The Saturn
Presentation of this planet and its moons, including ring and creatures
- Chapter 20 -
The host of flying animals without plumage. The kingdom of birds. The water hen, Behor: A large species of Heron. Heaven's messenger. The flight-tone accord of these birds. Song and music of the Saturnites.
As mentioned, the numerous species of flying animals on Saturn are so extensive that it would take more than 10,000 sheets of paper to record their names. However, their various forms and shapes are much more admirable than their great multitude. Almost all quadruped animals on Saturn, as well as the many species of fish, also find a modification in these flying creatures. The situation is such that if all the tame and wild animals on earth, the amphibians and water animals, would have wings just like the bat, you would have winged elephants, horses, oxen, lions, tigers, hyenas and so on throughout the entire animal kingdom. What was given above as an example for earthly understanding is a reality on Saturn, with the difference that the flying animals are considerably smaller which correspond to those which have no wings and inhabit the firm ground or waters of this planet; these animals are of course also much larger in size, stronger and mightier.
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By now you might have an idea how lively everything must be on Saturn. And the pleasant part about all this is that these creatures are mostly gentle. Through the power of their will, the Saturnites are constant masters of the elements as well as of most animals. There are only a few animals which have the reputation of the bisorhiohiohio.
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Since we have taken a look at the flying animals on Saturn which belong to the class without plumage, and we have learned how great their numbers are and their multifariousness, the thought should emerge and should result in the following question: "If there are so many flying creatures on this planet, how will they all be able to exist? If all of these animals would take to flight, the entire air space must be occupied." However, this concern on your behalf for this large planet is completely in vain. Think about one fact only: this planet is over a thousand times larger than the earth, and, as you know, it has over 70 continents, several of which have the same surface area as the entire earth's surface, even if all the oceans and all the other waters were solid land. On earth, human beings can walk around, even though in the air, on land, in the ground and in the water there are millions of creatures of all kinds. And just as people on earth are not too much bothered by animals, the same applies to the inhabitants of Saturn. Irrespective of the fact that there are so many different and peculiar species of animals on this planet, you will see even fewer animals roaming about free in nature than on earth, where everything moves about in much smaller circles than on Saturn.
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In order that you may have an idea of the vastness of this planet, I should like to draw your attention to what has been mentioned earlier about this celestial body regarding the distance between the dwellings of the inhabitants on Saturn. As far as the housing of the inhabitants is concerned, the same applies to all the other circumstances; everything has its completely sufficient space or room. That is why border disputes are as good as unknown on this celestial body.
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This fact must be mentioned in advance so that you do not fall victim to disbelief when I give you an account of all the feathered inhabitants of the air and the animals which inhabit the land.
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Now we will turn our attention to the birds! You know how multifarious this species is, even on your small planet, when you begin your account with the large ostrich and continue all the way to the small hummingbird. But how small is the earth's surface in comparison to the much larger surface of Saturn! On Saturn there are thousands of times more species of these types of animals than on earth. If you wish to determine the number of species, I can tell you: if on Saturn there were only one male and one female of each species, there would be 240 million birds. Naturally, there is not one genus of bird alone in one and the same land, but there exists also in each country other species. The species that inhabit the southern part of a country do not resemble those of the northern parts, even though they belong to one and the same species. For example, there is a water hen or coot which is very well-known on Saturn. It looks entirely different in southern water than it does in northern. All species of birds, tame and wild, are different in shape, in color and usefulness -from south to north and from east to west, in one and the same country.
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From what has been said thus far you can gather that it is impossible to record all the names of all these animals in one lifetime. You must also concede that it would be an even greater impossibility to describe every individual bird in accordance with its species, all its functions, form and shape as well as its determination. Therefore, we shall only briefly describe the first and the largest bird on Saturn from the feathered kingdom of the animals.
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The name of our bird is behor or the "air ship." You can believe that if this bird were on earth it would take up more space than the largest ocean liner, without even taking its wingspan into consideration. When this bird is in flight or has its wings spread, in accordance with your measurements, The quills of the flight feathers have a larger diameter than the trunk of the largest oak tree on earth. And each of the feathers on the wings has a length from the quill to the outermost tip of approximately 4,800 feet. This bird has also very long and strong legs. When it is standing on the ground its feet are proportionately just as long as a heron's on earth. Why does this bird have such disproportionately long legs? Because it is an aquatic bird and therefore its habitat is the ocean shore, where it lives on fish. You will never see it on land - it either swims on the water or flies low above the water; that is why the Saturnites call it the "flying ship."
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Is this bird beautiful? The answer is no, it is not plagued by beauty. If you imagine a heron, but on a much larger scale, you will have approximately the shape of our flying ship. Its color is ash-gray throughout and at times dark brown; its beak resembles that of a goose and its head is about the same, only proportionately larger. A fish in the waters on Saturn that has the size of a fully developed shark on earth is devoured by this bird with the same ease as if you would eat a strawberry. This will give you an idea of its size and shape.
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Some of you might ask: Is this giant bird dangerous in any way? No, not at all. The behor is very fearful and will flee when approached by a human being, even a child. Its size is deceptive, because it has very little to do with that bird's actual strength; only its large, many fathom-long feathers make it look so large. If robbed of its feathers, it would not weigh by far as much as the weakest woman on this planet.
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Now we have learned about one bird, the largest on this planet. This bird is also quite different at the various oceans in regards to size, color and shape.
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The next bird in line is the most peculiar on Saturn and is known as "heaven's messenger." This bird resembles a white pigeon on earth as far as shape and color are concerned, though it is 500 times larger. The Saturnites believe that this bird flies constantly in the air, because nobody has ever seen heaven's messenger sitting or resting anywhere. The Saturnites are right in one respect. Because the heaven's messenger does not rest anywhere on land, it flies about very leisurely, high in the air at times and then low. But when it becomes hungry it flies with great speed towards the ocean shores, where it hides in the remotest corners and seeks its nourishment there, which consists of a kind of fatty white cliff moss.
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Once the bird has eaten and regained its strength, it flies inland again to extraordinary heights. This it usually does early in the morning before sunrise, which is one reason why it is also called the "sun messenger" in some areas of Saturn.
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While in flight this bird sings the most beautiful songs, in a much more perfect manner than the nightingale on earth. This is why this bird is also called the "merry morning singer," especially by the Saturnian women.
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Even though this white bird is mostly sighted and heard quite frequently in parts of the country which are situated close to the ocean, the people still stand and watch it until they lose sight of it in the distance. At times the Saturnites are so taken by this bird that they would bestow upon it a divine reverence if this were allowed by the spirit-angels of the planet.
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But this will not happen, for these birds have an inborn instinct. They avoid nothing more than the gaze of a human being. If a person on Saturn merely envisages such a bird, he may be assured that the bird will soon withdraw this person's desire to view it. That is why this bird inhabits places which are inaccessible to the view of the Saturnites.
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Especially noteworthy is this bird's sometimes extraordinarily fast flight; it is not that easy to gain the right concept of its speed. Once this bird has reached a certain height, it easily travels 1,000 geographic miles in one hour. When this bird is in flight during the night, it glistens throughout in a bright white color. And because it flies at high speeds, it almost has the appearance of a shooting star. It prefers to fly across land at night, when it becomes a major spectacle for Saturnites. Some Saturnites are so fond of these light-apparitions that, in those regions where this bird is at home, they lie on their backs on a hill without trees so as to have an unobstructed view of such a bird in flight.
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There is one other peculiarity: if two or three birds fly in a straight line at high speeds, they produce a pure sound by cutting through Saturn's air. When several of these birds fly in this manner in the same direction, almost each bird produces another sound. These sounds often form a chord which swells from a pianissimo to a fortissimo and fades again to a pianissimo, the same as a tone or chord on the piano.
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This is why this bird holds many extraordinary attractions for the Saturnites. Although they are very fond of singing and especially of harmonious chords, they are not very musical. They have the simplest and most primitive musical instruments, but they have much better singing voices. The women usually sing the melody and the men sing only the chords. These singers often amuse themselves for days with one chord, after they are fortunate enough to have found one. However, it is very difficult for them to find another good or harmonious chord after an interruption. As far as the. Saturnites are concerned, any other circumstances will be presented in a clear manner at the right time. Since we cannot report anything more of great importance in regards to our heaven's messenger, sunbird and merry morning singer, we shall turn to another of our feathered inhabitants of the air.