HOW A BIRD FEEDS. 43 



By this means it is enabled to catch up small 

 fish from the shoals which swim at the surface. 



One of the storks and also a small plover have 

 the bill flattened from above, and expanded at the 

 tip from side to side to form a sort of flat spoon, 

 hence the name of spoon-bill, and spoon-bill 

 plover. These both obtain their food from pools 

 of shallow water. Another of the storks, the 

 flamingo, has the beak bent down upon itself 

 in a most peculiar way, so that the bird has to 

 feed with the crown of its head turned towards 

 the surface of the water in which it wades and 

 from which it obtains its food. Even a long 

 description could not make this quite clear. 

 My readers, if not fortunate enough to live in 

 Spain or Africa where these birds are common, 

 must go to the nearest Zoological Gardens where 

 they will see these birds and much more con- 

 cerning them that is curious. 



The humming-birds have very long, slender 

 beaks, which are thrust up the long tubes of 

 honey-bearing flowers, in search of the insects 

 which come to feast therein. Sometimes these 

 beaks are of such length that they exceed that 

 of the body itself ! We might add dozens more 

 of such instances, but this would be wearisome. 

 Enough has been given to show that only birds 

 with beaks specially adapted can obtain food 

 from those special sources ; and thus, while these 

 sources continue open, their existence — other 

 things being equal — is assured. But, existence 

 depends upon this. Should, by any means, these 

 particular sources of food-supply fail, the birds 

 are doomed to death, and the race to extinction ; 



