November 



BIRDS' FEET 



T is quite worth while to observe the 

 characteristic variations of form in the 

 feet of birds ; they will be found to 

 be wonderfully adapted to the kind of 

 life they live and to the food they have to subsist 

 upon. 



When I chance to find a dead bird, I usually 

 retain its feet, attaching them to a card and allowing 

 them to dry slowly within the fender. In this way I 

 have made a small collection, which includes specimens 

 from the various divisions of the bird kingdom, and 

 very useful I often find it for purposes of reference. 



Eagles, hawks and owls (all of which are known 

 as raptorial or seizing-birds) are provided with 

 strong, sharp claws, with which they clutch and 

 kill the animals and birds they feed upon. 



A glance at the claws of the owl shows us that 

 the grip of such a foot cannot fail to squeeze 

 to death a small rat or mouse. An owl swallows 

 a mouse whole, and next day the bones and fur 

 are thrown up in the form of a small grey pellet ; 

 the amazing number of bones to be found in these 

 pellets goes far to prove the value of owls as rat 

 and mouse destroyers. 



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