BIRDS. 



541 



would show signs of abrasion, which it never does. It would appear prob- 

 able from what various observers state, that in many instances, at least, 

 the bird does the pruning with her saw-like bill ; but why, is another 

 question. All of the motmots live beneath the surface of the earth, some 

 using the burrows of armadillos, others in caves, while wells are utilized 

 by still others. Mr. Gaunter says : — 



" About twenty of these birds lived in a well from which I used to draw 

 water every day. The well was about forty feet dee}), had been cut through 



Fig. 445. — Whippoorwill {Antrostomus vociferus). 



a porous shell-limestone, and its walls contained many cavities into which 

 a man could crawl many feet, but was obliged to back out. I have fre- 

 quently gone many yards into these caverns to investigate the home of 

 the sawbills and their work therein, and have always come out feeling well 

 repaid for all the danger, having invariably seen something new and 

 interesting. I have found the young birds in almost every stage of 

 development — those with the tail-feathers just starting being the most 

 interesting. The feathers all seem to grow alike to a certain point, 

 except the middle ones, which are always a little broader towards the 



