THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



341 



on earth worms, which their lono^, strong and pointed bills 

 enable them to capture with readiness in their burrows. 



The plumage consists of a thick coating of hair-like 

 feathers abundantly furnished with silky down at the base, 

 and terminating in a filamentous point ; the base of the bill 

 is furnished with a number of strong bristle-like hairs, 

 which, no doubt, play the part of feelers, like the so-called 

 "whiskers" of the domestic cat, which i)redatory animal, 



Fig. 79. — The Apteryx. 



by the by, is guilty of the proximate, if not actual, exter- 

 mination not only of the harmless wingless birds under 

 consideration, but of the night parrot and other peculiar 

 Australasian birds ; for pussy has taken to the bush and runs 

 wild in those parts, where she plays sad havoc with the 

 unique aboriginal avifauna. 



As the legs of this bird are set very far back, it has 



