26 GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS 
hollow bones filled with buoyant, warm air, and covered 
with these strong pinions, he rows through the air, as we 
row a boat through the water with the oars, balancing 
himself with these wings, also steering himself with them 
and with his tail made of stiff feathers and shaped to his 
particular need, while with small feathers laid close, over- 
lapping each other like shingles, and bedded on an under- 
coat of down, he is clothed and protected from heat, cold, 
and wet. 
“The eye of the bird is different from ours, for it 
magnifies and makes objects appear much larger to it 
than they do to us. Also, while with other animals each 
group has practically the same kind of feet or beaks, 
birds have these two features built on widely different 
plans, so that when you have learned to know the com- 
mon birds by name and are really studying bird-life, you 
will find that you must be guided to the orders in which 
they belong often by their beaks and feet. 
“Barnyard Ducks, as you know, have webbed toes for 
swimming, and flat bills to aid them in shovelling their 
natural food from the mud. 
“Birds of prey, like the Hawks and Owls, have strong 
hooked beaks and powerful talons or claws, for seizing 
and tearing the small animals upon which they feed. 
“The Woodpeckers (all but one) have two front and 
two hind toes; these help them grasp the tree bark firmly 
as they rest, while they have strong-cutting, chisel-like 
beaks, which they also use for tapping or drumming their 
rolling love-songs. 
“While the insect-eating song-birds have more or less 
slender bills and four toes, three in front and one behind, 
