46 THE STORY OF THE BIRDS 



thick, soft, and spatulate ; in the Woodpeckers 

 it is exceptionally long, round, narrow, and 

 pointed at the extremity, in some species armed 

 with hooks directed backwards. The tongue 

 of some of the Parrots (Trichoglossidae) exhibits 

 a brush-like fringe, whilst that of the Toucans 

 (long and slender and non-protusible) is clothed 

 with numerous short bristles along the sides. 

 In the Humming-Birds and Sun-Birds especially 

 the tongue is subject to special modification, 

 and is wonderfully adapted to the mode of 

 feeding. It is extremely long, and in the Hum- 

 ming-Birds consists of a slightly flattened tube 

 towards the base, which divides before reaching 

 the forked part of the organ, and a flange or 

 thin lamella is developed along the outer edge. 

 This flange curls upward and inward and con- 

 verts the forked tip into two tubes, the anterior 

 half of the flange being more or less fringed. 

 Some of the latter fimbrication, however, appears 

 to be due to the constant use of the flange. 

 Following the tongue comes the (Esophagus or 

 gullet, which in many birds opens into the 

 ingluvies or crop, which is succeeded by the 

 glandular proventriculus or anterior portion of 

 the stomach, which leads to the muscular ven- 

 triculus or posterior portion, popularly termed 



