420 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



foot requires to be peculiarly organized and formed 

 so as to adapt it to the wants of the bird ; and as 

 the habits of birds and their food are very dif- 

 ferent, the foot, in common with the bill, as it 

 were, reflects their differences. Had we only the 

 foot of an eagle, we could state with some assur- 

 ance that it belonged to a bird of rapacious habits ; 

 while had we merely that of a duck, we could 

 assert with equal confidence that its former pos- 

 sessor was a swimming bird. These remarks are 

 of considerable importance, for the case has even 

 occurred in which only parts of the bodies of birds 

 have been preserved, yet from such parts a pretty 

 accurate idea as to the original birds themselves, 

 and as to the peculiarities of their habits, has been 

 obtained. 



Almost every person falls into a very natural 

 mistake about the structure of a bird's leg and 

 foot. That part of the bird's leg which is appa- 

 rently in the place of our shin bone, is generally 

 considered to be analogous to it, or, in other words, 

 that part of a man's leg which extends from his 

 knee to his ancle, is taken to be represented in the 

 bird by the part which is marked in the diagram 

 c D. The two figures represent respectively the 



