SOMETHING ABOUT BIRDS [3] 



adaptation of the foot. On the inner side of the toes and on the sole of 

 the foot there are knoblike protuberances that assist in catching and 

 holding the prey. 



ACTIVITY 



ANY LIVING, moving thing is of interest to children. If the activity is 

 correlated with brilliant color, the activity itself attracts old as well as 

 young. When, in addition to the movement and coloration of birds, we 

 consider their home life, their courting, and their feeding habits, often 

 carried on close to human habitations, we can understand in some measure 

 the strength of their appeal to popular imagination. Some species have 

 so adapted themselves to human dwellings and other buildings that they 

 readily avail themselves of artificial facilities provided intentionally or 

 otherwise for their use. Martins, Tree Swallows, and Violet-green Swal- 

 lows frequently occupy nest boxes placed for them. Bluebirds and House 

 Wrens do so regularly. Robins, Phoebes, Starlings, and English Sparrows 

 avail themselves of crevices or projections about buildings as nesting 

 places. The Barn Swallow has so adapted itself to human habitations 

 that it commonly makes its cup-shaped nest about outbuildings. Many 

 birds will use material, such as string, wool, cotton, and rags, that is pro- 

 vided them for nest building; and a wide variety of species will visit feed- 

 ing stations where suet, fruit, and seeds are available. This has led many 

 friends of the birds to erect more or less elaborate feeding stations for 

 attracting them to window ledges or nearby points where their daily 

 activities can be watched. 



COLORATION 



THE COLORS of birds, particularly those of brilliant hues, have long excited 

 interest. Although the dull-colored species far outnumber the bright 

 ones, the latter arouse popular interest. The bright hues and intricate 

 patterns of many of the warblers always attract attention, as do the 

 flaming colors of the orioles. The Scarlet Tanager and the flame-crested 

 Cardinal are ever conspicuous, whereas the myriad dull-colored sparrows 

 pass almost entirely unnoticed. Many birds of somber color, however, 

 have intricate patterns and delicate shadings that are beautiful in them- 

 selves. The modestly colored Pintail drake, for example, when observed 

 closely, is seen to be marked with delicate lines and vermiculations in a 

 complicated pattern that becomes more appealing as one studies it. Simi- 

 larly, the soft browns of the Bohemian Waxwing, contrasted only with 

 the yellow bar on the tail and the brilliant red wax tips on the wing 

 feathers, shade almost imperceptibly from one soft pastel tint into another 

 in one of the most beautiful color combinations to be found in an American 

 bird. The brilliant markings of the drake Wood Duck always excite in- 



