THE WEAPONS AND WINGS OF BIRDS. 



By Fkedekic A. Lucas, 

 Curator, Department of Comparative Anatomy, U. S. National Museum. 



A more accurate, if not a better, title for this article would perhaps 

 be " Some weapons of birds, " for the weapons to be considered are 

 mainly such as are very evidently designed for ofteiisive i:>urposes, and 

 a peaceably disposed bird might very well disi^ense with. 



This paj)er does not treat of the beaks, claws, and ordinary spurs of 

 birds, not only because they are pretty well known, but because peculiar 

 modifications of bills and claws usually have more to do with preserv- 

 ing than destroying life, being related to some peculiarity of food or 

 feeding. 



The toothed beak of the falcon has, of course, a double purpose: to 

 preserve the life of the falcon by destroying that of its prey, aiid the 

 same is true of the spear-like bill of the heron, but the curious, crossed 

 mandibles of the crossbill, the bent beak of the crook-billed jdover, and 

 the open bill of Anastomiis all have to do with the mere procuring of 

 food. Neither will we say anything of the ostrich, cassowary, and other 

 big birds which strike with their feet, for although the feet are formi- 

 dable Aveapons, they are designed rather for running than for fighting, 

 except in the case of the cassowary, whose long, straight, sharp inner 

 toe can inflict a serious wound. Leaving out all these birds, we are 

 practically restricted to such as carry their weapons on their wings, and 

 not only fight " tooth and claw," but buffet an adversary abont the head, 

 and have their spurs where they seem best adapted to do mischief. 

 Rather strangely, it does not appear that birds with wing spurs are any 

 more combative than those without, for, while the jacanas are said to 

 fight well, Hudson, who studied them long and carefully, describes them 

 as noisy birds, more given to scolding than to actual fighting.* Neither 

 are the spur-winged plovers, which are also querulous and vociferous, 

 said tobe particularly pugnacious, although Gould says that io^iraweZto 

 personatus uses its wing spur with good effect to repulse the attacks of 

 birds of prey.t By no means all birds which fight with their wings 

 have spurs upon them. The swan has none, audyet beis a famous fighter, 

 and can deliver a tremendous blow, although the force and effect of a 

 stroke of his pinions have undoubtedly been much exaggerated. 



* Hudson, W. H., The Naturalist in La PLita. 

 i Birds of Australia, II, p. 221. 



655 



