414 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



of nature to an end, than is to be found in the 

 tongue, the beak, and its muscles, in the cross-bill." 

 In the majority of birds the bill forms but a 

 very small part in proportion to the rest of the 

 body ; but there is a remarkable exception to this 

 rule in the case of the toucans and hornbills. In 

 some of these birds the bill is equal in length 

 to that of the whole body. These birds pre- 

 sent consequently a somewhat droll appearance, 

 looking, compared with other birds, just like a 

 person with a mask compared to his fellow-men 

 without one. The bill of the toucan is, in spite 

 of its length, extremely light, and the structure is 



of the most beautiful and delicate kind. The 

 outer case is very thin and elastic, yet sufficiently 

 rigid to answer the purposes to which it is 

 applied. The food the bill is intended to procure 

 is principally of a soft and non-resisting kind 



