Robert Christy, comp. Proverbs, Maxims and Phrases of All Ages. 1887.
Bird
A bird can roost but on one branch. A mouse can drink no more than its fill from a river.Chinese.
A bird is known by its note, and a man by his talk.
A bird may be caught with a snare that will not be shot.Danish.
A bird may be ever so small yet it always seeks a nest of its own.Danish.
A little bird wants but a little nest.
A rare bird upon the earth, something like a black swan.
A sly bird is often caught by two feet.Modern Greek.
According to his pinions the bird flies.Danish.
An old bird is not caught with chaff.
Bird never flew so high but it had to come to the ground.Dutch.
Birds of prey do not flock together.Portuguese.
Birds of prey do not sing.German.
Birds pay equal honors to all men.
Each bird loves to hear himself sing.
Early birds pick up the crumbs (worms).
Every bird is known by its feathers.
Every bird likes its own nest best.
Every bird must hatch its own eggs.
Every bird needs its own feathers.Danish.
Every bird sings as it is beaked.Dutch.
Every hooked beak is maintained by prey.French.
Every shot does not bring down a bird.Dutch.
Fine birds are commonly plucked.
Fine feathers make fine birds.
He that will take the bird must not scare it.
He will ill catch a flying bird that cannot keep his own in a cage.
However high a bird may soar, it seeks its food on earth.Danish.
If every bird take back its own feathers, you’ll be naked.
If the partridge had the woodcock’s thigh,
It would be the best bird that ever did fly.
If you be false to both beasts and birds, you must like the bat fly only at night.
If you can’t get the bird, get one of its feathers.Danish.
Ill fares the young bird in the urchin’s hand.Portuguese.
It is a dirty bird that fouls her own nest.
It is a foolish bird that stays the laying salt upon her tail.
It is a lazy bird that will not build its own nest.Danish.
It is hard to catch birds with an empty hand.German.
It is rash to sell the bird on the bough.
Let no shovel beaked bird ever enter your yard.Spanish.
Little bird, little nest.Spanish.
Little by little the bird builds its nest.French.
Old birds are hard to pluck.German.
Old birds are not caught with cats.Dutch.
Old birds are not caught with chaff.
Old birds are not caught with new nets.
One beats the bush, another catches the bird.German, Dutch.
Small birds must have meat.
The bird feels not its wing heavy.Turkish.
The bird once out of hand is hard to recover.Danish.
The bird that can sing and won’t sing must be made sing.
The bird that offers itself to the net is fair game to the fowler.Oriental.
The first bird gets the first grain.Danish.
The fowler’s pipe sounds sweet until the bird is caught.
The nest made, the bird dead.Portuguese.
The nest of a blind bird is made by God.Turkish.
The noisy fowler catches no bird.
Though the bird may fly over your head let it not make its nest in your hair.Danish.
Two birds of prey do not keep company with each other.Spanish.
When the cage is ready the bird is flown.
Where the bird was hatched it haunts.Dutch.
You cannot catch old birds with chaff.