In early spring the European male hares can be seen doing all kinds of strange antics —leaping in the air, tumbling about on the ground, and fighting among themselves. From the description “as mad as a March hare” it is obvious that this behaviour is customary at the beginning of the hare’s mating season. Hares belong to the same family as rabbits. Hares, however, are usually larger than rabbits. Their young are born with fur and with their eyes open. Rabbits are born naked and with their eyes closed.
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Albatrosses are truly birds of the sea; only when they nest do they come to land. Gliding on long, pointed wings, albatrosses ride the winds for hours and may travel several hundred miles a day. At night they rest on the surface of the sea, often feeding on squid and other small ocean animals during that time.
Of the fourteen species of albatrosses in the world, nine live entirely within the southern hemisphere. There they are found chiefly in the region between 300 and 60° south latitude where there are strong prevailing west winds. Albatrosses depend on winds not only to help them take off but also for sustained flight. On calm days these big birds are almost unable to take off and usually stay on the surface of the water.
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It is not really known exactly why boobies were given that name by sailors who first saw them and may have visited their nesting colonies on tropical islands. The sailors may have thought that the birds were “boobies” because they were so trusting. Since boobies nest, for the most part, on small uninhabited islands, they were unacquainted with men and permitted the sailors to approach without showing any signs of the fear that wild animals normally show at the approach of men.
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The mewling cries of gulls soaring high in the air is a familiar sound in many coastal towns. Yet it still seems strange to see these long-winged birds circling in the air above tall buildings. The raucous gulls are a welcome addition to harbour towns, for they are valuable scavengers. They keep the waters clean of garbage and of dead animal matter. They usually alight on the water to pick up their food, but will sometimes swoop down and pick up food on the wing. If several gulls see the same piece of food at the same time, there may be a noisy fight about it.
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Parrots have been popular as pets since the days of the ancient Greeks and Rornans. Old prints show Christopher Columbus presenting a parrot at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella. Robinson Crusoe had a parrot on his desert island, which he brought back with him to England. There are always parrots in pirate and sailing stories. Much of their popularity is due to the ability of these birds to imitate human speech as well as other sounds when in captivity.
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