242 



The Bird 



space which they deserve! They defy classification and 

 refuse to be arranged in any Hnear sequence. The ma- 

 jority of those birds which have their beaks armed with 

 a strong hook feed upon hving prey, — from the great 

 mandible of the Golden Eagle to the tiny vireo, which 

 snaps up the dancing gnats. 



The owls and the parrots, which, by the way, are 

 much more closely related than most of our classifications 

 would indicate, have bills very much alike, and afiord 



Fig. 186. — Bill of Golden Eagle, hooked for tearing prey. 



a striking example of two large related groups of birds 

 whose diet has become radically unlike, although even 

 in this case ^' blood will tell" and the Kea Parrot slips 

 back into carnivorous habits with ease. 



Owls tear their prey apart with their beaks, or swallow 

 it entire, but parrots gnaw and gnaw upon their nuts 

 and seeds, reducing their food to powder. This grind- 

 ing and rasping is aided by several file-like ridges which 

 many parrots have within their beaks. The hinging 

 of the upper mandible with the skull is more evident in a 



