188 TALKS ABOUT BIRDS 



is broken away and the family go off to- 

 gether. Hornbills are found both in Africa 

 and in India, and have the same habit in both 

 countries ; yet there are many different kinds 

 in each. No doubt the first of the hornbills 

 thought of the idea and they handed it down 

 to their descendants, who kept it up through 

 all their history and travels. Very clever 

 birds they must have been, for there are no 

 other birds which have invented such a plan 

 for keeping the wife and family safe, though 

 the tropical bird world is full of ingenious 

 dodges which our birds have never needed 

 to use, because there the great trouble is for 

 birds to escape enemies, while here it is mostly 

 the question of getting food in the winter. 

 Tropical birds have had to develop their wits, 

 while those of our climates have to trust to 

 their strong wings to enable them to find food 

 at all times of the year ; this is why long 

 journeys are the strong point of most of our 

 birds, and cleverly-made nests are chiefly to 

 be found in the warm parts of the world. 



