goose.
From want of books of reference, I could not decide whether they were actually new to science. Francolins and Guinea-fowl abound along the banks; and on every dead tree and piece of rock may be seen one or two species of the web-footed 'Plotus', darter, or snake-bird.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking