TOOLS AND TASKS AMONG THE BIRDS. 151 
down upon fish, but many of them in the tropics feed 
on insects. There is in this last division of these 
birds a peculiar tendency to have an abnormal bunch- 
ing of the toes or to be deficient in the number of 
joints; and they nearly all have weak legs. This all 
comes about doubtless by the little use of their feet 
while feeding, drinking, ete., so much upon the wing. 
The trogons have the inner toe reversed. 
But we must pass on. We can touch only upon 
the more interesting phases of feeding among the 
true perchers or Puasseres. 
Of our American birds the lowest of these in our 
arrangement is the flycatcher family, of which our 
kingbird, pheebe, crested flycatcher and wood pewee 
are types. They take their food mostly flying, and 
have broad flat bills with outlying bristles. Some 
birds, as woodpeckers, nuthatches, etc., with slim 
beaks take flies also awing. 
The crow forms, including jays, blackbirds, ete., 
are well known to be omnivorous, with a taste for eggs 
and nestlings, sprouting corn, ete. At its finchward 
margin is the meadow lark, a digger, and the orioles 
that hang at the twig tips in search of gnats. All 
are really useful to the farmer and _ horticulturist 
when taken the year through. More finchward are 
the cowbird and bobolink, with stout short seed- 
crushing beaks, and are evidently connecting links. 
The finch forms (including sparrows, buntings, 
grosbeaks, tanagers, towhees, etc.) have usually a 
strong crushing beak, often with cutting edges (as 
the cardinals), and are typical seed eaters, but their 
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