The Audubon Societies 



107 



or less tubular tongues modified so as to be best suited for sucking the nectar 

 from the various-shaped corollas of the flowers. Among the five-hundred-odd 

 species of Hummingbirds we find almost every conceivable variation in the shape 

 of the bill, from those like Docimastes, with probes nearly three inches long for 

 sucking the nectar from large tubular flowers, to those of the tiny Rhampho- 

 micron, with a bill scarcely half an inch in length, so short that the Hummer 

 alights on the base of the 

 flower and pierces the nectary 

 in an unlawful way. A few 

 Hummingbirds have curved 

 bills, one almost sickle- 

 shaped, and others slightly 

 upturned, and all are adapted 

 for feeding on particular 

 flowers. 



Other vegetable feeders 

 are found among the water- 

 fowl, a considerable part of 

 the food of many species con- 

 sisting of the leaves, stems, 

 or roots of aquatic plants. 

 Their broad, flat, fluted bills 

 and their curiously fringed 

 tongues are excellently ad- 

 apted for sifting their food 

 from the silt and water, and 

 their bills are so sensitive 

 that they can locate their 

 food no matter how roily the 

 water or how dark the night. 

 One group of Ducks called 

 the Diving Ducks find their 

 food in deep water and it is 

 interesting to observe that in those species like the Canvasback and Scaup 

 Ducks which dive without using their wings, the feet are placed far back 

 toward the tail and are relatively very large. In the species like the Old Squaw 

 that use their wings under the water and in all of the Dabbling Ducks, like 

 the Mallard, Pintail and Teal, the feet are very much smaller. The Diving 

 Ducks, likewise, have much shorter necks and stockier bodies than the Dab- 

 bling Ducks, another adaptation to their mode of life. 



Finally, there are birds which feed almost entirely upon fruits, and a few, 

 the Sapsuckers, which derive most of their nourishment from the sap of trees. 

 This they secure by drilling series of small holes through the bark and establish- 



YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, A DEGENERATE 

 WOODPECKER 



The Sapsucker's tongue is no longer barbed and spear-like nor 

 greatly protusible, but has become short and brush-like at the 

 tip to assist in gathering the sap which forms a large part of 

 the bird's food. 



