THE LIVING WORLD 231 



closely than they do any bird, reptile, or fish. In birds, 

 we meet with very beautiful structures feathers 

 which are found in no animal which is not a bird ; and 

 large feathers are almost always present in the wings 

 and tail. There are nearly 11,000 different kinds of 

 birds, but they are all formed much on the same model, 

 FIG. 46. 



THE RHINOCEROS VIPER. 



the difference, e.g., between a nightingale and a goose, 

 being slight indeed, compared with those which exist 

 between a horse and a squirrel amongst beasts, or 

 between a tortoise and a snake in the great group of 

 reptiles. 



As we all know, parrots and some other birds will 

 karn to articulate words and sentences with great 

 distinctness, without, of course, understanding the 



