How to Attract the Birds 



years since the habits of so common a bird as the 

 flicker were thoroughly studied. The vultures eject 

 the contents of their stomachs at will, as we shall 

 see in a later chapter, for quite a different purpose. 



Fish-eating 



o 



birds especially 

 are wont to re- 

 gurgitate their 

 food. While 

 the cormorant 

 is flying home 

 with its babies' 

 dinner safely 

 stowed away, 

 the fish's skin 

 will be dio^ested 

 off" completely, 

 leaving the 

 meat in prime 

 condition tor 

 young stom- 

 achs. On the 

 i,>i, other hand, 



some fish eaters 

 allow their ba- 

 bies to swallow skin, bones and all. The pelicans 

 which ply the coast ot Florida, searching for food, 

 collect a quantity ot fish in the great pouch which 

 hangs trom their lower bill like the silk bag which 

 used to drop trom beneath our grandmother's sewing 

 tables. On returning to the nest, open flies the 

 parent's bill displaying the fish. The eager, crowd- 

 ing babies are invited to thrust their heads into the 



76 



Humming-bird reguigitaiiiifi loml iiiu 

 of her young 



