64 Bird -Lore 



flight. The real tail of a bird, that is, the bony tail, is very short indeed, but the 

 long, stiffened tail-feathers make a very serviceable rudder. Before leaving 

 this matter of steering, we might well examine the neckbones of a chicken, 

 to see how remarkably flexible they are. These bones are tiny, each single one 

 being called a vertebra. It is the way tl>ey are joined together that makes 

 them of so much use to the bird, not onl> in flight but also in finding its food. 

 The necks of different birds differ in length, and it is a point worth observing 

 when watching birds in flight. Swans, Herons and Cranes are good examples 

 of long-necked birds, as well as Ducks and Geese. The manner in which the 

 neck is held in flight will often help one to determine the bird when it is too 

 far away to show the color of the plumage. 



The wings of the bird are the principal part of the mechanism of flight, 

 but we must remember that only a few kinds of birds live really in the air, 

 that is "on the wing." Very many good fliers find their food about trees or 

 on the ground or in the water, and so have need of some other device than 

 flight for getting about. So various are the habits of birds that we find a great 

 number of special devices by means of which they may adapt themselves to 

 different conditions. 



The Loon is a good type to begin with in the study of adaptation, because 

 it belongs to a very ancient group of birds which lived in the water, although 

 built on the flying-plan. The wings of the Loon are not particularly different 

 from those of other birds except that they are rather short as compared with 

 the size and weight of the bird. 



A trained observer would suspect that, with such short wings, the Loon 

 could not compare in power of flight with Ducks or Gulls, for example. But 

 what this bird lacks in power of flight it makes up for in its ability to dive and 

 swim. Its hind-limbs, or legs, at once attract attention because they are 

 placed so far back on the body. Although they serve as true legs after a fashion, 

 one has only to look at a picture of a Loon on land to see how incapable of 

 walking it is. The word toddle better expresses this bird's power of locomotion 

 on land. But in the water, where its webbed feet have free play as well as its 

 oarlike legs, the Loon is a marvel of dexterity and grace. Its short wings 

 assist it in swimming under water, indeed, one may well quote the descrip- 

 tion of an old naturalist, who spoke of the Loon as "flying under water." 

 The steering-gear of the diving-birds is much less in evidence than in most 

 of the air-fliers, since the tail is very small or almost lacking; but we should 

 notice that the webbed feet of water birds are an aid in steering, placed as 

 they are so near the end of the body. 



The plumage of these water-lovers is noticeably thick and waterproof, 

 and their ribs are long, and jointed to the broad breastbone in such a way as 

 to afford good protection to the delicate digestive organs. 



Underneath the skin is a fairly thick layer of fat, in some of the more 

 northern species at least, which is, of course, a great help in conserving the 



