NATURAL HISTORY. 283 



The stork assembly meets ; for many a day, 

 Consulting deep, and various, ere they take 

 Their arduous voyage through the liquid sky." THOMSON. 



906. Paley makes these general and interesting remarks upon the forms of the 

 bills of birds : In birds, the mouth assumes a new character ; new both in sub- 

 stance and in form, but in both wonderfully adapted to the wants and uses of a 

 distinct mode of existence. "We have no longer the fleshy lips, the teeth of 

 enamelled bone ; but we have, in the place of these two parts, and to perform 

 the office of both, a hard substance, of the same nature with that which composes 

 the nails, claws, and hoofs of quadrupeds, cut into proper shapes, and mechanically 

 suited to the actions which are wanted. 



The sharp and tempered point of the sparrow's bill picks almost every kind of 

 eeed from its concealment in the plant; and not only so, but hulls the grain, 

 breaks and shatters the coats of the seed, in order to get at the kernel. In the 

 same way it breaks the shells of snails, to get at the animal food within. 



The hooked beak of the hawk tribe separates the flesh from the bones of the 

 animals which it feeds upon, almost with the cleanliness and precision of a 

 dissecting knife. 



The butcher-bird transfixes its prey upon the spike of a thorn, whilst it picks 

 the bones. In some birds of this class we have the cross bill i.e., both the upper 

 and lower bill hooked, and their tips crossing ; and these bills are used for splitting 

 the cones of firs, and other seed-vessels, harder than the ordinary grains and seeds 

 which are dissected by the beak of the sparrow. _ 



The spoon bill enables the goose to graze, to collect its food from the bottom of 

 pools, or to seek it amidst the soft substances with which it is mixed. 



The long tapering bill of the snipe and woodcock penetrates deeply into the bed 

 of the moist earth. But the species of bill which belong to the birds that live by 

 suction deserves to be described in relation to that office. They are what naturalists 

 call serrated, or dentated bills ; the inside of them towards the edge being thickly 

 set with parallel or concentric rows of short, strong, sharp-pointed prickles. 

 These form a filter. The duck, by means of them, strains the mud ; examining with 

 great accuracy the puddle, the brake every mixture which is likely to contain 

 her food. 



907. Why is the stork an enemy to the cat species? 



Because probably their habits and tastes are too similar for 

 them to reside peaceably together. 



The stark is fond of small birds ; so is the cat, who. loves 

 young storks. The parent stork is partial to kittens, as an article 

 of food, and finds them an easy and wholesome prey. Hence the 

 comity of the two species. 



908. Why are birds oj the stork tribe generally voracious 

 eaters ? 



Because they are subject to great vicissitude* of season ; at 



