96 HOW HE IS MADE 
a nuthatch it is a hammer, to crack the nut he 
has wedged into a crevice in the bark so tightly 
it cannot slip. 
Some birds use the beak to dig in the ground, 
as the bank swallows, while the barn 
L— swallows make it a trowel, to carry 
=a and plaster mud (Fig. 3). All of 
\ them use it as a hand to feed them- 
Fic. 3. selves, and a brush and comb to dress 
Bill of Swal- 
their feathers. 
Birds need to use the beak a good 
deal, because in most cases it grows like our 
finger-nails. If they did not keep it worn off, 
it would grow so long as to trouble them. 
Sometimes when a bird lives in a cage and does 
not use his bill, it grows so long that he can 
hardly pick up his 
food. 
The woodcock’s 
long beak is sensitive, 
so that he can feel the 
worms, deep in the 
mud where they live. 
Many waders and 
swimmers have beaks 
soft like leather. 
You can tell by the shape of the beak how a 
bird lives, and what he eats. The strong, hooked 
low. 

Fia. 4. 
Bill of Hawk. 

