114 THE HUMAN SIDE OF BIRDS 



kiwis, or wingless birds of New Zealand. They 

 have compact, rounded bodies, with small heads, 

 short necks, and long slender bills, slightly curved, 

 with slit-like nostrils near the end. These are the 

 only birds known to have nostrils. Their toes have 

 long, strong claws, while their plumage is hair-like. 

 And while they have no externally visible wings, 

 yet underneath the skin are rudimentary wing- 

 bones. Their tails are concealed and there are no 

 tailfeathers. They are nocturnal in their habits, 

 and when disturbed they grunt almost like pigs. 

 Their powerful legs and feet are used for kicking, 

 and woe unto him who disturbs their nests. Their 

 eggs are enormously large for the size of the birds. 



Turkeys have been famed for their knowledge 

 of roads since the time of Montezuma, the haughty, 

 dignified, nature-loving monarch of the Aztecs, 

 who possessed one of the largest wild zoological 

 gardens known to history. Here he had repre- 

 sentatives of practically all the animals and birds 

 of the country over which he ruled ; there were also 

 many birds brought from other parts of the world 

 to his "Noah's Garden." Among these were all 

 known varieties of turkeys; the Mexican wild tur- 

 key being his favourite. 



While the turkey is not wingless, and cannot 

 compare in size to the giants of many species of 



