From The Nightingale by Richard André, 1899.

Here's a precursor to Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, from The Western World by William Henry Giles Kingston, 1874.  The caption reads, "A cloud of pigeons."

"They were disguised as storks," from Dicks' English Library of Standard Works, 1884.

From The Works of Charles Dickens, Household Edition.

Every nightingale has a colon, which absorbs water and electrolytes.  From The Nightingale by Richard Andre (1899).

"Oppressively sociable," from Following the Equator by Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1897.

Here's a precursor to the "EAT MOR CHIKIN" cows of Chick-fil-A billboards.  The caption reads, "The More Pork bird."  From Adventures of a Gold-Digger by John Sherer, 1856.

An 1895 illustration from the Irish fairy legend of Daniel O'Rourke.  The caption reads: "'Good morning to you, Daniel O'Rourke,' said he."

"Driven Mad by Birds": an illustration from an 1887 issue of Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours magazine.

Although fables do not have to contain animals, animals are repositories of fables.  Also, did you know that a swan song can be a story told to a swan?  From Little Loving Hearts Poem Book by Margaret Elenora Tupper, 1882.  The caption reads, "Come and tell me your story."

An illustration from Edward Lear (1862).

An illustration from an 1892 issue of Punch magazine.

An illustration from a 1902 issue of Punch magazine.

An illustration from an 1850 issue of Punch magazine.

"Always remember that no one can waste your time without your consent."
—Barry B. Gallagher, The Secrets of Life Power (2008)

The illustration is from Told After Supper by Jerome K. Jerome (1891).

An illustration from a 1908 issue of The Idler magazine.  The caption reads: "A large blackbird dashed its wings against the window."

Bleeding ink and Google's scanning machine combine to form an aptly titled "Pairing."  The illustration is from Peterson's magazine, 1877.

An illustration from a 1921 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "His green eyes focused upon the pulsating artery in the man's throat—and then he struck.  The man jumped, screamed, threw out his arms."

Did you know that the phrase "Nothing or a duck's egg" is a Googlewhack?  From Punch, 1877.

An illustration from an 1879 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "I'm an owl; you're another."