BIRDS OF KANSAS 



19 



The tracks on the bank all about gave unmistakable evi- 

 dence of the cause the Sandpiper, a shore bird with 

 wading legs and long, pointed beak, which he had used 

 to take the shells out of the water, and had then picked 

 out their tender flesh, leaving the empty shells along the 

 shore. 



Some of the Snipes use their long, flexible beaks to 

 probe into the soft mud in 

 search of worms (see. cut No. 

 3), which they are often able 

 to trace by means of the sen- 

 sitive tip of the beak. 



The seed-eating birds Sparrow, Quail, and Chicken 

 have a somewhat cone-shaped bill, very strong, and with 

 sharp cutting edges. 



The tongues are not without interest, although not usu- 

 ally noticed. The Woodpecker has a long, barbed tongue 

 tipped with a horny spine. This he shoots out with won- 

 derful precision, as the following incident related by Bur- 

 roughs of a tame " high-hole " ( Flicker) will show: 



" Did you ever notice that the high-hole never eats any- 

 thing that he cannot pick up with his tongue ? At least 

 this was the case with a young one I took from the nest 

 and tamed. He could thrust out his tongue two or three 

 inches, and it was amusing to see his efforts to eat cur- 

 rants from the hand. He would run out his tongue and 

 try to stick it to the currant; failing in that, he would 

 bend his tongue around it like a hook and try to raise it 

 by a sudden jerk. But he never succeeded, the round 

 fruit would roll and slip away every time. He never 

 seemed to think of taking it in his beak. His tongue 

 was in constant use to find out the nature of everything 

 he saw; a nail-hole in a board, or any similar hole, was 

 carefully explored. If he was held near the face, he 



