The notes of ornithologist John Kirk Townsend (1809 – 1851) suggest that not everyone was as taken with the species as Say (who was, in all fairness, the father of American entomology): When alarmed, they immediately take refuge in their subterranean chambers or, if the dreaded danger be not immediately impending, they stand near the brink of the entrance, bravely barking and flourishing their tails, or else sit erect to reconnoitre the movements of the enemy. It is delightful, during fine weather, to see these lively little creatures sporting about the entrance of their burrows, which are always kept in the neatest repair, and are often inhabited by several individuals. Take for instance, the Burrowing Owl, as described by self-taught naturalist Thomas Say (1787-1834): The Audubon Society’s newly redesigned website abounds with treasure for those in either camp:įree high res downloads of all 435 plates.Īnd vintage commentary that effectively splits the difference between science and the unintentionally humorous locutions of another age. Our suspicions have little to do with biology, but rather, a certain zestiness of expression, an overemphatic beak, a droll gleam in the eye. Keenly observant cataloguers like John James Audubon …Īnd those of us who cannot resist assigning anthropomorphic personalities and behaviors to the 435 stars of Audubon’s The Birds of America, a stunning collection of prints from life-size watercolors he produced between 18. In our experience, bird lovers fall into two general categories:
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