130 Wild Birds and their Haunts 



structure of its feet is admirably adapted for their uses. 

 The shortness of the legs and the great length of the 

 wings render it very difficult, if not impossible, for it to 

 rise from any even surface, and, as if conscious of this 

 inability, it is never seen to alight on the ground. 



The peculiar conformation of the foot distinguishes the 

 swift from the swallows, and, indeed, from all other 

 known birds ; for, though some species have the power of 

 turning one of their toes either before or behind, none 

 but the swift can turn all the four toes of the foot forward. 

 The smallest toe also consists only of a single bone, while 

 the other three toes have only two bones each— a structure 

 adapted to the habit of the bird of clinging to the per- 

 pendicular face of walls and rocks and eaves of houses, 

 aided by its strong, sharp, hooked claws. 



The feet in swallows, though not quite so short as in 

 the swift, are very small, but peculiarly adapted to the 

 bird's habits. In the capture of it's prey, for example it 

 does not employ its feet. In fact, the great requisite in 

 the foot of the swallow is that it shall be formed without 

 those qualifications which are such wise provisions in the 

 feet of most other birds, for what is a perfection in them 

 would be an imperfection in it. 



The Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida) is another British bird 

 whose legs are exceedingly small and not well adapted for 

 walking, which, familiar as we are with the species, we 

 never saw it attempt. In this it is singularly different 

 from its fellow-fisher, the Dipper (Cinclus aquaticus), 

 which can not only trip along the edge of a rock, but can 

 walk, as we have repeatedly witnessed, directly under 

 water in shallow pools and slow-running streams, 

 emerging to the surface at a considerable distance from 

 the place where it had entered. The leg is feathered to 

 the knee, and claws are very strong and curved, the claws 

 of the back toe being the strongest. Its curious habit of 

 walking under water appears to have been first observed 

 by Hebert, whose interesting narrative will be familiar to 

 most naturalists. 



The Laplanders call the Loon (Colymbus glacialis) the 

 lame bird, because it walks awkwardly, the legs, indeed, 



