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" dazzled." It ivas shewn next that as an organ of touch 

 the tip of the Tongue was the most delicate in the body, 

 being twice as discriminating as the tips of the fingers. 

 The duties of the Tongue were then examined. It was 

 found to be : — 1. A sort of watch-dog, looking after the 

 cleanliness of the mouth and worrying intruders among the 

 teeth. 2. An inspector of food, reporting upon its whole- 

 Bomcness, its consistence, its dryness, determining the 

 amount of chewing requisite, and the amount of saliva 

 which certain glands are called upon to supply. 3. It 

 adjusted food between the teeth in chewing. 4. Took an 

 active part in the process of swallowing food. 5. Was the 

 chief organ of articulate speech. With the Human 

 Tongue other Tongues were then compared. Among 

 Mammalia the Tongues of Ruminants and Carnivora were 

 compared, with especial notice of their different modes of 

 drinking, the lapping of the Carnivora being rendered 

 necessary by the widencss of the gape and the projection of 

 the nostrils. The Ant-eater was noticed as having the 

 longest and the Whale as having the shortest tongue 

 among Mammals in proportion to the size of the body. In 

 Birds the Tongue was found to be generally smaller, more 

 compact, harder, and supported by bone. The Tongue was 

 found put to various special uses in particular Birds. The 

 Toucan used it as a rasp (and here Mr. Bates's curious ac- 

 count of the Toucan was quoted) ; the Humming Bird as a 

 brush to collect honey ; in the Raven and many other Firds 

 it was armed with several series of large recurved hooks ; 

 the Goose used it as a sieve ; the Woodpecker as a barbed 

 spear ; and the Parrot wielded a finger-like Tongue with 

 great dexterity, even accomplishing a mimicry of articulate 

 speech by ita aid. In Snakes the small size and the forked 

 shape of the Tongue were associated with the swallowing 

 of lumps of food of greater diameter than that of the 

 body. The dart-like use of the long and intricately con- 

 structed Tongue of the Chameleon was described. It was 

 shewn how the— at first sight absent— Tongue of the 



