Footless Birds 129 



FOOTLESS BIRDS. 



" A LL living creatures," says Pliny, "have one- 

 A\ certaine manner of marching and going, accord 

 ing to their several kinds, unto which they 

 keep, and alter not. Birds only vary their course, 

 whether they go upon the ground or flie in the aire. Some 

 walke their stations, as crowes and choughs ; others hop 

 and skip, as sparrows and ousels ; some run, as partridges, 

 woodcocks, and snipes ; others again cast out their feet 

 before them, staulk and jet as they go, as storks and 

 cranes." 



Aristotle has remarked that there is no animal known 

 to fly always as fish are known to swim ; hence he con- 

 cluded that all birds could walk, though such as have 

 small feet were sometimes called " footless " (Apoda). 



Some singular beliefs were, however, formerly main- 

 tained respecting the feet of birds, which it may be in- 

 teresting to mention. According to some ancient authors, 

 the bird of paradise was without feet ; for none of the great 

 numbers imported to Europe had them. It was even 

 alleged that the inhabitants of Aron believed the bird to 

 be hatched with legs, but apt to lose them, either from 

 disease or old age. The primitive impression that the 

 bird was footless arose from the fact that the leg is 

 extremely slender, and only about a palm in length. The 

 Dutch navigators were challenged to investigate the point, 

 and found that the legs were certainly there but more 

 weak and slender than those of the magpie, and that they 

 could walk and fly like other birds ; but the Indians, upon 

 taking them, cut off the legs, and, taking out the entrails, 

 dried the birds in the sun to fit them the better for 

 ornamental head-dresses. The practice of disembowel- 

 ling them, in conjunction with their being deprived of 

 feet, led to another singular fancy — that, having no need 

 of food, they lived wholly upon dew and vapours. 



There is a British bird — the Swift (Cypselus murarius) — 

 which has, at least in name, been represented as ' ' foot- 

 less " ; but, though its legs are exceedingly short, the 



