428 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



singularly beautiful and efficient. From the struc- 

 ture of this foot it is evident that it is well adapted 



Foot of Common Fowl. 



for scratching up the earth. The muscles which 

 move the limb have considerable power in drag- 

 ging the toes backward ; and as these are armed 

 with strong concave claws, they remove the earth 

 with great facility. But let us look at one of 

 these birds asleep. Its perch is but little thicker 

 than a walking stick. Yet there securely, and 

 usually only upon one leg, the bird sleeps as 

 soundly as we on our beds of down. The manner 

 in which this is effected is as follows. Underneath 

 the scaly covering of the leg, and enclosed in their 



