20 TWENTIETH CENTURY CLASSICS 



would soon be attracted by the eye and thrust his tongue 

 into it. In this way he gained the respect of a number 

 of half-grown cats that were around the house. 



"I wished to make them familiar with each other, so 

 there would be less danger of their killing him. So I 

 would take them both on my knees, when the bird would 

 soon notice the kitten's eyes, and leveling his bill as care- 

 fully as a marksman levels his rifle, he would remain so a 

 minute, when he would dart his tongue into the cat's eye. 

 This was held by the cats to be very mysterious ; being 

 struck in the eye by something invisible to them. They 

 soon acquired such a terror of him that they would avoid 

 him and run away whenever they saw his bill turned in 

 their direction. He never would swallow a grasshopper, 

 even when it was placed in his throat ; he would shake 

 himself until he had thrown it out of his mouth. His 

 ' best hold ' was ants. He never was surprised at any- 

 thing, and never was afraid of anything. He would drive 

 the turkey gobbler and the rooster. I would turn over 

 the stones and dig into ant-hills for him, and he would 

 lick up the ants so fast that a stream of them seemed go- 

 ing into his mouth unceasingly." 



The Hummingbird that, like the butterfly, sips nectar, 

 has a " double-barreled tongue two tubes placed side by 

 side, serving as siphons to extract the nectar of flowers." 



Ducks and Geese have a large, fleshy tongue, while the 

 Kingfisher can hardly be said to have one at all. 



Besides the use of bills as hands to supply the needs of 

 the body, they are extremely useful tools with which to 

 construct the home the object of so much care and 

 anxiety to the parent birds. We are hardly aware of the 

 great number of nests near at hand till winter robs them 

 of their leafy screen. Then we see how skillfully the 

 little builders have hidden their homes from the weather 

 and their numerous enemies. 



