338 HOMING WITH THE BIRDS 



beaks, the fruit and worm-eaters long, finely pointed 

 ones, the flesh-eaters strong, sharp hooks. The 

 water feeders have broad, flat, round-pointed, 

 shovel-like bills as the ducks, or extremely long, 

 slender ones for probing as the cranes and herons. 

 In each instance the beak is suited to the require- 

 ments of the bird. Further than this, certain birds 

 are formed internally to live on certain food. Per- 

 haps the best example is the cuckoo, provided with 

 a flexible gizzard, lined with hair, so that it can 

 assimilate its chosen diet of matured caterpillars 

 without irritation. The kingfisher has such a large 

 mouth and throat that it can swallow small fish 

 or crabs whole and then eject the scales, bones, and 

 other indigestible parts. Pelicans do the same. 

 Hawks swallow parts of their prey, which they tear 

 up, regurgitating the indigestible parts. Most of 

 the owls swallow their prey in its entirety. 



Once I saw a young crow that had been taken 

 from a nest and raised by a boy, preparing a cater- 

 pillar for its use. It rolled the worm on the gravel 

 at my feet until its spines were broken and then 

 wiped it back and forth on the sawed stone walk 

 until they were worn off. Over and over, it re- 

 peated this process until the caterpillar was a long, 

 smooth worm. Then the crow swallowed it. 



As this bird had been raised by hand, it can not 

 be claimed I hat it had been taught to dress cater- 

 pillars for its food by its parents. It knew how. 

 If one admits that this bird knew that it would 



