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SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR BIRD STUDY. 



Cere. This is the soft whitish fleshy patch behind the 

 nostrils. It is an organ of touch, and is of interest iu 



Fig. 30. The Beaks of Birds. 

 1, Stork ; 2, Parrot ; 3, Sparrow ; 4, Pigeon ; .% Eagle ; 6, Duck. 



being the only soft part of the body of a bird which is 

 exposed, except the eyelids. 



Eyes. Of interest is the third eyelid, the membrane 

 with which the bird cleans its eye ; it passes down over 

 the eye beneath the outer eyelids (Fig. 32). 



Ears. Concealed beneath the feathers just behind the 

 eyes are the quite large ear openings. There is no outer 

 lobe, but in Owls the openings are not only very large, 

 but their edges are raised into a kind of ear lobe. The 

 hearing of owls is very acute. 



It is of interest to note that all the specialised sense 

 organs of birds are located in the head. 



Feet. A pigeon has four toes, and no bird has more 

 than four, though some have fewer. Some attention should 

 be paid to the ways the toes are arranged in birds of 



